Honda’s first pickup.

Leave it to Honda to be the last one to the party and make the grandest entry. With the three top selling cars in the U.S. being pickup trucks, it’s surprising that Honda took so long to enter the market. For years Honda sat on the sideline as competitors like Toyota and Nissan successfully introduced product after product that appealed to American drivers.

Honda’s first pickup is an all-wheel-drive mid-size four-door that’s loosely based on the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX. Visually, it resembles the Chevrolet Avalanche pickup, but smaller. The Honda Ridgeline is the most innovative new truck I’ve ever driven, from its polarizing exterior appearance to its dual operating tailgate and clever combination of cargo storage choices.

Don’t confuse the Ridgeline with a traditional hardcore work truck because it isn’t. But for the vast majority who use their trucks as daily commuters to work or weekend trips to the home improvement center, it’s all the truck they’ll ever need. Towing capacity is 5,000 and it will haul about 1,500 pounds. Honda research indicates that 84 percent of truck owners who tow a trailer tow less than 5,000 pounds. Conveniently, all Ridgeline models come standard with a class III hitch, transmission and oil coolers, and wiring for a four- or seven-pin electrical hookup.

The Ridgeline will be offered in three different trim levels. The base RT ($27,700) includes air conditioning, tilt steering wheel, power windows with power sliding rear window, power locks, cruise control, keyless entry and a six-speaker 100-watt AM/FM/CD XM-ready audio system. The mid level RTS ($30,075) adds alloy wheels, seven-speaker 160-watt, six-disc CD changer, dual zone automatic climate control and an eight-way power driver’s seat.

The RTL ($31,490) adds leather upholstery and heated front seats. You can add a moonroof and XM radio to the RTL for an additional $1,150. The only other major option is a navigation system for an additional $2,000. There are no exterior badges on the tailgate or elsewhere that indicate which Ridgeline model it is.

What is missing from the Ridgeline is a choice of cab styles, drive lines, engines and transmissions. All Ridgeline models come the same way: four-door, four-wheel-drive and powered with by a 3.5-liter 255-horsepower V-6 with 252 foot-pounds of torque. The only transmission is a five-speed automatic that is one of the best-shifting transmissions I have ever driven.

I said the Ridgeline was one of the most innovative new vehicles I’ve ever driven and that’s certainly true when considering the exterior styling. Unlike traditional quad-cab pickups, the Ridgeline profile is one continuous form with flat yet sculpted sides. Competitive models like the Ford Explorer Sport Trac and Toyota Tacoma have separate cabs and separate beds. The Honda roofline is integrated into the truck bed and slopes all the way to the tailgate. Oddly, the top of the tailgate is two inches lower than the cargo bed. Honda says the lower tailgate improves visibility, but it certainly looks odd. The Ridgeline looks pudgy and rounded.

Other exterior features that seem visually clumsy are the large and much too square wheel openings, a grille that looks like a radio antenna and squinty headlamps. Perhaps fog lamps and a front valance should be considered.

The cargo bed is just five feet long — six and a half when the tailgate is down — and is constructed of steel-reinforced fiberglass and coated with a rough textured material. One of the neatest features is a lockable, weatherproof storage bin accessible from the rear of the truck and built into the rear cargo floor. It can hold 8.5 feet of luggage or gear, or three sets of golf clubs.

Inside the roomy cabin holds five adults with plenty of room for all. The rear seatbacks are slanted (not upright as in most pickups), so passengers can ride in comfort. The rear seat is split 60/40 and easily folds up to a locking position that increases space enough to transport a mountain bike, according to Honda.

The front seats are easily the most comfortable in any Honda to date. The gearshift is mounted on the column and a large sliding center console conceals a big space to accommodate a purse or package.

The dash is well laid out, gauges well lit and attractive. My tester was equipped with the optional navigation system that featured an LCD screen in the center of the dash. The overly noticeable and large interior door handles at first seemed bizarre, but ended up being rather functional and appreciated when reaching to close the door. Shorter drivers would have appreciated adjustable pedals and a telescoping steering wheel, both missing and unavailable.

So what’s it like to drive the Ridgeline? In a word, terrific! The handling is nimble, crisp and it’s by far the nicest truck I’ve ever driven. There isn’t any of the jostling and bouncing you get from most pickup trucks; it’s a truck that doesn’t ride and drive like a truck.

Even without a V-8, the Ridgeline was perfectly capable of passing or merging on the interstate. I didn’t get a chance to take it off-road to test its all-wheel-drive capabilities but others who have done so were most impressed. While not up to Jeep Rubicon off-roading standards, the Ridgeline is capable nonetheless.

Standard safety features are impressive and include three sets of child-seat LATCH anchors versus the usual two. It allows the child-seat to be placed in the safest place in the vehicle, the rear center, not just against the door sides. Anti-lock brakes, traction control, vehicle stability assist, front multi-stage airbags, front and rear side curtain airbags and a tire-pressure monitoring system are all standard. Crash test results are not yet available for the Ridgeline.

Ridgeline seems to be the perfect vehicle for those who want the benefits and capabilities of a pickup with the driving civility of a sedan. Ridgeline is clearly unlike any other truck and is in a class by itself. It seems perfect for a family who wants the flexibility but not an SUV. We expect reliability and depreciation to be traditional Honda quality.

If you like the way it looks, there is little reason not to consider the Ridgeline. There isn’t much here we didn’t like.

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