Performance
When comparing trucks like the 2019 Ford Ranger and the 2019 Honda Ridgeline, the engine is a great place to start. While raw numbers do not always tell the whole story, they can give you a sense of the kind of power and performance you may get from these vehicles. Both the Ranger and the Ridgeline have one engine available, which makes it very simple to compare them and see how each stacks up.
The 2019 Ford Ranger has a 2.3L Turbo-Charged EcoBoost engine that provides up to 270hp and 310 lb.-ft. of torque. By comparison, the 2019 Honda Ridgeline has a V6 engine that offers up to 280hp and 262 lb.-ft. of torque. As you can see, the Ridgeline’s engine has more maximum horsepower to offer, but only by a tiny margin.
More importantly, the 2019 Ford Ranger has an engine that offers much more torque than the one in the Ridgeline, which can be a big deal. It is easy to get hung up on horsepower, but torque is what gets your vehicle going and keeps it going in demanding situations like pushing uphill. As such, the greater torque in the Ranger might not be flashy but makes for a far better driving experience in the long run.
It is also worth looking at the transmissions in these two trucks and seeing how they compare. Both the 2019 Ford Ranger and the Honda Ridgeline have one transmission option and both are automatics. The major difference, however, is that the Ranger is a 10-speed automatic while the Ridgeline is a 6-speed automatic. That means the Ford Ranger will give you a much smoother experience: always able to find the ideal gear and accommodating for more road conditions.
Towing and Payload Capacity
Even if you are interested in a mid-size truck, towing and payload capacities are important. While you do not expect these trucks to pull 15,000 lbs. behind them like some full-size models can, you should still look for a decent amount of power. In this regard, the 2019 Ford Ranger clearly pulls ahead.
The Ranger has a maximum towing capacity of up to 7,500 lbs. and a maximum payload of up to 1,860 lbs. In contrast, the 2019 Honda Ridgeline has a maximum towing capacity of only 5,000 lbs. and a maximum payload of up to 1,580 lbs. To be fair, that difference in payload is pretty minor, but can certainly be important if you really like to load up the bed of your truck.
Far more outstanding is the difference in towing capacity. 2,500 lbs. can make a huge impact when you are loading up a trailer or camper for the weekend. Even more importantly, every configuration of the 2019 Ford Ranger can tow up to 7,500 lbs. while some configurations of the Ridgeline actually top out at 3,500 lbs. So if you are interested in a truck with 2WD, then you end up with less than half the towing capacity if you choose the 2019 Honda Ridgeline over the Ford Ranger.
Trim Options
Not only is the initial price of the 2019 Ford Ranger significantly lower than the starting MSRP of the 2019 Honda Ridgeline, but this trend continues as you look at different trim levels. For reference, the starting price of the Ranger is $24,300 while the starting price of the Ridgeline is $29,990. Though that is $30,000 and we all know it.
There are two other trim levels available for the Ford Ranger, and each increases the cost while providing a host of impressive included and available options. The starting trim is the Ranger XL, while the step up from there is the Ranger XLT, which has a starting price of $28,120. At its highest trim level, the 2019 Ford Ranger Lariat has a starting price of just $32,390.
By comparison, the 2019 Honda Ridgeline has six different trim levels available, starting with the basic RT. The next step up is the Ridgeline Sport, which starts at $33,390. You can already see that the highest trim level of the Ford Ranger is less than just the second trim on the Ridgeline. If you go all the way on the Ridgeline to the highest trim, the Black Edition, you end up at more than $43,000. You get a lot more in the Ranger Lariat and at a savings of more than $10,000.
Interior and Safety Features
To get a sense of what each of these trucks has to offer, consider interior options and safety features. The 2019 Ford Ranger Lariat, the highest trim level, comes with an 8-inch LCD capacitive entertainment touchscreen, 8-way power-adjustable heated seats, a pair of 4-inch driver information displays, and dual-zone automatic climate control. Available options include a Bang & Olufsen 10-speaker sound system, adaptive cruise control, and voice-activated navigation.
The comparably priced 2019 Honda Ridgeline Sport, however, has seats that are neither heated nor power-adjustable, a 5-inch LCD entertainment display, and a single 4-inch driver information display. The Ridgeline Sport does have tri-zone climate control, which is nice, but there are no options for better tech features unless you upgrade to a much more expensive trim level. In general, the lack of optional features is a big problem for the Honda offering, while Ford lets you customize your truck much more.
Also disappointing are the lacking safety features at lower trim levels on the Honda Ridgeline. It is worth noting that both of these trucks have excellent available safety features including forward collision alert, lane departure warning, and lane-keep assist. They also have available blind spot information systems with rear cross traffic alert and adaptive cruise control. These features are available as an option on the starting Ford Ranger trim level, and become mostly standard at higher trims, with a few more available.
With the 2019 Honda Ridgeline, however, none of these advanced safety features are available at lower trim levels, and only become included at higher trims. While it is nice that the highest trim includes the full suite of safety features from Honda, it is a shame that you cannot add them to the first four trim levels on the Ridgeline. It is one thing to pay more for improved safety; it is another to not even have them available.
