Buying a pickup often isn’t a matter of going to the nearest dealership and picking one in your favorite color. There’s a lot more to consider, whether it’s engine type, cab size, bed length, drivetrain, option packages, and more.

There’s one vehicle that bucks this trend, though – the Honda Ridgeline. Every model in its four-trim lineup is outfitted with the same engine, is equipped with all-wheel drive, and features the same crew cab and bed length. The only real difference between the trims is the number of creature comforts in each.

Though no one will claim Ridgeline is meant to take on the responsibilities of a heavy duty beast like a Ford F-350 or Ram 2500, it’s more than adequate at the slightly-less demanding jobs of a smaller truck.

Ridgeline is equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 that produces a generous 250-horsepower and 247 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s at the very least in the ballpark of most V6-equipped competitors, if not a lot more. Its 5,000 lb. standard towing capacity is also ahead of many competitors, and it’s worth noting that most other trucks in the segment need additional towing or off-road packages before they hit the 5,000 mark, which often equates to more moolah.

The Ridgeline has a 1,550 lb. payload capacity as well, which is also well ahead of many competitors, including the Chevrolet Canyon, Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma.

Once the comparisons on paper are done, though, Ridgeline proves itself as an able bodied, easy-to-use truck when it’s actually called upon to get its tires dirty. Its automatic all-wheel drive system can be locked in first, second or reverse gear when it’s gotten in (the mud) too deep.

There are no fancy-schmancy footholds or poles to help step into the bed, but you need not worry about scuffing up the steel-reinforced bed when you throw stuff in. Though the heavy duty tie down hooks throughout the bed aren’t adjustable, there are eight of them in total, which should be sufficient for most jobs.

All Ridgelines come standard with a seven-pin trailer connection, pre-wiring for trailer brake control, and heavy duty front and rear tow hooks.

The five-foot truck bed simply may not be enough for some jobs at the work site, but what that shorter bed allows for is a very roomy cabin. We’ll eat our left arm if we hear of anyone complaining about the room in the front or back seats of the Ridgeline. Loading three passengers in the rear may be pushing it a bit, but there’s actually kinds of room for four occupants in total.

Opting for the EX-L with Navi package will give you all sorts of extra features, from Bluetooth, to ambient lighting, to dual-zone climate control; but this is still all truck inside. Large grips surround the door handles, while knobs are big and easy to manipulate for the large-of-hand.

The rear seats, meanwhile, can easily be flipped up or put back down in a single motion with one hand, and the centre console can be configured in all sorts of ways to hold as much or as little as necessary depending on how busy your day is.

That’s not to mention the exterior, with its dual-action tailgate that flips down like a standard truck, but can also swing out like a door. The inbed trunk is great not just for keeping beverages cold during tailgating, but for stowing expensive items. Best of all, it can be locked and unlocked with the rest of the vehicle using the key fob (no need to fumble trying to get a key into a lock).

It would seem all too easy to ignore the young Ridgeline for more well-established models from General Motors, Toyota or Dodge, but there’s no denying that Honda’s pickup truck is a capable performer.

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