Compare 2019 Toyota Tacoma vs. Ridgeline

The Toyota Tacoma comes backed by 50 years of truck heritage. Building upon the iconic Toyota Hilux which debuted in the 1969 model year, the first Toyota Tacoma released to North America 20 years ago in 1995. In comparison, the Honda Ridgeline is considerably newer to the truck market, having first been produced 15 years ago in 2004. Along with the history, the Tacoma is built with a classic body-on-frame design. The Ridgeline, however, is built with a unit-body construction that some truck enthusiasts do not agree with.

In this head to head truck comparison, we’ll put the 2019 Toyota Tacoma up against the 2019 Honda Ridgeline to see which competitor comes out ahead in categories like safety, performance, and price.

For base-grade MSRP pricing, the Tacoma has the Ridgeline beat. The base-grade MSRP for the Tacoma is $25,850¹². The base-grade MSRP of the Ridgeline is considerably higher, starting at $29,990.

Toyota not only takes the lead in price but also in safety. Toyota Safety Sense® P (TSS-P)²⁴ comes standard on every Tacoma. Honda Sensing® is only standard on higher grades of 2019 Ridgelines -- see details in the next section, entitled “Safety”.

When it comes to towing, the Ridgeline AWD has considerably lower capacity at 5,000 lbs. The 4X4 V6 Tacoma has a higher towing capacity of 6,400 lbs⁶¹. Here, we’ll expand on these points, with the first section focusing on safety features.

Toyota Safety Sense® P (TSS-P)²⁴ comes standard on the Tacoma with automatic transmission. This includes the base model Tacoma SR that starts at $25,850¹². Honda Sensing® comes standard on Ridgeline RTL-E and Black Edition trims which start at $41,920 and $43,420 respectively, and is not an option on lower trims.

Some key active safety features of Toyota Safety Sense® P (TSS-P)²⁴ are described below:

Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection (PCS w/PD)²³²² is designed to help to mitigate potential collisions using radar and an in-vehicle camera to help detect a preceding vehicle and, under certain daytime conditions, a pedestrian. If the system determines that the possibility of a frontal collision with a vehicle or a pedestrian is likely, an audio and visual alert is given and, provided the driver applies the brakes, the system may provide additional braking force using Brake Assist (BA)²⁸. If the driver does not apply the brakes in this situation, the system may automatically apply the brakes, reducing speed to help mitigate the impact or avoid the collision altogether. These features are similar to Honda Sensing®‘s Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™).

Under certain circumstances, Lane Departure Alert (LDA)⁶² with Sway Warning System (SWS)⁵³ is designed to detect lane departure on roads with visible lane markings. LDA only activates when you’re traveling at a speed of 32 mph or faster. When you see and hear the alert, after carefully checking the road around you, you should safely direct your vehicle back to the center of your lane. Honda Sensing®’s Road Departure Mitigation System (RDM) is a comparable safety feature.

Automatic High Beams (AHB)¹⁸. This feature uses an in-vehicle camera to detect headlights of oncoming vehicles or taillights of the vehicle ahead of your vehicle, and then toggles between high or low beam lights. This function helps to ensure that you have an appropriate amount of light ahead of your vehicle. Honda Sensing®‘s Auto High-Beam Headlights is a similar feature to this one.

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC)¹⁹. DRCC helps maintain a preset distance between your car and the car ahead of you. DRCC is designed to automatically slow your vehicle in order to maintain that distance and detect when the vehicle ahead of you is no longer in your lane. The function will then resume your vehicle’s speed. This feature is similar to Honda Sensing®‘s Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).

Both the Ridgeline and the Tacoma have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, and side-impact head airbags. However, only Tacoma has knee airbags⁶³.

All leases and purchases of 2019 Toyota vehicles include 24-hour Roadside Assistance for 2 years/unlimited miles, plus a no-cost scheduled factory maintenance plan for 2 years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first¹¹³⁸. The Ridgeline also has standard Roadside Assistance for 3-Years/36,000-Miles, but Honda’s scheduled maintenance plan costs extra on the Ridgeline.

In this next category, we’ll compare the performance of the Tacoma and the Ridgeline.

When the adventures get bigger, so do the toys. Good thing Tacoma has the brawn to haul them all with you. The 4x4 V6 Tacoma has a towing capacity of 6,400 lbs. The 4x2 V6 Tacoma SR has a towing capacity of 6,700 lbs⁶¹. The AWD Ridgeline has considerably lower towing capacity at 5,000 lbs. When equipped with FWD only, towing capacity drops to 3,500 lbs.

To maintain vehicle control under adverse conditions, the Tacoma (V6 only) comes with a standard towing package that includes Trailer-Sway Control⁶⁴. This keeps things tidy in the back, so you can focus on what’s in front. The base-grade Ridgeline does not offer All-Wheel Drive (AWD) and towing packages do not come standard. Ridgeline drivers would need to pay extra for these features. See dealer for pricing details.

In contrast to the Ridgeline which does not offer a manual transmission on any 2019 grade, the Tacoma TRD Off-Road, Sport, & Pro all offer a manual transmission option. For more rugged terrain, the Tacoma offers Multi-Terrain Select (5 modes) and Crawl Control⁶⁵⁵⁶. To compare, Honda’s Intelligent Traction Management System offers only four modes to select from.

Love the off-road lifestyle? For greater off-road capability, the Tacoma has 1.53 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Ridgeline⁵⁶. The Tacoma’s ground clearance is 9.4-in. on all trims. The Ridgeline’s ground clearance is 7.87 inches with All-Wheel Drive (AWD) trims and 7.28 inches on trims with FWD.

With features like these, the Tacoma can travel over rougher terrain without sacrificing comfort ⁵⁶. Next, let’s compare prices.

In this section, we’ll be going over price. Let’s first look at overall price. The Ridgeline's base MSRP of $29,990 is considerably higher than the Tacoma’s starting MSRP of $25,850¹². However, base MSRPs aren’t the only way the Ridgeline and Tacoma differ in price.

In the previous section, we mentioned that Toyota has some standard features that cost Ridgeline drivers extra. One such feature is All-Wheel Drive (AWD). The cheapest Ridgeline grade with available AWD (the Sport) starts at $33,390 MSRP¹². The high price trend continues to the top of the range, where the Ridgeline AWD Black Edition tops out at a base MSRP of $43,420¹². The top-grade 2019 Tacoma TRD Pro starts at $42,960 MSRP while offering more off-roading⁵⁶ features.

Toyota enters 2019 sporting a new SX package for SR 4x4 models which includes black 16-in. alloy wheels, overfenders, mirror caps, door handles, and headlights for $570. All Tacoma trims are now available in the stunning Calvary Blue, which was previously limited to only the TRD Pro. This earth-toned blue shows the world that you’re ready for adventure and fun.

Another pricing difference has to do with safety. Toyota Safety Sense® P (TSS-P)²⁴ comes standard on the Tacoma with automatic transmission. Honda Sensing® is only available on RTL-E and Black Edition trims which start at $41,920 and $43,420 respectively. The Tacoma SR 4X2 4-CYL with Toyota Safety Sense® P (TSS-P)²⁴ starts at $25,850¹².

When it comes to body style, the Toyota Tacoma knows that classic builds work best. That’s why the Tacoma is built using a time-tested body-on-frame design. The Ridgeline is built with a crossover-like unit-body construction which some truck enthusiasts may not prefer. The Tacoma also comes backed with a longstanding history, having been first produced in 1995. In comparison, the Ridgeline is considerably newer to the truck market, having first been produced in 2004.

When it comes to affordable safety, look no further than Toyota. Toyota Safety Sense® P (TSS-P)²⁴ comes standard on every Tacoma. Honda Sensing® is standard on RTL-E and Black Edition trims, but isn’t available at all on lower Ridgeline trims.

Another factor we considered was towing. The Ridgeline has considerably lower towing capacity when equipped with All-Wheel Drive (AWD) at 5,000 lbs⁶¹. The Ridgeline’s FWD trims can only tow 3,500 lbs. The 4x2 V6 Tacoma has a towing capacity of 6,700 lbs, so you can tow all your toys anywhere the day takes you⁶¹.

Lastly, we looked at price. The Ridgeline's base MSRP of $29,990 is higher than that of the Tacoma which comes in at a much leaner base MSRP of $25,850¹². Also, the Ridgeline’s base (Sport) AWD model starts at $33,390 MSRP. The Tacoma SR 4X4 4-CYL starts at $28,925¹².

When you consider all these facts together, it’s clear why our head to head winner is the 2019 Toyota Tacoma.