Listen to the OG Honda Ridgeline's Lead Designer Drop Some Crazy Lore

The origin story of the first-generation Honda Ridgeline wasn’t built around traditional pickup thinking. Designer Don Herner, exterior design lead for the Ridgeline, tells YouTuber Jack Bontatibus that the project began as sketches while the team was “bored,” and Honda didn’t even internally call it a truck when the first generation arrived in 2005 as a 2006 model. Herner says Honda named it the “Advanced Capabilities Vehicle” and avoided truck benchmarking because it lacked a transmission robust enough for giant wheels and tires. The final setup used a 3.5-liter V6 making 255 hp and 252 lb-ft with a five-speed automatic.