2009 Honda Ridgeline RTL

I had the Ridgeline for the weekend and did what all owners should: fill the in-bed trunk with beer and ice and sat around a bonfire. The trunk is pretty huge and easily swallowed several cases of beer and enough ice to keep the beverages cold overnight. I was a little disappointed that the drain plug didn't let all the water drain at once, it would be nice if there was a little slope built into the trunk that would send the water to that corner. Driving the Ridgeline is a lot like piloting an Accord with a porch on the back. There's only a slight handling penalty, not bad when you take into account the usefulness of the small bed. My big complaint is there is no way to stuff long objects, like a couple of 2x4s, into the bed and close the tailgate. I'd love to see some sort of midgate, a la the Chevy Avalanche, to make this possible. Such a feature would make the Ridgeline appeal to a lot more potential buyers. I can't figure out how Honda stuffed a V-6 in this trucklet and still only manages 15/20 mpg. The 2009 Ford F-150 with a V-8 gets about the same gas mileage and it weighs at least 500 pounds more. I do not have a problem with a unibody truck, but there needs to be a significant increase in fuel economy to make up for the reduced capability of this truck or I'm not sure how many people will be able to justify the purchase. Either give me more fuel economy or give me more power that justifies the average mpg figures. Phil Floraday, Senior Online Editor