If you are shopping a Ridgeline in Vaughan, the question that comes up first is rarely about horsepower or features. It is about what the truck will actually pull. That is the right question. Towing is the reason most Vaughan buyers even look at a truck in the first place — a boat, an ATV trailer, a small camper, a cube van for a side business. Everything else is secondary.
The honest answer is that the Ridgeline is a mid-size truck, not a heavy-duty truck. It is built for the kind of towing that real Vaughan buyers actually do. It is not built to replace a F-250 on a job site. Knowing that line before you buy is the entire conversation.
The short version: The Ridgeline tows a small boat, a pair of ATVs, a small travel trailer, or a utility trailer with no stress. It tows a heavier camper or a regular commercial load up to a point, after which a body-on-frame full-size truck is the more honest tool. For most Vaughan cottage country use, the Ridgeline is in its element.
What the Ridgeline is actually doing on a Highway 400 cottage run
The powertrain is the same 3.5-litre V6 across Sport, TrailSport, and Black Edition trims — 280 horsepower, paired with a 9-speed automatic and the i-VTM4 AWD system. That combination is what makes the truck feel different from a traditional pickup.
The i-VTM4 AWD is not a basic rear-bias system. It can send torque intelligently between the rear wheels and across the rear axle, which is what you want when pulling a boat trailer through a wet launch ramp or a curvy Muskoka back road. It is not a low-range off-road system like a Tacoma TRD or a Wrangler. It is calibrated for the kind of mixed on-pavement and light off-pavement use that mid-size truck buyers actually do.
On the highway pulling a load, the V6 has enough power to merge onto the 400 north of Maple without drama and to hold 100 km/h up the slight grades through Barrie. Fuel economy while towing is not a CR-V Hybrid number, but it is competitive for the segment — and noticeably better than what a same-class body-on-frame truck delivers unladen.
What tows well — and what does not
Honda publishes a maximum tow rating of up to about 5,000 lbs for the Ridgeline when properly equipped with the tow package. The honest framing for a Vaughan buyer is that this is enough for almost every realistic weekend load. The brands that show up at the launch ramp, the off-road park, and the trailer dealer north of the city are consistent: Lund, Princecraft, Can-Am, Polaris, Ski-Doo, Forest River, Airstream, Jayco. The Ridgeline is the truck that sits behind most of them.
- A small bowrider or aluminum fishing boat on a bunk trailer. Most often a 16-18' aluminum fishing boat — a Lund 1650 Angler, 1875 Pro V, or 1875 Pro Guide, a Princecraft Sport 175 or Platinum 190, a Smoker Craft, or an Alumacraft — or a 17-19' fibreglass bowrider (Bayliner, Campion, Four Winns) for the cottagers with a lake slip. Lund is the brand I see most often in a Ridgeline at a Saturday-morning launch ramp.
- Two ATVs or side-by-sides on a tandem trailer. Typically a pair of ATVs (Honda Rancher or Foreman, Yamaha Grizzly or Kodiak, Can-Am Outlander) or a pair of compact 2-seater side-by-sides (Honda Pioneer 500, Yamaha Wolverine, Can-Am Maverick Trail — all 50-inch-wide, sub-1,100 lb units). A single 4-seater on its own flatbed or tandem is also realistic: a Can-Am Defender MAX or a Polaris Ranger Crew on a dedicated trailer is well within the Ridgeline's envelope. Common for families with property up north.
- A small travel trailer up to about 4,500 lb GVWR — at or below the Ridgeline's 5,000 lb tow rating. A Forest River R-Pod in the smaller 170 or 180 floorplans (around 3,200-3,600 lb GVWR), an Airstream Bambi 16 (about 3,500 lb GVWR — the only Bambi in this class), a Jayco Jay Feather Air SL (the lighter sub-3,000 lb dry version), a Coachmen Clipper in a small floorplan, or a Winnebago Micro Minnie 1800BH or 2100BH (the smallest Micro Minnie floorplans). Larger floorplans of the same brands — the Bambi 20 or 22, the standard Jay Feather, the Micro Minnie 2108 or 2225 — push past 5,000 lb GVWR and are not in the Ridgeline's sweet spot. Doable, with the understanding that you are at the upper part of the comfort zone once you load water, gear, firewood, and a generator.
- A utility trailer with a snowmobile, a small tractor, a piece of equipment, or a stack of building materials. Sure-Trac, Big Tex, and PJ are the trailer brands I see most often on the lot behind a Ridgeline. On the snowmobile side, Ski-Doo (BRP, made in Quebec), Polaris, Arctic Cat (now Lynx / BRP), and Yamaha are what most GTA winter buyers are loading. The bed payload and trailer tongue weight are where the real limits live, not the engine.
What the Ridgeline is not the right tool for: a 30-foot camper, a regular commercial load over 5,000 lbs, a horse trailer with living quarters, or any situation where you are towing at the published max every weekend. Those use cases are why body-on-frame heavy-duty trucks exist. The Ridgeline is not pretending to be one of those.
The composite bed and the in-bed trunk — the unsung towing story
Most Ridgeline articles lead with horsepower or trim comparison. The thing I notice on the lot is the bed. It is a composite bed, not steel, which means it does not dent, does not rust, and does not need a drop-in liner. For a Vaughan buyer who actually uses the bed — for coolers, wet gear, tools, firewood, a motorcycle on a chock — that matters more than the spec sheet suggests.
The in-bed trunk is the part that surprises people. It is a lockable, drainable storage compartment under the bed floor, big enough for a couple of golf bags, wet waders, or a generator. For someone towing, it is the place to put tie-down straps, a hitch lock, chocks, a ball mount, and the things you do not want to leave in the cab.
The dual-action tailgate swings open like a normal tailgate or drops flat like a tailgate. For a Vaughan buyer loading a sheet of plywood from Home Depot or sliding a cooler in, that second mode is the one that gets used most.
Which trim a Vaughan buyer who actually tows should pick
The towing hardware, the V6, the AWD system, and the 9-speed are the same across the lineup. The trim choice is about ride, look, and how much off-pavement you are doing with a load:
- Sport — the cheapest way into the truck. Honest equipment, same powertrain, simpler interior. The right pick if the truck is a tool and you do not need the off-road look.
- TrailSport — the smart pick if towing is the reason you are buying. The off-road-tuned suspension is at its best with a load, the all-terrain tires are more confident in a wet launch ramp or a gravel driveway, and the look is the one most cottage country buyers prefer.
- Black Edition — the most equipped. Same towing capacity. Pick this if the truck is also your daily driver and you want the top trim without stepping up to a full-size.
Real talk on the unibody question
A question I get on the lot every time is whether the unibody construction is a problem for towing. The honest answer is: not in the way most buyers fear. Unibody construction is part of why the truck drives the way it does — quieter on the highway, more confident in corners, less body-on-frame bounce over a speed bump. For the kind of loads most Vaughan buyers actually pull, that is a real advantage, not a compromise.
The honest counter is also true. If you are towing a heavier camper or a regular commercial load and the truck is a working tool day in and day out, a body-on-frame truck — F-150, Silverado 1500, Ram 1500 — is the more honest answer. The Ridgeline is not pretending to be one of those. It is a mid-size truck that drives like a Honda and tows what mid-size truck buyers actually tow.
What this means for a Vaughan Ridgeline shopper
If you are buying a Ridgeline for the right reasons — weekend boat, ATV trailer, small camper, side-business trailer — the truck is going to feel like it was designed for you. That is not marketing. That is the position the truck has always occupied, and the 2026 model is the most refined version of it.
If you are cross-shopping a Ridgeline against a full-size truck because you expect it to replace a F-250, that is a different conversation and the Ridgeline is going to disappoint. Be honest with yourself about the heaviest load you will actually pull, on the longest day you will actually pull it, before you choose.
Most Vaughan Ridgeline buyers are the first kind. The truck is the right answer for them.
Buyer questions on Ridgeline towing in Vaughan
How much can a Honda Ridgeline actually tow on a Highway 400 cottage run?
Honda rates the Ridgeline in the mid-size truck class, with a published max tow figure of up to about 5,000 lbs when the truck is properly equipped with the tow package. For most Vaughan cottage country use — a small boat on a bunk trailer, a couple of ATVs on a tandem, a small travel trailer — the truck is comfortably in its element. Heavier camper loads push into territory where a full-size truck is the more honest tool.
Which Ridgeline trim is the right pick if I actually tow?
If towing is a regular part of why you are buying the truck, the TrailSport is the smart trim to start from. The off-road-tuned suspension and the i-VTM4 AWD calibration are at their best when the truck is loaded or pulling. Sport is the cheapest way in, and Black Edition is the most equipped. The towing hardware and powertrain are the same across all three; the trim choice is about ride, look, and how often you actually go off the pavement with a load.
Is the Ridgeline's unibody a problem for towing?
Not in the way most buyers fear. The Ridgeline is built unit-body rather than body-on-frame, which is part of why it drives more like a car than a traditional truck. For typical Vaughan cottage loads, that means a quieter ride and more confident on-pavement handling. For heavy commercial-grade towing day in and day out, a body-on-frame truck like a F-150 or Silverado is the more honest tool. The honest answer is: the Ridgeline tows what mid-size truck buyers actually tow. It does not pretend to be a heavy-duty work truck.
Tow a real load and want to know if the Ridgeline is the right tool?
If you are shopping a Ridgeline in Vaughan and want an honest take on what it will and will not pull on your specific cottage run, reach out. The right answer depends on the heaviest thing you actually plan to tow, on the longest day you actually plan to tow it.