Pop quiz: What pickup, other than the 2006 Honda Ridgeline, comes with a four-wheel independent suspension for superior on-road handling and ride quality? If you answered “none,” you’re right. What a difference the Ridgeline’s front MacPherson struts and rear multi-link arrangement with trailing arms makes. One of the best things about the Ridgeline is the way it rides around town without bucking and kicking, the way it tackles a corner without squealing and shuddering, the way the weight transfers so predictably in S-curves when you’re hustling along faster than a pickup truck should. In fact, so stable is the Honda Ridgeline that the NHTSA says it has the best rollover resistance rating of any pickup on the market. Anyone who has forsaken responsiveness and smoothness for the ability to tow a load of jet skis or snowmobiles a few times a year with a competing “traditional” pickup will find the Ridgeline a revelation. And then they will find the title to their old truck and trade it in for a Ridgeline right quick.

But it’s not just the Ridgeline’s suspension that results in surprisingly nimble handling. The four-wheel-disc brakes, vented up front, are connected to a brake pedal that provides excellent feel and progressive response, letting the driver fine-tune the pressure that the calipers put on the pads. Standard ABS and electronic brake-force distribution assist in this regard, and if you’re involved in a panic stop, the brake assist system can apply full pressure faster than your foot can.

Variable-assist power rack-and-pinion steering offers crisp response and the P245/65R17 Michelin LTX mud-and-snow tires provide good grip both on and off the road. Pitch the 2006 Honda Ridgeline into a fast, sweeping, constant-radius curve, however, and you’ll feel an odd tugging at the helm, like the power assist is cycling on and off. But then you remember that the Ridgeline is a pickup truck, and this trait is easy to forgive. You’ll also cheer when running the Ridgeline around town. It’s more maneuverable than expected thanks to clear sightlines, large side mirrors, a relatively tight 42.6-foot turning radius, and an alloy wheel design that doesn’t stick out past the tire sidewall to catch curbs. Plus, the Ridgeline’s corners are very easy to judge for parking.

Usually, we find pickup trucks fun to drive because they are raucous and unrefined, and there’s something authentic – and challenging – about that experience. The 2006 Honda Ridgeline is lots fun to drive, too, but in the communicative manner of a sports sedan rather than the roughneck ways of regular pickups. And for a truck, that’s amazing.