If you’re looking for a midsize pickup truck, chances are the 2012 Toyota Tacoma and 2012 Honda Ridgeline are on your short list. If you don’t need the high towing capacity of of a full sized pickup and also don’t want to deal with the maneuverability issues and fuel economy of a large truck, the Ridgeline and Tacoma are both great choices that will get you to work all week and then handle your Home Depot runs or your small boat on the weekend.

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The 2012 Honda Ridgeline is only available with a double-cab body, four-wheel drive and a five-foot bed. The 2012 Toyota Tacoma is available in a whole slew of different configurations, inluding three different cabs, a long bed, four cylinder or V6 and two or four wheel drive, but for the sake of this comparison, we will just look at the double-cab four-wheel drive V6 model.
The 2012 Honda Ridgeline is powered by a 3.4-liter V6 engine with 250-hp and 247 lb-ft of torque, rated at 15-mpg city and 20-mpg highway. The 2012 Toyota Tacoma V6 is a 4.0-liter with 236-hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, with 16-mpg city and 20-mpg highway. The Honda Ridgeline is rated to tow up to 5,000 lbs, while the Tacoma can tow 3,500 lbs in standard trim or 6,400 lbs with the tow package.
Inside, the 2012 Honda Ridgeline and Toyota Tacoma are pretty evenly matched. The 2012 Honda Ridgeline has 40.7 inches of front head room up front and 40.8 inches of front leg room. The 2012 Toyota Tacoma has 40.2 inches of head room and 41.7 inches of leg room up front. In the back seat, the Honda Ridgeline has 39.1 inches of head room and 36.5 inches of leg room while the Tacoma has 38.5 inches of head room and 32.6 inches of leg room. The Ridgeline also has under seat storage in the back seat to store valuables out of sight.