Honda Joins Pickup Bed Fray Between Chevy, Ford

Honda posted a video on its YouTube channel last week showing more than 800 pounds of landscaping rocks dumped into the bed of a 2017 Ridgeline truck, leaving behind little damage.

The video is similar to recent Chevy ads comparing the strength of the Silverado’s bed with that of the F-150.

The controversial ads, which show gashes and cracks in the F-150’s aluminum bed compared with dents and scratches in the Silverado’s steel bed after 825 pounds of rocks were dumped on them, have drawn attention for being among the most blistering campaigns an automaker has ran in years.

The Ridgeline, with its composite bed, appears to come out in the best shape compared with its two competitors in the one-take video. It shows only small scratches to the bed and no damage to the truck’s tailgate or in-bed trunk.

The Ridgeline is returning to Honda dealerships this month after a two-year hiatus. Honda has said it hopes a strong market for pickup trucks can help boost Ridgeline demand back to its sales peak of 50,193 trucks in the U.S.

Production of the new Ridgeline began in May. It is priced from $30,375, including transportation, and features a V-6 engine that generates 280 hp.