I hate to start things off sounding like an old-timer, but have you noticed how incredibly expensive pickup trucks have become? It’s almost unbelievable. We were just discussing how a Toyota Tacoma can easily hit the $70,000 mark. It begs the question: How did we get to this point?
Across the board, the price of pickup trucks has skyrocketed, fueled by a combination of corporate greed and inflation. This leaves truck buyers facing both a steep monthly car payment—potentially over $1,000—and a vehicle so valuable that you hesitate to actually use it like a truck. Are you really going to toss gear, ATVs, or motorcycles into the bed of a truck that cost a fortune? Will you take it out to the pasture to feed cattle or horses, or head into the backcountry to hunt with something that used to cost the same as a family starter home in the ’90s? Probably not. People are more likely to baby those machines, keeping them pristine and fearing any damage. And with the cost of some modern headlights being thousands of dollars to replace, you’ll think twice before taking any risks.
This is where the new four-door Kawasaki Ridge Crew picks up the ball. It takes the old-school formula of a practical pickup truck—four doors, a basic interior that you can hose down, and work-ready capabilities—and brings the price back down to Earth. Essentially, the new Ridge Crew is a pickup from the late ’80s or early ’90s, offering capability, affordability, and creature comforts, all in one package.
The Ridge Crew is based on a stretched two-door Ridge, the same model that Robbie Bacon had a great experience with last year. It’s powered by a 999cc inline four-cylinder engine, and depending on the model and trim, you’ll get either 92 or 116 horsepower. Seating is available for up to six passengers, and the payload capacity is a sizable 1,000 pounds. It also has a tow rating of 2,500 pounds. That’s enough to tow a trailer with Kawasaki dirt bikes, ATVs, or their Jet Skis. (Though the company didn’t mention this at the introduction, I did the math.)
Inside the cabin, there are plenty of creature comforts, including full HVAC with heating and air conditioning, which came in handy during our spring trek in Montana—we experienced whiteouts followed by sunshine. Cameras can be found both in the front and back, giving the driver a near 360-degree view. You also get niceties such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, or, if you upgrade, Garmin’s Tread infotainment center. There’s also 14 inches of suspension travel and ground clearance, an assisted bed piston to help drop the payload, and a variety of accessories to suit your needs.
It delivered on everything promised as we toured and put it to the test at Montana’s epically beautiful Ranch at Rock Creek resort. The Ranch at Rock Creek is a working ranch encompassing 6,600 acres. Within those limits are one of the best trout streams in the West—I caught three during my first fly fishing experience with Field & Stream’s Sage Marshall—horse pastures, open range, and pine-covered wilderness with towering meadows, steep cliffs, and all the animals you’d want to chase. I was particularly impressed by the massive elk herd I spotted from a high vantage point.
Our romp took us through it all, over trails with deep snow ruts and icy bends, testing the capabilities of both the Ridge Crews, their tires, and our own bravery in certain sections. I was impressed by the clearance and ride quality over the bumpy terrain, as it transitioned between rocky ruts and mud wallows to snow-covered ruts and slippery ice. And that’s with the tire pressures being slightly higher than I would personally run – at the manufacturer-recommended 30 PSI. But nothing seemed to slow the UTVs down, as Kawasaki did a great job engineering the entire package. The brand also really aimed to showcase just how much the UTV could replace your truck. We threw hay bales and snow into the bed of the machine, saw it plow a small section of hard, sugary snow high up at elevation, and then backed the machines into a trailer that’d be perfect for towing whatever you needed into the backcountry or around the farm. We also moved some fallen trees in the middle of our path with the Warn winch that’s standard on the XR trim, and it did so with ease, all while being extremely comfortable inside the cabins.
As mentioned earlier, a Western state spring involves gray skies, freezing wind turning to sunshine for a short while, a whiteout blizzard, and then a beautiful sunset. We experienced all of that.
It really checks off every box—well, or at least, it can be built up with certain accessories to do the trick. My only complaint throughout the day was the Kawasaki’s seating height, which I wasn’t alone in feeling. The high seat heights can make ingress and egress easier, but it can make things uncomfortable, especially for those that are shorter or taller than average, as the seat height is not adjustable. With a helmet on—though I never wear one while driving myself in real life—I was hitting my visor and the top of my helmet against the roof.
But what about pricing? Well, it’s similar to a 1990s Ford F-150. Now, when you consider the Kawasaki Ridge Crew is powered by a 999cc inline four-cylinder engine and only puts out a maximum of 116 horsepower, a starting price of $31,000 might seem pricey. However, the whole thing weighs under 2,000 pounds. And because the body panels are plastic, parts are easily and cheaply replaced, but the powertrain, suspension and everything else is made for a beating, the starting price is in line with what pickup trucks used to cost a couple of generations ago.
Could you imagine the sales of any of the Big Three started offering a $31,000 work truck these days? And no, I don’t count the Maverick as a truck. I do count the Ridge Crew as one, though. One that I’m unafraid to beat on, get dirty, and put away wet. A truck that I can actually use for truck things. It’s an actual truck, albeit one that looks suspiciously like a new side-by-side and says “Kawasaki” along its bed.
