(FORTUNE Small Business) – The wheels were spinning in the loose dirt, and my Honda Ridgeline had slowed to a near halt 20 feet below the crest of a steep hill. I faced the prospect of backing down the long incline that Honda had carved into a hillside outside San Diego—and doing it carefully so that I didn't fishtail out of control. Suddenly 21st-century technology came to my rescue. Honda's torque management system kicked in, transferred power to the rear wheels, and launched me over the top.

If I weren't already sold on the Ridgeline, that move would have clinched the deal. This is one versatile piece of equipment. It has four doors and carries five passengers, and it can haul 1,550 pounds in its open bed or tow 5,000 pounds on a trailer. The biggest question is what to call it. Is the Ridgeline an SUV with an open compartment in the rear or a pickup truck with a large passenger compartment and a short bed?

How about splitting the difference with "sport-utility truck"? Vehicles such as the Chevrolet Avalanche and Ford Explorer Sport Trac pioneered the segment, but Honda has added a twist. It designed the Ridgeline like a passenger car, with a unibody structure, instead of with a pickup truck's body-on-frame construction. The 3.5-liter, V-6 engine and four-wheel-drive system come from the Acura MDX and Honda Pilot SUVs. The Ridgeline isn't likely to lure any hard-core truckers out of their Ford F-150s, but the design results in better handling and a more compliant ride than almost any conventional pickup.

Honda says its target customer is an architect who needs to ferry clients to a building site and carry his gear in the back. Let's hope the clients don't scare easily. Honda made the Ridgeline look bigger than it drives by giving it a high hood, blunt front end, and imposing sail panels that connect the cabin to the sides of the bed. Behind the wheel, though, the Ridgeline is a pussycat, easy to navigate and comfortable on long runs. The EPA rates the Ridgeline at a reasonable 16 mpg in the city, 21 mpg on highways.

First-year sales are estimated at 50,000 (priced between $27,000 and $32,000). There is a sizable immediate market consisting of the 18% of Honda drivers who already own a pickup truck made by somebody else. As for the rest of us, you never know when you'll find yourself stuck on a steep hill with nowhere to go but up.