NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Pick-ups have been around for almost 90 years. But leave it to Honda to change the game on its first try.

Its new Ridgeline scores with a unique, roomy trunk packaged below its cargo bed -- a Pandora's box that will send competitors running to their drawing boards.

The Ridgeline may not tempt your average Ford, Dodge or Chevy man to climb down from their manly steeds. What it will do is delight families who can't abide a traditional sport-ute or minivan, who want AWD toughness with their kids-and-cargo space, and already swear by Honda reliability and refinement.

This truck is a winner, despite -- let's face it -- oddball looks. Among pick-ups, if the Ford F-Series is Russell Crowe, the Honda is Paul Giamatti, the iconoclastic nerd with hidden talents and reserves of strength. Because despite its bluff sides and bulky flying-buttress roof pillars, the Honda's fine character soon has you looking below the surface.

Start with what's below the cargo bed, itself notable for its non-slip composite construction that's nearly impossible to dent: A lockable panel flips up to reveal a surprisingly deep and useful trunk space, big enough for groceries, luggage, even ice for tailgating and cookouts.

Say goodbye to the chief drawbacks to a pick-up: Fretting over thievery from your bed, even during that two-minute coffee stop. Or having to leave valuables in the back seat in open view and hogging passenger space. (One quibble: After snow melted in the bed, a little water leaked into the trunk).

Throw in a dual-action tailgate -- it drops down or swings open from the side, the latter saving your lower back and your best jeans while loading -- and Honda has clearly one-upped the pick-up.

The secret here is the fully independent rear suspension. Another pick-up first, the suspension not only carves out extra space but delivers comfortable and composed ride and handling. There's none of the rear shake-and-shimmy associated with leaf-sprung pick-up trucks.

The Ridgeline is built on the Odyssey and Pilot's unibody car chassis. In addition to beefing up the unibody cage, Honda engineers added a truck-style frame for stength. In size and capability, the Honda acts more like a family SUV with a cargo bed than a big pick-up. It's most direct competitor is the Ford Explorer SportTrac, but frankly it's no competition: The Ridgeline is leagues ahead.

With a length and wheelbase about two feet shorter than a Ford F-150 SuperCab, the Honda parks easily and has a nearly four-foot shorter turning circle. Yet the Honda still manages a roomy, four-door cabin. Six-foot-plus passengers gave thumbs-up to a back seat with three inches more legroom than the F-150, but about four less than the class-leading Nissan Titan Crew Cab. (The hypothetical fifth passenger gets a tighter center perch, but the hard backrest isn't good for long trips). Tall bed sides also create noticeable blind spots around the truck's flanks.

Pull a handle, and the seat bottoms flip up to create a flat cargo area in back. When the back seats are down, there's storage space under them as well.

Typically strong Honda execution inside is offset by some uncharacteristically cheap-looking plastics, especially for the center console. But switches, seats and ergonomics are first-rate. Then there's Honda's optional, industry-best navigation system, that now accepts roughly 600 voice commands. Hit a button and the navigation screen pivots to reveal a 6-CD changer. Nice.

You also get more standard safety gear than most competitors, including ABS with electronic brake distribution, stability control and side curtain airbags with a rollover sensor.

Power comes from the Odyssey's 255-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6, mated to a smooth five-speed automatic. The V-6 moves the Ridgeline smartly -- it's nonsense that this truck "needs" a V-8 to succeed -- but I'll admit my wish for a bit more displacement and torque, especially at freeway speeds.

Standard all-wheel-drive can send up to 70 percent of torque to the rear wheels when the fronts start slipping. A button lets you lock the system to direct maximum power to the back wheels.

With that engine motivating about 4,500 pounds, I managed 17 mpg overall. The EPA figures 16 mpg city and 21 highway; the Ridgeline is also the first pick-up to reach ULEV (ultra-low emissions vehicle) standards in all 50 states.

Now, the payback for the Honda's smart-sized versatility is reduced workhorse skills. The bed will carry 1,100 pounds of payload, versus well over 1,600 for some half-ton pick-ups. Towing capacity is 5,000 pounds, compared to their 9,000-plus. And the only bed choice is a five-foot "shortie," about a foot less than standard pick-ups. Yet that wide bed does allow four-foot wide building materials to lay flat, something that even the biggest midsize pick-ups like the Dodge Dakota can't claim.

The Ridgeline starts at $28,210 for the RT version, $30,585 for the RTS or $32,005 for the top-shelf RTL. Adding moonroof, nav system and XM Satellite Radio to my RTL - the only available options - kicked the price to $35,155.

That loaded price sneaks alongside bigger V-8 pick-ups from Ford, Dodge or Nissan. But it's clear that Honda isn't after the power pick-up buyer.

More and more people are turning to pick-ups as everyday family transportation, not as 9-to-5 work vehicles. Plenty will see a comfortable cab, polished road manners and bulletproof operation -- don't forget that revolutionary trunk -- as more important than how much topsoil you can dump in back.

For them, seeing the Honda badge on a pick-up means there's a new sheriff in town.

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For more on the Ridgeline's engineering and technology, click here.