For those who want the same vehicle format and approximate size as the Honda Ridgeline, but would prefer a Volkswagen (or just want an alternative), there is a possibility:
The Volkswagen Tanoak is an Atlas-based Pickup Truck Concept
This is just a concept; there are officially no production plans, and it seem likely that it will not be produced... at least any time soon. The biggest reason for VW to build this would be to have a pickup in North America which can share a production line with their other models, rather than importing the Amarok (against high tariffs) or building the Amarok (which is incompatible with all other VW models) here. The Amarok is VW's conventional mid-sized pickup.
Just as the Honda Ridgeline is built on the same platform as the Pilot, and uses Pilot body at the front, the Tanoak would be built on Volkswagen's MQB platform (like most VW models), and would share front body components with the Atlas; the Atlas is VW's largest SUV for North America.
This would likely have the same towing capacity as the Atlas (5,000 pounds with AWD), but with longer wheelbase (good for towing stability) and the external cargo box. It seems like a potentially reasonable match for at least 17' and 19' Escapes, and possibly the 21'; it would not be a good match for a 5.0TA, despite the pickup format.