Author Topic: Honda Ridgeline ?  (Read 6008 times)

KarefulKactus15

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Honda Ridgeline ?
« on: May 18, 2017, 06:57:18 AM »
Alright, in the spirit of discussion what are your thoughts about Honda Ridgelines?  The mid year 1st generations are starting to show up on craigslist with decent mileage at a decent price in my area. 

They caught my attention as a well rounded practical vehicle.    Aside from the Truck fact.... does anyone have positive or negative things to say?

Im totally asking for a "friend" and not myself ;).   


I guess in summary, how unmustachian would you rate a Honda Ridgeline?     1-10.   1= Bicycle    3= Prius  7=F150   10= F350 Dually as a commuter vehicle.... 

I feel like it would fall somewhere in the 4-6 range, probably a solid 5?  Not the most mustachian, but still a frugal choice with lots of utility  when compared to full size trucks.

What are your thoughts?

Syonyk

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2017, 09:03:52 AM »
I think they're a Tonka Truck - a good looking toy.

The tow rating is shit, the bed weight rating is laughable, the bed is tiny, and they're firmly into the category of "A toy truck for people who don't actually need a truck but want to be seen in one," as far as I'm concerned.

They're useless if you need a truck as a truck, and they're not nearly as practical as a hatchback or wagon if you don't need a truck.  There may be a tiny few corner cases where you need the ground clearance that you won't get from a Subaru, but... seriously edge cases.

I'd put them pretty far up the unmustachian scale (7-8), simply because they're silly and aren't particularly good at anything beyond looking sort of like a truck, as far as I can tell.  And this is coming from someone with a proper truck ('97 F350 diesel, crew cab/long bed, as Jesus would have driven).  I use it when I need a truck, I take other vehicles when I don't, and it's the fallback "get off the property in the winter" vehicle if the tractor can't keep up with the snow and ice.

I'm not opposed to the crew cab/short bed configuration as a dedicated tow pig, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're looking for.

What are you looking to do with it? 

skuzuker28

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #2 on: May 18, 2017, 09:17:28 AM »
To my mind, the Ridgeline is the red-headed stepchild of both the Honda lineup and and pickup market.  It's main problems in my mind:

-Capacities and capabilities are limited when compared to real pickups.  If you need to do pickup stuff, the Ridgeline may not be able to do all of it.  If you DON'T need to do pickup stuff, then there are more efficient vehicles.
-Honda does not have a good track record when it comes to their V-6 transmissions' durability.  Combine with the first item and...
-Fuel efficiency isn't all that much better than a real truck when not doing truck stuff, and from what I have heard from owners it can be worse while actually hauling stuff (as the V-6 needs to work harder than the V-8s in larger trucks)

On the plus side, it is more comfortable than body-on-frame pickups, and has a lot of interior space for it's size.

QueenAlice

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #3 on: May 18, 2017, 09:40:05 AM »
Oh man, I am totally going to get hosed for this reply. We bought one of the new ones in December.

My defense is that we had bought two TDI VWs (wagon and sedan) a while ago with the intention to keep them forever and ever, but then couldn't turn down the buy out VW offered. So we bought this truck with the intention of keeping it forever and ever. Please no scandals, ok, Honda? We were actually looking for an older Ridgeline, but were having a hard time finding one at a reasonable price. They sell very fast! We also got a stupid low price on it somehow. I went in with a total don't give a fuck attitude just to see what they would say and after two trips to the manager they gave me the low ball price I told them I wanted.

We wanted the utility of a truck without the drain on MPG of a "real" truck. We live in a farm community and lived on my husbands family farm at the time (We just moved down the road a bit a few weeks ago but are still active at the farm). The truck has been great for everything we have needed it for so far, including:

  • Towing my step-dad's 21 ft boat
  • Towing multiple loads of a giant trailer full of furniture/boxes during our move
  • Loading up the bed with large home improvement items from home depot
  • Picking up multiple used large pieces of furniture from buy/sell groups and thrift stores
  • Filling the bed for misc farm related things

None of which would have worked with the wagon, but didn't kill the MPG enough to warrant a big truck

My biggest complaints about the truck are that the back doors do not open very wide. During the move we could only fit small boxes in the cab, medium boxes were to wide to get through the doors. They would have fit fine once through the doors, but we couldn't get them through. And that the tailgate doesn't lock, so adding a bed cover is pretty pointless if you want to secure the items in the bed under the cover.


The tow rating is shit, the bed weight rating is laughable, the bed is tiny, and they're firmly into the category of "A toy truck for people who don't actually need a truck but want to be seen in one," as far as I'm concerned.

They're useless if you need a truck as a truck, and they're not nearly as practical as a hatchback or wagon if you don't need a truck.  There may be a tiny few corner cases where you need the ground clearance that you won't get from a Subaru, but... seriously edge cases.

I'd put them pretty far up the unmustachian scale (7-8), simply because they're silly and aren't particularly good at anything beyond looking sort of like a truck, as far as I can tell.  And this is coming from someone with a proper truck ('97 F350 diesel, crew cab/long bed, as Jesus would have driven).  I use it when I need a truck, I take other vehicles when I don't, and it's the fallback "get off the property in the winter" vehicle if the tractor can't keep up with the snow and ice.

...

Compared to an F350? Sure, but how many people {with trucks} actually need an F350? I'll take the functionality and awesome MPG (for a truck) of the Ridgeline that can be used in a wide range of applications consistently over a truck with crap MPG that causes me to want to use it rarely...

Also, I don't care if I am seen in a truck ;)

I do almost agree with Syonyk on the antimustachian scale though. I was going to say probably a ~6/7, unless you are doing lots of repair work/activities that require the bed of the truck instead of a wagon or to tow things <= 5k lbs {raises hand}

Kroaler, your general assessment is in line with what I have experienced with the Ridgeline.

Syonyk

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #4 on: May 18, 2017, 09:47:59 AM »
Compared to an F350? Sure, but how many people {with trucks} actually need an F350? I'll take the functionality and awesome MPG (for a truck) of the Ridgeline that can be used in a wide range of applications consistently over a truck with crap MPG that causes me to want to use it rarely...

We've got the truck, a reasonably efficient car (Mazda 3), and it's pretty simple - if we need to haul something that the car won't fit, we take the truck.  I go through maybe 10-15 gallons of diesel a month on average, but it varies a lot - we went through quite a bit in the winter when it was the only vehicle that could get out.  And even just around the property, I'll load the truck up pretty good and not worry about it.  I don't take it into town if I don't have to.

With that use perspective, having a large, highly capable truck is nice - I don't really care about the fuel economy because it doesn't see that many miles when it's empty ("into town to load up at the hardware store" is the bulk of the empty miles).

Quote
I do almost agree with Syonyk on the antimustachian scale though. I was going to say probably a ~6/7, unless you are doing lots of repair work/activities that require the bed of the truck instead of a wagon or to tow things <= 5k lbs {raises hand}

Out of curiosity, why the Ridgeline instead of a used F150 or similar for that set of uses?

QueenAlice

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2017, 10:01:16 AM »
...
Out of curiosity, why the Ridgeline instead of a used F150 or similar for that set of uses?

A used F150 was actually at the top of my list when we started looking for trucks! We live in truck country, F150s also sell really fast and for ridiculous prices. I was looking for a 10-15 year old F150 but I couldn't convince my husband that a beat up old truck was worth what we were finding. I'm also pregnant, and work from home so the truck is my go to vehicle if I have to leave the house when he isn't home, so he wanted a newer car for the safety aspects for me and the eventual baby. He's pretty on board with most of my mustachian behaviors but he drew the line at the truck. So, the brand new Ridgeline was the compromise. Can't win all the mustachian fights ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Clean Shaven

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #6 on: May 18, 2017, 10:56:34 AM »
I am actually considering buying a new Ridgeline as a do-it-all vehicle.  It's basically a beefed-up Pilot with a versatile bed.  If that fits your needs, it fits them very well.

IMHO a Ridgeline will do all the "trucky" things that 99% of truck owners ever need it to do.  The vast majority of pickups are seen with one occupant, hauling air.  A Ridgeline's payload and towing capabilities are pretty much the same as all the other midsize "real" trucks -- Tacoma, Frontier, Colorado, Canyon.  They do not have the offroad capabilities of the body-on-frame trucks.  OTOH, they ride and drive far, far, far better than any of the "real" trucks.  Also, the torque-vectoring AWD of the Ridgeline/Pilot is a big advantage over any of its competitors, for on-road winter driving conditions, and that is a very strong feature for my use.

If you're going to haul heavy shit all the time (not just occasional dog/ bike/ Home Depot trip), or going to tow heavy shit regularly (RV across the country, heavy construction equipment), the Ridgeline is a bad choice.  Buy a traditional fullsize truck.

I have an old 3/4-ton longbed 4x4 truck, mostly for holding a slide-in camper, and occasional hauling-of-heavy-shit.  It's useful but guzzles a lot of gas.  It also rides like shit and is a PITA to park.  Works great for the poor man's Sportsmobile, which was the intent.

I'm kinda waiting to see what happens for the 2018 model year Ridgeline, and hoping that consumer demand drops off like it did with the first generation.  After the first year or two of the first gen Ridgelines, sales figures tanked (they're kinda weird trucks, and I think everyone who wanted one bought one early on).  Hoping for incentives then, by mid-2018 or so.  Also, been seeing news stories suggesting that U.S. car sales are slumping, which might be advantageous for car shopping.

KarefulKactus15

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #7 on: May 18, 2017, 02:39:23 PM »
I see this is a love it or hate it type vehicle lol

Capsu78

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2017, 03:32:02 PM »
2011 Ridgeline owner here...My wife thought it was ugly at first site...and now it is the vehicle of choice on the weekends!  We love it and I have yet to talk to an owner of one that didn't feel the same way.
If you apply the 80/20 rule, this vehicle does more than 80% of all our real trucky stuff- 20 bags of mulch at a time, fits multiple 4x8 piece's of sheetrock in the bed no problem.  Hauls 2 carseats when necessary with enough room for another smallish sized 5th passenger in the cabin. 

I will say I am not alone in not liking the new design much at all where they basically took the "ridgelines" out of the Ridgeline. 

KarefulKactus15

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #9 on: May 20, 2017, 08:14:17 AM »
Good information.  I thought it passed the 80% use rule too.
As far as it not being a real truck, if I need 7000lbs of something I'll pay to have it delivered.     

I'm remodeling a house and it's becoming inconvenient not having a utility type vehicle with me. I could make do if I was a super Mustachian as I have been so far.   But with the 1st Gen being relatively affordable and it appears it would do everything I need rather well. . .

And EVERY owner I've talked to with one absolutely loves it.  They can't seem to find a single complaint.  (I keep asking random Internet and gas station strangers)

shunkman

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2017, 04:11:13 PM »
A close family member just traded in a 2016 Tacoma for a 2017 Ridgeline. The Taco rode horrible, has a crappy seat,  and the transmission has a mind of its own. The 2017 Ridgeline is an awesome vehicle. It rides as nice as an Acura MDX. Unless you do heavy towing or serious off-road, the Ridgeline is the best PU for most other uses.
« Last Edit: May 30, 2017, 04:14:13 PM by shunkman »

hoping2retire35

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Re: Honda Ridgeline ?
« Reply #11 on: June 23, 2017, 11:25:31 AM »
What is your purpose for it?

the only reason you need a truck bed
-haul fifth wheel(ridgeline not appropriate for this)
-haul tall objects that must remain upright; ie a fridge
-haul smelly objects like gas that cannot be in a cab

the last two can be remideed with a trailer, which you would need if hauling a lot heavy stuff, or a hitch 'platform' (can;t remember name)

Honestly, the most practical work/commute/ and future dad car is a minivan. complete covered cargo room, seats can pop up when you need to haul people instead of stuff, can still haul several thousand pound loaded trailer. nice roof racks.

If you want a cheap operating truck, just look for an older decently efficient truck.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/noframes/22281.shtml
smaller v8 2wd will outperform or at least match this fuel economy. I had a 2006 ram 1500 4.7l usually got 17, and 19-20 on trips.

https://greenville.craigslist.org/ctd/6161577932.html
cheapest one I could find, still has a ton of miles, esp for that price. '03-08 rams under $8000 returns 33 results. Just saying, don't be lured by thinking you'll get slight higher mpg's from a V6 means it costs less.