Honda Ridgeline Pickup anyone?

[ultrarunner]

I test drove a new 2018 AWD. Very quiet ride and has get up and go. The storage and the swing open tailgate impressed me. It's fits the market for the suburbanites who want the ability to carry stuff home from home depot. I fit that category when I'm home. At the ranch, I have an F250 7.3 diesel guzzler for pulling trailers.

It would be a good fit to have something like this in Washington... big enough to pick up people from the airport and versatile enough to make Home Depot or Dump runs...

Just thinking towards the future as I am not a new car buyer...

My pickup is a regular cab and only use it when I need to tow the two axle trailers... also it doesn't have 4wd which is a limitation off pavement.

Right now I use the 325it wagon for Home Depot runs with moving quilts inside... 4x4 fence posts come up through the middle to the dash and what ever else I need... but the 30+ mpg for the 800 miles driving each way is more than double my truck... plus it is a very nice highway car.

Started this thread after seeing the new model and taking a closer look... I was not a fan of the old one at all... but, in reality, a 5000 pound tow rating would cover me 95% of the time... of course I have no idea if the transmission is really up to a lot of towing and I suspect not.

 

[4570Man]

An SUV and a trailer makes way more sense IMO. I like my suburban. It’s nice to keep your tools dry and more secure or haul plywood in the rain. And it drives better than a 2500 or heavier truck. I wouldn’t part with my dump truck either.

 

[strantor]

My uncle has a ridgeline and I give him **** for it, but I've driven it and basked in its features, and I must apply the same logic that I do to Taco Bell.

If you go into Taco Bell expecting to dine on authentic Mexican food, you might as well submit your 1-star review before you ever walk in the door. But if you go in expecting to eat a meat-flavored oatmeal sandwich with synthetic cheese in a crispy hotdog bun, then you will be pleasantly surprised. Once you shed that preconception and evaluate it for what it is instead of what you expect, your evaluation changes completely and you realize "hey, this ain't actually bad." It's all in your head.

Don't go to the Honda dealer to look at their truck. It ain't a truck. It's a Ridgeline. Go check out their ridgeline, and check your expectations at the door. If you absolutely must have some preconceptions, prepare yourself to go look at an Asian sedan descended from a decepticon, the biggest sedan you've ever seen, that has the added utility of a "bed" of UTV proportions, all kinds of utilitarian features that you never knew you needed, and no less than 318 places to hide your particular flavor of contraband. It's probably one of the most dependable vehicles you can buy, And it can pull "trailers" to boot!

You walk in with that mindset and you might just find your new favorite vehicle.

Whispers: "it ain't a truck..."

 

[Tractorable]

I have a 2006 Ridgeline. I didn’t want it, thought it was ugly and mostly useless. The only reason I got it was because it was almost free from a family member so I reluctantly accepted it.

After driving it for a little while it started growing on me. Because it’s a unibody it has a lot of interior room. Lots of legroom for my long legs and has comfortable seats. In comparison, my neighbors Tacoma feels cramped and claustrophobic. The Ridgeline is even more comfortable for me than my 2016 Toyota Avalon.

It’s reliable, 218K miles, tight with no rattles, good motor, rides well. The large storage area under the bed is great, spacious dry storage for tools or groceries. Tailgate that opens flat or sideways is nice when you want to reach into the bed. The most annoying thing about it is the door locks that lock automatically. I leave it unlocked and whenever I need to grab something out of it it already locked itself so I have to go back into the house to get the keys.

I want a new Super Duty but it’s going to have to wait until I have a spare $50K laying around or until I decide to take out a major loan on one. For now the Ridgeline keeps on running and I have no payment so I’m gonna keep driving it. Need to buy a new tractor first, then a trailer, then a new truck.

 

[goeduck]

Don't go to the Honda dealer to look at their truck. It ain't a truck. It's a Ridgeline.

Exactly. I would not consider it a replacement for my pickup but I would consider it a replacement for my daily driver CAR.

 

[ruffdog]

True, each vehicle types have their own pros/cons and limits.

 

[ultrarunner]

Honda stayed in the market whereas GM and Ford left...

I think it was 2011 when word of the Ranger's demise was announced... now it is back for 2019... with the 2.3 mill and a ladder frame and high and low range automatic...

Both the new ranger and Colorado are said to have over 7,000 pound tow ratings and some configurations approaching 8k towing... much more than the Honda 5k

219 Ford Ranger will get a better Towing Capacity - 219 - 2 Best Trucks

 

[Halftrack]

I put 220K on my 2006 RL and it is still going strong with the 2nd owner. I'm not even going to start on the "truck" discussion as it is never ending. Got a 2018 RL in March and have 13K on it now and have been very satisfied. The positives include: you can get your level of gadgetry from nothing to everything electronics with the different levels. A foolproof all wheel drive system good in all weather and the wife or kids don't have to guess which knob to turn or button to push when the roads get slick. Great on gravel roads with the front wheel priority drive. Even in northern Indiana winter weather, I have yet to get it stuck.

The new model is a 6 speed which gives a new lower 1st gear and the rest are about the same. Mileage has improved from about 19 to 21/22 around town and 20 hwy to 22/24 (I drive very conservatively). The 2018 has a tow button which locks out 5th and 6th, whereas the older model would float between 3rd, 4th and 5th.

I pull a 5k trailer (2 axle) occasionally, sometimes 5K+ and it is more stable than the previous model. I don't need to be chastised, it only happened once for 3 miles.

Negatives: 2018 had a hood flutter issue at hwy speeds, addressed by a service bulletin, but still noticeable.

There are internet comments concerning the cylinder shut down program on the V6, but after 13K, I have not been able to discern when this happens or noticed a negative effect when it does.


If you are only mildly interested, don't test drive one.

 

[ultrarunner]

Appreciate the in the field reporting...

My first impression is Honda has listened and improved...

I have never owned a Honda... but I can certainly see where a Ridgeline could fit the bill...

I'm guessing he fix for the hood flutter is a sound damping/stiffening material added to the underside?

I've seen sound damping/stiffening added to planes... basically a peel and stick to clean surface.

 

[John Fitzgerald]

It's a unibody, not a real truck. The bed is small. I really don't see a lot of utility in it. A full sized pickup with king cab and a 6-8 foot box makes more sense to me. The towing capacity is about half that of a regular pickup. Tractor Time with Tim had a Ridgeline, and towed his JD 1025R with it, but in recent videos he has a regular pickup, and it seems much more capable.