I'm amazed at how upset everyone gets about this truck
Y'know, it's almost like the RL has transcended mere transportation and entered the politics/religion arena. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that the Ridgeline is part of a plan by the liberal elite media types to take away the rest of our body-on-frame vehicles!
^ BRILLIANT!
All the hate, WTF. I have a 2500hd duramax and my wife has a Ridgeline. I like the Ridgeline and would buy another. It's great for everything except towing heavy loads. 14hr trip carrying 3 bikes and a bed full, Ridgeline. Towing car hauler or dump trailer I take the Duramax. Everyone is comparing it to the Silverado or F150, it should be compared to comparable vehicles such as the Colorado,Ranger,Tacoma,or Frontier. I'll take the Ridgeline except for maybe the crewcab Colorado with the 5.3 I know what a real truck is as I regularly drive a truck that is 78k lb on 3 axles and powered by a 500hp cummins.
I have spent a lot of time in my buddies Ridgeline and I am his designated mechanic. He has an ECU reflash, cold air intake and some 20s.
I really like the truck, it rides more like an Accord than a truck. Its a little low on power and the gas mileage is not stellar. Other than those complaints they are great trucks. Very comfortable ride and very practical with the two way opening tailgate and the in bed locking truck. The interior is also mostly plastic so cleaning it out is a breeze!
Hopefully my brief review is helpful to you!
Josh
I wish it had a true mechanical locking rear diff
.... a sentiment shared by 99% of 'real' truck owners, as well.
Vigo wrote:I wish it had a true mechanical locking rear diff.... a sentiment shared by 99% of 'real' truck owners, as well.
My 2500HD has the Eaton locker. It's awesome.
Anybody own one in a hilly/Mountainous region of the country? I only ask because towing in hill country often eats up all kinds of trucks regardless of brand. It's more of an indication of whether the gearing is appropriate for tow duty. Getting the right gear ratio for the motor's powerband is critical.
My old 3.5 range rover towed any thing all day long......so long as it was on level ground. Add a hill, and don't expect to accelerate.
Vigo wrote:I wish it had a true mechanical locking rear diff.... a sentiment shared by 99% of 'real' truck owners, as well.
The issue is that the Ridgeline doesn't have a traditional rear diff. Inside the diff it uses motorcycle style clutches actuated by electromagnetic coils.
In the slippery stuff they work fine but if you're stuck and have one tire with low traction and one with high traction and if the high traction tire is 'stuck' the clutches will slip and not the move the stuck tire.
Two the coils overheat with continous use (15-20 mins).
As I said, incliment weather, dirt roads and fire roads it has no problems and works just fine but if you take it beyond that (and most RL buyers don't) then you have these limitations.
In reply to sachilles:
As I mentioned earlier I haven't had any issues towing our 3800lbs travel trailer (less aerodynamic than a car on an open trailer) up the CA grades. Sure, it down shifts and revs but it's a Honda motor that likes to rev. Compared to my '93 Exploder going up a 8% grade doesn't mean crawling at 40mph.
Just watch the trans fluid and if you're towing heavy loads add an additional trans cooler (the factory one's tiny).
Alright, I think I might have found what I'd call a smokin' deal on an RL. I've been over to ROC and can't find anything that can talk me out of biting on it. The only real issue I've seen is that it has high miles (112,000). I haven't seen the truck in person, nor driven it, but for the price, I can live with the miles. My question is whether the truck can handle the miles. I'm not sure if maintenance histories are available for this truck, and it's certainly not a CPO unit. At the price listed, it's not a big deal if it needs a few repairs, but the truck has new tires and pretty much every option. It looks no more beat up than Tim and Marjie's.
If I buy the truck, I'll use it for light business use (pressure washing, lawn mowing) and hauling cars around. I know neither of those are issues for an RL because I've BTDT with one.
I can't think of any other vehicle that feels as solid as an RL in its class. The Frontier is too expensive, the Colorado seems overpriced and underbuilt, the Ranger is just too old hat for me. I'm not a fan of Tacomas ever since the frame rot issues they were having.
Can anyone come up with a REAL reason to back off of an RL? I'm drawing a blank.
I'd probably own a Ridgeline if I could plow snow with it. You can't, so I own a Tacoma.
If I were towing moderate weight trailers in Florida, I'd give the Ridgeline a shot.
How common are 2WD sticks?
In general, 112k on a honda is nothing. Make sure the timing belt is changed, and rock on for another 100k, when you'll need to change the timing belt again before rocking on for another 100k...
I don't know if that applies to RL's or not. I know they had transmission issues at some point.
Our's has 103,000 miles on it and is still as good as new. Went four wheeling with it yesterday in super soft sand and didn't get stuck. I have towed motorhomes out of the mud and dune buggies out of the sand with it. May not be a real truck, but still rides and drives like new, tows motorhomes out of the muck and hauls my race car, so I am good with that.
Will buy a new one if Honda builds it and will either by the last of the old ones of just keep this one for ever, if they don't
Still the best non-race/sports car I have ever had.
Yeah, Tommy told me about the incident with the dune buggy at the beach.
Right now, I'm playing the "I hope they don't sell it before I get there game." I think that anyone that sees it will probably buy it. That's why I haven't linked you guys to it, even though you'd probably be able to find it. But seriously, a 2006 RL for less than $14,000? KBB is over $19,000. NADA is higher. Unless it's a pile, what do I have to lose, right?
I've been towing with a Ridgeline for 2.5+ years, and have had no issues. Usually I tow my Spec Miata, but towed this for a show several hundred miles away w/o any issues:
I dont think a Ridgeline could ever replace my 03 Dodge 2500 with the cummins.
What is the gross towing capacity of a Ridgeline?
How big are the brakes on the Ridgeline?
You do know that you are supposed to subtract the wieght of the vehicle from the gross and whats left is what the vehicle is rated to tow? Some states are cracking down on overweight 1/4 1/2 and 1 ton trucks and are making them hit the scales and handing out tickets.
I dont think a Ridgeline could tow our enclosed trailer when it is empty let alone filled with a 3200lb car and all of our other stuff.
I would agree that the Ridgeline is probably a great truck/car/thing/suv for most people that really dont need a full size truck.
I would also like to see how a Ridgeline would tow a open car trailer with 3500lbs of car up here at 7k+ feet above sea level. There is a reason you never see one towing heavy loads around here. N/A trucks kinda suck at altitude especially when under powered.
Oh and before anyone pokes fun of my typing/reading/spelling skills I will apologize for my learning disability. And if you still poke fun of me I will throw my freshly clipped toe nails at you and you wont get a Christmas card from me.
My tow pigs. The old Ford is averaging right at 20mpg with a 3spd trans and 4.10 gears. The Dodge is averaging 22.7mpg empty with 4.10 gears and a 4spd auto. It gets averages right around 17.5-19.2 mpg with the 24ft enclosed trailer and 4klbs of race car and other crap in the back. With the VW and the open trailer I dont even know its back there. Oh and its a Cummins. The best internal combustion engine ever.
The wife wont ride in the Ford. Its too noisy/bouncy/stinky for her. I am okay with that.
Combined gross is just a tick over 10,000 pounds. Curb weight is just a tick under 4,500 pounds. Gross weight is a tick over 6,500 pounds. More than what I'll EVER need. That pretty much gives a tow rating of about 5,000 pounds, rounded.
Man this thread got real ugly, real fast
I don't really think the Ridgeline is a direct matchup for the full-size rigs out there. It would seem to compare closer in size and ability to the other mid-sized trucks out there.
If the Rigeline tows that well (for its size and class), I wonder how the Tacoma and Frontier compare.
I'm almost afriad to ask the question, but directed to those who have had both a compact/mid-sized truck (including the Ridgeline) and a full-size truck of similar lengths, how did they compare as far as driving day to day? Was the full-size that much more of a pain to maneuver through the city, around roads and in traffic? Some day in the future, I will need a family truck/DD, and a crew cab Frontier isn't much smaller than a crew cab Sierra.
I figure if its that great why can't they sell them?
I'm almost afriad to ask the question, but directed to those who have had both a compact/mid-sized truck (including the Ridgeline) and a full-size truck of similar lengths, how did they compare as far as driving day to day? Was the full-size that much more of a pain to maneuver through the city, around roads and in traffic? Some day in the future, I will need a family truck/DD, and a crew cab Frontier isn't much smaller than a crew cab Sierra.
I imagine the RL is MUCH nicer to DD. I actually like the "truck-like" ride of my truck, but with a crew cab and a long bed, it's a bitch in parking lots, and you really shouldn't try a U-turn on anything narrower than a divided highway.
But I don't want to DD any truck. That's why the 2500HD tows and the WRX gets me to work.
JeepinMatt wrote: If the Rigeline tows that well (for its size and class), I wonder how the Tacoma and Frontier compare.
I've been towing with my Tacoma for about five years and I'm pretty happy with it. Granted, I'm pulling fairly light vehicles (911, Miata, Jeep Wrangler) on an aluminum trailer. It also helps that mine is a long wheelbase Tacoma.
I've towed across several states and through the mountains of New Hampshire. The engine is working hard in the hills but I've always been able to maintain my speed. You need to remember that this engine makes it's power up high in the rev range. You'll see parts of the tach that you wouldn't normally see. Gas mileage drops accordingly.
As, a rule, I don't like trucks as daily drivers. This one is much nicer to drive than a full size pickup. I'd actually prefer a Ridgeline, but I need to plow snow, as well.
I've also thought of adding a supercharger, but I'm not sure I use the truck often enough to justify the expense.
CaptainSpaulding wrote:
Thing is, we're not talking about you and your needs, we're talking about the original poster and his needs. I wish everyone would stop comparing the Ridgeline to a full frame truck and look at it based on owner's needs. None of us would recommend a buick sedan to a guy who needs a Miata, so why would a truck be any different?
bravenrace wrote:CaptainSpaulding wrote:Thing is, we're not talking about you and your needs, we're talking about the original poster and his needs. I wish everyone would stop comparing the Ridgeline to a full frame truck and look at it based on owner's needs. None of us would recommend a buick sedan to a guy who needs a Miata, so why would a truck be any different?
And what exactly are those needs? Original poster didnt state what they are in this thread.
For all I know OP could plan on trying to pull a front end loader with a prius.
And why did you quote me and not the other dudes posting pics of there tow rigs?
Its ok to compare a Toyota to a Ridgeline and not a 20 year old Ford and a 8 year old Dodge.
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