Yes, another midsize truck thread. Colorado/Canyon vs. Ridgeline?

TLDR:  I'm trying to consolidate to fewer cars and a midsize truck should solve my problem.

Longer version: I daily drive a Honda Accord and love it.  I also have an F-250 6.2L gas that I've been using for racing support, hauling a 2,000lb in-bed truck camper and a 8.5x20' enclosed race trailer.  I have a very lightweight car (Radical) so the trailer fully loaded only weighs 4700lb.  I've been scaling back my racing hobby and I'm planning to sell the truck camper, so the F-250 will not be needed to tow a 4700lb race trailer.  I'm mostly racing within a few hours of home these days and won't be towing in the mountains or anything crazy.

I have a 16 year old son who's been driving my wife's old Enclave that has 150,000 miles.  I'm also thinking about getting rid of the Enclave and getting a 2 or 3 year old midsize pickup for him to daily, and I can use it as needed to tow the race trailer.  We live close to the city and parking/logistics can be an issue, I don't feel good about him daily driving a half ton pickup around town.  The midsize trucks are similar in size to the Enclave he's already familiar with.

Options:

- The dealership where we bought the Enclave has been exceptional to work with for 10 years of ownership.  They have a 2022 GMC Canyon V6 on the lot with reasonable miles and a fair price.  Est. 7000lb towing, 1500lb payload.  Has the factory towing package.  Still has a little bit of powertrain warranty left.

- The dealership where I bought my Accord has a 2022 Ridgeline for a little more money.  5000lb towing and also est. 1400lb payload.  I think they all have the towing package standard?  Still under factory warranty and has an additional dealer warranty.

So which way would you go?  I'm really a fan of Hondas, although I've also heard good things about the V6 Canyon/Colorado.  Towing so close to the 5,000 limit with the Ridgeline has me a little worried- but aside from the specs on paper, is the Canyon really THAT much more capable?  Youtube reviews suggest that towing right up to the limit with the Ridgeline shouldn't be an issue.

The 3.6L Colorado is a great truck IMO...good fuel economy, reliable, surprisingly comfortable ride.  I was able to tow this 282QBXL travel trailer (32.5' stem to stern, 6100lb dry) loaded for a three-day weekend and be completely within all gross weight limits per CAT scale with room for the wife and two young kids in the truck.

I did end up trading for a 5.3L Silverado as it had more arse for hills with the wind sail behind me, but the Colorado impressed me...I also appreciated the longer bed on my particular crew cab.  Would have ZERO issues pulling my current trailer with car on it.

The Ridgeline is a Pilot with a bed...probably going to provide a more comfortable daily driver experience but I think it'll be working harder pulling 4700lb.  I'd definitely want a WDH and probably want to run it across a scale before committing to a purchase.

Canyon being cheaper and more capable seems life a slam dunk. Only potential issue is is it 4wd, and is that something you care about? Ridgelines are all AWD and the system seems pretty decent, that's the big thing it has going for it.

I've towed a 5000 lbs. open trailer extensively with both the Ridgeline and a 3.6-powered Colorado and honestly... The Ridgeline handled it better. This is just one datapoint, your mileage may vary, etc. etc., but I'd pick the Ridgeline. The transmission in our Colorado could never figure out what gear it wanted to be in, and it wouldn't really pull in overdrive on the highway.

That said, an 8.5x20' enclosed trailer is pretty serious, even without much car in it. Frontal area is going to be your issue, and I'm not sure any midsize truck will comfortably tow that down the highway at 70 mph for any distance. Can you downsize your trailer? 

If you can swing it, the 2.7T Colorado should tow considerably better than the V6'ers.

Looks like plenty of 2024's around with 2025's coming in...Pretty soon, you might even be able to negotiate new 2024's down to not that much (if any) more than lightly used pricing.

I have not driven a Colorado but I have spent a lot of time in the company Ridgeline and it would be my choice if I were shopping midsize trucks again. I was actually shopping them to replace my Frontier a few months ago but went another route. Big sell for me on the Ridgline is the comfort and storage, it is great around town and on long road trips plus the trunk under the bed is a game changer for storage that usually would get shoved under the back seat. 

Watching this thread with interest; I tow a 4200llb w/racecar 8x16 enclosed with a camper van. We are going to a bigger RV at some point so I may went my daily to be able to tow the rig locally.

dps214 said:

Canyon being cheaper and more capable seems life a slam dunk. Only potential issue is is it 4wd, and is that something you care about? Ridgelines are all AWD and the system seems pretty decent, that's the big thing it has going for it.

The Canyon I'm looking at does have 4wd. 

Tom Suddard said:

I've towed a 5000 lbs. open trailer extensively with both the Ridgeline and a 3.6-powered Colorado and honestly... The Ridgeline handled it better. This is just one datapoint, your mileage may vary, etc. etc., but I'd pick the Ridgeline. The transmission in our Colorado could never figure out what gear it wanted to be in, and it wouldn't really pull in overdrive on the highway.

That said, an 8.5x20' enclosed trailer is pretty serious, even without much car in it. Frontal area is going to be your issue, and I'm not sure any midsize truck will comfortably tow that down the highway at 70 mph for any distance. Can you downsize your trailer? 

I've considered downsizing the trailer but kinda hit a dead end. I looked at the Trailex low profile aluminum ones, but they cost about the same as the trucks I'm looking at. I could go down to something like 16x8.5 cargo trailer, but it wouldn't really help the frontal area issue and I'd lose a lot of cargo volume to save a little bit of weight. Current plan is to keep my current trailer, get a weight distributing/anti-sway hitch and be OK with towing under 65mph. 

Pulling that much of a brick of a trailer with anything less than a 3/4 ton is going to have its struggles at 70mph. 

You might need to consider downsizing the trailer in height. 

Really Though. I think you'd be better off to keep the big truck because you own it and it tows well right now. 

buy something else to do other daily driver things more efficiently. 

 

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:

Current plan is to keep my current trailer, get a weight distributing/anti-sway hitch and be OK with towing under 65mph. 

This changes my response. 

If you're cool with cutting down to that much less speed, yeah that might be more workable. 

But i still wonder if keeping current truck and going a different route for kids DD is a better choice. 

In case it matters to you, the Colo/Can is a body-on-frame truck, while the ridgeline is essentially an oversized Accord unibody..  It's the least truck-like of the midsize trucks IMO.  I also really hate reading about tow capacities because they are usually BS.  Just because the ridgeline CAN tow 6000 doesn't mean it will be good at it.

A few years ago when the new Ranger was coming out, all of the truck magazines did road tests.  Hands down, they all picked the (then-5-year-old) Colorado/Canyon with one exception of one publication going with the Taco.

I've not owned one, but two of my friends have them.  They seem like a fantastic truck.

I loved my Ridgeline. By far the easiest truck I have owned to live with on a day-to-day basis. I replaced a Silverado with it. As a daily, I have no regrets. 

I got rid of it for two reasons. It sucked to tow with. With any kind of load behind it, it drank fuel like a full-size truck. With a Harbor Freight 4x8 trailer towing an 800-pound Easy Rider, it only got 13 mpg. My Ridgeline wouldn't pull my 6x12 enclosed empty without shifting in and out of OD on flat ground. That was a deal breaker. The engine just didn't have any torque unless it was screaming its guts out. 

That said it was a pre-2015. The current version may be better but I doubt it will pull a large enclosed trailer happily. My 3.7 H3T (basically a pre-2012 Colorado) sucks at towing but it's better than the Ridgeline was. 

If I was stuck on a midsize truck to tow with, I'd go with the Colorado Diesel. 

My suggestion, go buy a TDI Touareg or Cayenne. It is by far the best mid-size tow vehicle I've ever come across. It also gets 25 mpg around town and better than 16 towing my 20' boat and is a better daily to live with. The only thing it's missing is a truck bed. 

This is a little over 8k pounds and it towed it with zero trouble. 

Echoing the sentiments of others regarding the enclosed trailer being a major factor in this. Open trailer is an easy choice for me: Ridgeline. I own a 2017 and tow up to 4500lbs of car + open trailer with it. Vs the other mid-sized trucks it's a much nicer daily driver and more practical for a family.

Do you ever need to tow something heavier than your radical in the trailer? The Colorado/Canyon would give you some margin there. For that reason and the fact that it's an enclosed, I'd lean toward more towing capacity if you can live with it as a daily.

Edit: another + for the Colorado/canyon is the fuel tank size. 21gal vs 18 for the Ridgeline. At towing enclosed trailer levels of fuel economy I could see that being the difference between annoying but livable and nope, this won't work.

I'm not sure that you need such a big enclosed for a radical but I get the want for a larger trailer.

 The Ridgeline is a very strong case for a do everything enjoyable vehicle if the towing needs are kept reasonable.

 I've only towed a loaded enclosed Uhaul approx 800 miles across not flat land with our '24 Ridgeline but it was 100% capable with it.

 I've played this same game in the past,I had a 7x16 trailer built with a custom height ...enough to walk in while ducking.

 Built a full width shelf above the hood of the miata,the back side of the shelf had plywood up to the ceiling and provided support for the shelf.

 Also made mounts to hang spare set of wheels/tires on it,kept stuff from falling onto the windshield and wheels out of the truck.

 Front mounted winch to pull it,let out after driving the rear of the 4runner onto ramps.

 Worked just fine.

In reply to Toyman! :

Your RL was the 6sp,19+ is the 9sp.

My purely subjective feedback after doing test drives:

- I really liked the Canyon.  It felt truckish and heavy-duty enough to do the job but small enough to be maneuverable and manageable as a daily.  Handled fine and was comfortable and quiet on the highway.  The powertrain has plenty of torque for the chassis, and the brakes felt very strong.

- The Ridgeline does actually feel like a big car.  I think it would be more comfortable for run-around stuff, but it didn't leave the impression of being able to handle truck things as well.  The motor had substantially less low-end torque, and the brakes did not leave me with a good feeling.

The Canyon also has a higher tow rating, a longer wheelbase, and a bigger fuel tank.  I wish it had that cool trunk in the floor of the bed like the Honda but ce la vie... I think it's the better truck for what I'm after.  Going to try to make a deal.

I hear what everyone is saying about the challenges with the frontal area of the trailer.  Soon I'll probably start a different thread asking for recommendations for enclosed trailers with low ceiling height that can be had for cheap.  I have $5k into my current trailer and don't want to go down a rabbit hole of spending a pile of money on a new trailer.

A bit of a tangent on towing speeds:

I manage to just barely average 60 mph on my longest tow which is 300 miles with my heavy low powered van.  If I upgraded to something that would do a 70 mph average I'd save a whole 45 minutes.

I also have to negotiate some long grades. My van with the enclosed trailer is down to 35 mph on the last 6 miles of Baker's grade. If I were able to maintain 65 mph I would save a whopping 4 1/2 minutes on the climb.

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

To be honest I doubt the Canyon is enough truck for current trailer even empty.

 I'd ask for another test drive and do a trailer pull.

flyin_viata said:

The 3.6L Colorado is a great truck IMO...good fuel economy, reliable, surprisingly comfortable ride.  I was able to tow this 282QBXL travel trailer (32.5' stem to stern, 6100lb dry) loaded for a three-day weekend and be completely within all gross weight limits per CAT scale with room for the wife and two young kids in the truck.

 

 

I did end up trading for a 5.3L Silverado as it had more arse for hills with the wind sail behind me, but the Colorado impressed me...I also appreciated the longer bed on my particular crew cab.  Would have ZERO issues pulling my current trailer with car on it.

The Ridgeline is a Pilot with a bed...probably going to provide a more comfortable daily driver experience but I think it'll be working harder pulling 4700lb.  I'd definitely want a WDH and probably want to run it across a scale before committing to a purchase.

This trailer is probably even harder to tow than my race trailer.  Just as tall/wide and almost 40% heavier.  Was the Colorado able to comfortably maintain 65mph on flat land and rolling hills with that setup?  Did you use a WDH?

Tom1200 said:

A bit of a tangent on towing speeds:

I manage to just barely average 60 mph on my longest tow which is 300 miles with my heavy low powered van.  If I upgraded to something that would do a 70 mph average I'd save a whole 45 minutes.

I also have to negotiate some long grades. My van with the enclosed trailer is down to 35 mph on the last 6 miles of Baker's grade. If I were able to maintain 65 mph I would save a whopping 4 1/2 minutes on the climb.

 

Even towing my enclosed trailer with my F-250, there is a world of difference between towing 65mph and towing 70mph.  The aerodynamics get exponentially worse with speed.  I don't necessarily need to tow at 70mph, but I need to know that my setup can at least maintain 60mph on the toughest grades that I will see.  35mph in untenable and IMO kinda unsafe with all the other traffic around.

kevlarcorolla said:

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

To be honest I doubt the Canyon is enough truck for current trailer even empty.

 I'd ask for another test drive and do a trailer pull.

My old GMT800 Tahoe had less power,  a worse transmission and a shorter wheelbase than the Canyon I'm looking at.  I'm trying to keep in perspective that back in the day I wouldn't have hesitated to pull this trailer with that Tahoe.

We've had 2 V6 Coloradoes (2019 & our current 2022) and have been very happy with them, though we don't tow nearly as much as you do (honestly I've towed more with my 20-year-old QX4, but that's more because it's mine any not my wife's, which the Colorado is). My wife puts like 18-19k on them- almost all city driving- yearly driving them around for work, and it's also been the vehicle we take on our longer drives for vacation/holidays. We traded the 2019 in because it was showing signs of a common (for its year) transmission computer problem and they offered us a pretty ridiculous amount to trade it in- she currently wants to trade the 2022 in because she wants a black one again (they didn't have a black one when we traded the original- black- one in and overall inventories were really low then). 

The new ones only come with the turbo 4 motor, which will be interesting to see what she thinks of it as on paper it is as capable as the current truck's V6 while being generally more efficient. 

We drove a number of other trucks (and SUVs, which were what she was replacing) when we got the original one and the Colorado was the best balance of price and capabilities of them (and also the one she- at barely over 5'- was the most comfortable driving) and there's never been any discussion of looking at other trucks... if the current one were the color she wants we'd likely be holding on to it for the long run, which is what I imagine we'll be doing once we get the new one (especially since it will have a lot more 'comfort' features than the current one due to changes in the standard equipment).

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

Nothing unsafe about going 35; I am in the truck lane once I drop below 50 mph.

Also in California the speed limit when towing a trailer is supposed to be 55.

ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) said:

kevlarcorolla said:

In reply to ShinnyGroove (Forum Supporter) :

To be honest I doubt the Canyon is enough truck for current trailer even empty.

 I'd ask for another test drive and do a trailer pull.

My old GMT800 Tahoe had less power,  a worse transmission and a shorter wheelbase than the Canyon I'm looking at.  I'm trying to keep in perspective that back in the day I wouldn't have hesitated to pull this trailer with that Tahoe.

I'm not 'merican so don't think I expect tent trailers should only be hitched to brodozers :).

 But since they aren't giving new trucks away for back in the day money I'd hook it to the trailer I wanted to tow before assuming it would be amazing and sign on the dotted line.