LexBob2

This sums jt up nicely.

Toys4RJill

I agree, how many people truly load up their Ridgeline truck at home depot and then drive home on a snowy day.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

of course some will, but not with a ton of gravel. maybe some salt for snow removal, a christmas tree, some groceries in the lower box...

and also, anyone in snowy places should just get the awd version. problem solved.

bagwell

All of America? Really? Not me....I don't want or enjoy driving a huge full sized truck and would NEVER need one. Running up to Home Depot for a few bags of mulch or taking stuff for recycling is all I would ever use it for. Had an 02 Tacoma Prerunner and it was perfect size for me.

Toys4RJill

Funny enough, if one were to roll up to Home Depot in a Platinum Tundra 4x4 and a Honda Ridgeline AWD, the Ridgeline will leave with more stuff as it has a 1600lb payload vs the 1100 lb payload of a Tundra.

In all seriousness, most full size truck buyers do not use trucks with their beds full all that much. I would trust Honda knows what they are doing.

Aron9000

I know somebody who bought a 3500-4000lb boat and towed it with their Ridgeline, said it was downright scary to drive at highway speeds. Traded in the Ridgeline about a year after he bought the boat on a full size Chevy. Says the Chevy gets the same gas mileage unloaded, way better with it pulling the boat.

I have a rather sorry opinion about Honda and their ability to design a truck. The only reason Honda makes the Ridgeline unibody, car based, transversely mounted engine, etc is to save money. They don't want to devote the $$$$ to designing a real truck, which tells me that they're building a half baked and compromised product IMO.

The buying public seems to agree, as its sales have amounted to jack diddly squat. And I know compact/midsize trucks don't sell in huge volumes in the US, but worldwide in developing countries, Honda could move a ton of units if they made a competitive body on frame, 4wd, no it will not break down in the middle of nowhere type of truck like the Hilux, Isuzu, Ford Ranger, etc

mmarshall

Did your friend have a proper towing package? Usually, factory-tow ratings are dependent on certain equipment that is sold in those packages.

Keep one thing in mind, though. Simply designing and building a full-size, ladder-frame, V8, RWD/4WD truck is no guarantee that it will (or even can) significantly break into the extremely loyal F-150/Silverado/Ram market, as the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan proved. Perhaps Honda simply does not want to waste time and money trying to do something it knows is next to impossible.

Toys4RJill

Correct me if I'm wrong? But a unibody truck will be more expensive and difficult to design and build than a basic BOF design. Especially is Honda is trying to achieve a GVWR of a Tacoma or larger size.

mmarshall

All else equal, in most cases, probably yes....although the big thick frame-rails used on domestic trucks obviously have a lot of metal in them and aren't cheap from that standpoint. But it also makes the truck easier to assemble at the plant, because major components like the cab, seats, bed, etc.... can be assembled separately and just bolted or welded on. Toyota basically followed this route with the 2GenTundra, but used C-channel frames instead of full-rail frames, which may (?) have saved some money and materials...I'm not really sure on that.

I don't think Honda ever intended for the Ridgeline to compete directly with the Tacoma or Colorado/Canyon. That's why, in my recent reviews of both the new Tacoma and Colorado, I did not specifically list the Ridgeline as a competitor....it has a totally different platform.

As several other posters in this thread have suggested, a lot of Ridgelines are used primarily for suburban shopping....places like Home Depot or a furniture store, where it may bring home things that are a couple of hundred pounds at most. Aron9000 pointed out that his friend tried to haul a 3500-4000 boat and had stability problems...which may or may not have been due to a lack of a proper tow-package. I have a neighbor who has an older Ridgeline, which he has had for a number of years (yes, they are reliable). He is a musician, plays in a band, and uses it to drive some of the band's equipment around the area for local gigs and concerts.

JDR76

I believe a 4x4 Tundra has a 1585lb payload. Did you mean Tacoma?

UDel

The Ridgeline was not designed or marketed to be a 4000lb boat tower, yes it has a 5000lb towing capacity if the need should arise which it was able to accomplish but it is designed and marketed more for people who want or need the capabilities of a truck bed and some occasional hauling but also provide a comfortable car like ride and handling with some very innovative storage features for when they aren't using the bed/towing which is likely most of the year. For that role it is a excellent vehicle and perfect for a certain market which loves their Ridgelines. My friend got one on my recommendation and he loves it and is glad he did not get a big "real" truck because he never had a need for it and likes the Ridgelines car like ride/comfort, he has made several Home Depot hauls with it, moved to a house with it, took it on hunting trips and beach trips on some pretty rough terrain, drives it every day and has taken some long trips in it, he has been impressed and very surprised with the Ridgelines off road capability along with its storage, comfort on longer trips, and reliability, he will be getting the new Ridgeline when it comes out.

I don't like driving "real" trucks, I don't like the way they drive, ride, or handle, a Ridgeline when I drove it which was more car like was like a breath of fresh air and the only truck I could see myself owning and driving every day if I needed something that had a bed and could do some occasional hauling. If I had a 4000lb or heavier boat and was going to be towing it often I would not even think about a Ridgeline nor would I want to be driving a vehicle capable of doing that every day.

I know tons of people who had awful Chevy S10's and Ford Rangers which they consider "real trucks" that were nowhere near as versatile as Ridgelines, they had very weak 4cyl's, 2wd, couldn't tow anything, were small, cramped, rode and drove and handled terribly, beds rusted unless you put a liner in them, and were flat dangerous to drive in the rain and especially snow but they were huge sellers and popular mostly because of their image. Most "real" truck owners don't own boats or tow anything weighing 4000lbs, they rarely use their truck for what it was designed for, it is more for image or they just don't like cars, a Ridgeline can do most of what those other trucks can do when it comes to off roading, hauling, etc, it is mainly towing where it falls short.

I think the new Ridgeline will have a decent market, won't be large, but it will have its buyers that love it.

Toys4RJill

A crew cab Tundra 4X4 has a payload of 1250-1350

A Double Cab Tacoma 4X4 has a 950lb payload

A Ridgeline AWD has a 1600lb payload.

islandbeef

A friend of mine is in the market or a truck. At the recent San Diego car show, we test drove a Tacoma and Tundra, very nice. The Ridgeline wasn't on display (dangit) but it's in serious contention. This is going to be a suburban truck, not a ranch truck, the Ridgeline doesn't need to be an F-150 clone and my friend doesn't live on a ranch surrounded by cattle.

mmarshall

Try a Ram 1500 built within the last couple of years...especially with the long-wheelbase. You won't believe the ride comfort and sound-insulation.....it mimics that of a number of luxury sedans. The engineers, somehow, have done wonders with the suspension, to the point where it delivers on both comfort and utility.

pvmike1

Ridgeline payload is 1500 lbs, but can be overloaded by about 300 lbs without issue.

Platinum Tundra Crewmax payload is 1585 lbs, but can handle over 2000 lbs easily.

TRD Pro Crewmax payload is the same, about 1500 lbs, but will squat like a **** even at the limit.