hlee12

it's a nice niche, but unless they make it look like a bad a$$, it's not gonna fly.

SteVTEC

It was designed specifically for Honda fanboys who also own Honda two-wheelers, four-wheelers, jetskis, and other Honda-powered equipment as something to haul them around with. They don't give a **** about competitors or how it compares because look at who they're selling to? I'm not joking. If you read between the lines of the press release material on launch, that's basically what they were admitting to. Of course they still managed to concoct some crazy test conditions where the Ridgeline would still, somehow, manage to outrun a Ford F150 with a V8 and other V8 competitors, but Honda is good at doing that and that's what their fanboy's love. Of course Ford, GM, Dodge, Toyota, etc have all evolved their powertrains and trucks whereas Honda hasn't.

pvmike1

I'd like to see it retain the independent rear suspension and underbed trunk and bump up to 300+ hp and 2000+ lb payload capacity. Over 20 mpg would be great too.

pbm317

Yeah... that's not going to happen. Are you aware that majority of the F-150 models don't have a payload of 2000+? Especially for the Crew Cab versions.

UDel

Don't worry, you used the exact right word to describe the Colorado, I know 3 people who got Colorado's and all 3 have had nothing but problems with them, 2 were bought back under Lemon laws because they had so many issues. Those 2 trucks are simply awful, amazingly worse then S-10's.

For people saying the Ridgeline is not a "real truck", hardly any pickup buyers need a "real truck". The Ridgeline has more then enough capability off road and in the snow then 90% of pickup truck drivers will ever subject their trucks to, normally pickups and big SUV's are bought and used for moving furniture, bikes, jet ski's, or a few trips to home depot every year which the Ridgeline is more then perfectly capable of doing. Few pickup buyers are towing full sized trailers or rock climbing. The Ridgeline drives and handles great for a truck, has tons of clever storage areas, is well built, reliable, and is more capable off road and in the snow then many think. My friend just got a Ridgeline and loved it even more after driving it in the snow storm on the East Coast where it did not miss a beat.

It is good they are going to continue with the Ridgeline, its sales were not great but it has a very loyal niche of buyers and owners who love them. Hopefully they offer a more powerful engine with more towing capacity, better fuel economy, and give it better exterior styling, they may offer a 4 cyl hybrid, not sure how that will fly though.

FrankReynoldsCPA

When I hear a Ridgeline owner mention the word 'truck'

LexFather

As evidenced below.

This is ridiculous. What does Honda know about what pickup buyers need. They don't as they didn't build one and went a different route. This is the same arrogant attitude that plauges them when they get laughed at trying to enter markets their way. Its the same attitude Acura has "people don't need V-8, RWD, real wood, real technology, etc etc".

The best selling vehicle for goodness sakes has been the F-150 for over 30 years with other pickups in the top 10. You are saying "hardly any pickup buyers need a real truck" lol

Tell that to all the millions of pickup buyers, not the 12 Ridgeline owners.:roll eyes:

They have their 1% niche and are clearly happy with it and I don't care to knock that. Don't knock 99% of the damn market, that is ridiculous.

FrankReynoldsCPA

And before we get too far off bashing most pickup owners for driving a vehicle that they don't need(which I agree, most of them don't need their trucks)....let's get into perspective and realize that this website wouldn't exist if we only built, sold, or bought cars based on need alone. We'd all be driving Yugos. LOL.

LexFather

Exactly…….

pvmike1

You're right. I thought the 1500 lb. payload capacity of the Ridgeline was low, but apparently it's not. The Tundra Crewmax is rated about the same. But I've had over 2000 lbs. in the bed of both a Ridgeline and Tundra, and the Tundra handled it easily while the Ridgeline's rear suspension was visibly sagging.

Still, the Ridgeline is a great truck. It trades some off road capability for on road driveability, and that is just fine for most people. Although I would love to own a Raptor, the truth is I would rarely use it to it's full capacity.

Tantrix

why do I get a feeling that I am in for a big dissapointment.

mmarshall

It did basically what it was designed to do. It was never meant to be a serious work truck.

What pickup does get good MPG?: Even lighter-duty trucks, for a number of reasons, use their share of fuel.

mmarshall

Not Yugos. No matter what kind of vehicle we drive, we want something that actually starts when you turn the key, and stays in one piece long enough to get you from point A to point B.

mmarshall

True, no arguments there, but there is almost no such thing as a typical F-150. The F-150 series has literally a mind-boggling number of different engines/drivetrains/cab-type/chassis-lengths/specs and optional equipment that sets it up for an amazing different number of passenger, equipment, and load-carrying limits....and that's not even including the F-250/350 series. Same, to a slightly lesser extent, with the Silverado/Sierra and Ram pickups.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

They could have given it the MDX drivetrain for a healthy bump in MPG and power. Still, it might have been too late in its life to get that sort of treatment.