I would politely argue this point; in fact Honda has had a rash of issues lately with "first year models".
The 05 Ridgeline is a good vehicle, however Honda has been messing up a lot lately. Check out Piloteers forum for 2016 Honda Pilot teething issues from the navi/audio system to a jerky CVT and questionable VCM shudder. In fact, the new-gen Honda Civic had a stop-sale order issued in the US because they were going through so many issues, all Honda dealerships could not sell a new Civic for a couple of weeks till it was resolved.

http://www.consumerreports.org/civic...6-honda-civic/

Plus the 2016 Civic is no longer recommended by Consumer Reports.
http://www.autoblog.com/2016/10/24/c...s-honda-civic/

My wife owns a 14 Pilot Touring 4WD, thankfully hers had no issues. We did look at a 16 Pilot but didn't like it for 2 reasons; the audio interface and the dealer experience (because they were selling so well, all dealers were a-holes and price-gouged). The material of the 16 Pilot is far better and more plush than the previous gen, I think the 9 speed transmission (Touring & Elite models) should do ok, but from reading the issues at Piloteer the 16 Pilot may be plagued with some electronic gremlins. One forum in Edmunds (I think) in fact had a user who already had a lemon buyback with the 16 Pilot.

It is unfortunate because the new Ridgeline is pretty good, but almost all reviews I read blames the infotainment audio system/panel for being too difficult to use as a major negative in the reviews. This has become Honda's version of BMW's iDrive fiasco.

 

It has only been about 7 months and I find the Pilot okay but it is by far not a luxury vehicle. I find the 9-speed auto very good but hate that I have to turn off the auto-stop engine button every time I get in it. For those that don't know, the auto-stop engine creates a delay in acceleration in total stop such as when at a red-light. Quite dangerous in my opinion. As mentioned before, I hate the touch screen interface. Thankfully Honda put HVAC temp settings with physical switches though.

Last gripe is Honda did not offer the the Touring trim did not have Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM). The Touring comes with the silly right hand view camera which is more distracting than useful. We only chose the Touring because it had the 8 seat config. BSM only came with the Elite trim but did not offer an 8 seat config.

On the plus side, my wife does find the Android based navigation system better. A better implementation would be to allow one to use their smartphone to display maps on the screen. I pretty much use Waze for the social network based cop warning system-- yes, I have a heavy right foot.

 

It has only been about 7 months and I find the Pilot okay but it is by far not a luxury vehicle. I find the 9-speed auto very good but hate that I have to turn off the auto-stop engine button every time I get in it. For those that don't know, the auto-stop engine creates a delay in acceleration in total stop such as when at a red-light. Quite dangerous in my opinion.

I don't know how honda does it, but this is the same complaint I get from v6 MB owners over 50yrs of age. One of which uses an E to commute and calls me to complain about the start stop business every day. It may be an innovation borrowed from the hybrids.

You offer significant insight into the Honda Pilot in terms of gadgetry and accommodations. However, you may have left out your opinion about the actual car characteristics of this unit (power, acceleration, handling and overall feel during operation).

 

Hope this helps. I have a 16 mdx and had a 2011 LS. First things first. The transmission in the MDX is terrible. I hate it. On the open road it isnt too bad, but in traffic (san diego traffi sucks) the transmission is jerky as hell. Ive taken it back to the dealer and had flashed but it still sucks. Put it.this way, im probably not going to end up keeping it after my lease is up. Othern than that, Great car lol.

I was able to fit 2 rear facing seats in my LS ( 1 and 2 year olds) and still had enough space in the front seat. I Loved my LS and wish i had gotten it again (it was totaled in an accident). I currently have a 13 GS350 and the car is barely big enough to fit 2 forward facing seats.

in the mdx i recently had 2 car seats in it and it handled ot like a champ as it was designed for it. My biggest gripe with the car seat in the LS is that it wasnt in the middle like it is in the MDX (when u only have 1 seat).

there are other things to keep in mind, for instance diaper changing. Its sooo much easier in the MDX ( rear lift gate). Also the MDX has a 3rd row. In the LS the middle seat is useless if you have 2 car seats.

also, the 17 MDX now has 2nd row captain chairs. Makes it easier to get in and out of the 3rd row.

 

Start-Stop is evil! It is especially bad in 4 cylinder cars. A couple of years ago I had a Volvo rental that had that feature and it felt like a 1978 Mercedes-Benz 240D at stop lights and indeed was the first thing I turned off when I got in. Only wish you could turn off that feature and it stay off. I would guess another corollary to the ever stringent CAFE standards.

As for Honda transmissions, I had a 1999 TL, but it was the one year with the 4 speed as opposed to the 5 speed and was not too bad about grenading transmissions. Due to having a good relationship with my Service Advisor, I still had it replaced I think twice even though I doubt it was necessary.

I do think there seems to be more issues with the American made Japanese cars than there does with those made in Japan for Honda. Moreover, I definitely prefer both the German and Japanese stuff actually made there far over the cars made here. I know many folks with RL/RLX's and not a one of them has had transmission issues. Funny thing is, if memory serves, the transmissions used in the TLX/Pilot/et al are actually made in Japan while I know the engines are made here on those models.

 

mambo, your comment caught my eye. Can you elaborate, please? We have our car seat in the middle of an LS 430 and expect to put it in the middle rear in an LS 460 as well.

The LS lacks LATCH anchors in the rear middle seat position, true, but LATCH is only designed for, I believe, 40 lbs or even less in some vehicles. I was shocked when I found out the weight limits for LATCH because I really like to use them, but when you factor in the weight of a car seat, possibly a base too, and the child then you tend to exceed LATCH limits pretty early. We secure our car seat in the middle with the seat belt. The car seat has its on cinching device and, when paired with the seat belt retraction lockout, I can get the car seat just as secure as with LATCH with no side to side movement at all. I still use the top anchor in the LS.

 

Fatherto1, hope this picture answers your question. It is taken from the Real Moms review of the 2013 LS that droclex attached. I think there are very few differences between 2013+ and earlier MYs in the rear seats, so these features should be available in any older car you are considering.

 

Thank you, comotiger, I shared the same link/review earlier in this thread for the OP. Perhaps I misread mambo's post but I was confused when mambo mentioned not being able to put a single car seat in the middle (when traveling with one child). I wasn't sure if mambo was just lamenting the lack of LATCH connectors for the middle seat position, as opposed to using seat belts to secure the car seat.

I tested our daughter's very wide Britax in the middle position of a 2007 460L a while back and I do notice there is less shoulder room for the outboard passengers in the rear compared to the 430. I believe, spec-wise, the 460 is 1.5" narrower in the rear than the 430 but that little difference was noticeable to me when I tested sitting in the back seat. I am thinking though that being able to recline the rear seat some will help alleviate the cramped quarters and help provide some shoulder clearance from the flared bolstering of our daughter's car seat. I wonder if the OP has made a decision yet.