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ipribadi
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From nearly 30 something posts in this thread .. I just read that some people think the Ridgeline competes with F-150s, Silverado, Ram's etc. Some other's bash at it saying it's an 4x4 Accord.
I would say the Ridgeline is what it is.
A vehicle that target a market niche between the SUV- wagon category and the "truck" catergory. (don't start asking me to define "truck" now)
This is primarily why people who define it either way bash at others that define it the other way.
The Ridgeline is brilliantly in a niche market of it's own with only a few competitors (avalanche, sport trac, etc) which it easily overcomes.
Competing against small SUV's and wagons .. the Ridgeline boast a durable bed, better payload and towing, advance 4x4 capability, etc.
Competing against the toughest heavy duty trucks, the Ridgeline boast a smooth supple quiet car like ride and great handling.
For some it's a win-win, for others it's a compromise.
The Ridgeline is what it is .. partial goods from both worlds!!
Don't bash Honda for targeting this market .. I'm sure Honda is fully capable of creating a lean green mean machine that can outperform the current heavy duty trucks out there, but that's not the current plan and never was with their Ridgeline.
Peace to you .. and kudos to Honda!
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z zero
you really dont know anything about trucks do you? Ridgeline with dings and scratches are fine. I dont think I would care if I had a ridgeline. S2000 yeah. Your ding and scratch theory is dumb.
Ridgline is a truck and its truck of the year. Live with it.
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shingles
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First, I am from Texas, been here for most of my life.
So no need to give me a lesson on "truckness". I know what they are, thanks.
Second, a "work truck" does not require all those things you mention. A work truck is anything you can haul things in. Anything you take to the job site, etc. Not every worker "in Texas (LOL) required 10,000 towing capacity, haul 32 sheets of plywood, etc etc. Hell, the guys that were doing my tile today drives a Toyota taco.
Third, F150 is HARDLY a work truck. Have you been to a job site lately? Nothing less than a F250.
Finally -
"You people" always think that a "truck" is a work truck and nothing else. "You people" always think that us Ridgeline owners somehow have a lack of knowledge on "trucks".
The funny think is, why do you gravitate towards a work truck definition and now a weekend warrior definition?
I am WELL aware what the Ridgeline can and cannot do. If I needed to do "work truck" stuff, I would have bought a F350.
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shingles
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z-zero wrote:
shingles wrote:
Then what IS a truck?
Does it have to ride rough? Be built on an inferior platform (body on frame?) Really what is a truck to you?
And let me guess, you too have never been in a ridgeline?
I have seen a trend where most that complain about the Ridgeline have actually never used, driven, or even sat in one.
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No, I have been in a Ridgeline. It's not a truck. It's a SUV, and weekend ride to the beach with the jet ski's in tow... A truck is something that if it gets dinged up that those dings and dents can be worn as badges of honor. In a Ridgeline, it's like being in an Accord... Every ding and scratch and you want to immediately fix it and wax and polish it. Every ding and scratch looks very out of place on the Ridgeline.
The Ridgeline also has that huge PAINTED front (and FLAT )bumper. That things gonna be a mess after a little while on the highways given Honda's paint quality of late.
Ridgeline is a fun-mobile... Not a truck. Please everyone stop pretending that it's in the same category as F250's, and Silverado's... It just aint. It was not designed to be so. Hence, it's not a truck. Heck, you can't even put a cap on it... it's not a truck.
Cover up that back end and put in usable human space there in its place and call it the new Honda Pilot! Ridgeline is what the Pilot should have been... Everyone know's exactly what I mean too! I know this is off subject, but the Pilot is just plain weak looking. Sorry, but Honda screwed that one up.
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Even if I bought an F150, F250, F350, anything, if I had a dnig, I'd fix it. It's has nothing to do with if it's a truck or not, rather it's the fact that I spend my money on a vehical and I WANT it to be clean.
Is a Frontier a real truck? It's got a painted face.
So, is a Chevy C/K series truck an SUV? I maen close the back and add seats and it's a tahoe or a suburban.
Why do you think I am "pretending" that it's an F250? I KNOW EXACTLY what it is. That's why I bought one. My point is, everyone tries to deny Ridgeline of it's values by saying things like "it's not a truck" etc etc. My point is, define what a truck is. If you want to talk about work trucks, then yes, the Ridgeline is not one. But this is the "truck of the year", not "work truck of the year".
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shingles
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I don't get it, why do you keep referring to touching up the Ridgeline? It seems to me that yuo are creating conditions IN YOUR MIND, to make the Ridgeline not a truck. Who said you need to keep the Ridgeline pretty? There's no rule on that. You can do whatever yuw ant with it.
Oh yeah, my bed is scratched from all the "truckish" stuff I do with mine - like hual crap to the dumpest, hauling furniture, etc etc.
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whip
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Isuzu only sells rebadged GM's.
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Urufu san
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There are different types of trucks out there just like RVs. Perse, a 21ft Keystone Cabana is an RV but more specificly a travel trailer, yet some people call it a trailer and others call it an RV. The F250, F350 is a heavy duty truck. It's ment for heavy duty construction work. The Ridgeline and the F150 are light duty trucks which means they only do regular work like hauling a trailer (oh wait I mean an RV lol) or other light duty jobs. The Ridgeline is a truck. Not a heavy duty truck, but a light duty truck to be more specific. I hope this clears every thing up :)
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shingles wrote:
I don't get it, why do you keep referring to touching up the Ridgeline? It seems to me that yuo are creating conditions IN YOUR MIND, to make the Ridgeline not a truck. Who said you need to keep the Ridgeline pretty? There's no rule on that. You can do whatever yuw ant with it.
Oh yeah, my bed is scratched from all the "truckish" stuff I do with mine - like hual crap to the dumpest, hauling furniture, etc etc.
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exactly what I said to zzero.
Hes dumb for making such an idiotic theory of dings.
His theory is rediculously stupid.
I will say it once again.
The ridgeline by honda is the truck of the year. Live with it.
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EvilBobFish
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My dad went from a F-250 Diesel to the Ridgeline and couldn't be happier with his decision. He can still pull his trailer and boat without any problems, and can still load up the bed with all sorts of things. Just thought I'd throw that in there...
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Craigge
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I actually have a little 94 toyota pickup. When I had the bed sprayed with the "liquid" bedliner...I thought it was pretty neat stuff and sprayed the inside of the truck too (didn't have carpet)...
The truck is ugly, dented, and cheap. I seriously considered painting the whole thing with that liquid bed liner to keep it from rusting out with all of the dents it gets. Accidently dropped bricks on the hood of it last week frim the top of a house I was working on.
I am saying this being 100% serious...I wish that they did paint trucks with a paint that was similar to the "liquid" bedliner so that I wouldn't have to worry as much about rust when it gets dented. You are on to something...I really wish they would make it.
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HondaSalesGuy
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My friend did that to an old Toyota beater truck. He bought the stuff in cans and did the whole thing. Then his brother did the same to an old Rodeo. They actually look pretty good all things considering. That's where my idea came from on the previous post.
I'll check with him tomorrow to see where he got the product and the name.
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hkl
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I like your response. BTW, I am amused so many people got upset about the Ridgeline getting award. It is good. For the first time, all these macho guys really got hurt ... because for years nobody has told them that their thinking is screwy...Like "I just spent 40 grand on my TRUCK...now the more dents it is going to get, and the more paint it has lost, the more PROUD I am about my truck". Come on , be real. Just like what you said, if that is the case, Ford and GM should not paint their new "Real" TRUCKs... let them rust in the parking lot - make sure they have a lot of dents...too
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Urufu san
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hkl wrote:
I like your response. BTW, I am amused so many people got upset about the Ridgeline getting award. It is good. For the first time, all these macho guys really got hurt ... because for years nobody has told them that their thinking is screwy...Like "I just spent 40 grand on my TRUCK...now the more dents it is going to get, and the more paint it has lost, the more PROUD I am about my truck". Come on , be real. Just like what you said, if that is the case, Ford and GM should not paint their new "Real" TRUCKs... let them rust in the parking lot - make sure they have a lot of dents...too
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That reminds me of some of the Jeans they sell out there. They're torn and been stone washed to get that used look and the stores sell them around $40. I say why not just buy a brand new pair of jeans and let them get worn out natually or go to a thrift store and buy a used pair of jeans for a few bucks. Sorry if this is beyond the topic, but its a small rant that was bugging me for a while lol Maybe they can sell trucks that way. Sell them with over 100k miles, have them dented and rusted out, and sell them under the "stone washed trucks" label with the same price of a new truck hehe ;)
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EXCELLERATOR
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Babingatron:"Ridgeline doesn't come with towing capabilities standard. The towing package is a $550 option on the Ridgeline. Otherwise, it has a 1000 lb hauling capability. Both towing and hauling numbers are lower than the equivalent workhorse trucks. "
Regardless of your other points, you are incorrect here. The $550 option is just for the hitch, the Ridgeline comes prewired for 4 pin, 7 pin, and brake controlers, and has ATF and power steering coolers standard on every trim level, The towing package on the Tacona is part of a $3000.00 package (option combination #C) - On the Frontier it costs $500.00 for the hitch, and $500 on the Dakota as well. As fas as towing capacity, the Ridgeline is rated for 5000lbs, not 1000, and that is with 1500lbs of cargo in the bed.
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EXCELLERATOR
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wow, that arguement's a little thin. Have you measured paint and or sheet metal thickness on the Ridgeline, or any other truck for that matter? Or, is it just a made up statement like it would be impossible to put fire wood in the back of a Ridgeline ("it was full of a tree that was cut down and chopped up. Ridgeline.... That would be impossible with.") Or Vinyl siding; unless you have a 12 foot bed on your "Old SIlverado" that stuff was hanging out the back, same as it would have been on the Ridgeline. - I'm not saying the Ridgeline is a F 250 or anything like that, but seems like you are inventing reasons why it can't be a "truck"
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z-zero
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ipribadi wrote:
I would say the Ridgeline is what it is.
A vehicle that target a market niche between the SUV- wagon category and the "truck" catergory. (don't start asking me to define "truck" now)
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Hello to all you nay sayers... If the Ridgeline is a niche between a truck and a SUV, then by definition it IS NOT a truck.
Something cannot be "A" and be "B" as well. Ridgeline does not equal a truck, just as CR-V does not equal truck. Niche vehicle, that I can agree with.
I also have not heard anyone logically refute the comments that I made about that huge flat painted bumper. All anyone can say is that, "so and so has one too." Well "so and so" need to go back to the drawing boards as well. Was it a Nissan that someone mentioned? The Frontier? Oh you mean that truck that in a 5mph front end crash needs +$5K of body work? Oh yeah, go ahead and compare Ridgeline to that beast!
Do you know how many Fords and Chevy's I've seen rear end some poor car, the car crumples and truck barely has a scratch on it? That's a truck. Your cheap Nissan whatever can't do that. I highly doubt Ridgeline can do that as well.
For as much as I like Honda's cars, I am not going to buy any "off road" vehicle that will need a clear bra so that it doesn't get dinged up on the hiways. Sorry, Honda... but you guys need to go back to the drawing board.
Sure, there will be a spike is sales of Ridgeline as a result of this award nonsense. But lets see where Ridgeline is in another two years.
What I see is this: Ridgeline is Honda's incarnation of the Isuzu VehiCross. (i.e. a quircky wanna be weekend vehicle that never caught on) How long has Ridgeline been out now? How many have I seen on the road since it's been on sale? One.
Ridgeline has good virtures like the gate and the bed material. But everything else... Leave's me and many other people asking ourselves, "What was Honda thinking?"
Oh wait, I'm having deja vu... I thought the same thing when they rolled out the Element.
Honda does a decent job with their cars, but they have to start getting smart about the "trucks" they are rolling out. That's why a company like Nissan can still compete credibly with Honda: their designs are what people want regardless of their product quality.
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TonyEX
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Your counteragument is out of scope and uses invalid logic because you're switching your original statement when you start talking about "work" trucks.
At issue here is the definion of "TRUCK"... NOT "WORK TRUCK"
I live in suburbia and the only truck I've seen tow anthing is my neighbor's Dodge turbodiesel crew cab that he uses to occasionally tow his $150K++++ trailer.
Most of the time he keeps both of them in storage and drives his cars.
And I'll bet you that many folks in Texas and Oklahoma also live in suburbia and never use their trucks to haul stuff.. and many of them are white collars who bought their trucks for the LOOK, not the FUNCTION.
So, there, the Ridgeline may not fit your definition of a work truck for oil field rednecks as shown in GM's ads, but even for framing carpenters, plumbers, etc, the Ridgeline is a perfect vehicle. They don't need to go out and buy a tool storage box because it's already built in. And the truck bed is perfect to carry the odds and end.
I image a finish carpenter would not find the Ridgeline big enough, but then such a trade will use either a van to protect the fine wood.
As far as towing... my cubicle mate recently took his Ridgeline to the sand dunes towing a long trailer with two large ATVs. He said that he had loaded the bed with tons of stuff, plus the trailer was loaded as well and they had two fully grown adults in the cab with even more stuff on the back seat. Not only did the truck cruised effortlessly at 80mph on the freeway, never felt underpowered and handled quite well, but got good gas mileage. His other car is a turbo Audi AWD, so he loves his power so I respect his opinion.
Bottom line? The counter arguments against the Ridgeline are fundamentally emotional not intellectual.
And, btw, you proved the point of my thread.
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RyanDL
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z-zero wrote:
Do you know how many Fords and Chevy's I've seen rear end some poor car, the car crumples and truck barely has a scratch on it? That's a truck. Your cheap Nissan whatever can't do that. I highly doubt Ridgeline can do that as well.
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Your arguments are asinine. I'll choose just the above one to poke a gaping hole in.
http://www.bridger.us/2002/12/16/CrashTestingMINICooperVsFordF150
By the way, here's the crash test of the Ridgeline: http://www.safercar.gov/NCAP/Cars/3642.html
Ryan
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acccord
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Buddy....you are barking up the wrong tree....
There are two categories in the MT survey...Car and Truck.
That's it. Either you are a car or a truck.
Have you even seen the Civic's competition in the COTY..it was up against a friggin E Class Merc.
Now, Honda NEVER said that this truck was a FULL size truck as you keep comparing it to an F150.
The Ridgeline is a mid-size pickup truck.
The fact that it trounces full sizes pick-ups...well all the power to it.
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acccord
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z-zero wrote:
ipribadi wrote:
I would say the Ridgeline is what it is.
A vehicle that target a market niche between the SUV- wagon category and the "truck" catergory. (don't start asking me to define "truck" now)
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Hello to all you nay sayers... If the Ridgeline is a niche between a truck and a SUV, then by definition it IS NOT a truck.
Something cannot be "A" and be "B" as well. Ridgeline does not equal a truck, just as CR-V does not equal truck. Niche vehicle, that I can agree with.
I also have not heard anyone logically refute the comments that I made about that huge flat painted bumper. All anyone can say is that, "so and so has one too." Well "so and so" need to go back to the drawing boards as well. Was it a Nissan that someone mentioned? The Frontier? Oh you mean that truck that in a 5mph front end crash needs +$5K of body work? Oh yeah, go ahead and compare Ridgeline to that beast!
Do you know how many Fords and Chevy's I've seen rear end some poor car, the car crumples and truck barely has a scratch on it? That's a truck. Your cheap Nissan whatever can't do that. I highly doubt Ridgeline can do that as well.
For as much as I like Honda's cars, I am not going to buy any "off road" vehicle that will need a clear bra so that it doesn't get dinged up on the hiways. Sorry, Honda... but you guys need to go back to the drawing board.
Sure, there will be a spike is sales of Ridgeline as a result of this award nonsense. But lets see where Ridgeline is in another two years.
What I see is this: Ridgeline is Honda's incarnation of the Isuzu VehiCross. (i.e. a quircky wanna be weekend vehicle that never caught on) How long has Ridgeline been out now? How many have I seen on the road since it's been on sale? One.
Ridgeline has good virtures like the gate and the bed material. But everything else... Leave's me and many other people asking ourselves, "What was Honda thinking?"
Oh wait, I'm having deja vu... I thought the same thing when they rolled out the Element.
Honda does a decent job with their cars, but they have to start getting smart about the "trucks" they are rolling out. That's why a company like Nissan can still compete credibly with Honda: their designs are what people want regardless of their product quality.
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Buddy....you are barking up the wrong tree....
There are two categories in the MT survey...Car and Truck.
That's it. Either you are a car or a truck.
Have you even seen the Civic's competition in the COTY..it was up against a friggin E Class Merc.
Now, Honda NEVER said that this truck was a FULL size truck as you keep comparing it to an F150.
The Ridgeline is a mid-size pickup truck.
The fact that it trounces full sizes pick-ups...well all the power to it.
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notyper
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So, your basic premise is that a truck is only a truck if it has a big chrome front end. I mean, that really sums it up, right?
Your entitled to use whatever criteria you want in choosing to spend your money, but I'm also entitled to say that attempting to convince the world that that particular criteria defines truckdom is pretty naive and stupid. Furthermore, the rest of the truck buying world clearly doesn't agree with you. The Ford F150, which is the best selling truck in the world according to Ford, has a number of trim levels (FX4, STX) that come with painted front bumpers. So anyone buying those trim levels isn't buying a truck then. Hey, maybe the F150 _isn't_ the best selling _truck_ then, is it? (sarcasm!).
I'd have more rationale for saying that people who chose screen names like z-zero have bladder control issues, than you do for saying the Ridgeline isn't a truck. IOW, next to none.
SC
z-zero wrote:
I also have not heard anyone logically refute the comments that I made about that huge flat painted bumper. All anyone can say is that, "so and so has one too." Well "so and so" need to go back to the drawing boards as well. Was it a Nissan that someone mentioned? The Frontier? Oh you mean that truck that in a 5mph front end crash needs +$5K of body work? Oh yeah, go ahead and compare Ridgeline to that beast!
Do you know how many Fords and Chevy's I've seen rear end some poor car, the car crumples and truck barely has a scratch on it? That's a truck. Your cheap Nissan whatever can't do that. I highly doubt Ridgeline can do that as well.
For as much as I like Honda's cars, I am not going to buy any "off road" vehicle that will need a clear bra so that it doesn't get dinged up on the hiways. Sorry, Honda... but you guys need to go back to the drawing board.
Sure, there will be a spike is sales of Ridgeline as a result of this award nonsense. But lets see where Ridgeline is in another two years.
What I see is this: Ridgeline is Honda's incarnation of the Isuzu VehiCross. (i.e. a quircky wanna be weekend vehicle that never caught on) How long has Ridgeline been out now? How many have I seen on the road since it's been on sale? One.
Ridgeline has good virtures like the gate and the bed material. But everything else... Leave's me and many other people asking ourselves, "What was Honda thinking?"
Oh wait, I'm having deja vu... I thought the same thing when they rolled out the Element.
Honda does a decent job with their cars, but they have to start getting smart about the "trucks" they are rolling out. That's why a company like Nissan can still compete credibly with Honda: their designs are what people want regardless of their product quality.
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z-zero
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TonyE wrote:
Your counteragument is out of scope and uses invalid logic because you're switching your original statement when you start talking about "work" trucks.
At issue here is the definion of "TRUCK"... NOT "WORK TRUCK"
I live in suburbia and the only truck I've seen tow anthing is my neighbor's Dodge turbodiesel crew cab that he uses to occasionally tow his $150K++++ trailer.
Most of the time he keeps both of them in storage and drives his cars.
And I'll bet you that many folks in Texas and Oklahoma also live in suburbia and never use their trucks to haul stuff.. and many of them are white collars who bought their trucks for the LOOK, not the FUNCTION.
So, there, the Ridgeline may not fit your definition of a work truck for oil field rednecks as shown in GM's ads, but even for framing carpenters, plumbers, etc, the Ridgeline is a perfect vehicle. They don't need to go out and buy a tool storage box because it's already built in. And the truck bed is perfect to carry the odds and end.
I image a finish carpenter would not find the Ridgeline big enough, but then such a trade will use either a van to protect the fine wood.
As far as towing... my cubicle mate recently took his Ridgeline to the sand dunes towing a long trailer with two large ATVs. He said that he had loaded the bed with tons of stuff, plus the trailer was loaded as well and they had two fully grown adults in the cab with even more stuff on the back seat. Not only did the truck cruised effortlessly at 80mph on the freeway, never felt underpowered and handled quite well, but got good gas mileage. His other car is a turbo Audi AWD, so he loves his power so I respect his opinion.
Bottom line? The counter arguments against the Ridgeline are fundamentally emotional not intellectual.
And, btw, you proved the point of my thread.
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Ok, fine. All of you Ridgeline defenders, put up or stop arguing the wonderous virtues and utilities of the Ridgeline: put your money where your argument is and purchase one. Then you go to bed and sleep soundly at night knowing that you zinged my argument.
How many here own one? How many here are going to buy one in the next year? I can assume not many until otherwise proven wrong. Most of you are tooling around in Accords and Civics & CR-Vs... The market will show the fate of this niche vehicle, and it will either get a drastic redesign or it will fizzle away into obscurity like the other quirky SUV's like it that came before it.
I for one am going to buy a truck and it's not going to be a Ridgeline. I already have a fine passenger road car in my Accord. Don't need two beauty queens in my garage.
I for one would have loved for Honda to roll out something to compete with the Ford's and Chevy's out there. But for whatever reason, the head honcho's in Japan gave their thumbs up this quickly vehicle. (Yes, I know it was designed here, but don't for a second think that the parent company let's their American counterpart do what they want w/o approval from Japan)
There's no reason not to keep these discussions civilized people. Listen even the Jeep'sters out there will frankly admit that their Jeep's are not "trucks" and that they are uniquely something different. Why can't you Ridgliner's do the same? I don't see the point in arguing that something is what it obviously is not in this Ridgeline discussion.
As far as the crashtesting... HELLO, smash any road vehicle into any barrier at 40mph and you're going to have a wreck. Now, show me a F-150 smashing into the rear of the Cooper at 10mph and you're going to have once vehicle drive home with barely a scratch and one vehicle heading off to the scrap yards. You did not in any way at all argure contrary to my argument. Sorry, try again.
Show me a Ridgline smash into the Cooper in the above scenario and the Ridgeline is going to be a mess and require a lot of costly repairs.
And no, I do not define a truck by the bumper. But that front bumper so incredibly & blatently should show anyone with eyes that the Ridgeline is not a truck - It's a pretty looking SUV.
People just own up to it like the Jeep drivers do: Ridgeline is not a truck.
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acccord
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z-zero wrote:
I for one would have loved for Honda to roll out something to compete with the Ford's and Chevy's out there. But for whatever reason, the head honcho's in Japan gave their thumbs up this quickly vehicle. (Yes, I know it was designed here, but don't for a second think that the parent company let's their American counterpart do what they want w/o approval from Japan)
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What is soooo hard to understand about having a MID SIZE PICKUP truck like a Ridgeline....
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Wizard
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z-zero wrote:
Ok, fine. All of you Ridgeline defenders, put up or stop arguing the wonderous virtues and utilities of the Ridgeline: put your money where your argument is and purchase one. Then you go to bed and sleep soundly at night knowing that you zinged my argument.
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I don’t need a truck, and am not buying one anytime soon. But if I were to, Ridgeline will be it. Now, get some sleep.
BTW, regarding crash tests et al, your opinion is pretty much like a layman who looks at the damage to the vehicle without considering the underlying science. Did you know cars are actually designed to protect the passengers NOT the car? Regardless of whatever your answer is, it works in reverse for traditional pickups.
Any automotive nut is expected to understand this basic thing about impact from crash, and why race cars are designed to disintegrate. OTOH, you would think if they remained rigid and intact, they would be safer for the occupants, right? WRONG.
The idea behind safe vehicle is to protect occupants, hence you SHOULD see a Mini or any other vehicle sacrifice itself. Remember, passengers don’t ride on the bumper or in the engine compartment. And this shows up quite well in the three pictures Ryan posted. Mini, how well it protected the dummy. Why Ridgeline is one of the safest bet. And why the dummy is toast in F-150.
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RyanDL
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z-zero wrote:
Ok, fine. All of you Ridgeline defenders, put up or stop arguing the wonderous virtues and utilities of the Ridgeline: put your money where your argument is and purchase one.
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You're on a Honda site talking about Honda's pickup truck. Therefore, most folks here are probably biased towards the Honda product. You represent about 0.1% of the population here. The only reason *I* will defend the Ridgeline will be explained briefly in this message.
z-zero wrote:
How many here own one? How many here are going to buy one in the next year? I can assume not many until otherwise proven wrong.
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I don't own a Ridgeline because I have little to no use for a pickup truck. My RSX-S is very useable as a hauling vehicle for my needs. The hatchback is cavernous. However, were I looking for a pickup truck, the Ridgeline would very likely top my list unless I needed a heavy-duty tow vehicle for loads over 5000 lbs.
Since I spent about 1000 miles driving a Ridgeline both on- and off-road, I think I have some warranted facts about what it can and can't do. In those 1000 miles, I was unable to throw a task at it which it didn't excel at. It handles better on-road than many cars I've driven. Off-road, it was unstoppable over moderately difficult dirt, gravel, sand, mud, both uphill and down. I could go on about the host of features it has, but it's really beyond the scope of my argument.
z-zero wrote:
I for one would have loved for Honda to roll out something to compete with the Ford's and Chevy's out there.
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Honda *did* roll-out something to compete with the Chevys and Fords out there. The Big 3 execs needed a change of underwear when Honda unveiled the Ridge in Detroit last year. I was there: everyone gasped as soon as the in-bed trunk was opened. The Ridgeline was the buzz of the show, no joke.
The Ridgeline competes squarely with the Chevy Colorado and Ford Explorer SportTrac. It also does an admirable job at cross-competing with the Avalanche and F-150, though it certainly falls a bit short in some areas (towing) when compared to the heavier-duty versions. You see, their goal wasn't to compete with a heavy-duty diesel F-350. Why would it be? It's far easier for Honda to get a more suburban living, light-duty driver into a dealership (they're already shopping there) than a hardcore blue collar workhorse person. It creates far too large of a disconnect between their current customers. The Ridgeline appeals to someone who might perhaps be shopping a CR-V, Element, or Pilot, but might want some different utility uses and doesn't need all that covered cargo area.
z-zero wrote:
There's no reason not to keep these discussions civilized people.
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We are keeping the discussion civilized. But your arguments are failing.
z-zero wrote:
As far as the crashtesting... HELLO, smash any road vehicle into any barrier at 40mph and you're going to have a wreck. Now, show me a F-150 smashing into the rear of the Cooper at 10mph and you're going to have once vehicle drive home with barely a scratch and one vehicle heading off to the scrap yards. You did not in any way at all argure contrary to my argument. Sorry, try again.
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If an F-150 hits a Mini at 10 MPH, there probably won't be much damage to either, to be honest. But TonyE is certainly correct: (properly designed) vehicles should sacrifice themselves for the safety of the passengers. In the crash references I posted, it is obvious that the Mini did just that where the F-150 did, well, nothing. That's engineering.
z-zero wrote:
And no, I do not define a truck by the bumper. But that front bumper so incredibly & blatently should show anyone with eyes that the Ridgeline is not a truck - It's a pretty looking SUV. |
Why does a truck have to be ugly (ie. - the opposite of pretty)? So what if Honda added some aesthetic value to the Ridge? A chrome bumper would look sorely out-of-place.
z-zero wrote:
People just own up to it like the Jeep drivers do: Ridgeline is not a truck. |
Maybe the Jeep drivers need to be schooled as well. As I've mentioned in the past, if you haven't driven a Ridgeline, there's very little basis for negative comments. It's really an impressive truck. I was gobsmacked in the time I spent with it.
Ryan
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notyper
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Don't you see the contradiction in this simple statement? If not, then I see no further point in continuing the discussion - but I will be sure to start telling all those F150 owners that they aren't driving trucks...
z-zero wrote:
And no, I do not define a truck by the bumper. But that front bumper so incredibly & blatently should show anyone with eyes that the Ridgeline is not a truck - It's a pretty looking SUV.
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aznstuart
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First of all, the Ridgeline is not and was not meant to go up against the big dogs of Ford and GM. It's a midsize truck that does medium duty work.
Second, the reason why the F150 will not be as damaged if it hits a Mini is because it's bumper will ride up on top of the Mini's bumper and crush the rear of it. The Ridgeline, OTOH, has ACE structure and is meant to match up with smaller vehicles' bumpers.
Your definition of a "Work" truck doesn't even apply to the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline is a Midsize Pickup. Your definition wouldn not apply to the Chevy Colorado or the Ford Ranger. The Ridgeline does not go up against the F150 or Silverado or RAM.
A truck is a truck is a truck. If the manufacturer want's to call it a truck, it's a truck. The only pat qualifier is that it has to have a bed. The Baja is being discontinued so this definition works. People didn't want to call the CR-V or Highlander SUVs at first cause they weren't based off truck platforms. Now they are considered SUVs and to some Crossover SUVs. The same will happen with the Ridgeline.
So the Ridgeline is a Pilot with a bed--what's your point? The The Tundra is a Sequoia with a bed. The F150 is an Expedition with a bed--the F250 is an Excursion with a bed. The Silverado is a Suburban with a bed. What do you expect engineers to do?--build a whole new platform just for their trucks. Duh, that's stupid. (To all Ridgeline fans, I do know that the Ridgeline is not a Pilot with a bed, but some people can't bare that fact so bare with me :) )
So the Ridgeline can only tow 5000lbs. Is there a magic number that every truck must be able to tow to be considered a truck. You do know that the Ridgeline can tow more than your truck friend the Chevy Colorado.
There you have it, the Ridgeline is a truck.
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buddha
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Who really cares how the Ridgeline is labeled? So what if it is built off the great Honda global midsize chasis. It's a great vehicle and lots of people us it to haul stuff. Trucks are really just any vehicles with beds behind the cabins. If it looks like one and works like one, then it is one. And by the way, the Pilot is without peers in its class when it comes to space, refinement, comfort, utility and value. If it were a mistake, then no one should be making any cars.
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iluvlamp
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I picked up my Ridgeline RTL w/ Moonroof last night. I was in the market for a different type of vehicle that was functional but also stylish. I fit into the "yuppie/weekend warrior" stereotype as a single guy making a nice living. My Ridgeline won't see the sand dunes and most likely not the wooded trails either. I bought it because I like it--isn't that the bottom line? It has all of the features of my previous 4-door Acura except when I go to pick up a new TV for my father tonight, I can put in the BED of my TRUCK and not have to tie it down inside my trunk. I had decided to purchase before the award was given out but it's nice to know that the "experts" see what I saw. BTW--Merry Christmas to all!
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Powered by Honda
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iluvlamp wrote:
I picked up my Ridgeline RTL w/ Moonroof last night. I was in the market for a different type of vehicle that was functional but also stylish. I fit into the "yuppie/weekend warrior" stereotype as a single guy making a nice living. My Ridgeline won't see the sand dunes and most likely not the wooded trails either. I bought it because I like it--isn't that the bottom line? It has all of the features of my previous 4-door Acura except when I go to pick up a new TV for my father tonight, I can put in the BED of my TRUCK and not have to tie it down inside my trunk. I had decided to purchase before the award was given out but it's nice to know that the "experts" see what I saw. BTW--Merry Christmas to all!
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Its a great truck. I sat in it while my accord was getting oil change. Felt so manly inside it. hahahaha. The H is sooo big!!!!
CONGRATS!!!!! colour post pics...
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