Honda Ridgeline SUT

tsktsk1 · June 2005

Can someone tell me the true MPG city and highway. Is the 16mpg and 21 mpg real?

307web · June 2005

Are there some good interior photos of Ridglines without the navigation system?

boomchek · June 2005

looks exactly the same except where the navi sits, there's a CD player/changer with a storage underneath it

bigalistheone · June 2005

I've got 1200 miles on my RTL that I bought on April 30. Around town, stop and go 10 times in 2 miles I've been getting 14 mpg. On my second tank of gas I did strictly highway driving for more than 400 miles and got 21.5 mpg.

ridgeline100 · June 2005

Been browsing the info in this forum - appreciate everyone's willingness to post, it helps those of us who don't own yet but will soon. I live in N Colo/So Wyo area, has anyone had good experience in less-than-MSRP dealing in Denver, Greeley, Ft.Collins or Cheyenne area other than special limited time promotions? :confuse:

rwsmith1 · June 2005

Well, I only have around 5,000 miles on my Ridgeline and have gotten around 17.5mpg city.

marcosan · June 2005

Everything I read said that Honda got Onstar in exchange for supplying V6's for the VUE not the diesel engine.

squest · June 2005

I have 1152 miles on my RTL. My average miles per gallon is 17.6 mixed driving. Most of my driving is in a rural area with a lot of hills.

varmint · June 2005

What have you been reading? The deal was pretty well covered in the press a few years back. The diesel was definitely part of it.

http://world.honda.com/news/2001/c010518.html

http://www.drive.com.au/editorial/article.aspx?id=2438&vf=1

srdmb007 · June 2005

I just got the new Ridgeline and wanted some opinions on the composite bed. Naturally it scratches, but this problems seems unavoidable. Would getting a spray in bedliner like Line-X help the situation or would that probably scratch just as much? Also, is there a point in getting a spray in bedliner if I already have a composite bed? Thanks

chuck999 · June 2005

"Would getting a spray in bedliner like Line-X help the situation or would that probably scratch just as much?" ....

I've got Line-X on my Tundra and it is amazingly tough - rocks, sharp metal, etc - no scratches. And if it DOES ever scratch, there's a lifetime warranty (they'll spray it again apparently). But - Line-X does NOT add much impact resistance - I'll bet if that famous bobcat load of rocks was dropped in my Tundra bed I'd have lots of little dents .... (but no scratches) ...

BUT - you can't Line-X your Ridgeline - it won't stick to the plastic bed. Same holds for Tacoma .... So you've got to choose - do you want your bed dent resistant or scratch resistant - can't have both yet ....

I slide stuff in and out of bed all the time - figured with a Ridgeline I'd be looking at an ugly mess of stratches in no time - one of many reasons I got Tundra instead .....

Now put a 6 or 6.5 foot bed WITH standard metal sidewalls / rails AND standard stake pockets on a Ridgeline. Keep the cool bed trunk. Keep the great VTM-4 system and safety features (SAB, VSC) ..... Then WORKERS could actually use a Ridgeline, and they could take a little bite out of F150 sales. Esp for fleets where a few mpg and maintainence add up over time .....

thegreatoz · June 2005

The XM antenna IS on the roof of the Ridgelines.

There's still more frequent signal dropout under trees than on my '04 Suburban. The Delco/GM XM/CD/FM system is the pits, but handles the signal well. The Honda radio with Nav is beautiful, but receives the satellite poorly in many locations.

Caveat: Be gentle with the Honda touchscreen. No need for pounding it, if you want it to remain troublefree.

I'm surprised Honda permits you to control the Nav System while the car is in motion.

The Alpine systems have a speed sensor that disables most of the features while the car is in motion. All you can do is ZOOM in and out.
:shades:

307web · June 2005

Are there racks/stands for carrying bikes in the rear seat area and cargo bed? Is the rear passenger area wide enough to fit a mountain bike or two?
The Honda website shows roof racks and a trailer hitch mount for bikes, but if I wanted to use those, I could get a Civic.

tsktsk1 · June 2005

:confuse: Does any on know if the leak issue was fixed in production. Was there a VIN or production date that would identify the Ridgelines that don't have the issue? :confuse:

rsholland · June 2005

http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102565

robr2 · June 2005

I like this quote:

"But he did say that Honda approved a budget of about $40 million to modify the old Odyssey minivan assembly line in Alliston...The project's total cost came in well under $250 million, Flint says...Compared to General Motors, (the Ridgeline's cost) is peanuts..." Flint says.

Yep - a quarter Billion dollars is peanuts!!

4wdave · June 2005

I drive about a hundred miles a day -- mostly mountains, and I get 19-20 mpg. I've not yet taken a pure highway trip...

mbrady1 · June 2005

I purchased my ridgeline from Ralph Schomp a month ago and was given 2000 off msrp.

mbrady1 · June 2005

I bought the hard cover for my ridgeline and have decided it is perfect for the winter. I would like to have a roll up or soft cover for the summer to have better access to the whole bed.
Has anyone come across a vendor for this?

ridgeowner3 · June 2005

307web, Honda claims you can fit a mountain bike in the rear seat area without the front tire on. I'd bet you could fit two side by side, but dunno for sure.

Also, check out this guy's PVC concoction for the bed set up to carry 4 bikes...scroll down when you get there...(Edmunds is touchy about links, but I see lots of others these days, so here goes...
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=542&highlight=bike+rack

You can go to Ridgelineownersclub and do a search in the Accessories forum for bike rack.

ridgeowner3 · June 2005

search for Agricover. I've seen this one on a Ridgelineownersclub member's truck...online. Looks nice.

Also, Retrax has a roll up cover for RL.

cr v · June 2005

Retrax has a roll up,looks great but for full access to the bed (10" lost up front) but easy install or off)
http://www.rolltopcover.com/

mbrady1 · June 2005

Thanks for the info, their web site was just the ticket!

delrio · June 2005

I am in the same avg. I drive 35 miles a day in Phoenix, so the A/C is always on and I am getting 16.5 to 17 mpg. When I go to Tucson and back (app.200 miles) I avg 21 on th hwy.

I really did not like having to pay for heated seats and mirors for the moonroof. My seat and mirrors are always heated.

marcosan · June 2005

Sorry,

My mistake, they got both.

bcp1 · June 2005

Good evening: I read your short communication about your gas milage with your Ridgeline and I wanted to share with you our experience for the past two weeks.

My wife and I live in La. and drove 2710 miles in two weeks, went all the way up to northern IL, and up into Central WS. We came back down from IL to AR in the ozarks and back to La. with a 'FULL" LOAD. I had to shoe horn my mother-in-law into the back seat. When I say the truck was packed to the "gills" no room anywhere.

We had a wonderful trip. Over all gas milage was 18.635mpg. with a high of 21.61mpg and a low of 14.76mpg in the mountains with a very full load.
I found if I set the cruise control on about 2000rmps or less, I made the best gas millage. Our RTL is equiped with fog lights, roof rack, bed extender, trailer package, running boards, and hood wind deflector.

We got home with out one broken glass or dish or jar etc. My wife is big on gurage sales and went to the Hager Pottery Plant in Dundee IL.

The stability control actually saved our lifes when this crazy women came off the on ramp on I55 in So. IL and drove over into the far left lane where we were without so much as looking where she was going. I drove off the road into the grass at 70mph and sped up to get out of her way and also sat on my horn "man is it loud"
came back up on the pavement without any complications. The truck performed beautifully. We drove for 2.5 days in very hard rain without any incident.

The XM radio performed great....................Had no problems at all. The only time
I lost the signal is when I pulled into a car wash stall and parked.

My wife and I love everything about the truck, the safety features are first rate.

I just retired 4 weeks ago and I feel this was a great investment. By the way if you are wondering I got the truck fully loaded as described above RTL with Moonroof,fog lights, trailer package, bed extender,roof rack, running boards,and hood wind deflector all installed tax included, etc. $33,352.00
bcp

c2rosa · June 2005

As a follow-on to the discussion about Consumer Reports prediction that the Honda Ridgeline will have above average reliability based on it's shared platform with the Honda Pilot (which has above average reliability), I thought this might interest some of you.

Edmunds recently added the Ridgeline to their long-term test fleet.
In the article describing this development (found at:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/LongTerm/articleId=105797?mktcat=pickups&kw=TE- - XT&mktid=NL990394&DARTmail
)

they indicate that:
"The Ridgeline uses an architecture that combines unibody- and full-frame construction and shares some of its running gear with the Honda Pilot. However, the Ridgeline is 90-percent unique and is not just a pickup version of the Pilot."

That is, they indicate that the Ridgeline, though it shares a platform with the Pilot, has 90% original parts.
It seems that it is an almost entirely different vehicle than the Pilot and, hence, making deductions about it's quality based on the quality of the Pilot may be a stretch.
Anyways, I thought this was interesting.
I guess it does prove that you need to read many different sources of information on vehicle quality.
Note: When I raised this issue with CR when they recommended the Saab 9-3, but not the Chevrolet Malibu (though they share the same platform), they indicated that they couldn't reliably predict the reliability of the Malibu based on the Saab 9-3's reliability because the two vehicles didn't share enough parts. I wonder what percentage of parts shared is sufficient. Apparently no more than 10% shared (if the Edmunds figures are to be believed).

307web · June 2005

They are only predictions.
If you want something more solid, you will have to wait until the vehicles have been out for a few years and you can read about actual reliability experienced by past owners.

ridgeline100 · June 2005

Thanks for the info mbrady1 - Burt-Kuni and Planet Honda were the only 2 Denver dealers that had a green one in stock - Honda of Greeley told me they could get a green one overnight (which ended up being the one from Burt-Kuni) and offered the best price.

ridgeline100 · June 2005

I got right at 21 mpg on a 140 mile highway trip - A/C on the entire trip - have 380 miles on my new Ridgeline, whole family loves it.

markjenn · June 2005

I'm very skeptical that the Ridgeline has "90% original parts" (compared to the Pilot). Or they may be using some "new math", like saying the engine is one part, the transmission is one part, etc., which would have the body and interior parts predominate in the calculation (which are very different form the Pilot). Or saying the the engine is a new part because it has a different camshaft or something like this.

And I think CR fudges a bit to get the Ridgeline on their "recommended list". It is an entirely different matter to infer good reliability from another model in Honda's line compared to doing the same with a Chevy.

- Mark

rsholland · June 2005

I'm not surprised (or alarmed). I think most people don't quite know what to think of the Ridgeline, and are taking a wait-and-see approach. I think it will be much like the Titan and Tundra, in that they too started off slow, but gained momentum as time went on; I expect the same from the Ridgeline.

http://www.detnews.com/2005/autosinsider/0506/20/A01-221044.htm

Bob

once_for_all · June 2005

it's funny how they still label them as the "Japanese truck manufacturers" when these are built in the US and sold exclusively for the US market. So maybe there was some imported design work, but I bet even that was vetted by american design engineers.

The Ridgeline is VERY different and addresses many of the problems of the current US pickup lineups. AWD, IRS, and safety are light years ahead of the competition.

Perhaps the main thing going for the US trucks are brand loyalty. It will take a continual presence to erode sales from the chevy man and ford man. All we have to do is look at how Ford and Chevy advertise their vehicles, it is always to appeal to the rancher and contractor (eg the rugged man that wants torque and towing and HP). The Honda will have a hard time initially competing against the emotional brand loyalty that is associated with them.

John

varmint · June 2005

I think Edmunds paraphrased something from a Honda press release, and got the details confused.

The "frame" under the Ridgeline is 90% different than the Pilot. That's not the same thing as using new parts for 90% of the whole vehicle.

Also, when was the last time you had a car break down because of problems with the frame? Things that go wrong with cars tend to related to the engine, transmission, electrical systems, audio and HVAC, interior materials, and hardware (door handles and such). While many of these parts are "slightly" different than the ones in the Pilot, they are likely made by the same suppliers, assembled by the same workers, cut from the same materials, and developed with the same technologies.

boomchek · June 2005

This is what I as a Honda salesman have been taught by Honda about the Ridgeline:

"93% of the parts on the Ridgeline are exclusive to the Ridgeline, meaning only 7% of the parts on it are shared with other Honda models". The frame is not shared with the Pilot as the Pilot does not have a fused-in truck frame into its unibody. Hope this helps.

varmint · June 2005

http://i.tnpv.us/pv/2002/05/16/HON2002051647874_pv.jpg

That's the "frame" under the Pilot. It does have frame reinforcement for the unibody.

This is the "frame" for the Ridgeline.

http://i.tnpv.us/pv/2005/01/10/HON2005011037212_pv.jpg

The rail channels under the Ridgeline are 70% deeper than those used in the Pilot. The Ridgeline also has additional crossmembers incorporated into the frame. I've forgotten where I read this. Might be from a video interview with Gary Flint (LPL for the truck's development).

A Honda press release (published here scroll down just past the highlights), claims the following.

"Fully 93 percent of the Ridgeline's frame components are exclusive to this model." [emphasis added]

Like I wrote before, I think people are hearing numbers, but not really understanding exactly what they mean. As things get passed from person to person, some of the details are left out and the meaning gets twisted.

kayb · June 2005

We are intending to buy a Ridgeline. My husband read somewhere that a roof rack causes noise. Please will some of you all, that have a roof rack, comment on this. I have read a lot of your comments and the more I read, the more excited I get at the thought of buying one.

robr2 · June 2005

I've read the same thing regarding roof rack noise. Then again - all roof racks make noise. My experience has shown that if you remove the cross bars, most noise goes away.

Good Luck.

marsman1 · June 2005

Does anyone know a website where I can buy Hard top foldable Tonneau Cover. The Dealer where I bought my RTS has one but the complete is about $1500.00. A bit too steep for a cover. Any suggestions?

njdevil5 · June 2005

Robr2:
Have you actually removed the cross bars on the Ridgeline rack? If so, how difficult was it? It appears that you have to remove the side brackets (which bolt to the roof) in order to remove the cross pieces. Just my assumption after a very quick look over.

robr2 · June 2005

Have you actually removed the cross bars on the Ridgeline rack? If so, how difficult was it? It appears that you have to remove the side brackets (which bolt to the roof) in order to remove the cross pieces. Just my assumption after a very quick look over.

Sorry, I made an assumption that the cross bars were removeable and adjustable - just like every other rack in the world. After looking at the installation instructions I see that can't be done. Oh well.

But the last step says something about cutting some rubber pieces to reduce noise.

One thing I do with my Yakima rack is tie a string tightly around the front crossbar and then close the sunroof on it. Somehow it makes it quiter.

njdevil5 · June 2005

In order to install the rack, you have to remove the rubber strip that comes in the roof channel. When they say to cut the rubber and install to reduce wind noise, all you're doing is filling in the gaps in the channel between the rack stand supports. I'd hate to think about the noise level without them! :surprise:

tex8 · June 2005

I read in the Ridgeline forum, that if you slide the front bar toward the rear bar, the noise is much less.

njdevil5 · June 2005

Tex8:
Thanks. I'm going to give that a try tonight.

rfindlay · June 2005

I have been calling or emailing several topper manufacturers and received a positive response from Leer. They said that they would have a topper for the ridgeline ready in November. My local dealer is now double-checking with Leer to confirm that information. SnugTop and ARE currently have no plans to produce one.

kayb · June 2005

We just picked up a new steel blue RTL S/R today and it has fog lights on it but we can't find the switch to turn them on. Can you help up find the switch.

boomchek · June 2005

Switch is usually installed to the right of the VSA and Cruise ON/OFF buttons underneath the headlight knob, above the brake release handle. If not it might be to the left of the gauge pod.

wooddorker · June 2005

If you're going to cap a quad cab, why not just buy an SUV, and maybe a $300-$350 open 4x8 trailer for the really dirty stuff?

kayb · June 2005

Thanks for the info. Exactly where you said it was. Works like a champ.

ridgeline01 · June 2005

Great truck but the rear sit is awkward and uncomfortable for adults.

Honda Ridgeline SUT

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