Honda Ridgeline SUT

jplyman

I'm thinking of buying an amazon green RTL with 36,000 miles on it - is there any thing I should know and watch out for?

Thank you in advance.

jimbob1

I have an 06 RTL with no problems, but you may want to browse through the Ridgeline "Maintenance and Repair" forum here on CarSpace to see if there are recurring issues for the model year you are considering.

bolivar

The 2006 Ridgeline came out in, I think, Feb 2005. The early ones, up until about August or so, had a lot of problems with leaks. The weld on the rear quarter panels were bad and leaked. Some around windshield also. I think there was also a problem with 'creaking' steering wheels on the early ones.

We have a 2006, bought in Dec 2005, built in Nov or so. It has had no problems, haven't had it back.

gpowers

Checking to see what experience everyone (or anyone) has had towing with the RL. I am looking very hard at these but haven't resolved this question in my own mind. Most of the towing will be 2000# or less, but on rare occasions it might exceed 4000#. Thoughts on how the RL would handle this?
Thanks

jfritsch

My neighbor had one and towed a boat, probably 3000+ lb. Said it was no problem. I assume an occasional 4000+# would be okay. If you're going to be towing almost 5000 lb limit all the time, or around the country, you may want to look into something bigger . You can always have a dealer let you take one home and hook it up and try.

If you are looking into the cheaper models, get the factory hitch (with wiring bracket) installed for around $500. The last few years most current models sold for about $6000 off MSRP in the summer.

Good luck
--jjf

odie6l

Anybody hear any news about a Redesign coming? I'm possibly going to be looking to replace my Pilot ("The Beast") around late summer 2012 or early 2013. I don't want to jump the gun if there is anything major coming.

Odie

bolivar

What I hear is they are going to discontinue the Ridgeline.

rcummelin

According to the resident "experts" on the Honda Ridgeline Owners Forums, the current design will carry on through 2012. What happens after that is anyone's guess.

Supposedly Honda has prototypes of a new, completely redesigned RL running around, but no spy photos of them seem to exist. Honda has not officially announced a cancellation of the RL, and most of the die-hard RL lovers take that to mean the redesigned RL will eventually be produced, which is just wishing & hoping.

Honda announced that the Element would stay around in mid-2010 and then killed it six months later. Supposedly RL sales account for less than 1% of Honda vehicle sales, which is truly dismal.

We bought a new, leftover 2010 RL because we wanted to replace our old one, we saved a bunch, and we didn't want to wait forever for the redesign to be released. I think we did good.

dboe

Nice try, but the Ridgelines 'cage welded to a ladder frame' has up to 20 times the torsional ridigity of a conventional frame.

You've obvioulsy not compared the ride AND handling of a Toyota with a Ridgeline.

Fuel economy is not that great, and Ford wins out with the eco-boost engines.
But there is more to any vehicle than the engine. How it holds up over time will tell the story.

The RL is not meant to compete with a 'typical' truck. But there are numbers showing 80% of truck owners never tow more than 5000 lbs.
It has a place, even if not in your garage (but it would likely fit), it makes a great utility vehicle where you don't want to shove fertilizer and lumber in the back of an SUV, but still want the riding comfort of one for 5 people.

And it is great in snow, even against 4 wheel die-hards.

odie6l

A friend sent this to me because he got it as a Concept for the 2006 Dodge Rampage and said looks like Honda purchased the design from Chrysler for the 2014. The '13 will be unchanged and ready for a redesign in 2014 to meet the new 2016 US Standards. I like the idea of the sliding rear doors.



I did see the 2013 Ridgeline Sport's new color design (instead of just black, silver, or white) and Off-Road package. This is very close to the current color I have on "The Beast" and with us getting a 15' Pontoon, I have to stick with a larger vehicle that can tow.

Odie

stever

A reporter is looking to talk with a Texas resident who's in the market for a new pickup truck. If you're able to help, please contact pr@edmunds.com with your preferred contact info by Thursday, September 26, 2013.

Kirstie_H

A reporter would like to speak to a current shopper looking for a midsize pickup. If you'd like to share your story about shopping for a midsize pickup, please email your daytime contact info to pr@edmunds.com no later than Tuesday, 11/5/13 at noon PT/3 p.m. ET.

odie6l

Here are some spyshots of the new 2017 Honda Ridgeline going through some on road testing. That trailer empty has a gross weight of 3500lbs., so I'm thinking they beefed up the towing possibilities. I'm also glad to see they dropped that horrible Chevy Avalanche overhang one the front of the bed behind the cab.
Odie