By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
maybe mugen might come out with stronger struts for the ridgeline in the future...
AND CAN WE COME BACK TO MY REQUEST, PLS TRY MATCHING YOUR TACOMA TO THE AWARDS THE VERSATILE RIDGELINE GOT ON ITS FIRST FORAY IN THE TRUCK MARKET.I JUST LISTED 12 FOR PETES SAKE.Don't avoid my line of argument by flaunting your 0-60 times and towing capacities.
TOWING CAPACITIES AND 0-60 TIMES AINT EVERYTHING, ALL AROUND VERSATILITY RULES AND THE RIDGELINE IS WITHOUT PAR.THAT'S THE PARADIGM SHIFT OF THE FUTURE.
YOU WANNA BARGAIN? HOW ABOUT LISTING JUST TEN INSTEAD OF THE 12 TO MATCH THE RIDGELINES'. I'M GIVING YOU TEN YEARS TO COME UP WITH IT.Best of luck lol. :sick:
This paradigm shift is catching up on trucks too. This explains why twelve award winning bodies recognize the Ridgeline as the best midsizer. Don't get me wrong, I am convince the Tacoma owns the Ridgeline on exterior looks, 0-60 times and towing capabilities. In everything else your Tacoma can't hold a candle against the Ridgeline.
TWELVE AWARD GIVING BODIES WITH CREDENTIALS TO BOOT CAN'T ALL BE WRONG AT THE SAME TIME.WHILE ONE SELF PROCLAIMED ENGINEER WITHOUT VERIFIABLE CREDENTIALS CAN'T BE RIGHT ON THIS TACOMA VS RIDGELINE ARGUMENT.
Anyway, to help you out figure out what wards/recognitions your Tacoma got I'm lowering it to 8 vs the 12 I mentioned for the Ridgeline and I'll wait for your post for the next 20 years.FAIR ENOUGH? :confuse:
It doesn't matter how many awards a vehicle has, it's not going to take you from point A to point B any better. Majority of the time that's just marketing fodder anyway. As for aftermarket parts, if you need it and use it, great. Otherwise, the same point applies.
Now I think one of the things the OP asked was whether the Ridgeline warranted the price. Last time I ventured by a Honda dealership, I had a chance to talk to a sales manager, and he had mentioned to me that Honda is pushing a great lease on the car. I asked him point blank is sales were off. he responded that "perhaps", sales aren't as high as expected. So maybe the market is responding with a softly whispered no? When I was looking for my Taco, it was quite hard to find the DC LB SR5. But that may be due to most of them being made in TRD rather then market acceptance for them. But I didn't think the TRD 2k addition was worth it for basically a plug in the bed and upgraded suspension and wheels that I wouldn't really appreciate. Perhaps Mr. Market agrees with me and that's why there were more TRD readily available.
Anyone know if a truck topper makes for better mileage? I was thinking if it did, it would be offset by the 100lbs or more of added weight. Right?
On an unrelated note, I just read my March issue of Motor Trend; the new Ford SportTrac is in it. YES, it offers a V-8, but the V-6 model (210 hp) starts at an estimiated $27,000 (comparable to that of the Ridgeline's). I'll pass on that.
Where's the picture of the Avalanche's lockable in-bed trunk? The dual-action tailgate? The $27k base of the Chevy?
It's not there. Just like:
There is no midgate, traditional 4WD, or 5.3 liter standard engine.
These are two different vehicles, with styling that shares its basic proportions. What's next, are you going to point out the similarities in the Camry and Sonata?
Trust me, it isn't news to me.
They look ugly to me and I would not have to think twice in choosing between the Avalanche and the Ridgeline. I have never owned a Honda, but I certainly would have no problem owning one.
The same can be said for the Nissan and Toyota
brands and I have owned several models of both of the latter.
As for the Avalanche I look at it as an overgrown Aztec which has got to be one of the ugliest automotive designs ever thrust upon an
unsuspecting public. Can you spell U G L Y?
Now ask me how I really feel.
OkieScot
http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/E-CHEVROLET-Silverado1500-06.htm
I wouldn't say that the V8 Silverado "wastes" more gas. I'd say that it uses more gas. EPA puts the highest rated V8 Silverado 4WD at 15-19 mpg. Or were you thinking of the hybrid?
Meanwhile the Ridgeline is very similar in size, price, and configuration to the crew cab versions of the Tacoma, Frontier, and Dakota. The only exception being towing capacity. So these vehicles are the closest by viture of having the fewest differences.
Because he is so good at it, perhaps?
Good job on doing your homework, varmint.
Toy, if you would take a little time and look something up before spelling it out here, maybe you'd have more credibility (or at least MUCH less false information).
Just in case anyone else wants to compare any other trucks.
A side note... The Ridgeline appears in the Large truck category on this website, while others from this thread are listed in either the Small or Medium. This is because size is detemined by interior volume. Because the Ridgeline has a larger than normal passenger space, it falls into the large truck category.
A "topper" as in full cabin for the back, or as in a tonneau cover?
I know that a tonneau will not improve mileage. It prevents the bed from creating a tumbling air current behind the cab. That rotating mass of air is actually more aerodynamic than a solid surface and is necessary for good mileage.
Trashed truck
It's from the program "Top Gear" broadcasted on the BBC. They took a 13 years old 190 000 miles truck and beat it to hell, literally.
Oh, and it's a Toyota Hi-Lux!
Wow, I didn't know that. Each one of these companies say the tonneau is a gas saver. Check out www.4are.com, they even have a little calculater. Although seeing that they sell the stuff have to take with a grain of salt.
Not to question your expertise, but are you sure that it wouldn't help in the least bit? A closed window on a car gives better mileage even though with an open window it would create a rotating mass as well, albeit in a horizontal direction.
----
This is getting outrageously ridiculous. One moment toykick was praising the 0-60 times and towing superiority of the Tacoma vs the Ridgeline. Then all of a sudden Toykick refused to compare and match the 12 awards and the overall versatility of the Ridgeline by diverting everyones attention to the Avalanche.
Nice try Toykick, maybe I should be more lenient with your beloved Tacoma. How about coming up with 6 awards vs my twelve and I give you 50 years to come up with it.THIS IS GONNA BE FUN.
2 things I'd change- O.E. tires and improve gas mileage
2nd pick- Tacoma - long history/reliability
3rd pick - Ridgeline - hey, it is a Honda after all
4th pick - Dakota - it's capable enough
5th pick - Colorado and twin - um....um.....they look O.K. and someone has to follow the leaders
The discovery channel has a show called Myth Busters that did a experment to see if a truck gets better mileage with the tailgate down as has always been claimed so far as to sell the mesh tailgates and bed nets. Turns out the truck went considerably farther with the tailgate up. Millions of people have bought these products because it looked like it made sense. I drove around with my tailgate down alot, but I guess the onny thing I got from doing it was rock chips all over the tailgate.
It was posted that tailgate down was the worst
mpg, then tailgate up, then tonneau cover and best was a cab high top. The cab high was best if it went from the top of the cab at the front and then tapered down as it went back.
I wish I could remember where I saw it.
OkieScot
Trying to decide whether or not to put a bed topper on. But decision may have been settled by wife because can't put things in back securely just to run into store and such.
Cab high would be my first choice, but all makes I've come across so far doesn't really taper on the back, the glass however are all set in a slant.
Now that's one thing Ridgeline owner's wouldn't have to worry about with their locking "trunk".
They had a picture of one that was flush with the cab at the front and then had a slope to
the back that looked like it might have been about 18" at the tailgate.
It looked kind of weird to me and would not have been very practical for my application.
OkieScot
Lengths are all about the same, with the Tacoma short bed the longest at 208.1", Coly 207.1, Ridgeline 206.8 and Frontier the most garage-able lengthwise at 205.5".
Cause of this, the width of a vehicle plays an important part in choosing which truck to own.
That's another reason the Fronty works for me. Nissan up-sized it very well. The Taco was too small, now it appears a little too big (for a compact).
The G.M. products were never in the running for me.
This is also a consideration when off-roading. With my Silverado, I had to stop and trim a lot of brush to avoid scratching the sides. Ridgeline is nearly as wide as a full-size truck, while the others are narrower as you pointed out. Full-size comfort like the Ridgeline has is great most of the time, but there are situations where narrower is better.
Part of the reason I have the Frontier is more real-world leg room in the back seat than Colorado or Tacoma. There are many other reasons why I chose the Frontier. So far (23,000 miles) it's been a good choice.
As far as the Ridgeline goes, I'm not sure if I like their all wheel drive set-up. It only kicks in when needed right?
My Subie is full time and is wonderful to drive in all conditions, but that's another subject.
Good to hear about your Frontier.
Actually, that's one of the advantages of the Ridgeline and why it gets slightly better mileage than competing trucks. It does have a switch to lock in 4wd at low speeds, kind of like a poor-mans's 4-lo so to speak. You're right, though, in that most of the time it runs in fwd and automatically engages the rear when needed.
Locking in 4wd, I took a Ridgeline up an approximate 30-degree grade of loose dirt and gravel. I had originally tried the hill letting it automatically kick in to 4wd, but it didn't make it. By comparison, a conventional 4wd truck makes this same hill in 4-hi, which is basically what the Ridgeline is when you lock it into 4wd.
Thus if you can live with the Ridgeline's modest ground clearance (which I believe is actually greater than a Dakota's) and no low-range, you actually have a reasonably capable 4x4 that saves a little fuel by running in fwd most of the time.
FWIW, the MDX was the first vehicle with VTM-4. One car mag managed to get a tire to chirp, while another could not.
Tacoma: 36.1 - 44.0
Ridgeline: 42.6
Frontier: 43.3
Dakota: 44.0
Colorado: 40.7 - 44.3
Also, when will Nissan decide to finally re-test their numbers against the new SAE standards?
Having said that, trucks have historically been on longer product cycle than cars, but that is changing with the ever more crowded market.
Bob
I don't expect Nissan (or most other companies) will do that until they retune the engine enough so that it generates more power than the current design.
But can they put a car on top of a truck frame? That would be a more accurate description of the Ridgeline's underpinnings.
You are woefully uninformed. I take my RL up unpaved steep mountain roads in the Utah (Brianhead area) all the time. I take it on deep sandy BLM trails by the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, and its performance is stellar. What the hec do you think I bought it for??
My wifes partner uses her RL off road daily and to haul her horses on her ranch. Really, you don't have a clue what your talking about. The RL will go where ever it's ground clearance and approach & departure angles will permit it, which are some pretty rugged places.
Sales are fine. Honda exceeded their goal for the Ridgeline in its first year. I don't think Honda is keeping Robby up to date with their production plans LOL. Your pretty funny.
I'm getting 19-20 mpg. Get informed before you post.
Honda is not known for it's off-road vehicles. They make vehicles that are primarily on road, with some off road capability. The RL is designed for primarily suburban use; the trips to the Home Depot, towing the boat or jetskis to the lake, etc. No one is claiming it is a rootin' tootin' off-roadin' rig... but it will ride better than those rigs, and provide a better over all vehicle for the urban driver.