Tacoma or Ridgeline?

who are these "clients" you take to the lunch?
it seems like an important factor considering you're only looking at crew cabs

as others have said the ridgeline will be smoother to drive on road due to its unibody frame.
it probably has more creature comforts too i mean its a honda

the tacoma looks better, rides like a truck (body on frame)
it has a go-pro mount lol enough said

I'd say go for a Honda Pilot instead; those new ones look sharp especially in black

 

dont listen to the people here, alot of fanboys on here are gonna say get the tacoma and that the ridgeline isnt a real truck, or me mum drives a ridgeline mate, etc etc, but honestly what it comes down to isnt which is the "best truck"

What it comes down to are what are your needs? Just because the tacoma may look better on the exterior than the ridgeline doesnt mean its gonna make up for your needs youre using the vehichle for.

From the information you have provided it makes sense for you to get a ridgeline, the tacoma does fine in the city but doe not drive like a car the way a ridgeline would, also the ridgeline gets better MPG in the city than the tacoma does, which if most of your driving is city driving thats a plus.

I think the ridgeline is really innovative, there are alot of good ideas they invested into it, not my cup of tea personally but i can see how it can fit a certain type of person.
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but at the end of the day i think you should go with the truck that most satisfies your needs and not the one the you find aesthetically pleasing.

 

This is a joke right? The Ridgeline looks like the minivan of trucks

 

Clients for lunch? Better go with a fullsize. No offense but if someone tried to put me in the back of either a Tacoma or Ridgeline to go to lunch I'd take my own truck. The small trucks all suck for comfort especially if your customers are used to larger back seats.

Basically I'm saying that if you want a mid sized truck don't count on entertaining with it. At least not if you want to impress and relax your customers at all.

 

Ive sat in the back of a double cab tacoma on a few long trips and never had a problem. I'm also over 6 feet tall. You won't be lounging in it but I didn't mind it. Maybe I'm not that picky.

 

Subjective styling aside, this isn't really an insult. Minivans offer more utility than midsize pickups in most scenarios; they can swallow 4x8 sheets (with the second row folded/removed) and still close the liftgate, and 10' lumber even fits between the front seats (with the liftgate closed). Not to mention that minivans have much better handling and ride comfort than any 4x4, and the AWD Sienna handles snow/ice better than 4x4s (center diff coupling means less understeer in snow than 4x4s). Most people would be better served with a minivan+utility trailer than a 4x4 pickup (for utility purposes, not off-roading; very few truck owners actually off-road anyway).

The only things that keep me from buying a Ridgeline are 1) no MT option and 2) Honda's stubborn commitment to their disastrous cylinder deactivation tech (Toyota's Atkinson cycle+direct and port injection is the holy grail of n/a engine tech, IMHO).

 

Have you seen the Ridgeline in person? I thought it was ok looking in the pictures, but once I saw it in person not so much.. They really should have tried to style it a bit more aggressively. It seems like its identical twin suv brother the pilot somehow looks more aggressive. Looks and off road ability aside, I'm sure that it will haul medium things, ride very nice, be quiet, have good reliability, and will get decent mpgs. For hauling people and light loads on road I'm sure it would work great. Smart on-road light duty pickup choice 9/10.. Cool factor.. 4.5/10.

 

Exactly

 

Alright, I will throw in my opinion. Every Honda (though I have not driven the ridgeline) I have ridden in has felt....disconnected....from the road. it was comfortable, provided a smooth ride, but it didn't feel fun the drive. it was a tool to get you from point A to point B, in a lazy manner. Thats just the way Honda is. But I have always enjoyed driving my Toyotas, even just on the roads. the handling isnt necessarily the the best, nor is it the fastest, but my Tacoma just feels more fun to drive.

Yes, either would work for your needs, but no one previously had mentioned the feeling of driving the two. Also depending on where you live, there will always be a need for ground clearance even on paved roads. here in Louisiana, and in Texas, there has been a lot of flooding going on and the Tacoma sits higher than the Ridgeline...Sure you could lift your vehicles, but I am a factory kind of guy, so I liked the ground clearance, and general usability of the Tacoma.

 

I'm sure the Ridgeline is a fine vehicle. I just can't get over how absurd it looks. It straight up looks like an Odyssey minivan with the back notched out.

 

Nothing wrong with a Yuppie, soccer dad "truck". It beats throwing bags of mulch from Lowes into the wife's Odyssey...right?

 

You can't do this with a Ridgeline. Cops wouldn't care enough.

 

well tacoma is a timing chain == honda ridgeline timing belt = $1000 repair

 

For the stated purposes, I'd think either would work fine. I'd think the Honda a little more refined and the Toyota a little more capable off road. You should probably just go check out each and see which feels better and is more comfortable to you and those who may be riding with you.

I don't think you can make a bad choice here.

 

OP has to know he's going to take a little poking....he's on a Tacoma forum. I'm sure he's getting the same thing on the Ridgeline forum that he's, no doubt, asked the same questions on.

 

Ridgeline is an excellent vehicle, but not as truck like as a Tacoma.

Ridgeline is much more refined.

 

I owned a Ridgeline it was a great truck at the time best one I ever owned. That being said I am on my second Tacoma and no question this is the best truck I have owned.