Conflicted Ridgeline owner

Sounds to me like you want a Tacoma so get one. Who cares what you use it for. It's your money and time not ours. So if you want one go get a Tacoma bro.

 

Yep.

 

The SPORT is available in Access Cab with 6MT though!

 

The fricken Ridgeline RTL-E/Black is cool as hell! So many things not available on the Tacoma for close to the same price (full time AWD, smart key on passenger side, power front seats with memory, rear A/C vents with 3 zone climate, LED headlights with auto-high beams, ambient LED lighting, front parking sensors, heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, capless fuel filler, locking fuel door, rear smart key on electronically lockable in-bed trunk, dual action tailgate, etc. I think you would be seriously dissappointed stepping down from a Ridgeline Black Edition to any Tacoma. In terms of interior quality the vehicles are from a totally different class: the Ridgeline is nicely finished with a comfortable and spacious modern interior while the Tacoma feels dated because it is essentially the same as the 2005 Tacoma with manual seat adjustments, a tight cramped cabin, and lots of hard plastic. The updates to the 2016/2017 Tacoma added some much needed tech like smart key (infuriatingly only on drivers side), and dual climate control, but the old truck design and cost cutting (no driver's side entry/oh-sh!t handle WTF) are easy to see and feel through the minor cosmetic changes. In my opinion the Ridgeline is a much more comfortable/modern truck to live with. My family used to have a 2013 Ridgeline Sport and I loved that truck, the ride on rough dirt roads was so much better than the body on frame Tacoma. Sure you are giving up some clearance and articulation but let's face it most of us aren't going to be rock crawling our new $40k+ trucks for awhile and if we needed to tow something we would have gotten Tundras. I find the Ridgeline to be perfectly sized in between the small cab of the Tacoma and the hard to park full size trucks. The only thing missing from the new Ridgeline is the butch factor which I think the old Ridgeline had in its own weird way. When they re-fresh the Ridgeline for 2019+ I will be seriously interested if they can adjust the styling to be more masculine and distinct from the Pilot, and if they add the cooled seats and rain sensing wipers from the Pilot it would be hard for me not to get one. In summary the Tacoma looks better parked at the mall, garners mad respect from teenage boys, and is ultimately better off-road, but the Ridgeline is a far better truck in most aspects related to daily use.

 

The Ridgeline could hillclimb better than the GMC Canyon, which I thought was weird. The 2017 comparison test only the Canyon couldn't climb the test hill. Honda AWD got it done with street tires.

Ridgeline is a good vehicle, it's not a rock crawler but plenty good for 98% of truck wantstohaves.

 

Thats all good but ... wait... does it have a manual transmission option??

OK Pass.... just sayin.

 

i like the looks of the tacoma also. but being that i dont off road and luved my 2012 crv hopeimg the ridge iis the same. maybe if i move to wyoming i might trade in a few years not shure but want to give the ridgeling a shot first

 

Holy marketing shill, Batman.

 

also i be tradeing a 1016 gmc canyon . i dont like it at all

 

I wouldn't even put it in terms of butch/macho/masculine as much as the front end styling is far more "minivan" than "truck". Look at a front-quarter photo and cover up the rear end. What does it look like?

I know, it's more about function over form, but still....

 

Nice ... was it the Chariot version!!

 

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...^^^...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frE9rXnaHpE

 

Damn those horse and wooden wheels must be finally getting old. Hope you had a canvas cover that adds to the resale value of a 1016 vehicle. Sorry couldn't resist.

 

I think this is most people's problem with the 2017 Ridgeline and why I personally went with the Tacoma despite the lack of features (I forgot remote start in my previous post, the Ridgeline also has standard remote start on mid trim levels and higher). I really think Honda could fix the front end styling to make a nice looking truck with a more upright grille like the previous Ridgeline, reshape the hood to not curve down so much which would make the vehicle look larger/tougher (MPG would drop slightly due to aero and pedestrian crash protection wouldn't be as good but worth it), and reconfigure the headlights and front clip to have a more off-road adventure appearance like the Tacoma. Add some skid plates/underbody protection, beefy wheels and tires, this thing could be sick! Right now dealers in my area have the Ridgelines sold before they even hit the lot, it will be interesting to see if the sales volume keeps up this pace or falls off dead eventually like the old Ridgeline.

 

Yes, though you're still f'ked if you have a loaded bed and get a flat...

Sales guy when I stopped by out of curiosity said Honda suggest moving the spare to the rear seat area when hauling a load... Yes, he realized how dumb that sounded. LOL.

Seriously, it seems a fine enough truck if all you're after is a highway daily driver and mall crawler. Still think Toyota has a better solution for rear seat fold/cargo capability.

 

Spare tire placement would definitely make me a little nervous with a full be. To think of every time I use my bed I would have to put my tire in the back seat would piss me off.

 

Well, just remember you can keep a bunch of beer on ice ready for when you change that flat to the tunes blasting from the in-bed speakers!

 

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Full size spare stays clean in Ridgeline enclosed bed-trunk and last time I had a flat was in college.

The big problem with the Ridgeline bed-trunk is you really use it a lot for other storage and it's a pain to get to if bed is loaded.

I loved that bed-trunk ... but I think they made it smaller & moved it back on the Gen. 2.
.

 

Lucky you. I get about one a year.

 

Link to that test?