A Ridgeline vs My Tacoma

We really like our 2020 Pilot Elite which the Ridgeline is based on. While the Pilots looks are perfectly fine for a family hauler, i'm of the opinion that a truck should look more rugged and I wish Honda would have done more to set the looks apart from their crossover. Instead they managed to soften the look even more with this 2nd gen.

 

I had the 1st gen ridgeline and I loved that thing. Now I love my Tacoma but the ease of use and the drive of the ridgeline is great. Did some decent wheeling with some friends too. Trunk and dual gate are awesome, donut is not.

 

Imagine getting a flat with gravel or soil in the back haha!

 

My last flat came when l had a bed full of treated lumber, was pissed as it was and could not have even imagined having to empty all that on the side of the highway. If you have gravel or dirt back there you would honestly have to get towed home unless someone could deliver you a tire and a jack.

 

I think it would be a way better "truck" if it had better looking front end and had a better approach angle. Other than that, the ridgeline is not bad imo.

Honda has great resale value as well.

 

My cousin bought a new ridgeline. Its a real nice vehicle, but at a real nice cost. Imo, its too refined. I'd be afraid to hurt it.

 

Only thing I LOVE about the ridgeline is the truck in the bed. That is a great idea. I wish somehow we could get one of those... but for axle reasons and suspension I suppose...


ITS AWESOME I SAID AWESOME. Other than that, meh they’re having trans issues as well.
Only truck not really having a ton of issues right off the bat is the ol Nissan Frontier...

 

One nit: IMHO, the Tacoma wins the towing battle, but for semi-equally optioned trucks (e.g. DCSB awd vs DCSB 4wd), the Ridgeline edges out the Tacoma in the payload battle due to the substantially higher GVWR. I was quite surprised by this when I first read it. For what it's worth, the new Ford Ranger also has more payload capacity. The Tacoma is a bit of a lightweight in terms of payload. That said, I'm OK with that given what I use my truck for (daily driving, off-roading, and occasional towing). I even opted for softer coil springs (600 lb/in) when I upgraded my suspension.

Towards the end of this video Ronny Dahl (an Australian overlander) rips the Jeep Gladiator for its low payload capacity. The Tacoma payload is about the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cfs0c7SmGM&t=2s

It's interesting how the Australian and US markets differ.

 

Karen and Bonnie are going to use Lowes delivery or have their gardening service bring it. You don't waste a $150 manicure, laser skin resurfacing on your hands and your Tiffany ring loading potting soil at Lowes. Stuff like that is for plebeian scum that drive Rangers and Colorados.

The most action a Ridgeline will see is trips to Costco for a pallet of toilet paper and Pizza. Maybe she visits Lowes for bare root planting season, but if she gets a flat she's calling AAA anyways, since her husband is just as soft, and not the kind of soft that can be fixed with Viagra

 

Doesn't matter, because if you own a Ridgeline you also have towing service to change your tire for you. What's in the bed is not your problem.

Seriously though, the "trunk" is awesome. I would love to have secure storage. It's also useful beyond the storage aspect, you can mount stuff in there. Like on board air, Ham radio backends, power inverters and amplifiers (if it's dry). We need this too. It's secure storage on the Rivian RT1 Truck. Ski, fishing poles, rifles all secure and it doubles as a step or camp chair.