Got a new Honda Ridgeline and loving it.

[Melensdad]

I know, I know, it is "not a real truck" but damn it is a nice compact truck even if some people say its a toy.

But it is the only compact pick up that can lay a sheet of plywood or drywall flat on the floor.

Load capacity is about 1500#, which is similar to the other brands of compact trucks.

Built in 110V inverter in the bed for running power tools, bed lights, spray in bed liner, tie down hooks are all standard.

Towing capacity is 5000# and comes with a hitch installed. Not going to move my tractor, but then again a Ranger, even outfitted with the heavy tow package, doesn't have enough capacity to move my tractor either.

Inside is nicer than the Ranger Lariat Edition, and it use more feature than the Lariat too. The Lariat + the Ford Technology Package is about the equivalent of the Ridgeline for features.

Ridgeline includes: One Touch windows for driver and passenger. Power rear sliding window. Moon Roof/Sun Roof. Heated steering wheel. Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Assist, Blind Spot, Lane Keeping, Cross-traffic automatic braking, 3 zone climate control, navigation, Apple Car Play, automatic headlights, automatic bright light sensors, blah blah blah blah. More than I can figure out how to use. It even has exterior bed speakers for tailgate parties.

It was supposed to come equipped with fender flares, but that would have held up delivery. The dealer will be installing the fender flares at a later date. Not sure what I am going to do about the bed cover. Honda makes a 3 panel hard cover but only 2 panels flip open and the final panel is fixed, but it is all removable if you plan to pick up a big load it can be removed. Not sure I like all the chrome, it would probably look better weight black trim.

I love the under-bed locking trunk too. I can fit my large rolling fencing bag in the trunk under the truck bed, that was an unexpected bonus. My fencing equipment bag is 4' long, by 16" wide and 12" deep. And under my fencing bag there is still enough room to put a small suitcase.

 

[Doc]

Nice looking truck Bob. I've always appreciated Honda engineering. They think of things most others don't.. The under bed storage is awesome. I prefer an open bed for easy access. The under bed storage would let me consider leaving the bed without a cover.
Please let us know what MPG it gets, and how roomy the rear seats are. Can adults sit comfortably there?

 

[Melensdad]

I'm driving it down to Purdue university with two high school students so one of them will end up in the backseat. I'll let you know how the seating comfort is.

What I can tell you is that the seat bottom is higher off the floor so the back seat seating position should be more like sitting on a dining room chair. There appears to be more space behind the driver's seat back and the front of the rear seat. So I think it might be more spacious back there than the rear seat of the old Frontier.

What I can tell you is that there is an additional 10 cubic feet of cabin space over the new Ranger, the cabin definitely feels a bit wider and the front seats are definitely more spacious.

As for fuel economy, anything would be better than my old Frontier. I was in the 14 city/18 hwy range with the Frontier.

And I ordered a soft rolling bed cover. It is made so that the under bed trunk can clear the side rails. North Mountain brand, it is just an inexpensive bed cover, I want it mainly to keep stuff dry in the bed, and again, I wanted a brand that allowed full access to the trunk and the North Mountain is one of the rare breed that allows full access.

 

[Melensdad]

FWIW, drove about 170 miles today, of that about 2/3rds was interstate and the rest was a mix of stop & go city traffic, local roads & rural roads. The trip meter said I got 20.8mpg. That including idling in the parking lot while waiting for the kids parents to arrive. I was doing about 75 on the interstate.

Adaptive cruise control is pretty cool, I think I like it.

Automatic bright headlights are a fun thing, never knew those existed but when the road was empty the lights would go to HIGH beam and as soon as a set of headlights or taillights appeared in the distance they would dim to standard illumination.

The lane departure feature is pretty wild, apparently I drive closer to the left of side of the lanes and the lane departure warning would start to auto turn me back to the center of the lane. Sort of like self driving Teslas but without the crashes!

Still trying to figure out all the features. The infotainment screen is something that will take a little time to get used to but it seems to have all the features, I just have to learn how to access all of them. It's not hard to use, but on a raining night on the interstate I wasn't going to try to figure them out. It does not have automatic rain sensing wipers, I wish it did, my Audi's have that feature and I really appreciate it.

The under-bed trunk is waterproof. Today was proof enough. Rained almost the entire day, the trunk was dry and when I lifted the lid it didn't drain into the trunk.

I did notice that it slows down on steep inclines when in cruise control. Not sure if that is due to the economy highway mode, the 9(?) speed transmission, or if it lacks torque. I'll try it with the cruise control on and the economy mode off one day just to see what happens. My diesels hold their speed while climbing hills with the cruise control on, I suspect that is due to the torque the diesels produce.

 

[FrancSevin]

Bob,
Nice Toy!

Enjoy.

 

[Doc]

I'm guessing adaptive cruise is what they call 'radar' on my truck. If I have cruise on and traffic in front of me is going slower than I am it will slow down to their speed. Handy. But at times when I'm in a passing and in a curve the radar will slow me down. Other anoyance is even set to the lowest of 3 distance settings I can be 15 car lenghs from a vehicle I'm going to pass but it starts slowing me down before i get out in the passing lane. Then I have to get back up to speed to make the pass. Annoying. Wish I could turn it off but it only has the 3 settings for how far from vehicles it should engage.

The out of lane beeper I can turn off.

The Ridgeline sounds nice Bob. Glad that under bed storage is water proof. If not it would be pretty much useless.

 

[Melensdad]

I'm guessing adaptive cruise is what they call 'radar' on my truck. If I have cruise on and traffic in front of me is going slower than I am it will slow down to their speed. Handy. But at times when I'm in a passing and in a curve the radar will slow me down. Other anoyance is even set to the lowest of 3 distance settings I can be 15 car lenghs from a vehicle I'm going to pass but it starts slowing me down before i get out in the passing lane. Then I have to get back up to speed to make the pass. Annoying. Wish I could turn it off but it only has the 3 settings for how far from vehicles it should engage.

The out of lane beeper I can turn off.

The Ridgeline sounds nice Bob. Glad that under bed storage is water proof. If not it would be pretty much useless.

Mine has OFF + 4 different distance settings. I have mine set at the 2nd shortest distance and it seems to work very well. It did NOT slow me down in curves or going into construction lane changes, etc. Not sure if mine is radar, I suspect it is actually optical. Or a combination of optical and radar. As the lane departure system is clearly a stereo optical system, the auto-high beams is optical, so possible the Adaptive Cruise could be optical or radar or both.

I was happy with the fuel economy at nearly 21mpg for the trip.

I'll be taking it to Columbus OH on Wednesday, that trip won't involve the long idle times I had on this trip while it parked but running as I waited for kids to show up with fencing equipment. Curious to see the fuel economy on that trip without all the idle. If it averages 22mpg that would make me very happy.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

It's a cute little trucklet.

 

[Melensdad]

It's a cute little trucklet.

It’s NART

Not
A
Real
Truck

Embrace the NART

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

Embrace the NART

I'm too busy hugging my 1075 lb-ft of torque Ram 3500. It makes up for all my masculine inadequacies and tows all my crap like there is nothing behind it.

 

[FrancSevin]

I own three Ram 3500's with Cumins diesel power plants. Love them all. Especially the 94 1/2 model.

 

[Ironman]

How much? Maybe I missed it somewhere but I’m curious. I am always kinda looking but the price for trucks is kinda nuts now, at least around here.

 

[Melensdad]

How much? Maybe I missed it somewhere but I’m curious. I am always kinda looking but the price for trucks is kinda nuts now, at least around here.

Mine is the top level trim, the RTL-E with a couple options. Sitting at $44k MSRP. I paid the MSRP. In some areas the dealers are adding all sorts of crazy mark ups. My dealer didn't add all that stuff.

I've heard of dealers charging up to $4000 above MSRP in various parts of the country. I spoke with dealers of multiple brands of compact trucks. Ford is 3 to 6 months wait if you want something specific on the Ranger. There were several Ridgelines on lots in my area, I didn't like any of them due to color or options or something. But one of the dealers had one in production and I simply put a deposit on it and waited a few weeks. The paint is a special metallic, so an added cost option. The fender flares, which are not on the truck, are an option.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I must say that underbed trunk thing looks pretty nice. I'm a canopy person but even then having extra storage compartments is always nice. I have an old beater Sport-Trac with 175K on it that I bought for my daughter. I actually use it more than any other vehicle just because it is small and easier to drive around and I don't care if it gets a little dirty. My daughter some how managed to steal my VW for her day to day driving.

Trucklets are kind of handy and definitely fill a useful niche. The Honda looks pretty nice.

 

[Melensdad]

I must say that underbed trunk thing looks pretty nice. I'm a canopy person but even then having extra storage compartments is always nice. I have an old beater Sport-Trac with 175K on it that I bought for my daughter. I actually use it more than any other vehicle just because it is small and easier to drive around and I don't care if it gets a little dirty. My daughter some how managed to steal my VW for her day to day driving.

Trucklets are kind of handy and definitely fill a useful niche. The Honda looks pretty nice.

The Sport-Trac is what started the concept.

The Ridgeline, is now the latest version of the concept. I believe the most refined and civilized NART on the roadway. Current iteration is the 2nd generation, which was then updated to 2nd Gen V2 with some additional restyle, mild redesign in 2021.

Both the Sport-Trac and the Ridgeline are slightly more truck than car, at least in utility with a reasonable size bed and a modest size footprint that fits fairly easily in garages, parking spaces, etc. Both use SUV "dna" as their origins. Chevy had a larger Avalanche that was similar, based on the Tahoe, with a short bed. Hummer had a version that was short lived. The Avalanche and Hummer were more truck than the Sport Trac or Ridgeline.

The Ridgeline, while "Not A Real Truck", competes well with the other compact trucks. Same bed length as the Ranger, Frontier, Tacoma, Canyon. Similar load capacity. Beats all of them with its ability to hold a sheet of plywood between the wheel wells. Towing capacity is 5000# for the Ridgline in all versions. Some of the compact trucks are rated for 3500# but some can be optioned up to 7500#, so depending how the other trucks are optioned up, some a better, others worse. Oh and the creature comforts for the driver are vastly superior to the top of the line Ranger.

Hyundai came out with the Santa Cruz this year.
Ford came out with the Maverick this year.

Both are also uni-body. Both have a 4' bed. The Santa Cruz bed is really actually smaller than 4' because it uses a rolling bed cover that sits inside the bed, so the useful portion of the bed is closer to 3' than 4'. Santa Cruz actually looks like an SUV with the rear cargo area removed. It is a luxury/near luxury vehicle and the cabin amenities can be optioned up so it is equipped to compete with a Cadillac. The Ford Maverick is on the other end of the spectrum. Barely utlitarian, spartan even if optioned up with the Lariat package, it is the lowest priced vehicle Ford makes. It looks like a toy truck.

 

[Melensdad]

Drove the new Honda Ridgeline from NW Indiana to Indianapolis to Ohio State to Toledo to Notre Dame then back home. Just over 700 miles. Mostly interstate. Cruise set at 77mph most of the way. Some state highways, some city. Averaged 24.2 miles per gallon for the trip. My Frontier would have been a lot closer to 18mpg. And not nearly as comfortable.

 

[Melensdad]

. . .
Please let us know what MPG it gets, and how roomy the rear seats are. Can adults sit comfortably there?

Just a follow up.

Longer term fuel economy is now looking to be around 22.5mpg for my daily driving. Add a couple MPG for road trips. But daily driving is 22+ mpg. My Frontier was under 18mpg for daily driving.

And as for the rear seats, happy to report that the rear seats can comfortably accommodate adults for long trips. On multiple occasions I've had live human adults in the back seat for hours at a time and the leg room and seat comfort is very acceptable. Can not say that about the Ranger or the Frontier. If you look at the numbers/specs on the leg room it doesn't seem like it would be roomy enough, except in real life the seats are very high. Rear seat passengers are seated several inches above the front seat passengers, so the rear seat is more like a dining room chair seating position than a traditional car seat.

An added bonus of the rear seats is how easy they flip up flat against the back wall, it opens up a large flat floor cargo space where all kinds of stuff can be stowed out of the weather and securely in the cabin. None of the other mid-size trucks (Ranger, Frontier, etc) have a big flat floor area. None of them have rear seats that are comfortable either.

 

[PGBC]

Ridgeline are great, a neighbor has 1, and so does an employee.
I've driven both, solid feel, and pleasure to drive.

 

[Melensdad]

Ridgeline are great, a neighbor has 1, and so does an employee.
I've driven both, solid feel, and pleasure to drive.

I’m really happy with it. It’s as good a small truck as any and better than all for daily small truck uses.

Better fuel economy than most. Best truck bed in the class. Actually holds wide objects, plywood, etc. So better for hauling stuff. Bed is wider and easier to load because of the dual tailgate. Load capacity is the same as other small trucks. Cabin is bigger, nicer and more comfortable than any other brand, PERIOD. Under bed locking trunk is simply genius! Nothing comes close to that hidden trunk! It also holds the spare to prevent theft too.

Honestly the only areas the Ridgeline fails in comparison to other brands is 1- Off-road and, to some, but not all other small trucks, 2- Towing (5000# limit). Neither are any issue for me.

For what 95% of small trucks do every day, it is better than the other small trucks. Even if people say it is Not A Real Truck.

 

[PGBC]

I’m really happy with it. It’s as good a small truck as any and better than all for daily small truck uses.

Better fuel economy than most. Best truck bed in the class. Actually holds wide objects, plywood, etc. So better for hauling stuff. Bed is wider and easier to load because of the dual tailgate. Load capacity is the same as other small trucks. Cabin is bigger, nicer and more comfortable than any other brand, PERIOD. Under bed locking trunk is simply genius! Nothing comes close to that hidden trunk!

Honestly the only areas the Ridgeline fails in comparison to other brands is 1- Off-road and, to some, but not all other small trucks, 2- Towing (5000# limit). Neither are any issue for me.

For what 95% of small trucks do every day, it is better than the other small trucks. Even if people say it is Not A Real Truck.

Unless you regularly are hauling huge loads, who cares. It sounds absolutely perfect for your needs. Honestly a Ridgeline would fulfill 90% of my truck needs. Often I just drive a car, take the truck as needed. Sometimes I pack or tow a load unsuitable for a compact truck, but not regularly.
Last Friday was the last time I needed the 1 ton.
Yesterday my outing was in the WRX, truck remained in the garage.

 

[Melensdad]

Unless you regularly are hauling huge loads, who cares. It sounds absolutely perfect for your needs. ....

I used to tow things but no longer do that. So it's no longer an issue.

Never took a truck or any of my Jeeps far enough off road to ever worry about and the Ridgeline will be treated the same. Sure it will be off roads, but typically in grass fields or other reasonably tame things. Not rock crawling, etc. I just never do that.

I do frequently haul BULKY but not heavy things, the Ridgeline will do that better/easier than my prior Nissan. Load weight capacity is basically the same across all the compact trucks but the bed in the Ridgeline is just so damn easy to use, largely because of the truck tailgate, which makes it much easier to load/unload many types of items.

And honestly, at 61 years old, I'm looking for a comfortable ride and the Ridgeline simply offers a luxury ride compared to the Ranger, Frontier, Tacoma, etc...

 

[Ross 650]

Howdy,
come on now, I am 81 and I love the ride of my Frontier. It is softer and smoother than my Tacoma or Gladiator. Have a goodun!!!!!

 

[PGBC]

Will a quad fit in the Ridgeline?

Something such as a Grizzly 700, or similar?
I'm curious is all.

 

[Melensdad]

Will a quad fit in the Ridgeline?

Something such as a Grizzly 700, or similar?
I'm curious is all.

Likely

 

[Melensdad]

Apparently I'm not the only one loving the Honda Ridgeline.

For the 3rd year in a row CONSUMER REPORTS has named the Honda Ridgeline to the Top 10 and yet again ranks in the #1 Compact Pick Up Truck, despite all new models from the "real" truck brands that supposedly improved their trucks.

FWIW, I'm getting just shy of 22mpg for my 'average' fuel economy. I've filled the rear seat numerous times for 2 hour rides with normal & tall size human adults and have not received any complaints. The flat floor and easy to raise rear 60/40 rear bench seat makes for very easy in-cab large load capacity. I absolutely LOVE the dual action tailgate as the side hinge makes it much easier to reach into the bed to pull items all the way up at the cab across the bed and out the back. And that darn hidden under-bed trunk is just a great security storage area.

2022 Honda Ridgeline Three-Peats as Consumer Reports' Top Compact Pickup Truck

The 2022 model year of the Honda Ridgeline compact pickup truck has won its third consecutive year as the top vehicle in its Consumer Reports class.

www.motorbiscuit.com

 

[Melensdad]

Figured I give a bit of an update on the Ridgeline.

Model year 2022 and I'm now rapidly approaching 33,000 miles on my Ridgeline in less than 2 years.

Bed is just a couple inches over 5' long and I find that somewhat short, but I've learned to adapt. Between the wheel wells is just under 50" so I can lay sheets of plywood or drywall flat on the bed floor. LOVE THAT. For a compact pick up this is a very very nice feature. Nobody is going to mistake this for a Silverado or F150 in terms of capacity, but for an old guy who generally hauls light-ish, but bulky loads, having more than 48" between the wheel wells is a huge win.

Average fuel economy is hovering about 24mpg combined city/suburban/highway for my time with the "Not A Real Truck" unibody constructed (no frame under it) vehicle. The fuel economy has actually IMPROVED.

Ride is great, very much like a large sedan or SUV. Turning radius is tight enough to park in a Chicago parking garage. Suspension is soft enough to absorb harsh bumps but still allows some road feel. One of the reasons I bought this thing was because the Nissan Frontier was nearly impossible to get into many of the Chicago parking garages and only just barely fit in some of the more generous garages. Having a daughter living in the city often put me in those garages.

Seats are very soft, too soft for me. I think that is a Japanese vehicle trait. Same complaint I had with my Nissan Frontier. Same complaint I have with the new Toyota Venza. Soft seats are great for short trips. But plop your butt in a seat for 2+ hours and I'd much prefer a supportive firm sports car seat to a couch potato lounge chair like in the Ridgeline - perhaps this is just a personal gripe.

Power inverter outlet in the rear is great, but it is a 2 prong outlet and most everything now uses grounded 3 prong cords so I solved that by keeping a 3/2 converter plug.

The under-bed storage locker is AWESOME and large enough to toss a full size teenager into if they get mouthy from the back seat. Literally will hold a couple of large Coleman rolling coolers under the bed, a couple shotgun or rifle cases or a couple ex-large tool bags full of expensive battery operated hand tools to keep all your valuables out of sight and safely locked away.

I'd love a larger gas tank, or a hybrid engine. Either would boost range. I can go nearly 450 miles on a tankful of gas. That is too frequently a day's drive and requires me to stop before I get back home. 500+ miles on a tank of gas would be far more convenient for me, I don't want to stop if i don't have to stop.

Technology features could be better, the auto-dimming bright lights seem to be more like strobe lights. The Lane Keeping Assist is annoying, but works. The Android/Apple CarPlay is not wireless and glitchy, often disconnects; resolved most of it by adding a bluetooth wireless adapter, that solves 85% of the glitches, but that should have been built in. All my techno-complaints are MINIMAL because it has good stuff, just not great. And for a pick up truck, I'd say it's above average so really I'm kinda nit-picking. Seriously 3 zone climate control, sensors all around, good back up camera with cross traffic warning and auto braking. Adaptive cruise control is very good, better than the Toyota system. Blind spot warning is both visual and audible and only obtrusive if you are actually turning into something.

I still very much like this truck. Very much. I'd recommend it to anyone shopping for a compact/mid-size pick up who can live with 5000# of towing capacity. Not saying I'll keep it long term. In fact I think after we move Dasha out of Notre Dame after graduation and into a new home/apartment somewhere it might be time to downsize to a smaller vehicle. I still need reasonable space to haul fencing gear, and garden/landscape supplies, but not sure I need a truck. Probably could get by with a SUV in the future.