Now looking at a Ridgeline, 2008. Any opinions about this car appreciated. Thanks.
As opposed to what, a truck that pretends to be a car? The ridgeline tests pretty well. Read the reviews & tests at places like kbb.com & edmunds.com and you should get some idea if its what you want or not.
Basically it's a Honda Pilot with a bed in the back instead of covered cargo area. Of course, it's sort of ugly but does grow on you after a while My wife bought a 2005 Pilot about 2 years ago, and has put over 60,000 miles on it with the only issue the damper motor (that moves the vent controls between defroster, aircon and floor vents) which I had repaired myself... After driving it on rough ground, I wouldn't have any issue with the Ridgeline, and probably will buy one as soon as I get the house finished (building a new house). The independent rear suspension definitely makes a positive difference in handling, compared to the typical "live axle" most "real pickups" have. The gas mileage isn't stellar, about 17 MPG average with the crappy 10% methanol gas we get here, but my 95 Toyota Tacoma V-6 4wd gets about the same mileage, is a much lighter vehicle, can't accelerate nearly as fast and is not nearly as comfortable as the Pilot. Before the local introduction of the Methanol, the Pilot got 20+ MPG. Typical use of the Pilot is short commute when I drive it (8 miles round trip) or longer when my wife drives it (27 miles downhill to town, about 50 miles town and rural driving during the day and a 27 mile, 4000 foot climb back home). On a longer 250 mile round trip to the other side of the island and back it typically gets around 19-20 mpg on the crappy gas, much better before. If you're like the typical buyer, and don't haul large loads on a regular basis and/or aren't a contractor, the Ridgeline will likely be a good truck to have. They are comfortable, have good acceleration and decent handling, and once you get used to the boxy shape and odd rear box (the sloping sides and a tailgate that isn't quite high enough at first look) it's not a bad vehicle at all. The full time all wheel drive works great, and I've never had to use the locking function, it's always crawled out of the muddiest places it's been... So far as fit and finish, longevity and comfort, there are no complaints. It is, after all, a Honda, and it's hard to find significant issues with most of them. On the other hand, if you drag around a bunch of tools, need to use a standard lockbox or canopy to keep them from gaining "legs", or need a good pipe rack to haul the long stuff, then a standard pickup with long bed might be a better choice... --Rick
