http://www.autobytel.com/honda/ridgeline/news/honda-s-most-important-vehicle-a-new-honda-ridgeline-104022/

The link is dead. The "..." in the address tends to screw things up.

Agreed. Couldn't find that article even with a search.. Give it another try..

Try here...... (http://www.autobytel.com/honda/ridgeline/news/honda-s-most-important-vehicle-a-new-honda-ridgeline-104022/)

I thought it was something new, not from Oct of last year!:act060:

True, it is nothing new but I had not read it before. The review of the "Sport" that follows is pretty glowing. They touch on all that makes the Ridgeline unique and desirable to the target market. Why can't Honda seize on those things, exploit them and even exaggerate them if necessary? Instead, they remain mute and the public is largely unaware that a pretty neat vehicle exists out there.

It's only "important" in that Honda's entire strategy is to keep their current customers buying Hondas. They don't want people to try another brand and discover how far behind Honda has fallen.

I'll admit, I don't watch many commercials. But has there ever been a Ridgeline commercial. People buy dreams (lottery tickets) and activities (stay-free feminine products), they don't buy products. It's all about, "Look what you can do if you have this product!?!?!"

Subaru does a good job of this. Why Honda doesn't make better use of that marketing strategy is beyond me. It's one thing to have a miche market, a cult following if you will, but that's only working if you can't keep up with demand and that doesn't seem to be Honda's problem. They needed some updates for the Ridgeline, to keep RL owners upgrading vehicles, but they also need to entice new customers.

There have been Ridgeline advertisements in the past - but they were ... bizarre.

Chuck Norris in a fancy restaurant. Wrestlers playing jumbo chess, etc.

In the past 3 years, the only Honda ads I've seen a Ridgeline in were for their line of small generators.

Chip H.

Its nothing but arrogance. Honda is like so many powerful politicians who thinks they can run around and cheat on their wives, hire prostitutes, accept bribes and gratuities, etc., etc. They do it because of the arrogance that comes with success and power. They feel they don't have to play by the rules. Honda went to the forefront and stayed there long enough, maybe too long, like a constantly re-elected Senator who eventually believes the job is more important than the people who sent him there. Honda has forgotten about its customers and the Ridgeline. They hope their name and stature will win the day. Unfortunately, they lost me to another car maker (although I still own the Ridgeline), and I think they will find themselves being voted out before they realize what hit them.

Interesting analogy. You may be right.

However there really is nothing else on the market with the same unique architecture as the Ridgeline. Much of the handling and ride attributes we enjoy are due to the integrated unibody/ladder frame structure.

Comparing the RL to any other truck is apples and oranges.

Interesting analogy. You may be right.

However there really is nothing else on the market with the same unique architecture as the Ridgeline. Much of the handling and ride attributes we enjoy are due to the integrated unibody/ladder frame structure.

Comparing the RL to any other truck is apples and oranges.

I agree, and the same thing that makes it unique gets under the skin of some big truck addicts as a difference they can not live with. Of course, all this supposition without even driving it, except in their minds, which means they don't drive it very far! :D

There have been Ridgeline advertisements in the past - but they were ... bizarre.

Chuck Norris in a fancy restaurant. Wrestlers playing jumbo chess, etc.


Yes, and they led to plummetting sales... about the same sales as the current no-advertising approach. However, during the first 1-2 years, they had normal advertisements, showing the Ridgeline doing trucky things, and sales were at or near targets.

Yes, and they led to plummetting sales... about the same sales as the current no-advertising approach. However, during the first 1-2 years, they had normal advertisements, showing the Ridgeline doing trucky things, and sales were at or near targets.

Guess I missed those, Ian. :act063:

Guess I missed those, Ian. :act063:

Here's one, sort of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTDVUSblqhQ

There is one with some guys towing a boat into cottage country. I could not find that one on-line.

I never saw that commercial, Ian. I think it is too short but pretty good overall. It shows several things that are unique to the Ridgeline. Wasn't there one of some fishermen being chased by a bear or something like that? I seem to recall seeing that commercial once or twice but it was a long time ago and all I really remember are the fishermen.

Here's one, sort of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTDVUSblqhQ

There is one with some guys towing a boat into cottage country. I could not find that one on-line.

Thanks, Ian. I never saw that one, either. It actually shows the advantages of the Ridgeline (trunk, dual tailgate, awesome dune performance, hauling cycles, etc.), and I expect it would be raise some need in people if they saw it a few times and they started to identify with what Ridgeline could satisfy in them.

But, in the last scene, isn't that the "Rally" Ridgeline that Honda withdrew after the 2010 racing season? Probably explains a lot.

I never saw that commercial, Ian. I think it is too short but pretty good overall. It shows several things that are unique to the Ridgeline. Wasn't there one of some fishermen being chased by a bear or something like that? I seem to recall seeing that commercial once or twice but it was a long time ago and all I really remember are the fishermen.

So when you getting your boat? :act006:

One other thing: it may just be a YouTube quirk, but the announcer almost swallows the line "To build and price your own Ridgeline…". Too bad, because it's definitely not an amateur hour ad.

Here's one, sort of:

There is one with some guys towing a boat into cottage country. I could not find that one on-line.

That's actually a decent commercial...and I have never seen that one before. Not surprising I have never seen it, though...as they never run RL commercials any more. I mean, I watched 2 rounds of the Honda Classic PGA Tour event...and not one RL commercial. It was like...seriously...an event sponsored by Honda and not 1 RL commercial...NOT ONE?!?! WTF?!?!?

Yes, there was a RL commercial...cut to an outdoor scene...4 guys riding in a RL and the RL is towing a boat. There is a bear standing in the middle of the road. One of the RL occupants runs around the back of the truck, opens up the tailgate in swing mode, opens up the trunk (and inside is a cooler), he opens up the cooler, grabs a fish, throws it off to the side of the road, the bear chases the fish, and they drive off. As they drive off, you hear one of the guys say, "Hey, was that my fish"?

Again, a good commercial...but I think I saw it all of two times.

Here are a few more Ridgeline commercials

BEST COMMERCIALS (my opinion)

Bear commercial mentioned previously

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSYk2Gn2qq4

Herding commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO34kUywuqc

WORST COMMERCIALS (might illustrate why sales have slowed)

Superbowl commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpdOePcoQ44&feature=related

Saxophone commercial (probably one of the worse commercials ever)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lLG959Snug

LumberJack commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhuTumWzMpM

Chess commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgjDkZXSkOU

Chuck Norris commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mg8EMmOWQI&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLCA6B021EAFA8F7CF

I remember the bear commercial.

[QUOTE=sr8474;648031]Here are a few more Ridgeline commercials

I think the bear ad works because the guys in the truck are in the Ridgeline's demographic sweet spot: weekend warriors, smart, and the "say, that looked like my fish" voice at the end was still polite.

The silver goddess ad is just awful—it's aimed at the guys who are watching a football climax (:act006:) and yet manages to reinforce the idea that it's a cartoon truck. No one wants to be Yosemite Sam. He's so recognizable as a two-dimensional nemesis, backward thinking and hot-tempered, that even guys who fit that description don't want to be tagged with that label.

Not to mention the millions of WOMEN who also watch the Superbowl, and are getting the message, "This is a truck you'd like, but we think you'd be more comfortable if you were naked and sitting in the passenger seat."

I think the "Meets" ads all had at least a workable theme ("this is a new category of vehicle"), but they all aim toward focusing the viewer on "I don't fit anywhere, and if I drive this truck everyone will know it." Dropping the Ridgeline in at the end of each scenario with a unique marketing message was designed to catch the viewer while s/he was still trying to resolve the mismatch between the two images and implant that message.

Overall I think American Honda just is at a loss on how to market the Ridgeline; combined with the corporate politics that has been mentioned in other threads, the result is a product starved for marketing support.

[QUOTE=sr8474;648031]

Overall I think American Honda just is at a loss on how to market the Ridgeline; combined with the corporate politics that has been mentioned in other threads, the result is a product starved for marketing support.

Well said!!

Honda missed the boat when we were having well attended National and Regional Ridgeline meets back in the TMac days. Many commercial opportunities missed at these meets!!

IMHO, the "Bear" commercial is the only one I have seen that even comes close to showing the capability and functionality of the RL. Those other "meets" commercials, while good for a chuckle or two, just shows the truck from the outside, and that's it. No shots of the trunk, the fold up seats, the power rear window, (available) Navigation, XM radio, etc., etc.

Again, IMHO, Honda has hired some of the biggest dolts in the history of the advertising industry to advertise their truck. Seems to me, for how little they advertise the RL, you'd think they'd want effective advertising...some advertising that shows what the truck can do...not some dumb-ass sh!t like lumberjacks floating through space, that probably has a lot of people scratching their heads and going, "OK, WTF was that commercial all about...?"

I don't think any Honda ads really show the great features about any model. They gloss over all of them, even the bread & butter Civics & Accords. But those get a lot more exposure in ads, like every night on TV.

Just saw my first ever Ridgeline TV Commercial two days ago. It actually highlighted most all the features from trunk to fold-up back seats, 4WD, etc. Strictly Ridgeline - no other Honda products mentioned or shown. It had a tag line from one of the local Tulsa Honda dealers, but looks like it was probably a corporate production. Wonder if that's any indication that we'll start seeing more press given to RL?

Just saw my first ever Ridgeline TV Commercial two days ago. It actually highlighted most all the features from trunk to fold-up back seats, 4WD, etc. Strictly Ridgeline - no other Honda products mentioned or shown. It had a tag line from one of the local Tulsa Honda dealers, but looks like it was probably a corporate production. Wonder if that's any indication that we'll start seeing more press given to RL?

Well, maybe in Tulsa. :)

Just saw my first ever Ridgeline TV Commercial two days ago. It actually highlighted most all the features from trunk to fold-up back seats, 4WD, etc. Strictly Ridgeline - no other Honda products mentioned or shown. It had a tag line from one of the local Tulsa Honda dealers, but looks like it was probably a corporate production. Wonder if that's any indication that we'll start seeing more press given to RL?

Yes, I saw it, and it is a most welcome improvement. Unfortunately, it is very short leaving it less than memorable compared with some earlier ones, like the Girzzly.

Honda has had a few missteps in recent years, most notably the civic redesign that really too it on the chin in the automotive press. Something Honda didn't need in light of the increasing Hyundai competition. However, it seems Honda was able to make it through that mass with a fair amount of Civic sales despite missing out on more. With the recent blow Hyundai & it's sister company Kia just took on the report they misrepresented MPG ratings for several years, Honda (and the other competition) has a chance to throw a punch of it's own with a refreshed Civic and other models. Some models just really don't need much of a redo, and I think the Ridgeline is one of them. As stated by others, it just needs better support and and marketing. Much like Ford's Ranger that had a run from 1983 to 2011 in N.A. with mostly exterior design tweaks over the years.

I'd also like to see Honda bring back a model like the Prelude or CR-X. The CR-V while a great looker, missed the performance boat.

I don't know what's going to happen with the ridgeline. I mean, they've only sold about 8000-10k units this entire year! I think ford sells about 84K a month! I absolutely love my ridgeline! I think, in order to get hard core "truckers" on board they are going to need to increase HP and torque as well as install a 4wd-lo.

I loved my 2006 Ridgeline when I had it (recently sold it). It never gave me a minute of trouble and it never saw the inside of a shop for any repair or service. The problems the Ridgeline has had in sales are not so much related to design, functionality, price or performance although those things could all be tweaked a bit. The major problem is that Honda has treated it like a step-child. If they promoted it properly, advanced it technologically and in design and really tried to sell the thing I believe the sales figures would be better - much better. Buyers know Honda is treating the Ridgeline as a second thought without a word given on its future design plans, or even if it has a future at all. People shy away from that sort of thing. I decided not to wait any longer for the "re-tooled" Ridgeline and I'm glad I just went ahead and bought something else.

I like having something different than just about EVERYONE else has. I am a truck driver for a living and at least every third vehicle I see is an f-150!

It's beyond arrogance . A brand new RL would test almost exactly like a 6 year old RL. Same engine, same crappy transmission etc. Say what you want about domestic PU's but they've come a hell of a lot farther then Honda has with the RL

A brand new RL would test almost exactly like a 6 year old RL.

And that's a bad thing?

To me that's testament to how close to perfection they got the first one.

It's beyond arrogance . A brand new RL would test almost exactly like a 6 year old RL. Same engine, same crappy transmission etc. Say what you want about domestic PU's but they've come a hell of a lot farther then Honda has with the RL

lol that's because those domestic PU's HAD to come a hell of a lot further to catch up.

I agree they are ahead now, but if Honda does a re-haul of the RL in 2014-2015 or earlier, they will easily be a head of the game again.

Say what you want about domestic PU's but they've come a hell of a lot farther then Honda has with the RL

And they still have not even come close in Reliability.

If that's what your looking for! :act035:

It is time for an upgrade for the Ridgeline and hopefully they can do something about the maintenance. I am very happy with my ridgeline and it has served me well so far at 155k miles....but there IS room for improvement. The same can be said about nearly any vehicle though. My opinion is that a modern vehicle should have much longer maintenance interval than the ridge. For the average Joe that is only going to keep a vehicle 150-200k, it's hard to convince them to go Honda due to the high maintenance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying a domestic will necassarilly outlast a Honda, but over the course of 200k you won't be spending much on a domestic. Change the tranny fluid every 100k and drive it. At least that has been my experience with GM trucks.

If Honda could get the maint cost down by extending fluid changes, timing belts, tensioners, and the other misc items that should be serviced, I think they would much more appealing to more people.

I also hope the next generation will have improved fuel mileage.

If honda can pull this off with the next gen, I will be coming back for sure!!!

I just came off two Chevy vehicles before going to the Ridgeline. From 1996 til two months ago. They were great vehicles, and if Chevy still made a midsize SUV like the Trailblazer that I just traded at 90,000 miles and ten years I'd still be in one. My Trailblazer was a good truck, but I still had a water pump go, as well as a fan clutch. Couple of sets of rotors, AC fan switch, thermostat, shift cable, and tie rod ends. I did a transmission flush at 50K and would have done another next year. I only had the previous vehicle, an S10, for six years and about 36K, but still had an A/C compressor go out (fortunately under the only extended warranty I've gotten). If you stick to GM's suggested maintenance schedule, it doesn't look all that much better than Honda's, and a lot of the Ridge's is related to the AWD system, which I figured going in would be a little higher maintenance. Other than the AWD system, the only thing problematic about the Honda is the timing belt as opposed to the chain. And I have known of GM timing chains breaking in under 120K miles. This vehicle is certainly more high maintenance than my old Chevies but from I can figure it isn't that much worse, especially given the addition of AWD on the Honda.

It is time for an upgrade for the Ridgeline and hopefully they can do something about the maintenance. I am very happy with my ridgeline and it has served me well so far at 155k miles....but there IS room for improvement. The same can be said about nearly any vehicle though. My opinion is that a modern vehicle should have much longer maintenance interval than the ridge. For the average Joe that is only going to keep a vehicle 150-200k, it's hard to convince them to go Honda due to the high maintenance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying a domestic will necassarilly outlast a Honda, but over the course of 200k you won't be spending much on a domestic. Change the tranny fluid every 100k and drive it. At least that has been my experience with GM trucks.

If Honda could get the maint cost down by extending fluid changes, timing belts, tensioners, and the other misc items that should be serviced, I think they would much more appealing to more people.

I also hope the next generation will have improved fuel mileage.

If honda can pull this off with the next gen, I will be coming back for sure!!!


I'm not really sure why you think the RL maintenance is expensive or even frequent. Many people get 5-7k miles on an oil change, every 15k miles for the VTM-4, which is about $25 and 30 mins of your time, and the Tranny every 45k miles. A timing belt every 105k miles is in no way outlandish and is pretty standard.

Try owning a porsche sometime lol

I'm not really sure why you think the RL maintenance is expensive or even frequent. Many people get 5-7k miles on an oil change, every 15k miles for the VTM-4, which is about $25 and 30 mins of your time, and the Tranny every 45k miles. A timing belt every 105k miles is in no way outlandish and is pretty standard.

Try owning a porsche sometime lol

Although the costs does add up over time, my feeling is the hassle is more of a problem. Im not putting the Ridge down, I love mine. I just think it would appeal to more people if the maint was lower. And like it or not...the world is becomig a use it and toss it place.

And maybe all of the maint is not necesary. I have scanned a few GM truck forums, and people there tend to talk about how to stretch maintenance out longer. I have tried to ask on this forum what happens if the vehicles are not serviced regulary, but noone seems to know. I think this because everyone takes pride in servicing and keeping their Ridges in good shape. (which is an excellent problem to have). Some mentioned VTM failure, but they never mentioned the mileage of failure.

If I had the guts to do it, I would like to just drive the Ridge and do nothing more than change the oil. That is how I have always treated my GM trucks and they have never let me down. I know numerous people with over 200K on 5.3 gm trucks that have never touched them other than motor oil & air filter. But, everything I read and everyone on ROC seems confident that the Ridge will die an earlier death if not serviced regulary. I cant take that risk. We need some really rich people that are willing to "Take one for the team" and abuse the crap out of the Ridge and never change fluids so we can see how they hold up. My gut tells me it will hold up...

I'm sure it has and will last quite a while if you did do the bare minimum. The truth of the matter is that we are a VERY small portion of the total RL owners. I wouldn't doubt for a second that at least 25% of the RL out there are neglected and are only given an oil change when the car says to.

It is the same with most cars, that the better care you take of the RL, the better it will care for you.

For the life of me why invite trouble?
You say you do a lot of driving.
I for one NEVER want an on the road break down! Or a preventable repair.
If you never flush your brake fluid you save a few bucks against a new Master cylinder.If you never flush your p/s fluid your rack might have a seal leak.Run your rear diff until it won't turn the rear wheels.
I did mine at 18k and the code has not come up again @38k.
Clean fluids are the life blood of a machine.
What have you saved maybe a couple hundred dollars over 200k?
I have never looked at so called maintenance cost like that and never will.
This RL is the easiet truck to do fluid changes I have ever had.

For the life of me why invite trouble?
You say you do a lot of driving.
I for one NEVER want an on the road break down! Or a preventable repair.
If you never flush your brake fluid you save a few bucks against a new Master cylinder.If you never flush your p/s fluid your rack might have a seal leak.Run your rear diff until it won't turn the rear wheels.
I did mine at 18k and the code has not come up again @38k.
Clean fluids are the life blood of a machine.
What have you saved maybe a couple hundred dollars over 200k?
I have never looked at so called maintenance cost like that and never will.
This RL is the easiet truck to do fluid changes I have ever had.

Im not trying to tell anyone not to complete the services. I just think if Honda could have a more extended service schedule, it would be more appealing to buyers.

Over the years, I have tended to drive a lot of miles. (probably 80K a year) For 10 years, I commuted 120 miles a day. With my commute, and personal driving, plus the approximately 40K miles a year I drive at work, my wifes vehicle, my play vehicles like the Mustang, Jeep, and 3/4 ton truck...I would have to be servicing a vehicle nearly every weekend if I stuck to the recommendations.

Although the costs does add up over time, my feeling is the hassle is more of a problem. Im not putting the Ridge down, I love mine. I just think it would appeal to more people if the maint was lower. And like it or not...the world is becomig a use it and toss it place.

And maybe all of the maint is not necesary. I have scanned a few GM truck forums, and people there tend to talk about how to stretch maintenance out longer. I have tried to ask on this forum what happens if the vehicles are not serviced regulary, but noone seems to know. I think this because everyone takes pride in servicing and keeping their Ridges in good shape. (which is an excellent problem to have). Some mentioned VTM failure, but they never mentioned the mileage of failure.

If I had the guts to do it, I would like to just drive the Ridge and do nothing more than change the oil. That is how I have always treated my GM trucks and they have never let me down. I know numerous people with over 200K on 5.3 gm trucks that have never touched them other than motor oil & air filter. But, everything I read and everyone on ROC seems confident that the Ridge will die an earlier death if not serviced regulary. I cant take that risk. We need some really rich people that are willing to "Take one for the team" and abuse the crap out of the Ridge and never change fluids so we can see how they hold up. My gut tells me it will hold up...

I think I might have to hang my head here....and take a beating with a switch. My words are not tasting very good right now........My wife just texted me this pic of her Yukon. Update: tree limb some how got on top of transfer case and pulled wire loom into drive shaft, wore through wire and blew fuse.

This may be a little off subject however; I personally believe that there is a correlation between keeping a car clean and keeping the scheduled maintenance up to date and visually checking those items (lights, belts, tire pressure, and fluids), that the average automobile owner can do themselves. I have owned 2 Ridgelines since 07 and when I drive to and from work, I see more Ridges now than back then. But what surprises me is the amount of people that neglect their Ridges (dirty) or other vehicles for that matter. So,,, do people that care about there Ridgeline's appearance care equally for scheduled maintenance? I do.

Me I would rather rotate the tires and crawl under the truck than
wash and wax it.

Me I would rather rotate the tires and crawl under the truck than
wash and wax it.

Yeah, that's me. Mine's white so it hides the dirt a little but you won't find a much more maintained one (well, speedlever maybe) underneath. I'll buff it once a year but you'll see dirt on it before you find a fluid that's old.

Don't judge that book by it's cover.

I had my Ridgeline for seven and a half years and did all my own maintenance - it never saw the inside of a service shop. Of course, all I had to do was change oil, filters, fluids and rotate tires because I only had 52,000 miles when I sold it back in September.

I bought a 2012 MB ML350 SUV so I know exactly what all my maintenance costs will be for the next four years right down to the penny - $769. That is because I bought a discounted, pre-paid service agreement that covers all maintenance items and labor good at any MB dealership in the nation and is set in price, ie, inflation proof. As I said, I always did my own maintenance on my Ridgeline but I'm not going to do anything with the Benz for fear of putting the four year bumper to bumper warranty in jeopardy. I heard MB can be very tough on warranty claims where there is no dealer service records but very accommodating and hassle-free where there are service records. Besides, the special Euro synthetic oil (0W40) and fleece filters (which can only be bought at the dealership) are so expensive that doing it yourself is not that cost effective to begin with.

The question of maintenance items and service intervals, at least for those who do not want or can not perform their own service, can be resolved if Honda would offer a pre-paid service agreement for various time frames similar to the Mercedes plans. You can adjust the plan you want based on the length of time you intend to keep the vehicle. Seems like a good idea if you don't want to work on the vehicle yourself.

This may be a little off subject however; I personally believe that there is a correlation between keeping a car clean and keeping the scheduled maintenance up to date and visually checking those items (lights, belts, tire pressure, and fluids), that the average automobile owner can do themselves. I have owned 2 Ridgelines since 07 and when I drive to and from work, I see more Ridges now than back then. But what surprises me is the amount of people that neglect their Ridges (dirty) or other vehicles for that matter. So,,, do people that care about there Ridgeline's appearance care equally for scheduled maintenance? I do.

A car is a functional item in my book. Same for anything else. Garden tractor etc. Keep the Mechanicals extremely well looked after and it will last a long time.
A wash and wax could never do that.