[wrenrj1]

Current RL owner and former gen II crv owner. We went with the 2016 Forester. Hands down Subaru has the
The best awd system and option packages.

 

[silkiechicken]

Congrats on your degree and good luck with your truck hunt!

My primary daily driver is the 2017 Ridgeline, my SO drives a 2016 Forester (that replaced the 98 CRV). His Forester was 7k less than than my RTL... and you can tell. lol, but it fits it's purpose. Not that it matters anymore, but the stock subaru tires were complete garbage. We changed the tires and it is now excellent in the snow/ice and much more agile than the ridgeline.

 

[Butterscotch]

I bought the Ridgeline, and "Red Betty" is now part of the family.

She's a 2018 RTL-E in Deep Scarlet. I added the Honda running boards, which I recommend for anyone with children or for smaller drivers. I wasn't bugged by the rear doors or the infotainment.

I do notice a tiny bit of wind noise by my left ear when the radio is off and I'm on the highway, but I don't know if I'd have noticed it if I wasn't looking for it. Overall I love the quietness and smoothness of the ride. Easy to park and fits in the garage. The steering is different from what I'm used to, but not a big deal. The seats are really comfortable and (minor perk)I like that the cell phone spot is kind of rubberized so your phone doesn't slide around.

The safety features are sensitive but not overly intrusive. We're set to get a lot of snow tonight, so I'll get to test the snow mode tomorrow. The new car smell was a little overwhelming, so I was glad to have the sliding rear window to air it out lol.

Pretty happy to have my new pickup!

 

[IanRTL]

^^ That's phenomenal. I was going to comment that the BE is nice, but black vehicles are absolutely impossible to keep clean. Plus, I don't believe the "upgrades" in the BE are worth the hike in price. The Deep Scarlet is absolutely beautiful on this truck - especially when it's all shined up. My parents have a 2015 Accord in a very similar shade and it's a gorgeous car. Congratulations on your purchase, your degree and your membership in the ROC. It's a phenomenal forum here with so many knowledgeable people. You very rarely find a ground such as this - one of the reasons I've been here for over 8 years now. Looking forward to hearing of your experiences with the truck!

 

[zroger73]

I bought the Ridgeline, and "Red Betty" is now part of the family.

I'm a mom of two grade-schoolers.

Congratulations on your purchase! Since the Ridgeline was introduced almost 13 years ago, the vast majority of members on this forum seem to be white males aged 30-60. It's always nice to see some diversity!

 

[Carsmak]

Congrats @Butterscotch sounds like you made a great purchase, and your now on the clock to post some pics of one of the best looking colors and honestly a rare choice as many have traveled quite the distance to acquire a Red Ridgeline

 

[Larry Hurst]

I have a 2018 Ridgeline and my wife has a 2017 Forrester. I like both vehicles but they are very different.
Forrester: Great around town, smaller than the Ridgeline & easier to park. I think the drivers seat has better lumbar support that the Ridgeline, but seats are comparable. Noisier than the Ridgeline with the boxer motor that sounds a bit like an old Volkswagen. plenty of interior space and good visibility. Milage in town is around 23 mpg.
Ridgeline: I haven't measured it but it seems a bit lower to the ground than the Forrester. Very comfortable & quiet and seats 5 easily. Sound system is a bit better than the Forrester, but neither is awesome. Obviously with the bed the Ridgeline beats the Forrester for hauling. So if you have gear, dogs or other things on a routine basis you might want the Ridgeline. With the vcm system the Ridgeline has been doing better than the Forrester and averaging 30 mpg with city & highway combined.
Don't know about the CRV. Good luck!

 

[aamittle]

I traded my CR-V in for the Ridgeline. Nothing wrong with the CR-V at all except it is underpowered. If Honda would put a V6 in it then it'd be a real winner.

 

[zroger73]

Nothing wrong with the CR-V at all except it is underpowered. If Honda would put a V6 in it then it'd be a real winner.

They did. It's called a 2013-2018 Acura RDX which starts at $36,000 compared to $29,450 for the most closely-equipped CR-V EX-L.

For 2019, it's moving back to a turbo four - a configuration used on the 2007-2012 model.

 

[freyguy17]

Regarding Subaru: I own a 2016 Outback, and am going to trade it in on a 2018 or maybe 2019 Ridgeline. The Outback is generally a very nice car, but I HATE the steering on it ! It is very fatiguing to drive (i.e. as if it has no power assist, like an old manual steering system !). I have tired wrists and forearms after each 30 minute drive. This was prevalent on the Foresters that I also test drove. However, at the time I initially test drove the Subaru, I did not perceive that it would be that big of deal. However, MAKE SURE this is not an issue for you if you do indeed drive a Forester.
Were I you, and could afford it: GO for the truck.

 

[u2godu2]

Congrats! Looks like you made the right choice, just wanted to give my input to further validate it.

I have owned/owning all 3 at 1 point, plus other mid-sized SUVs (I drive a lot for work). For the past 10 years I've driven SUVs, now in a 2018 Ridgeline, my first truck purchase. I never considered a truck until I stumbled upon a Ridgeline. I tell myself ALL the time now that I should have bought a Ridgeline years ago instead of a SUVs.

-Drives much smoother than a CRV, Pilot & Odyssey (I have a 2015 Odyssey)
-MUCH more practical/storage...rear folding seats, cooler, leg room, etc.
-Safer....sight lines are amazing better than any SUV I've driven. Also, if you like Lane Watch (Blind Spot Camera), get the T version. Its the only line with it & I love it. Crazy that Honda is discontinuing the feature due to customers saying its too distracting. My wife has a BMW X5 and the sight lines on that are horrible, and it drives much heavier than her car (good thing she doesn't read this forum). I'll drive my car over hers anyday.
-I also have a 2015 Odyssey but we're thinking about selling it because the Ridgeline has replaced it, really. If I had more than 2 kids, this would not be the case but my 2 elementary aged ones fit just fine.

I get asked all the time from non-truck people (formerly me) "how often do you use it"? They mean why do I need a truck? My response is everyday...how often do you use your SUV? Unless you NEED a 3rd row seat on an SUV, how often do most people need/use an SUV. The Ridgeline has convinced me that I've had it backwards all these years, I don't need an SUV, just a Ridgeline.

2018 AWD RTL-T
Metallic Green
Atlanta, GA

 

[JimW-Atl]

Hi Mom!
I assume you will not be hauling a yard of dirt or sand. i.e. without bags. If so you do not have to have the RidgeLine.
The next 2 are both great and I've never heard a bad word about a Forester. So go for the one that catches the eye.
With that said, my wife has a Prius-V and loves the fact that she can haul just about anything and not worry about the rain.
but... decide on the trim and paint and such. Then shop cars.com. I was looking for a blue AWD RTL-E and I only found 4 within 150 miles. 2 stuck with MSRP, one never replied and one came $3,200 off MSRP and they did NOT have a dealer ADD-ON sticker.

 

[RAINMAN76]

Congrats on your G2 RL! I too like the Forester and the RL. An all new Forester and a refreshed RL will be out in 2019. Waiting to evaluate both. Would like to see a RL with better opening rear doors, infotainment, full size spare and timing chain vs belt. Really liked the G2 I drove. I read the XT Forester may be discontinued. Really liked it, as well. RM

 

[BillM]

We've driven Honda's since '91, multiple Accord EX's, '05 CRV-SE, '08 Odyssey EXL, & '10 Ridgeline RTL. You can't beat Odyssey for versatility & road trips if you're not towing. However, I wish Honda made an AWD version. The CRV is great for small families. Our Ridgeline tows a 20' boat wonderfully. The one thing I's say about the Ridgeline is the rear seat is not very roomy for children's car seats. We'll keep our Ridgeline for several more years as it's still less than 50k miles. When we replace the Odyssey, the decision will be between a versatile Odyssey, roomier AWD Pilot & another more economical AWD CRV.

 

[Butterscotch]

Thanks all--I'm still loving my new truck.

The snow mode works fantastically on my steep snowy mountain road. I'm always cold, so I wish the seats and steering wheel got a little bit warmer, but my heater itself is fine. Ride is quiet and smooth, and the interior feels nice and open (most cars now have such small and high windows that it feels like riding around in a cave.)

I haven't had any problems with the rear door openings so far. Kids say the legroom is fine. I do need to disable the feature that scoots the seat back automatically--it moves so far back that it's hard for me to reach the brake in order to start the engine when I get back in the car.

Side opening tailgate makes it easy to put groceries in the trunk, and this weekend I'll put the bed to the test with a thrilling trip to the garbage dump. Looking forward to my first road trip in "Red Betty" this April.

 

[Shawn Wyss]

Nothing wrong with the CR-V at all except it is underpowered. If Honda would put a V6 in it then it'd be a real winner.

They did, it's called a Pilot.... I couldn't resist. I do agree, the CR-V was very under powered, and therefore sold in order to purchase my 2017 E