Hey all!
I had a 2021 Ridgeline Sport, but I ended up upgrading to a 2024 Ridgeline Sport, this week. My 2 reasons for doing so, were I was able to finance at a lower APR than my previous Ridgeline, and also my previous Ridgeline was black, and when I bought it I did not realize how incredibly hot it could get in the Summer. I always wanted a red one, so that was part of my reason for change...
The performance and feel of the truck while driving is identical, and the 5 seats and doors are identical as well, so no changes there. Now for the changes:
THE GOOD:
I love the new infotainment screen. It looks better, it's faster, the controls are smoother. And the upgrade in size is noticeable and nice. I think they struck the perfect balance, the middle screen in the Tundra is too big in my opinion. The new middle console is a big improvement. I was one of the rare people who actually enjoyed the rolling slide door they had before, but the new center console is nicer and bigger, and it fit my right elbow well (I'm 6ft tall). I thought I would miss the little chair arms, but the overall feel is the same. Also, it sounds like they upgraded the speakers? I was listening to some music and it sounded really good, but that could be my imagination.
The previous sport did not have a lot of features that have now become standard.... So the 2024 has:
So again, all of these features are now included, and previously they were not a part of the Sport model. I'm so glad Honda added them, they are all great. Also, this model has the Honda Link through bluetooth, so now when I get into the car I don't even have to connect the wire to my phone. My maps, pandora, etc all plays through the infotainment system without having to be plugged in. So when you get into the car you can leave your key and phone in your pocket. So convenient
I should also warn people. With the phone charging pad, don't put your credit cards on it. I have recently learned that if you have a phone case like I do (with the credit cards on it) and you set it on the charging pad, it can fry the chip in the card. Now I'm wondering if there is a way to turn off the charging pad??
I had the dealer add the HPD flares to my vehicle. On the previous edition many people thought the flares looked terrible, but on this model they reduced the size of them a lot, and slimmed down their thickness, I think they look great.
Some complained about the vehicle name being stamped on the tailgate, but I think it looks great. better to me than just the big flat surface.
THE BAD:
Like many I was hoping they would use a different transmission, but they kept the same one. I don't think it's a huge issue, but like many have noticed, once in a while (especially in cold weather) you'll notice a shift that isn't exactly perfect, just a little bit jumpy.
I also don't like the new instrument cluster. The previous cluster was really clear and well layed out. The new one isn't very bright, the text is small, and the overall layout isn't easy to see things quickly. The previous cluster was much better.
On the steering wheel they went with some smaller buttons, especially on the up and down for the cruise control speed. It's more difficult to hit these buttons and get the cruise control started. Also I can't seem to find the button that hangs up the phone during a call. Am I missing something?
I think this might be a user error issue, but when the phone is connected via bluetooth and honda link, when someone calls me I can't get the audio to go through the car speakers, any ideas?
I also wish they had made the halo daytime running lights on the front of the vehicle standard for the sport, but no luck. So this Sport model doesn't have the cool halo look that the RTL-E and BE had on the front headlights
Last, I didn't really like the looks of the front grille, but I don't consider this a big issue. I'll swap it for the grille from the Trailport soon, that one I love.
Feedback welcome. 😄
I had a 2021 Ridgeline Sport, but I ended up upgrading to a 2024 Ridgeline Sport, this week. My 2 reasons for doing so, were I was able to finance at a lower APR than my previous Ridgeline, and also my previous Ridgeline was black, and when I bought it I did not realize how incredibly hot it could get in the Summer. I always wanted a red one, so that was part of my reason for change...
The performance and feel of the truck while driving is identical, and the 5 seats and doors are identical as well, so no changes there. Now for the changes:
THE GOOD:
I love the new infotainment screen. It looks better, it's faster, the controls are smoother. And the upgrade in size is noticeable and nice. I think they struck the perfect balance, the middle screen in the Tundra is too big in my opinion. The new middle console is a big improvement. I was one of the rare people who actually enjoyed the rolling slide door they had before, but the new center console is nicer and bigger, and it fit my right elbow well (I'm 6ft tall). I thought I would miss the little chair arms, but the overall feel is the same. Also, it sounds like they upgraded the speakers? I was listening to some music and it sounded really good, but that could be my imagination.
The previous sport did not have a lot of features that have now become standard.... So the 2024 has:
- the phone charging pad
- the blind spot warning system
- the backup sensors for approaching vehicles while you are in reverse.
- The steering wheel is also the nice leather one
So again, all of these features are now included, and previously they were not a part of the Sport model. I'm so glad Honda added them, they are all great. Also, this model has the Honda Link through bluetooth, so now when I get into the car I don't even have to connect the wire to my phone. My maps, pandora, etc all plays through the infotainment system without having to be plugged in. So when you get into the car you can leave your key and phone in your pocket. So convenient
I should also warn people. With the phone charging pad, don't put your credit cards on it. I have recently learned that if you have a phone case like I do (with the credit cards on it) and you set it on the charging pad, it can fry the chip in the card. Now I'm wondering if there is a way to turn off the charging pad??
I had the dealer add the HPD flares to my vehicle. On the previous edition many people thought the flares looked terrible, but on this model they reduced the size of them a lot, and slimmed down their thickness, I think they look great.
Some complained about the vehicle name being stamped on the tailgate, but I think it looks great. better to me than just the big flat surface.
THE BAD:
Like many I was hoping they would use a different transmission, but they kept the same one. I don't think it's a huge issue, but like many have noticed, once in a while (especially in cold weather) you'll notice a shift that isn't exactly perfect, just a little bit jumpy.
I also don't like the new instrument cluster. The previous cluster was really clear and well layed out. The new one isn't very bright, the text is small, and the overall layout isn't easy to see things quickly. The previous cluster was much better.
On the steering wheel they went with some smaller buttons, especially on the up and down for the cruise control speed. It's more difficult to hit these buttons and get the cruise control started. Also I can't seem to find the button that hangs up the phone during a call. Am I missing something?
I think this might be a user error issue, but when the phone is connected via bluetooth and honda link, when someone calls me I can't get the audio to go through the car speakers, any ideas?
I also wish they had made the halo daytime running lights on the front of the vehicle standard for the sport, but no luck. So this Sport model doesn't have the cool halo look that the RTL-E and BE had on the front headlights
Last, I didn't really like the looks of the front grille, but I don't consider this a big issue. I'll swap it for the grille from the Trailport soon, that one I love.
Feedback welcome. 😄