[tmz]

Is the G2 trunk as deep/tall as the G1? I have a tall ice chest that I am afraid will not fit.

Might be about as deep, but I don't have my G1 around to measure. I think the G2 is about 18" deep, but it's hard to measure precisely because of the ridges from the lid that stick down into the space, but that's my best guess. The dimension that is obviously smaller is front-to-back, so the plastic tubs I had side-by-side in the G1 won't fit that direction and when turned sideways I only get one in.

 

[Jelly donut]

Nope. According to Honda's web site the new front end has reduced ground clearance to 7.64 inches from 7.87 inches (AWD). That's 0.23 inches off just for "manly" looks.

EDIT: Had to double-check, but to keep things in perspective, the 1976 Chevy 1/2 Ton 4WD (Model K10) in standard trim had 7.4 inches in the front and 7.1 inches in the back, yet these trucks were used for off-roading. So the 2021 RL still isn't that bad.

Keep in mind what would scrape on that old box Chevy vs the Ridgeline. Dragging the front bumper on the Chevy would be embarrassing. Doing the same on the Ridgeline will be expensive.

 

[dcK]

there was and never has been anything wrong with the 08. It has carried me all over the state for work.

Just curious, how many miles on your 2008?

 

[BillyBob68]

Nope. According to Honda's web site the new front end has reduced ground clearance to 7.64 inches from 7.87 inches (AWD). That's 0.23 inches off just for "manly" looks.

EDIT: Had to double-check, but to keep things in perspective, the 1976 Chevy 1/2 Ton 4WD (Model K10) in standard trim had 7.4 inches in the front and 7.1 inches in the back, yet these trucks were used for off-roading. So the 2021 RL still isn't that bad.

Yep, and my 08 was 8.2, and approach/departure angles reduced from 24.5º front and 22 rear for the 08 to 20.4 front and 19.6 departure!

 

[BillyBob68]

Just curious, how many miles on your 2008?

125,000. Since I retired in 2013, my mileage driven per year was cut at least in half. If I had still been working those last few years, it would have been 160,000.

 

[BillyBob68]

I was pretty amazed at this.

 

[speedlever]

I was pretty amazed at this.

Wow. Shocking! (literally).

 

[tmz]

I was pretty amazed at this.

I drove that road in my 2007 G1 and in my 1995 Chevy Silverado with no trouble or damage. I think Edmonds used the wrong strategy of driving at 25 mph or less. If the road allows and there's no other traffic (no one else out there both times) I drive at 50-60 mph and at those speeds the truck rides far smoother as it sort of skims along the tops of the washboard bumps, reducing the travel on the shocks or struts, which seems much easier on them, but you really bounce a lot and it is very hard on your body and the shocks while accelerating/decelerating between about 25-45 mph.

 

[longboat]

I think I recall all of the Tacoma fans saying that they should have aired the tires down to 18psi for that road.

 

[Ray S]

That video produced an absolute meltdown on Tacoma World when it first came out. If memory serves they deleted a ton of the thread. Not sure it is even available on that forum anymore.

 

[BillyBob68]

I drove that road in my 2007 G1 and in my 1995 Chevy Silverado with no trouble or damage. I think Edmonds used the wrong strategy of driving at 25 mph or less. If the road allows and there's no other traffic (no one else out there both times) I drive at 50-60 mph and at those speeds the truck rides far smoother as it sort of skims along the tops of the washboard bumps, reducing the travel on the shocks or struts, which seems much easier on them, but you really bounce a lot and it is very hard on your body and the shocks while accelerating/decelerating between about 25-45 mph.

I know what you mean. I have not driven that road, but I driven many, many miles on AZ washboard roads with an 84 4Runner, an 83 S10 Blazer, and even a 79 T-Bird and 68 Ford Falcon(that is all I had back in those days). I'm sure I added excess wear to the shocks, but I never had a shock burn up on me. Not sure how I accomplished that. I imagine I would just try and find a speed wear the vehicle did not seem to be about to fall apart.

 

[linepilot]

Thanks for the review billybob68. You just convinced me to keep my 08 RTX. I pull 4500lbs regularly and do some minor off/roading and serious logging trails. This thing has surprised and impressed a lot people.

 

[Silver 3.5]

I guess 2021 still falls within the 2G class?

That was a big step, since there was and never has been anything wrong with the 08. It has carried me all over the state for work. It has towed a 4000 lb trailer numerous places, including over the Smoky mountains. In our infrequent snow and icy weather, it has always performed like a champ. It has handled occasional very light duty off road/muddy road situations without problems, though done with extreme caution.

But my step son has been pushng me to sell him this truck for several years, and 13 years is a long time. In my 72 years, 5 years is the longest I have owned any other vehicle. So I started looking for a new truck. As much as I liked the RL, and even though it had been the best vehicle over all I had ever owned, my inner child was pushing me towards things I don't need, such as significant off road abilities. The Ranger FX4, Tacoma, and Colorado ZR2 were all contenders. In my younger years I used to do significant off roading, but I have not done so in many a year. And I have not towed in quite a few years either, with no real plans to do so. Still, if I had a place to do so I would, and the desire for clearance and skid plates was tempting me, even though I would probably have to give up road comforts compared to RL for the 98% of my driving.

So I finally found a 21 RTL-E about 50 miles from here, and went to test drive it, with the plans to test drive a Ranger in the same town. (the supply of trucks seemed quite limited compared to normal). But the ride/handling, quiet and acceleration seemed so overwhelming, that when he made me what seemed a great offer, I took the deal.

Th truck is a true thing of beauty. Quieter, handles better, faster AND much better gas mileage even before breaking in! And all of those new safety features and the exta luxuries over my previous most basic, least expensive model(RT?). What's not to love? Turns out I a had a couple of surprises coming.

1: Well, first thing, I could not close my garage door after parking in the same spot I had my old one shoe horned into for years. This new one is almost an inch wider and 3 to 4" longer! I had no idea they had changed the size. Did that happen after 2G got here, or is that just a change for 2021? I read a lot of reviews on 2017 and newer, but saw no mention of an increased size.

2: But except for having to change things around in the garage, I can't really complain about a slightly larger truck. However, what is with the slightly smaller trunk? 8 cu.ft, vs 7 on the new, I believe. A longer truck bed but with a smaller trunk under that bed? And though it is wider lt to rt, it is not as "long" rear to front, and I am thinking some items I regularly carried in my 08 trunk are not going to fit as well in the new one. I wonder why they did that?

3: Also, I was shocked to find out, after the fact, that clearance had been reduced form 8.2" to 7.6". Really?

4: Even worse, the approach and departure/departure angles have been reduced from 24.5º front and 22 rear for the 08 to 20.4 front and 19.6! I can't help but wonder what is up with that? Why, in a truck where the main thing some truck users have against it is inadequate clearance and angles, would the engineers choose to make those specs even worse?

No doubt, some of the improved handling I have noticed is due to those changes for the worse in off road stats. But, I am disappointed to discover that the truck with the least ground clearance and worst approach/departure(break-over also?) angles of all off road capable trucks decided, at some point after the first updates started, chose to make these things worse, rather than better. If anything, I wish the changes had been in the opposite direction, towards improved off road abilities, even if just a little. Or at least no change. From what I can find out, these changes started back for the 2017 model, which was (I think) when G2 came on the scene.

Now, if I had realized this before hand, would I have still got another Ridgeline? Hard to say. Probably. I truly love it as an on road vehicle, which is 98% of my needs. Maybe even more than before, since I would be slightly more hesitant to take this lower clearance design off road than I was with the 08. And should I decide to tow again, even though the rating is the same 5000 lb, the added horsepower/torque and improved gas mileage won't hurt. Still, I wish they could have found a way to at least maintain off road ability, or even improve it slightly. And maintain that slightly larger 08 trunk size.

Glad you’re happy with your new ride. I also have a 2008 and just not too eager to go to a G2 for some of the reasons you mentioned. The G1 is no rock crawler but to reduce ground clearance and the angles on the G2 is a miss in my mind. I still spend most of my time on pavement but would want a bit more clearance rather than less. It helps in snow, steep driveways and other places not just rock crawling.

So, I’m holding on to my G1 for a while and if Honda continues to move the platform towards car-based qualities, I may not be a repeat customer. I’m not interested in a Tacoma but I also don’t want a 4 door El Camino type of vehicle.

 

[BillyBob68]

I'm in a similar spot as you were. My 2006 RTL is approaching 200,000 trouble free miles. I would only rank my 1977 Toyota Celica GT Hatchback as a higher quality build with the Ridgeline a close second. Unfortunately the body of the Celica rusted to the point of falling off the frame before it hit ten years old. Now I'm ready to move on but the chip shortage / inventory thing is slowing me down.

I agree with your negatives. The added length is a major concern. Reducing the approach and departure angles is rather a ponderous decision. I'm curious if you find the cabin size to feel similar. How is the headroom?

All seems similar, but I need to compare that side by side to be sure. Plenty of headroom. I would expect more leg room and at least as much trunk room with the longer overall length and wheel base, but I can not tell any difference inside YET ( have to look closer) and the trunk is actually about 13% smaller. It is wider lt to rt but smaller front to rear, net result slightly smaller. The bed, however, is a solid 3 or 4" longer.

I can, however, give you factory specs(RTLs with moon roof): 08: head room Front/rear 38.7 / 39.0... 21: 39.5 in / 38.8
legroom front/rear 08 40.8/36.4 ...... 21 40.9/36.7 (so a hair more in 21)
08 Shoulder Room (in., front/rear)63.2 / 62.6......... 21: 62.0 in / 61.5 in ( More in the 08! )
Hip room 08 (F/R)57.6 / 57.2............... 21: 59.1 in / 56.6 ( 21 has 1.5" more in front, 0.8" less in rear! )

Passenger volume 108.9 CF in both, identical. So the truck is 3+" longer, has a 3" longer wheelbase, but has no additional interior volume and a smaller trunk? Strange! But it does have a 3+" longer bed, so I guess that is where all of the extra length is.

 

[BillyBob68]

Glad you’re happy with your new ride. I also have a 2008 and just not too eager to go to a G2 for some of the reasons you mentioned. The G1 is no rock crawler but to reduce ground clearance and the angles on the G2 is a miss in my mind. I still spend most of my time on pavement but would want a bit more clearance rather than less. It helps in snow, steep driveways and other places not just rock crawling.

So, I’m holding on to my G1 for a while and if Honda continues to move the platform towards car-based qualities, I may not be a repeat customer. I’m not interested in a Tacoma but I also don’t want a 4 door El Camino type of vehicle.

I know exactly what you mean. I am enjoying that this is a noticeably superior road vehicle in several ways, and just a couple of weeks ago I could have used that 3" longer bed, would have allowed me to close the tail gate. But, I was disappointed to realize after the fact that they had changed those off road specs towards the negative. It seems most of that was changed in recent years before 21. But I think for 21 they have even gone just a little further towards a road bias. For example the 2019 is 7.87 ground clearance(down from 8.2 08, and 7.64 for 21) and 19 angles are 20.1° / 19.6° / 22.1° ( 20.4° / 19.6° / 19.6° for 21). I'm wondering if that dual exhaust account for some of that loss of departure angle in 21? Which was an even better 24.5(degrees) / 22.0(degrees) in 08. 2019 and 2021 are about the same for approach angle, both significantly worse than 08.

But departure angle is worse in 17 thru 19 and then made even a bit worse for 21. I would prefer they had not done that, even though I am unlikely to put that to the test these days. Anything they show even the 2021 doing is more than I am likely to do, but still, I would prefer the angles and clearance of the 08.

 

[Silver 3.5]

I know exactly what you mean. I am enjoying that this is a noticeably superior road vehicle in several ways, and just a couple of weeks ago I could have used that 3" longer bed, would have allowed me to close the tail gate. But, I was disappointed to realize after the fact that they had changed those off road specs towards the negative. It seems most of that was changed in recent years before 21. But I think for 21 they have even gone just a little further towards a road bias. For example the 2019 is 7.87 ground clearance(down from 8.2 08, and 7.64 for 21) and 19 angles are 20.1° / 19.6° / 22.1° ( 20.4° / 19.6° / 19.6° for 21). I'm wondering if that dual exhaust account for some of that loss of departure angle in 21? Which was an even better 24.5(degrees) / 22.0(degrees) in 08. 2019 and 2021 are about the same for approach angle, both significantly worse than 08.

But departure angle is worse in 17 thru 19 and then made even a bit worse for 21. I would prefer they had not done that, even though I am unlikely to put that to the test these days. Anything they show even the 2021 doing is more than I am likely to do, but still, I would prefer the angles and clearance of the 08.

The Ridgeline gets smacked around for not being a real truck. So what does Honda do, make it a better driving CAR. What they are really doing is converting a Passport or Pilot buyer to a Ridgeline. With the G1 back in 2006, they were actually trying to grow their customer base and get some truck buyers that would have bought something with a bed and 4WD.

Many of us use the Ridgeline to commute to work M-F, and then maybe a beach or forest outing on the weekend. That’s why the Ridgeline appealed to me back in 2008, the do it all vehicle. Oh yeah, and when I go to Home Depot, I can put my stuff in the trunk, 4x8 sheet flat and 16 foot mounding through the back window into the cab. For me, there is no need to improve the M-F comfort, but I would like more capability for the weekend when I might need it. Unfortunately, that’s not the direction Honda is headed.

Don’t mean to hijack this thread and hope that the G2 does what you need it to do. I appreciate your comments on the differences and where Honda could have done better.

 

[BillyBob68]

The Ridgeline gets smacked around for not being a real truck. So what does Honda do, make it a better driving CAR. What they are really doing is converting a Passport or Pilot buyer to a Ridgeline. With the G1 back in 2006, they were actually trying to grow their customer base and get some truck buyers that would have bought something with a bed and 4WD.

Many of us use the Ridgeline to commute to work M-F, and then maybe a beach or forest outing on the weekend. That’s why the Ridgeline appealed to me back in 2008, the do it all vehicle. Oh yeah, and when I go to Home Depot, I can put my stuff in the trunk, 4x8 sheet flat and 16 foot mounding through the back window into the cab. For me, there is no need to improve the M-F comfort, but I would like more capability for the weekend when I might need it. Unfortunately, that’s not the direction Honda is headed.

Don’t mean to hijack this thread and hope that the G2 does what you need it to do. I appreciate your comments on the differences and where Honda could have done better.

It's all good. And I realize it's all just a matter of pros and cons. What an individual wants overall. And I'm pretty much happy with this vehicle compared to my older one. If they have chosen to make changes away from any off road ability, it most likely means some gain in on road performance. And indeed, I can perceive such a difference, which is very pleasant. It is just that I was surprised by changes I was not aware of. I would have picked up on this if I had done my duty and dug deeper on the spec sheet. And I might have still made the same decision even if I had, the truck is, IMO, that nice, OVERALL But, I don't think Honda has at all indicated such as this in their advertising. There is zero hint, from watching their videos of new RLs, that off road that the new ones have any less ability- such as it is- off road than my 08 did.

But here is the thing: We ate supper over at my son's (who bought my 08) house. And I have been making some measurements. It is very difficult for me to verify that this new one has much- or any- less ability, like the angles and clearance specs indicate. I will make some more measurements on the 08 later. The low point I was able to find on my 21 was at the suspension A arm, very close to the wheel, at about 7.5 or maybe 7.75". (I forgot to measure this point on the 08, but I don't think it can be much different, both with 29.5" tall tires? But here are some things I was able to measure:
21 front center low point = 10.5" ............. 2008 = 9.5"
21 front bumper low point nearest to tire: = 8"...... 08: = 8.25
21 sides/breakover/rocker low point 11.25"............ 08: = 12.5"
21 rear bumper low point 21".............. 08: 17"
21 rear bumper near tire 18.5"................... (08?)
21 factory trailer hitch low point 17" 08 (after market Hidden Hitch) 14"
21 dual exhaust = 15.5"............ 08: = 14" BUT tucked in several inches towards front away from bumper, under the bed, more protected.
21 oil pan 9"............... 08? (will have to measure later)

Is it me, or are these numbers either VERY close or even in favor of the 21? Especially the rear bumper being a whopping 4" higher on the 21! ( I will measure later to make sure I am not making a mistake) BUT, and this may be a big but, the exhaust pipes on the 21 stick out to the edge of the 21 bumper, and are only 15.5" high. That is 2" lower than the bumper low point on the 08. I think that one little point is the main fail right there. Except for that, the only real advantage on the 08 is the break over height of 1.25" higher than on the 21. I guess that along with the the 3" longer wheelbase means the 08 must have more breakover angle than the 21's 19.6º, though I don't see a spec for the 08.

So, these differences don't seem as large as they did just from reading the specs. If not for the dual exhaust( a mod to shorten possible?), I think the 21 would actually have the superior departure angle, though the 19.6º break over angle would still be inferior to the 08 based on my measurements, though I don't know what the angle is on the 08.

However, want to hear something wild? The break over angle on the big time off roaders Jeep Gladiator Sport/Overland is 18.4º. Even the 19.6º on the 21 RL beats that! And the 4 door Wrangler and Rubicon Gladiator are only 20.3º, not much more than the 21 RL(and I bet, = to or less than the 08). And all of those Jeeps do hard core off roading all the time. Although, they often also have rock rails/sliders to protect that sheet metal.

 

[BillyBob68]

Oh, there was one more thing I meant to add and maybe get some opinions on. Looking under the 21 yesterday, I noticed something that I don't see on my 08, it looks very much like a metal skid plate. Admittedly pretty light duty, but I still think it would provide some protection from rocks and other damaging things. But it is not covering the oil pan, it seems to be placed from somewhere rearward from the oil pan to about where the suspension A arm connects to a bushing, and covering the space left to right from A arm to A arm. In addition, there are some long black plastic panels going from there to just below part of the fuel tank.

Any thoughts on the function of these parts that are not on the 08? They look like skid plates, though even the metal one seems quite lite duty compared to the usual ones. And of course the flexible plastic probably would not do much. Has Honda actually added a bit of under body protection? Or, do these serve some other function? Maybe they simply reduce air flow/resistance to improve mileage? This view is looking from just behind the driver front tire towards the front.

 

[BHorn]

Thanks so much for the info. I'm getting the fever for my next Ridgeline. Lots of the Sport trims on the lots around me but not many of the higher trims. Sliding rear window and moonroof a must for me. Any thoughts about an aftermarket skidplate?

 

[deicerhonda]

Nope. According to Honda's web site the new front end has reduced ground clearance to 7.64 inches from 7.87 inches (AWD). That's 0.23 inches off just for "manly" looks.

EDIT: Had to double-check, but to keep things in perspective, the 1976 Chevy 1/2 Ton 4WD (Model K10) in standard trim had 7.4 inches in the front and 7.1 inches in the back, yet these trucks were used for off-roading. So the 2021 RL still isn't that bad.

Thanks for the update, didn't realize the clearance had changed. Liked the information about the 1976 Chevy's clearance, and you're right, the G2 Ridgeline isn't that bad....