Hello everyone,
I am a long time "lurker" first time poster.
I currently own a Honda Odyssey (my wife's actually), an Accord (my car), Honda Generator, Honda Snow Blower, and a Honda lawn mower. As you see, there is a "theme" there.... :grin:
I needed (nay, wanted) pick up truck and I test drove Tundra, F-150 but I (obviously) tend to buy Hondas so I have been anticipating with excitement Gen 2 Ridgeline. I like the smart engineering Honda is (was) famous for (dual action tailgate, hidden trunk etc). I also hoped Ridgeline will have interior that is big enough for two adults to seat behind me/the driver (6 foot 280 pounds).
Now, I visited a Honda dealership today in New Jersey and they had a black edition Gen2 Ridgeline on the lot (no sticker yet I guess not on sale yet). My timing was fortunate as I was able to (I think they were reparking it) see the interior and sit inside both in the drivers seat and behind the driver with the seat adjusted for me.
So, here are my observations (my 2 cents so to speak).
On the positive side, it is a handsome looking truck, ground clearance seems ok, though the front air-dam may need to be removed for some medium off-roading. The bed is very accessible even from the sides (not too deep). Interior design theme is nice as well. I cannot comment on ride as I was not able to actually drive it.
As for the negatives (which actually disqualified this truck for my needs) the front seat (when adjusted for a six foot guy) has a lot of shoulder room but the knee room is far from ideal. Also, the rear seat room is limited (leg room). My wife is 5'-9" and she barely fit behind me. When I tried to sit "behind myself" it was a no-go.
Another major disappointment was the limited opening angle of rear doors. I was shocked by how little they open. I am not sure why this was done?
I really wanted to like the truck and to some extent I still do, but not enough to buy it. Certainly not to shell out $43k or so for the black edition. And I waited for this truck for more than a year, holding off from purchasing a truck.
I hope they fix the rear doors opening angle at least - if that can be fixed without major redesign. Also, $44k is full-size truck territory so I am not sure their pricing is sound. And this coming from a Honda guy (prior to current Hondas I also owned CRV, another accord etc.).
Anyway, I was so happy to finally see a Ridgeline in person and it IS a good looking truck in my opinion, but some of the design features and approaches seem like an afterthought.
I likely will go with a full size truck now, though I really, really, wanted the Ridgeline to win me over. Sadly, it did not.
Thank you for reading.
I am a long time "lurker" first time poster.
I currently own a Honda Odyssey (my wife's actually), an Accord (my car), Honda Generator, Honda Snow Blower, and a Honda lawn mower. As you see, there is a "theme" there.... :grin:
I needed (nay, wanted) pick up truck and I test drove Tundra, F-150 but I (obviously) tend to buy Hondas so I have been anticipating with excitement Gen 2 Ridgeline. I like the smart engineering Honda is (was) famous for (dual action tailgate, hidden trunk etc). I also hoped Ridgeline will have interior that is big enough for two adults to seat behind me/the driver (6 foot 280 pounds).
Now, I visited a Honda dealership today in New Jersey and they had a black edition Gen2 Ridgeline on the lot (no sticker yet I guess not on sale yet). My timing was fortunate as I was able to (I think they were reparking it) see the interior and sit inside both in the drivers seat and behind the driver with the seat adjusted for me.
So, here are my observations (my 2 cents so to speak).
On the positive side, it is a handsome looking truck, ground clearance seems ok, though the front air-dam may need to be removed for some medium off-roading. The bed is very accessible even from the sides (not too deep). Interior design theme is nice as well. I cannot comment on ride as I was not able to actually drive it.
As for the negatives (which actually disqualified this truck for my needs) the front seat (when adjusted for a six foot guy) has a lot of shoulder room but the knee room is far from ideal. Also, the rear seat room is limited (leg room). My wife is 5'-9" and she barely fit behind me. When I tried to sit "behind myself" it was a no-go.
Another major disappointment was the limited opening angle of rear doors. I was shocked by how little they open. I am not sure why this was done?
I really wanted to like the truck and to some extent I still do, but not enough to buy it. Certainly not to shell out $43k or so for the black edition. And I waited for this truck for more than a year, holding off from purchasing a truck.
I hope they fix the rear doors opening angle at least - if that can be fixed without major redesign. Also, $44k is full-size truck territory so I am not sure their pricing is sound. And this coming from a Honda guy (prior to current Hondas I also owned CRV, another accord etc.).
Anyway, I was so happy to finally see a Ridgeline in person and it IS a good looking truck in my opinion, but some of the design features and approaches seem like an afterthought.
I likely will go with a full size truck now, though I really, really, wanted the Ridgeline to win me over. Sadly, it did not.
Thank you for reading.