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This may not be the ultimate test, but it was fun and interesting ...
My girlfriend and I, along with our greyhound and extensive materiel, accoutrements, etc., temporarily relocated from San Diego to Cape Cod for the summer. We drove through Vegas, Nebraska, and upstate NY to the Atlantic Ocean in four individual days of driving (12 hrs a day more or less). We took a side trip to Virginia Beach and back, then returned via a more southerly route through Pennsylvannia, Oklahoma, Santa Fe, and home.
We actually took a lot of stuff with us, as we were away for a month and a half. We flipped up the 60 side of the back seat and put duffel bags there. The dog happily slept atop them.
Results and opinions:
The navigation system was awesome. I would highly recommend it for a trip like this. By and large, the estimates of arrivals were right on. We would have beaten them by our speed (about 9 mph over the limit), but when our pit stops were included, we more or less hit them. As well, the navigation system took all the arguments and misdirection our of our travel. In Pittsburgh, which seems to be laid out like a maze, it was flawless. When we almost ran out of gas in Manhattan in a rainstorm, it found us gas immediately. Excellent.
Driving in various terrain proved both comfortable and easy. In the mountains of Utah and Colorado, we were constantly able to stay above the posted speed limit while passing all sorts of muscle trucks struggling up the hill.
The cruise control worked very well. It is particularly helpful to have the Cancel button and the incremental up and down speed buttons to adjust to traffic speeds. I drive a safe distance behind the car ahead and these buttons allowed this to work well. When we were occasionally caught behind other cars, the Ridgeline easily accelerated around them when an opening came. The car performed well at speeds of 84 when that was an option.
On the way out, the gas mileage was in the 17 mpg range. Soon after, the first oil change came and we experienced some improvement. On the return, gas mileage was in the 17 - 19 mpg range, depending upon terrain and speed.
The XM radio was a lifesaver for this trip. My only complaint there is lack of much in the way of NPR material. However, listening to CNN was surprisingly interesting, even without images, as it is continually updated news. Around town, I listen to the music channels, but when driving 12 hours straight, some live news makes the time go by. Oh, and then there are the comedy channels ...
The myriad compartments and containers in the Ridgeline may seem like overkill. They are for around town stuff. When you are on a long haul though, having a variety of stuff close at hand, but still having the cab uncluttered, is really nice.
We saw amazingly few Ridgelines and of course we got lots of stares. It was fun passing the various Avalanches and their ilk. I used to think an Avalanche was a pretty cool looking truck, but compared to the Ridgeline, my taste leaves me looking at the Avalanche much differently.
Bottom line, this was an incredibly pleasurable drive thanks to the Ridgeline. The ride is so comfortable for so many reasons that I could go on and on. I bought the car because I needed to replace my Ford Ranger and knew I'd be taking this trip. I am very pleased.
My girlfriend and I, along with our greyhound and extensive materiel, accoutrements, etc., temporarily relocated from San Diego to Cape Cod for the summer. We drove through Vegas, Nebraska, and upstate NY to the Atlantic Ocean in four individual days of driving (12 hrs a day more or less). We took a side trip to Virginia Beach and back, then returned via a more southerly route through Pennsylvannia, Oklahoma, Santa Fe, and home.
We actually took a lot of stuff with us, as we were away for a month and a half. We flipped up the 60 side of the back seat and put duffel bags there. The dog happily slept atop them.
Results and opinions:
The navigation system was awesome. I would highly recommend it for a trip like this. By and large, the estimates of arrivals were right on. We would have beaten them by our speed (about 9 mph over the limit), but when our pit stops were included, we more or less hit them. As well, the navigation system took all the arguments and misdirection our of our travel. In Pittsburgh, which seems to be laid out like a maze, it was flawless. When we almost ran out of gas in Manhattan in a rainstorm, it found us gas immediately. Excellent.
Driving in various terrain proved both comfortable and easy. In the mountains of Utah and Colorado, we were constantly able to stay above the posted speed limit while passing all sorts of muscle trucks struggling up the hill.
The cruise control worked very well. It is particularly helpful to have the Cancel button and the incremental up and down speed buttons to adjust to traffic speeds. I drive a safe distance behind the car ahead and these buttons allowed this to work well. When we were occasionally caught behind other cars, the Ridgeline easily accelerated around them when an opening came. The car performed well at speeds of 84 when that was an option.
On the way out, the gas mileage was in the 17 mpg range. Soon after, the first oil change came and we experienced some improvement. On the return, gas mileage was in the 17 - 19 mpg range, depending upon terrain and speed.
The XM radio was a lifesaver for this trip. My only complaint there is lack of much in the way of NPR material. However, listening to CNN was surprisingly interesting, even without images, as it is continually updated news. Around town, I listen to the music channels, but when driving 12 hours straight, some live news makes the time go by. Oh, and then there are the comedy channels ...
The myriad compartments and containers in the Ridgeline may seem like overkill. They are for around town stuff. When you are on a long haul though, having a variety of stuff close at hand, but still having the cab uncluttered, is really nice.
We saw amazingly few Ridgelines and of course we got lots of stares. It was fun passing the various Avalanches and their ilk. I used to think an Avalanche was a pretty cool looking truck, but compared to the Ridgeline, my taste leaves me looking at the Avalanche much differently.
Bottom line, this was an incredibly pleasurable drive thanks to the Ridgeline. The ride is so comfortable for so many reasons that I could go on and on. I bought the car because I needed to replace my Ford Ranger and knew I'd be taking this trip. I am very pleased.
