I don't think anyone can argue that Honda's reliability, build quality, safety, ergonomics, retained value, cost of ownership and fuel economy, and are way ahead of Ford and the other domestic automakers. The F150 is probably the best vehicle that Ford builds but it does not compare well at all in the above categories. You can buy a bigger truck or a more powerful truck or one that can tow a whole lot more than the Ridgeline, but you will not find one anywhere that is more reliable, is of a higher overall quality, is safer, or is a better value over it's lifetime. Did I mention reliability?
I recently checked out a top of the line King Ranch edition of the F150 King(?) Cab (four door). It looked pretty but aside from being huge, it was difficult to climb into because it sits so high. Once inside, again it looked nice but had a very cheap feel to the materials used, especially considering the price of the vehicle. The other very noticeable thing was that when you close the doors you can actually see the entire side of the cab flex and move. That looked very scary to me. I bet that DoctorJ would say that it would be positively frightening. Sean, in case you are not aware, DoctorJ just walked away after being T boned and totaling his Ridgeline. Thanks in no small part to the safety designed into the Ridgeline that earned it the 5-star safety rating, the highest safety rating of any pickup truck. From the pictures that I saw, I doubt that he would have survived if he had been driving the F150 that I looked at. With the amount of body movement that I saw while simply closing the door, I would be scared to death (pun intended) to drive a F150 drive-through model. Check it for yourself at the Ford dealer. It can't be missed.
After all that, there is also no denying that some Ridgelines have suffered from first year of production problems. The numbers of vehicles affected is very small and, for the most part, involved very early production models. As far as I know, all of those production issues have been resolved long ago. I purchased mine in May and, aside from a temporary loose connection in the passenger’s vanity mirror, it has been flawless. I suggest that the vast majority of Ridgelines purchased since then have been pretty much the same. Not that there aren’t a few exceptions, but overall, especially for a first year of production vehicle, it just doesn't get any better than this. I just had my first oil change at 6000 miles and there was absolutely nothing on the service order to be done beyond the normal scheduled maintenance items. Try that with a Ford. It certainly has not been my experience with the Fords that I have owned in the past. Far from it.
I haven’t even begun to mention the ride comfort, features and versatility of the Ridgeline Vs theF150. I think that the difference in ride comfort and drivability will be so dramatic when you test drive both of them that no further discussion is required. The dual action tailgate and the in-bed trunk are outstanding unique features of the Ridgeline. The rest of the feature comparisons will have to be left up to you to determine which ones are important to you.
I really don’t think that there is any contest in comparing the two trucks – at least for my needs. Yours may be different. I will tell you that after six months of owning the Ridgeline, I could not be happier. It has proven to be more than I expected, and I mean that in a very positive way. As I have stated in other posts, at 54 years old the Ridgeline is the first vehicle that I have been excited about in a looooong time. And it is fun being excited!
Oh, and Ford doesn’t have the ROC! That nails it! End of story. Sheesh! I could have saved myself all that typing!
