FWD RTL test drive today
Test drove a FWD RTL today.
Some brief notes of my impressions:
PROS: Bed and trunk are much better than I had anticipated in terms of size, shape and finish.
Head room, leg room, and visibility were fantastic. I'm 6'1 200lbs.
Looks great, even better than I anticipated.
Ride quality and noise level were both superb.
NEUTRAL: Gaps at tailgate L/R are quite different, but appear to be adjusted to the left side minimum that would still allow clearance when opening tailgate in swinging fashion.
Rear door opening is indeed small, but not a deal breaker for me.
Acceleration was adequate. Certainly not as quick as my Forester XT, but much better than our 06 Pilot.
Under the hood: release lever is very cheap quality. Hood is aluminum so prop rod is small but adequate. Changing plugs and adjusting valves appear to a much easier job than earlier models (more clearance between rear cylinder bank and firewall as well as cowl) than the early Pilot. Battery is easy enough to get to. Prior photos I saw regarding batter access were taken at the worst possible angle.
CONS: Interior quality was a bit lacking. I expected more based on all the positive reviews I had read. Guess it's been too long since I've been in a truck or a new Pilot (ours is an '06 Pilot). The dash, center console, glove box and door panels are lower quality than our '06 Pilot EX-L.
Sound system was of embarrassingly low performance. All that time/effort spent on doing the in bed audio on upper models and the lower trim levels stereo are saddled with pitiful sound. Sounded like I was in an late 80's GM product.
Overall, I'd give it 7 out of 10. Maybe that means I'd give competitors a 5 or 6. But I would have chosen the last 2 news cars I purchased over the Ridgeline, but that's probably why I bought them
to begin with.
I've gone almost 30 years without owning a pickup. Thought this might bring me back to the segment. Looks like I am sticking with the small utility trailer I currently have when I really need to haul something....
Some brief notes of my impressions:
PROS: Bed and trunk are much better than I had anticipated in terms of size, shape and finish.
Head room, leg room, and visibility were fantastic. I'm 6'1 200lbs.
Looks great, even better than I anticipated.
Ride quality and noise level were both superb.
NEUTRAL: Gaps at tailgate L/R are quite different, but appear to be adjusted to the left side minimum that would still allow clearance when opening tailgate in swinging fashion.
Rear door opening is indeed small, but not a deal breaker for me.
Acceleration was adequate. Certainly not as quick as my Forester XT, but much better than our 06 Pilot.
Under the hood: release lever is very cheap quality. Hood is aluminum so prop rod is small but adequate. Changing plugs and adjusting valves appear to a much easier job than earlier models (more clearance between rear cylinder bank and firewall as well as cowl) than the early Pilot. Battery is easy enough to get to. Prior photos I saw regarding batter access were taken at the worst possible angle.
CONS: Interior quality was a bit lacking. I expected more based on all the positive reviews I had read. Guess it's been too long since I've been in a truck or a new Pilot (ours is an '06 Pilot). The dash, center console, glove box and door panels are lower quality than our '06 Pilot EX-L.
Sound system was of embarrassingly low performance. All that time/effort spent on doing the in bed audio on upper models and the lower trim levels stereo are saddled with pitiful sound. Sounded like I was in an late 80's GM product.
Overall, I'd give it 7 out of 10. Maybe that means I'd give competitors a 5 or 6. But I would have chosen the last 2 news cars I purchased over the Ridgeline, but that's probably why I bought them
to begin with. I've gone almost 30 years without owning a pickup. Thought this might bring me back to the segment. Looks like I am sticking with the small utility trailer I currently have when I really need to haul something....
