My 2022 RL is in shop due to brake noise. Tech is unsure what is wrong. So, i have a loaner…2022 Honda HRV. MRSP is $25k.
The car is OK. Noisy. Suspension too firm for my taste. Bad seating. Tons of road noise! I would not buy it for sure.
But damn, the HRV’s throttle is perfect. The powertrain moves to my right foot perfectly. No lag. No rubber necking because your body expect something and your car does not respond. No hesitation. Smooth. Mid corner throttle or braking? No problem.
And this is on ECO mode in the HRV!!! Oh, no crappy auto-start/stop to ruin the experience. No need for Sport/Sequential mode either because throttle response is perfect. Surprisingly, the HRV’s CVT is well-behaved. (Note, i have not off-roaded the HRV or tow etc. to comment on CVT in those situations.)
Why is it that Honda got the throttle so right on HRV and yet so wrong on the fancy Ridgeline?? RL’s engine is great i am sure. But the throttle tuning and ZF 9-speed are just a disaster IMHO. ECO mode on RL is useless...might as well put a pillow behind the gas pedal. The fancy ZF shifting is pure crap. Sport/Sequential mode is too aggressive for daily driving. Non-S mode makes the engine into a non-boosted 3-cylinder slow poke. It is sad when I have to use S-mode just to merge onto highway ramp! A simple task as accelerating from stop is painfully slow because ZF starts in 2nd gear! And then you add in the useless auto-start/stop crap that damages engines apparently!
I love the RL. One of the best cars i have ever owned. Extremely practical. But the powertrain tuning and/or transmission leave A LOT to be desired.
Sorry for rant.
The car is OK. Noisy. Suspension too firm for my taste. Bad seating. Tons of road noise! I would not buy it for sure.
But damn, the HRV’s throttle is perfect. The powertrain moves to my right foot perfectly. No lag. No rubber necking because your body expect something and your car does not respond. No hesitation. Smooth. Mid corner throttle or braking? No problem.
And this is on ECO mode in the HRV!!! Oh, no crappy auto-start/stop to ruin the experience. No need for Sport/Sequential mode either because throttle response is perfect. Surprisingly, the HRV’s CVT is well-behaved. (Note, i have not off-roaded the HRV or tow etc. to comment on CVT in those situations.)
Why is it that Honda got the throttle so right on HRV and yet so wrong on the fancy Ridgeline?? RL’s engine is great i am sure. But the throttle tuning and ZF 9-speed are just a disaster IMHO. ECO mode on RL is useless...might as well put a pillow behind the gas pedal. The fancy ZF shifting is pure crap. Sport/Sequential mode is too aggressive for daily driving. Non-S mode makes the engine into a non-boosted 3-cylinder slow poke. It is sad when I have to use S-mode just to merge onto highway ramp! A simple task as accelerating from stop is painfully slow because ZF starts in 2nd gear! And then you add in the useless auto-start/stop crap that damages engines apparently!
I love the RL. One of the best cars i have ever owned. Extremely practical. But the powertrain tuning and/or transmission leave A LOT to be desired.
Sorry for rant.