I'll just drop this here for you. The Ridgeline is very capable actually. Honda marketing sucks really.

 

Honda built a truck for the 95 percentile but the 95 percentile wants to look they drive like the 5 percentile. Thats the problem. Theres a lot of Wrangler Rubicons that have seen less dirt than my old Mustang did.

 

And this...

 

The Jeep Cherokee has been unibody since 84. A lot of them are being modified and are indeed being used as rock crawlers. So while there are some obstacles to overcome apparently the rock crawling crowd sees no problem in using a unibody vehicle as the basis for their build.

Ive had real 4X4s and there is a real advantage to having 4-lo but I used it maybe a few times a year so its hardly a necessity for mine, and probably most peoples use. The 20.5:1 low gear is enough.

Part-time 4x4s should only be used in low traction situations. A wet road is usually low enough traction to prevent damage to the drivetrain but it is still dangerous to drive like that unless one really likes the sensation of severe understeer or the phenomenon known as "crab walking."

There has also been AWD systems quite capable of doing what traditional 4x4 does we just didn't use the term AWD they were full-time 4wd. My 76 F250 had this and Jeep's Quadratrac was a form of this. Both had a low range just like their part-time brethren. Traditionalists claimed the full-time system was less robust than part-time way back in the 70s but it turned out there's no real significant durability difference between the two systems.

 

I see this topic as some video games that give you a chart of the strengths of different characters so you can compare them.

	Ridgeline​	GM Twins V6​	Ranger​	Tacoma V6​	Gladiator 3.6 V6​	Frontier​
Payload	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X	X X X X X	X X
On Road	X X X X X	X X	X X	X X	X	X X X
Off Road	X X	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X X X
Acceleration	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X X X X	X	X X	X
Fuel Economy	X X X	X X X	X X	X X	X X	X X
Towing	X X	X X X X	X X X X	X X X	X X X X	X X X X
Resale	X X X X	X X	X X X	X X X X X	X X X X	X X X

In summary, you have to pick your pill.

 

I see this topic as some video games that give you a chart of the strengths of different characters so you can compare them.

	Ridgeline​	GM Twins​	Ranger​	Tacoma V6​	Gladiator 3.6 V6
Payload	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X	X X X X X
On Road	X X X X X	X X	X X	X X	X
Off Road	X X	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X X X X
Acceleration	X X X X X	X X X X X	X X X X X	X	X X
Fuel Economy	X X X	X X	X X	X X	X
Towing	X X	X X X X	X X X X	X X X X	X X X X

I'd knock the Tacoma towing to XXX. Many folks will put the Ridgeline over the Tacoma when towing anything under 5k, and most report towing performance above 5k to be nerve-wracking in the Tacoma. The Taco has soft springs for a better off-road ride, but makes towing a bit nervous-feeling.

You could add resale...
5 for Taco
4 for Ridgeline and maybe Jeep
2.5 for GM
2-2.5 for Ranger (too soon to really tell)

I'd put Frontier on par with GM.

 

I also have a 12 2 door wrangler automatic. The automatic is important because the torque converter pretty much negates the need for 4 low. I never use 4 low while wheeling. Now I'm more mud than rock, but rocks are no problem either. For pure rocks with an auto, full lockers are more important for rocks for low gears. Anyways our 1st gear is pretty low. Manual shifts are a whole other story. You need 4 lows for manual.

For all but situations where high clearance is needed, I'd rather be in a Ridgeline.

 

Another offroad comparison where the Ridgeline shines is in this torture test traveling to the Racetrack in Death Valley which has a brutal washboard road for many miles. Both the Tacoma and Titan comparison vehicles they bring have their shocks totally blow out, while the Ridgeline only has some mild leakage.

 

It seems that many of the arguments about structure and AWD / 4x4 are based on very old information where unibody vehicles were not strong or tough, and AWD was still new and not as developed.

Some people still write checks.
Some people still have landlines.
Some people still write on a printed calendar.
Some people still want a human cashier.

These people will eventually die off and most trucks will have unitized bodies and be powered by electricity.

 

Hey! Guilty on all four counts .
Only "write" two checks - one to my landscaper and another to a trash service 4x a year. Neither accepts electronic checks.
Still have a landline cause the wife wants it. Happy wife......
I like a printer calendar.
I want to give human cashiers a job & don't get along well with some machines (or human cashiers for that matter)

Otherwise, I love my Ridgeline no matter what kind of body it has or whether of not some consider it a truck. . It rides better than some cars and does what truck like things I want it to. Not looking forward to an electric vehicle as electricity is expensive where I'm at an goes out too often.

Just having fun on the forum - no offense to anyone.

 

Let's talk about the real reason I don't wheel in my Ridgeline, but I use a wrangler instead: Damage. If you drive your 4X4 through eastern woods and mud, you are likely to find yourself in a damaging situation. Trees providing free pinstriping. Slipping off a rock and denting your bumper or fender. In a wrangler these are all handled relatively cheeply and many people think tree pinstriping enhances its look. I bang up my Ridgeline, I'm can easily be talking thousands. As been said before, poorly maintained country roads it is great. Just stay away from hard core wheeling. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to go wheeling in a decked out full sized 4x4 pick up for the same reasons.

 

I’ve coming most immediately off of a 2012 subaru Wrx, and before that a 2002 grand Cherokee, and before that 1996 GC. The 2002 GC had selectrac (2wd high/4wd high/4wd lo) , 1996 GC had FT 4wd hi/lo, and the wrx was FT awd w an open center diff. I’ve taken all on typical terrain: dry, wet, sand, gravel, Snow, dirt/mud. The wrx was the worst performer (if one wheel loses traction 100% of your the power goes there and you become stuck altogether) and so the ridge and GCs performed equally as well (although I admit no snow test Yet for the ridge since it’s too new). I lve also driven Tacoma’s and jeep libertys a bunch. Based on my own experience, I agree with the OP: other than a lo setting, there’s no material difference in performance, the ridge is just as good as any “true” 4wd. Whether it’s mechnical locking diffs or brake locks or other tech the net effect is all the same, keepin the wheels on the ground turning!

I also agree w the comment on newer jeeps (FCA owned) , they’re being sold to and bought by suckers. $110k for a grand wagoner... and they’re ugly as hell!

 

I’ve coming most immediately off of a 2012 subaru Wrx, and before that a 2002 grand Cherokee, and before that 1996 GC. The 2002 GC had selectrac (2wd high/4wd high/4wd lo) , 1996 GC had FT 4wd hi/lo, and the wrx was FT awd w an open center diff. I’ve taken all on typical terrain: dry, wet, sand, gravel, Snow, dirt/mud. The wrx was the worst performer (if one wheel loses traction 100% of your the power goes there and you become stuck altogether) and so the ridge and GCs performed equally as well (although I admit no snow test Yet for the ridge since it’s too new). I lve also driven Tacoma’s and jeep libertys a bunch. Based on my own experience, I agree with the OP: other than a lo setting, there’s no material difference in performance, the ridge is just as good as any “true” 4wd. Whether it’s mechnical locking diffs or brake locks or other tech the net effect is all the same, keepin the wheels on the ground turning!

I also agree w the comment on newer jeeps (FCA owned) , they’re being sold to and bought by suckers. $110k for a grand wagoner... and they’re ugly as hell!

4x4 rules the day for any off-road application. AWD for daily driving. And locking diffs are amazing not close to brake locks. The problem with AWD your relying on the vehicle to do everything for you. Which I’d prefer to have some say over that.