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Sounds sweet. Thanks for the info.
Look who's getting into Truck market
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Well this is what I have been talking about from the beginning of the reality of the next Ridgeline given the go ahead. The Mercedes sounds fantastic! wonderful almost perfect but expensive though, but from my standpoint its exactly what the a midsize segment has to do to show an impact which results in attention which then from there likely more sales.
Maybe not everybody needs huge torque to pull with their midsize but sorry it is a selling feature and a fantastic option if you don't need it don't order it!
If there is a economical choice between a midsize with better MPG and almost equal power to some full size now your talking my language in fact most peoples language.
For Honda it would mean all of the above plus added utility factor and reliability card to work with. Does that not sound tempting? It sure does, but unless anything changes the Ridgeline will hold onto the utility and a new look card to temp potential buyers. The engine part they don't have yet. Others do though, so this better be some nice little good looking truck.
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We don't live in Richesville USA, so could be way off base, but seems to me like homeowner-truck-buyers are coming back to value after a decade of over-the-top offerings beyond many buyers means, and the mid-market is poised to take off. It is truly mind blowing how many 2-3 year old luxury pickups line the lots where we live, presumably because folks could not really afford them. I doubt many serious buyers will believe the MB won't cost a fortune to own. The RL with improved fuel economy will dominate on value, as the Tacoma probably will too.
^^ I have to agree there. My boss drives a white 2008 Lincoln Mark LT. I asked him why he decided to go with that rather than the F-150. He said he bought it used for half of its sticker price in 2011. Made sense to get the luxury for the same price or lower than a comparable F-150. The luxury trucks lose their value so fast that it doesn't make sense to buy something like that new. I've always been about value and practicality when I'm selecting a vehicle.
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Mark LT was interesting. Right truck, wrong brand. Not too long ago luxury and pickup were not the same vehicle.
Mark LT is still sold in Mexico.
Perhaps Acura would consider a luxury pickup based off of Ridgeline.
There have been rumors of that for many years now. I just can't see how there's a business case for it, though. The RL is already a low-volume niche vehicle. Can you imagine a $48-50k+ truck coming from Acura? I know many on here will say they'd buy such a product, but that's quite a lot of money for a luxury truck. I would venture a guess that less than 10,000 units would be sold per year. It would be around for a few years and would then get killed off.
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I agree, an Acura RidgeSport would only happen if the base Honda model was very successful.
Because the ZDX and Crosstour were so successful?
I think it's a missed opportunity
Maybe a Ridgeline based Acura could have things too expensive for Honda
Memory Seats, Hybrid, SH-AWD, and Sales opportunities are missed by not exporting and making a RHD for the world markets, along with a diesel.
The Crosstour and ZDX were good vehicles plagued by polarizing styling and somewhat questionable space and utility. They weren't quite an SUV or wagon and weren't quite a sedan. Those who own them tend to have great things to say about them whereas most people wouldn't be able to look past the styling. That is something that greatly hurt the RL when it first came out. It was different and unlike anything else that had ever been produced. Its features and capabilities were what kept it around. The CT and ZDX never even got off the ground, really.
Personally, I just don't see how an Acura version of the RL would work. The features of the top-tier Pilot are pretty substantial and I have no doubt that vehicle will be over $40k. If the RL is going to share those features in an EX-L, Touring or Elite model, there really wouldn't be much justification for a buyer to spend $5000-8000 more on an Acura version that only had a couple of extra gadgets. Let's also not forget that it would be yet another model for the Alabama lines to build for which they already don't have any capacity.
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The ZDX and Crosstour were were not clearly distinct (in purpose) vehicles like a truck.
Although, I agree with Ian it is questionable whether such a model would be any more salable than a dressed up Ridgeline in the Honda line.
Although, I agree with Ian it is questionable whether such a model would be any more salable than a dressed up Ridgeline in the Honda line.
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A better picture.
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I think an MB is ridiculous but ......MB suv was followed by Porsche suv. I've never seen a commercial for either or personally seen one off road yet people still buy them. I think @ that rate is more status than functionality
...... you're probably right that it's mostly status.... but don't forget the functionality they get in the way of that huge interior space vs. a sedan. That part is practical, and likely does get utilized, even with these high-end brands/buyers. Just 'cause they don't go off-road doesn't mean they don't need an SUV or truck. Ten bucks says MOST Ridgelines have not been off-road either (as in >50%).
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I can't speak about the Porsche SUVs, other than to say the Macan and Cayenne are Porsche's biggest sellers so they must be doing something right. But I can speak to the MB SUVs because I own the ML350. This is not a "ridiculous" vehicle, as you described it - not by any stretch of the imagination. Anyone describing it (or any MB for that matter) as "ridiculous" does not have a clue what the brand is all about or its heritage. I have owned many different trucks and cars over the past fifty years and this has been the best overall and by a considerable margin. The engineering is top notch, the materials and fit/finish can not be duplicated by anyone else other than an exotic brand, and the safety and technology features are state of the art. If that is "ridiculous", sign me up.
Are there better values out there in terms of "functionality"? Sure, there might be. But there has to be a definition of both "value" and "functionality" to even begin the discussion because they can mean different things to different people. Just because the majority of drivers of Porsche and MB SUVs do not off-road, does not mean they are incapable of doing so. I would venture to say the same thing about Ridgeline owners. The current Jeep GC is considered one of the best off-road SUVs around and it was designed around the underpinnings of the ML. Look under both vehicles and notice how much stouter everything is in the ML. It was the Jeep that was the imitator.
And as far as advertisement is concerned, the ML (now the GLE) is shown on tv daily, and on various channels. It can not possibly be missed, especially if you watch any sports at all. Status has something to do with it for some people I suppose, but as I explained in earlier posts, I felt more "exclusive" in the Ridgeline and was noticed far more (at least at first) than I ever have been in the MB. In any event, once you reach my age, you will find "status" in an automobile is the least concern of all.
Are there better values out there in terms of "functionality"? Sure, there might be. But there has to be a definition of both "value" and "functionality" to even begin the discussion because they can mean different things to different people. Just because the majority of drivers of Porsche and MB SUVs do not off-road, does not mean they are incapable of doing so. I would venture to say the same thing about Ridgeline owners. The current Jeep GC is considered one of the best off-road SUVs around and it was designed around the underpinnings of the ML. Look under both vehicles and notice how much stouter everything is in the ML. It was the Jeep that was the imitator.
And as far as advertisement is concerned, the ML (now the GLE) is shown on tv daily, and on various channels. It can not possibly be missed, especially if you watch any sports at all. Status has something to do with it for some people I suppose, but as I explained in earlier posts, I felt more "exclusive" in the Ridgeline and was noticed far more (at least at first) than I ever have been in the MB. In any event, once you reach my age, you will find "status" in an automobile is the least concern of all.
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