[MikeT]

Not absolutely accurate, but funny none the less:

Understeer is when you hit the wall with the front of the car.

Oversteer is when you hit the wall with the rear of the car.

Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall.

Torque is how far you take the wall with you.

Honda does not have a history of producing engines with a lot of low end torque. I loved the way my 2001 Jetta 1.8T GLS would pull from say 1700rpm all the way to the redline. I sometime wish the Ridge had more low end torque (Below 2000rpm), but that is only on rare occasions as I do not tow much at all.

 

[MikeT]

Having lived with a Ridgeline for over 3 years now, I can honestly say I find myself wishing it had more low-end torque. I love the sound of the engine, especially while accelerating, and it is definitely smoother than any V6 I've ever driven. But where I have issues with the engine is when I go up in the mountains on camping trips (I live in Colorado), driving on winding dirt roads with steep grades, I find that I have to mash the pedal all the way to the floor to make it up short/steep climbs. Otherwise, it just bogs down and feels like it has no power whatsoever. I don't like the way it feels in that situation at all, and really wish it could have more low-end torque to keep from having to floor it just to keep it going. My next truck will probably be a V8 (5.0 F150 hopefully). I think it would be better suited to my needs.

Throttle mapping. There are devices out there (Sprint booster) that changed the throttle mapping to give you more throttle with less pedal movement.