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Ridgeline Looks - Success or Failure

19439 Views 92 Replies 58 Participants Last post by  casique, 
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My Opinion - Long Post

Soft. Girly. Bland. Round. Blah. These are just some of the words I have read in this forum over the past few days. Are they true? Maybe, but everyone has a right to their opinions and the famous quote "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" has never been more true than with the introduction of the Gen 2 Ridgeline right? Wrong, and here's why:

From when the first generation of Ridgeline was introduced to the day the last one was sold, the looks were NOT described using the adjectives shown above. It was either A) Nice looking or B) It's ugly. There was very little middle ground with the Gen 1 Ridgeline looks. Now some people who thought it was ugly ended up buying one because of the clever features and utility and "Honda." If the Gen 1 Ridgeline was anything it was polarizing in the looks department. We can all say what we want but we all know that if you don't like the looks of a vehicle you won't enjoy owning the vehicle. Personally I pride myself on owning practical, well made vehicles but even I want the thing to look decent!

Now, many (most) of the previous and current Gen1 owners blame the lack of sales of the Gen 1 squarely on the shoulders of Honda marketing and advertising. I don't know how many times I have heard "Honda should have had more commercials" or "Honda should have more internet ads." True, to a point. What you guys are forgetting is the LOOKS of the Gen 1 Ridgeline. Like it or hate it... there is no in-between. We have forgotten this in the past 10 years. In my opinion the Gen 1 low sales numbers were low mainly because of the body design and the "look" of the vehicle. How many times have you heard or read about that "sail" or the "high bed" or all the other descriptive words people say? I heard "It's ugly" more times than I could count. Sure, when they rode in it they loved it. When they got out they hated it. Many vehicles have been wildly successful with minimal advertising and marketing. My 4Runner is a prime example. They have run a few commercials over the past six years (four I think) and they sold 100K units last year. Word of mouth is much more valuable than advertising and vehicle looks trumps them all.

With that said I have read several comments in the past few days lamenting the fact that the Gen 2 does not look like the Gen 1! Really? You don't want Honda to sell many of the Gen 2 Ridgelines?

Honda designs are typically bland. The Gen 1 Ridgeline was bold and you see what happened. Tacoma's got redesigned last year and you have to look hard to see what they changed. Why screw with a good thing? The CR-V and the Pilot are two of the best selling vehicles in their class. If looks are so important (and they are) why NOT make a truck with the same basic look as their successful siblings! Your argument is going to be "In the truck market, things have to be manly and tough." I call BS on that. There is nothing tough or manly about the Chevy Colorado. Heck, what is a tough or manly look anyhow? Put muscles and a mustache on it? Make it tall and rugged with a few scars?

The new Ridgeline is fairly bland, true, but apparently America wants bland. Look at the top sellers in each class. Bland is king. Even the F series truck (which hasn't changed significantly in years) is bland, yet they sell a bunch of them. For all those that feel miffed because they think the past and current Ridgeline owners aren't getting what THEY want? Think for a minute: How many are there? Enough to make the Gen 2 successful? I think not. Also you are getting most everything you had (pass through excepting) in hopefully a broader appeal package. If I were Honda I wouldn't listen to me when it came to the looks department... I thought the Gen 1 looked nice lol. Yeah, me and not very many others.

Bottom line is this: The Gen 2 Ridgeline is basically a Pilot with a bed. Sure, it has some clever features and a few different styling ques but in essence it is exactly that: Bland, not over the top, no wild colors, in other words, comfortable. So some of you can criticize the look as bland or girly or even "meh." The truth is the "bold" experiment of the Gen 1 didn't work so well. The proof on how successful the Gen 2 Ridgeline will be is in the sales numbers. I think they will succeed precisely for the reason some of you think they will fail... looks.
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eurban said:
I have read through this thread a couple of times and for the life of me can't figure out what you and HiPSI are complaining about??? This thread has been more on topic than most and with people discussing the trucks appearance (OUTSIDE AND INSIDE); will it be a SUCCESS or FAILURE?? THAT WAS THE F'N TOPIC. We just saw the truck a few days ago and are now discussing what we saw. How is this "old crap" . . .And so what if it is a done deal! We are still discussing the success or failure of the design. Again that is the f'n topic! Y'all need to be the ones moving on!! And PSI your whining (repeatedly) about the whining is condescending nonsenese . . .

RANT OVER!

Sorry for the departure, But I just couldn't let that stand . . . .
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Do you go to a store, I mean make a special trip, just to tell the clerk and potential customers that you are not buying that shirt because it costs too much? No. You look at the price and if you think it's too high you move on.

I wouldn't say anything if some of you guys only posted once or twice about what you don't like about the Gen 2 but one guy has posted five times that I have seen about why he isn't going to buy it. Go rant at him dude. You old guys are about to get several thousand new members so you better get ready...
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eurban said:
I have read through this thread a couple of times and for the life of me can't figure out what you and HiPSI are complaining about??? This thread has been more on topic than most and with people discussing the trucks appearance (OUTSIDE AND INSIDE); will it be a SUCCESS or FAILURE?? THAT WAS THE F'N TOPIC. We just saw the truck a few days ago and are now discussing what we saw. How is this "old crap" . . .And so what if it is a done deal! We are still discussing the success or failure of the design. Again that is the f'n topic! Y'all need to be the ones moving on!! And PSI your whining (repeatedly) about the whining is condescending nonsenese . . .

RANT OVER!

Sorry for the departure, But I just couldn't let that stand . . . .
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My bad Eurban.... I should have included a quote, but didn't really want to snipe that much. It's overcome at this point & not that important in any case. Just reached my limit of judgmental statements presumptuously characterizing intent on the part of both Honda and of us as owners / potential buyers. (those overblown statements were what I was referring to as off topic) I value everyone's opinions, but some don't get expressed as opinions; and none of us is all-knowing. I should be less sensitive. I regret having added to the distraction.

If you didn't see it, that's a good thing. Unpushing buttons now........ ;)
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Dnick said:
Some comments a few posts back about what "truck buyers" want... and Honda can't or won't deliver that with RL.
That's such an old load of crap. Are we not truck buyers? Really?
I've owned bigger/badder trucks, and if I needed/wanted one now, they are out there & available. The RL is NOT in competition with F150, RAM or any other full size truck.

It stands very capably amongst mid size truck offerings, and offers a uniquely different set of attributes. If you don't like them, that's fine. But to suggest that Honda can't build something "just like the others" is ludicrous. The point & root of the RLs best features comes from the fact that it is NOT engineered & built just like the others. And so far as towing goes, I'd tow anything with a RL that can be towed with a similarly equipped Taco, Frontier, GM Twin.

This vehicle (our vehicle), the Ridgeline is what it is intended to be. It's better in ways others cannot compare & lacks in some specific areas that are others' strengths. What's the big deal about this.... if you want what those others offer & can live without what the Ridgeline provides, then there's the door. The choice is there for all of us. It's just tiring to hear the same groans about "they could do this" and "they could do that" wrt heavier towing, gorilla engines, BOF, etc. etc.

It just seems dumb to me to criticize a vehicle for not being more like some other vehicle. Make your choice & move on.

And why THIS is even being discussed on a thread that was intended to discuss the 2017 RL looks is beyond me. For my part - sorry for the departure. But I just couldn't let that stand. Done.
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I agree.........

As far as "styling", I think it's generally pretty good and modern. Not a traditional "big 3" boxy style, but I expect they will change in the future too. Remember when Dodge introduced the lowered front fender styling that still prevails in their current lineup? That was a significant departure from their former super boxy shapes. There were a lot of haters back then.

Lastly, as disappointed as some are that Honda didn't come up with something to compete with the full size pickups, I think that would have been a foolish move. The domestics have a firm hold on the segment, Toyota has a very capable Tundra, but it sells in much lower numbers than the domestics. Now Nissan is bringing a new Titan to the market (which I think will probably be a good "trucky" truck but won't be a big seller compared to the others). Pretty crowded market segment. Instead, Honda is targeting a niche market with a unique product and believes it can "grow" this niche - which I believe is correct.

It will be good when the new Gen 2 is on the dealer lots so we can actually see the real thing and form more meaningful opinions based on that. I do think it will be more attractive and impressive in person. One last comment about styling: Several have said Gen 2 looks real good in some views/angles and not in others. I think the same holds true with Gen 1 only more so - IMO my '13 black Sport looks rugged and aggressive at certain angles.....................yet awkward, bulky, and old from other perspectives.
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The thread title does indicate success or failure which can be understood as positive and negative. Here are some positives below. For anyone to dismiss it and suggest they just go buy something else is a bit over the top, and move on like they are not welcome here just because its not what some want to hear, is not good.

Perhaps we should all just ignore it and move on just like the overpriced grocery item guy at the checkout. Its only an opinion and in most cases guys are just being honest and that honesty is sometimes the actual truth. Maybe the truth can hurt I don't know why, but it seems to be perhaps the case.

Lets move on and enjoy even it its positive and negative. I would be the first to congratulate any of you fellows on your new 2017 gen 2 RL! If it works for you get the deal done and start posting data!

Success which means positive:

1) cleaned up the back end lines nicely looks simple but clean and elegant no confusion at all which means it will be neutral and accepted more widely.

I like the definition line between the cab even though it seems to be getting some negitve attention.

2) Length bed wise is prefect for a midsize for their targeted audience. Workemen may want more (who knows) I don't think they target that audience though. imo
3) Interior size good doesn't change, storage useful like before.

4) Overall look in Honda's target audience will probably find it appealing not polarizing. Could lead to some new outside sells.

5) The looks will also appeal to people who don't want lifts don't care for more heavy offroad ( no not rock crawling)

6) Empty nesters will love it, people who are done with big trucks and custom cute built trucks from the factory.

7 If I hadn't grown out of first RL, or had Honda made it more heavy duty in its technical ability I would be interested even with the looks. (maybe/ maybe not ) Cost is another issue (negative)

Failure: Forget it, no need to get attacked here over it. Smile and enjoy the positives.
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Dragonslayer
I have had my 06 since July of 2005, been on this forum for a very long time, went to the first All Cal meet in Santa Cruz. At that time the Ridge was still gawked at and often derided. If I had a dollar for every time someone ridiculed the truck, called it a sissy truck or, ha ha, a ricer, I could have paid my truck off early. It looked nothing like any other truck and here in far northern California, I was the first to get one and only one around for nearly a year. I was a rolling ad for the truck and showed it off often. The two biggest features that sold it was the trunk and back seats, biggest objection has always been the canted bed rails and the side sails. I now know a lot of people in my town that own one and love them, some of them that got introduced to it by me or by my recomendation to check out the Ridgeline owners club. I carried home made cards and brochures downloaded from the site, passed them around to anyone interested in the truck or had one and wanted more information about this club.

What interested me in the gen 1 was its safety ratings, crew cab for my dogs, all wheel drive and it was a Honda. I had been driving a Subaru, loved its all wheel drive and up here in our rain, mud, snow and rough roads, all wheel made better sense then four wheel for most situations. If Subaru had listened to me, they would have made a significantly larger Baja with a V6. I still like the Baja, no less ugly then the Ridgeline. I did not buy the RL because it was pretty, but because it was functional. But hey, I drove an old 64 International Harvester for 10 years. Sturdiest truck I have ever driven or owned. Drove a 74 Chevy Cheyenne all wheel drive for another 10, loved the looks of that truck, gas was crazy, 6 to 8 city, 10 highway. Fell in love with the Ridgeline, right off the bat, if they had made the outside as sturdy as the inside of the bed, for work people like me, I would have been in heaven. Honda should have done at least an interior redesign four of five years ago to prepare the buyers for a new generation. 10 years is a long time for a nearly unchanged vehicle and then to drop a new design, I am sure they must have expected some back draft.

I have always been curious, what was the point of the sloped bed rail and side sails on gen 1. Aerodynamics?
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Dragonslayer said:
I have always been curious, what was the point of the sloped bed rail and side sails on gen 1. Aerodynamics?
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Rigidity. That, and invisible reinforcement at the front of the bed under the rear window, gave the Ridgeline rigidity far beyond what other light trucks of the day had. I don't know about today, though. Ford certainly beefed up the frame of their F-150 around 2009.

Without special consideration for rigidity, it's easy to build a ladder frame with longitudinal strength, but hard to build one for torsional strength. This is a hidden part of why the Ridgeline is surprisingly stable when towing a trailer near its documented limits. Trailer sway can introduce frame flex to a body-on-frame tow vehicle, transmitting a wave from rear to front, destabilizing the entire rig. It's called a "wild ride".

More detail about the Ridgeline's design is here: http://www.pickuptrucks.com/html/2006/honda/ridgeline/interview.html

More detail about this w.r.t. ladder frame design is here:
http://www.ridgelineownersclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=646565&postcount=9

Getting back on topic regarding the looks of the new Ridgeline: I'm fine with it. It doesn't really matter. I care what the truck can do, how reliably and comfortably it can do it, and how much it costs.

I do not care much about how rounded any body panels are because I am an adult who isn't worried by what appears to be a major motivating factor in truck-buying, "phallic insecurity". Anyone who has seen what passed for a compact Fiat truck in Europe understands that not everyone's purchases are directed by the constant need for, er, frontal reassurance.
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Hillbilly Ridge
Posted this elsewhere, but applies/fits here too. I'm a very long time Honda owner. I've have a 93 Accord since new & also an 11 CR-V, (& many others in the past). I like the new RL's looks, a lot. I like the G1 too, but my wife hated it's looks, so we never got one, but now that may change. The more traditional looks will sway her (and I think many) to allow us to consider one. The CR-V is great, but it's not a truck, the new RL will fix that. My biggest concerns are how reliable it will be(Honda has had some probs of late) and how much it costs. 40k+ for a top of the line will hurt it's sales, IMO.
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Keep in mind that the Ridgeline is a much more complex vehicle to build than the ladder frame pickups. It should be a safer pickup to drive also because of it's construction.

Just saying, that's one way I understand the higher price than the more conventional pickups. Pay more but get more.
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25 Year Honda Owner
Hillbilly Ridge said:
My biggest concerns are how reliable it will be(Honda has had some probs of late) and how much it costs. .[/QUOTE

Reliability, I can only speak for myself; RL owner since spring of 2005; 2006 RTL, 2008 RTL, 2013 RTL. "0" problems. Honda in general, 18 since 1981, 1 warranty claim on an 84 Accord for a transmission bearing. As far as cost, that is TBD, I would think 2 trim levels over $40K and an entry level in the low $30K range. My 3 have all been RTL W/O Navi and that is the route I would take with the GEN II.
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feetdry said:
Keep in mind that the Ridgeline is a much more complex vehicle to build than the ladder frame pickups. It should be a safer pickup to drive also because of it's construction.

Just saying, that's one way I understand the higher price than the more conventional pickups. Pay more but get more.
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Why do you think that the Ridge is going to be significantly more expensive than the comparably equipped competition?

Those complaining about the potential $40kplus price tag probably haven't looked at top end midsize truck pricing recently.

Honda will be well aware of the pricing of the competition and they will price the GenII Ridge accordingly.
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catseye
Success. BIG.
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rollinhonda
I looked at the front end of my gen 1 today (and I have the optional blacked out sport grille) and thought, they blew it with the gen 2.
I liked the front end of the earlier 2006-2008 even better than mine. Gen 1 looks more like a truck, especially from the front..gen 2 looks better at the rear. But that is not what is usually coming towards you!

If you like it and want it, I am sure it is a good truck, after all it's based on the gen 1. But as far as attracting new owners...it wont come easy.
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oarnold
I was stopped at an intersection today, across from a Chevy Colorado coming my direction. It was a more basic model, not girded up with trim kits. Except for the front fascia, I thought it could as well have been a Gen 2 RL. The aerodynamic smoothing is the future, and what looks "soft" now will become the new norm.
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rollinhonda
oarnold said:
I was stopped at an intersection today, across from a Chevy Colorado coming my direction. It was a more basic model, not girded up with trim kits. Except for the front fascia, I thought it could as well have been a Gen 2 RL. The aerodynamic smoothing is the future, and what looks "soft" now will become the new norm.
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Certainly to meet new CAFE standards. As may be the case with the gen 2, some new models try too hard to meet everyone's approval. Ending up with a vehicle that looks like it was designed by a committee. Of course it is not that bad.

Should be interesting to see what new concept is in the works for the next Toyota trucks since all their cars have morphed into a curvy, sleek thing with gigantic big mouths\ front ends.

But their trucks might have small mouths... no macho thing here..but more strange than 'soft'I think.

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FTM1
rollinhonda said:
Certainly to meet new CAFE standards. As may be the case with the gen 2, some new models try too hard to meet everyone's approval. Ending up with a vehicle that looks like it was designed by a committee. Of course it is not that bad.

Should be interesting to see what new concept is in the works for the next Toyota trucks since all their cars have morphed into a curvy, sleek thing with gigantic big mouths\ front ends.

But their trucks might have small mouths... no macho thing here..but more strange than 'soft'I think.
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I don't know why people have fits over the look of Acura beak Grille but the accept this thing from Lexus.
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I have never cared for the plain vanilla looks of most Toyotas and Hondas. "Offend no one" at the expense of making any sort of statement. I have to give Toyota credit for recently balking that trend with the unifying "fish mouth" theme that they have going on. I personally don't care much for it in most executions but it has set them apart from the rest of the vanilla field. That Lexus may not be your cup of tea but it is a hell of a lot bolder of a design than the Acura stuff. I can respect that even if I don't care for how it looks . . .

Is it a good sales move? Hard to say. I might be like Starbucks shaping the coffee tastes of the masses. They got everyone hooked on a strong, burnt coffee flavor that now seems to be equated with quality.
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rollinhonda
I like the analogy.. maybe because I enjoy coffee so much (like Kick Ass and Death Wish) but I digress.

I agree on Toyota testing the waters.. seems pretty brazen but it seems to work for them.
I actually think they are pretty cool, but for someone else not me.
The Acura grilles never really bothered me except they seem to be getting too old now, and due a change. Or maybe it's just the coffee talking!
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I'm neutral on the "looks" of the Gen2. But I'm not pleased with the overall vehicle. While I'm sure Honda believes they have hit their target demographic (whatever that may be), I think they missed the target entirely for those of us who hoped for a more truck-like Gen2. Then they added VCM--the "deal-breaker" for me. No matter how improved the newer VCM may be, I won't buy a vehicle if it has VCM.

Been there, done that, don't want a re-play.

Oh well.....

Sigh....
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C
As an outsider who has never owned a Honda Ridgeline I have to say the new model has totally caught my eye. I've been searching for a replacement truck since my 04 Nissan Titan is getting up there in age 115k and I'm tired of stupid things breaking on it (window regulators, axle seals, rear brakes, IPDM, ATP 4x4 switch,front brakes-3 times from being undersized, rear brake line, emergency brake that doesn't hold, passenger power seat broke, rear seat belt wouldn't retrack, radiator cracked, manifold leaks, CD player doesn't work, AUX jack doesn't work).

My wife and I really like the new Pilot and now that I've seen the new Gen2 Ridgeline I'm excited to check it out. We have an 08 Honda Odyssey that has been down right unbreakable in the years we've owned it, seriously the ONLY thing we have done is oil changes,1 battery, tires, windshield wipers, and a timing belt at 110k--we're still on the original brakes front and rear!!!

The reliability alone of the Odyssey has made the new Ridgeline my #1 pick even if it's not a true "truck". I've only owned full size trucks (Ford F150-transmission OD blew @ 62k plus numerous other stupid crap, Chevy Silverado 1500- engine valve @90k plus a slew of sensors, never attempted owning a dodge) I'm willing to give this thing a look; even the FWD model since there's less to go wrong.

What caught my eye is the bed with the large storage compartment underneath that I'll be able to put some of my common tools for jobs I do for people. That along with the Odyssey like ride, better fuel mileage and quiet interior are all HUGE pluses for me and the kids. I'm really excited to see one in person.

Sorry for the long post!
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jonesbb630
FTM1 said:
I don't know why people have fits over the look of Acura beak Grille but the accept this thing from Lexus.
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That's because Acura has an ugly design and Lexus looks awesome.
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