2017+ Honda Ridgeline owners?

Joined
Feb 19, 2009
Messages
735
Location
Minnesota
I've been looking at mid sized trucks to fulfill the following duties:

-Homeowner~ New home so we take lots of trips to Home Depot etc to pick up mulch, dirt, plants, wood for shelving etc. Also runs to the compost heap with grass clippings.
- Camping~ We camp multiple times a year and every time we come home our Rav4 is thrashed on the inside from dirty gear and hauling wood etc.It takes hours of vacuuming/cleaning. Granted, a rubber mat in the back of he rav4 would help, but all the camping gear and wood etc bangs up the interior over time. A bed where we could throw that stuff and not worry would be great.
- Biking~ It sure would be nice to be able to throw the bikes/scooters in the back of a truck instead of loading them onto a carrier etc.
- Fishing~ I would like to get a smaller fishing/hunting boat, need something to tow it.
- Dirt bikes~ I would like to get into dirt bike riding with my son. Need something to tow a trailer with the bikes.

So far even though I've historically not been super pleased with my Honda vehicles, it's been around 10 years since I purchased one and the Ridgeline seems to tick all the boxes so i've been looking at the brand again. The car like ride and bed trunk are very attractive along with the FWD biased AWD system for winters here in MN. The ruggedness of a Ford Ranger FX4 or even the new Nissan Frontier is cool, but I don't think I really need that. I don't off road etc. The Ridgeline seems like it could handle some light sand/rocks etc if we need.

Any 2017+ Ridgeline owners, any issues/complaints? How does it do in the snow?
 
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I just bought a AWD 2017 Ridgeline RTL. I was shopping Tacoma, Canyon, Colorado, and Ranger. If getting one get the AWD. Tow capacity goes from 3500 to 5000 and does not affect gas mileage to much.

I went with the ridgeline as I liked it seemed to get better gas mileage than the others in real world driving. I got 27mpg averaging 70-80mph from NC to VA for example. Better riding due to fully independent suspension. I don't plan to tow more than 5k and the 1500pound payload was higher than other mid-sized trucks.
I drove it 300miles back home after buying it. Ride was great; not to soft or firm. Felt fully in control even during the crazy rain storms on the way back.

Only driven it a little since but liked the trunk for storage so my little one did not have to share the back seat with anything.

I can get my 27.5" bike in the bed with the front wheel turned around.


Now if you are planning to tow 5k+ then yea skip it. Or if you want to modify/lift it then less options for that. So stick with the others for that.
The other thing is it feels bigger than it is. I had a V8 Dakota and other trucks before. Maybe its due to the better materials inside, but feels like I am driving a full size truck. Maybe I just need more time in it.
 
The Ridgeline is a nice rig. It isn't a truck. They are expensive to buy but hold their value well. I believe they are pretty reliable as I haven't heard much ill said about them. Your money.....but if it was me I would move to a 1/2 ton from the big three.
 
Its an awesome all rounder - may be the best vehicle Ive ever owned.

I do light farm work with all the time, and have towed at max capacity through the scorching desert heat.

It does GREAT in the snow the AWD system is amazing, as good or very close to the best "euro" systems and I don't impress easily and have a larger 1/2 ton and an AWD lexus hybrid.

Not perfect I have small issues with thing like how wide the rear doors open (there is a kit for this ), but overall I would absolutely buy again.


UD





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A Metris, Transit Connect, or Promaster City might also be good choices. A passenger/cargo with a (foldable or removable) second row seat seems like it would work well for your intended usage.
 
I was in the same situation as you. I had been looking at Ridgelines for a long time, but ultimately, the lack of rear seat space was a deal killer for me.

For the same price as the Ridgeline I was able to purchase a Ram 1500. Rams use coils in the rear and deliver ride quality that is almost as good as the Ridgeline.
 
The ram is the best riding half ton, but nowhere near as quiet at highway speed and light years away from mileage.

There is gigantic difference size between the midsize ridgeline and the new half tons.

We pretty much have them all at our company and I get to ride and compare firsthand.

Heres our group about to go for a an off-road / shooting trip.

The ridges dual opening gate, bed trunk really work great for light to medium duty work.


UD




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I have a older Ridgeline, 2006 that I purchase used in 2006 with 17K. I now have 195K. No issues at all. Easy to maintain drives like a car. Best truck I ever owned. I had Chevy S10 and Nissan.
 
The things I worry about are: timing belts around 100k and cylinder deactivation. So far cylinder deactivation hasn't caused any real problems but the complex motor mounts used to tame NVH while in 3 cyl mode are costly. Overall I think it's a great truck, but there are some long term ownership costs.
 
All the timing belt cars have maintenance points that must be attended to - no doubt - but it isnt so simple as that.

Timing chains on many DOHC vehicles have been problematic since the introduction of direct injection.
A quick search will reveal multitudes of problems with timing chains at mileages Earlier than a belt replacment.

There have been some REAL problems with GM v6's in this regard.

The vcm "type" activation is present on a lot of vehicles in a different forms.
GM has its version that gets plugged up solenoids,
Ecoboost have cam phaser failures...
Chrysler has its version etcetera...

You will find people obsessed with deactivating these in every forum.

The belt will be a maintenance expense but what it won't be is a surprise problem.

I won't bother because I feel it works great and is very unobtrusive, and what little bit I feel of feels like savings to me
Road surface makes FAR more difference in NVH than VCM.

If you've eve driven a stick the feel is similar to pulling a higher gear vs downshift.

The honda VCM is many generations old now and had been brought down to 2 modes vs the earlier gens 3 modes.

The ridgeline motor mounts are dual frequency and much beefier than the older style so I suspect they've fixed this with gen2.

UD
 
Nothing wrong with a Ridgeline, they serve a definite purpose even if I don't really care for them (or any Honda post-2002ish). Don't be concerned about the timing belt service, honestly if you're half decent with a wrench you can do it yourself. Honda J-series timing belts are one of my favorite to do, regardless of application. They're so simple even a novice can do it after watching a YouTube video or two.
 
There is a reason they sell as many in a year as the big three sell in a day. It's a car. Not a truck. If you want a truck buy a real truck. If you want a burger use real beef.
 
Originally Posted by ToadU
There is a reason they sell as many in a year as the big three sell in a day. It's a car. Not a truck. If you want a truck buy a real truck. If you want a burger use real beef.


Most people use their trucks like cars, though
smirk2.gif
 
Quote
There is a reason they sell as many in a year as the big three sell in a day. It's a car. Not a truck.


That was actually a selling point to me considering how I would be using the vehicle. With over half my driving being interstate trips, my needs were for an comfortable interstate cruiser that could still bring home a stack of plywood and 2x4's when needed. That is where a Ridgeline excels Superb seats, nice ride, outstanding sound system, very good handling for a truck thanks to the torque vectoring rear "differential", and 25+ mpg highway fuel economy.
With the rear seat folded up the interior is cavernous and I love the trunk under the bed as a place to keep tie down straps, trailer balls and other stuff you don't necessarily want on the inside with you all the time.

Shortcomings - I would like it more if the 3.5L was retuned for more torque and less revs, the rear doors limited opening as has been exhaustively documented everywhere, and at my preferred seat/steering wheel settings the speedometer is 100% obscured. Although it is rated with a modest towing capacity, I wouldn't tow very far with it simply because the tow/haul mode has the engine screaming at almost 4000 rpm at 70 mph.
 
I just couldn't get past the FWD fact, and for a little more I could get a half ton. If you have little kids/plan on having kids the extra room with a crew cab half ton is awesome to have.
 
Originally Posted by sloinker
The Ridgeline is a nice rig. It isn't a truck. They are expensive to buy but hold their value well. I believe they are pretty reliable as I haven't heard much ill said about them. Your money.....but if it was me I would move to a 1/2 ton from the big three.


He's asking for input from ‘actual' owners. And yes, it's a truck. As for moving to a truck from the big 3, he wants something reliable. Cheers.
 
Originally Posted by UncleDave
The ram is the best riding half ton, but nowhere near as quiet at highway speed and light years away from mileage.

There is gigantic difference size between the midsize ridgeline and the new half tons.

We pretty much have them all at our company and I get to ride and compare firsthand.

Heres our group about to go for a an off-road / shooting trip.

The ridges dual opening gate, bed trunk really work great for light to medium duty work.


UD



Not sure about the previous gen Ram's, but the current gen (2019+) with normal tires is about as quiet as the Ridgeline. Plus the Ram now offers a multi-function tailgate that offers similar functionality to the Ridgeline.

I agree that gas mileage is still a minus for a full-size, but the gap continues to close. CR tested an eTorque 4x4 and got 17 combined, a ridgeline was 20.
 
All really good points, thank you for all the input so far! Just a few points I want to respond to.

- Comments about the cost of the Ridgeline as well as being able to buy a half ton or full size for the same or less. I do completely agree, I was initially looking at RAM 1500's as my dad has a newer one. However, I really don't want to drive a full sized truck as my daily driver. I want to be able to park the truck in my garage etc. Also, I won't be towing more than 2-3 thousand pounds.
- The FWD biased nature of the AWD Ridgeline is really attractive in dealing with MN winters. I have driven RWD/4x4 Jeeps and trucks in MN winters before. Not a huge fan, especially in icy conditions. I don't like how the back end walks out in winter conditions in MN.
-Backseat space. I do have one 6 year old and will look at this more. From what I have seen, he would be just fine back there.
- Timing belt. I'm fine with a timing belt engine. It'll take me 7+ years to rack up 100K miles and at that point I'm ok with spending the $800 to have it done.
 
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Originally Posted by Huie83
All really good points, thank you for all the input so far! Just a few points I want to respond to.

- Comments about the cost of the Ridgeline as well as being able to buy a half ton or full size for the same or less. I do completely agree, I was initially looking at RAM 1500's as my dad has a newer one. However, I really don't want to drive a full sized truck as my daily driver. I want to be able to park the truck in my garage etc. Also, I won't be towing more than 2-3 thousand pounds.
- The FWD biased nature of the AWD Ridgeline is really attractive in dealing with MN winters. I have driven RWD/4x4 Jeeps and trucks in MN winters before. Not a huge fan, especially in icy conditions. I don't like how the back end walks out in winter conditions in MN.
-Backseat space. I do have one 6 year old and will look at this more. From what I have seen, he would be just fine back there.
- Timing belt. I'm fine with a timing belt engine. It'll take me 7+ years to rack up 100K miles and at that point I'm ok with spending the $800 to have it done.


If I were in the truck market again, the Ridge and Ram would be my top two choices for all the reasons stated above.

What I love about the Ridgeline is the size and AWD system. The AWD system is one of the best and in winter/rain/slush you name it, it will be very beneficial.

"Living in northern Canada with snow and ice on the road for 6 months a year, SHAWD is more valuable than off-road capabillity. 4x4 trucks just dont work well on patchy icy roads."
 
Originally Posted by buster
Originally Posted by Huie83
All really good points, thank you for all the input so far! Just a few points I want to respond to.

- Comments about the cost of the Ridgeline as well as being able to buy a half ton or full size for the same or less. I do completely agree, I was initially looking at RAM 1500's as my dad has a newer one. However, I really don't want to drive a full sized truck as my daily driver. I want to be able to park the truck in my garage etc. Also, I won't be towing more than 2-3 thousand pounds.
- The FWD biased nature of the AWD Ridgeline is really attractive in dealing with MN winters. I have driven RWD/4x4 Jeeps and trucks in MN winters before. Not a huge fan, especially in icy conditions. I don't like how the back end walks out in winter conditions in MN.
-Backseat space. I do have one 6 year old and will look at this more. From what I have seen, he would be just fine back there.
- Timing belt. I'm fine with a timing belt engine. It'll take me 7+ years to rack up 100K miles and at that point I'm ok with spending the $800 to have it done.


If I were in the truck market again, the Ridge and Ram would be my top two choices for all the reasons stated above.

What I love about the Ridgeline is the size and AWD system. The AWD system is one of the best and in winter/rain/slush you name it, it will be very beneficial.

"Living in northern Canada with snow and ice on the road for 6 months a year, SHAWD is more valuable than off-road capabillity. 4x4 trucks just dont work well on patchy icy roads."


Agreed, the torque-vectoring capability of i-VTM 4 is great...this system will outperform almost any other AWD installation found on your average crossover. Honda giving the SH-AWD system to the Honda line in the Ridgeline and Pilot is a steal.
 
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