2017 Ridgeline and 2015 Land Cruiser - review

[Canyonero]

So my 200 is a great family adventure rig. But sometimes you need a truck. For me, sometimes I need a vehicle that's got the bed, can hold my family and still tow. Towing with the LC is an exercise in inefficiency and a great way to see all the gas stations along your route.

I previously posted that I was considering a 2017 Ford Raptor (that thread didn't go so well, ahem) because I missed the functionality of a pickup truck. I love my 200, but sometimes you just need a truck. I ruled out the Raptor pretty quick based on a number of factors related to my intended use of the truck and some other concerns.

So I was going to get a Tacoma. I like the Tacoma - love the look of it, love the toughness of it, I've had great experiences with owning Toyotas and I was confident it wouldn't let me down. But then I did some soul-searching on what I would ACTUALLY USE a truck for. I already have a built 200 Series, and I also have a Honda Pioneer SXS, so my off-road stable is pretty full.

Did I need an off-road capable pickup?

No. No, I did not.

So when I evaluated my truck wants and needs, here's what I came up with:

1) Comfortable
2) Technologically advanced
3) Tough enough for suburban life and what I would likely throw at it; can handle basic dirt and rutted roads for camping or getting to trailheads
4) Able to seat 5 and pull a trailer - my 3,000 trailer/Honda Pioneer at least, in Colorado, without too much struggle
5) Easy to drive and park would be a plus, coming from my last truck (2013 Tundra Crewmax) which was a nightmare at any grocery store parking lot
6) Efficient (for a truck) would be nice
7) Storage - I love my 200 series, but c'mon Toyota, there is seriously no storage in there

So, damn, I landed on a Ridgeline!

I know that it's not the ego-stroking truck many on here would buy - I totally get that. I do love the looks I get in my LC, and I enjoyed the attention I got in my Lexus RC-F too. But that's ok for me. I don't actually NEED that, as it turns out. Hell, I drive one of my company Prius's at work almost every day and it suits me fine.

So if anyone is interested to hear about the Ridgeline (Black Edition), here's my take:

1) I've driven it in the Colorado mountains in a couple snow storms with stock tires. It's AWD system is phenomenal, to the point where I'm frankly surprised it has all season tires on it.
2) I've driven it on the beach in Florida (I actually drove to Florida and back) and again, the AWD system is impressive. It has a "stuck" mode if you need it that supposedly acts as a locker to get you free. There are some pretty cool YouTube videos on this tech if you're interested. Driving it anywhere, is actually fun - it corners well and feels pretty planted and powerful.
3) It tows my 3,000 pound trailer and family of 5 anywhere, without any trouble. The 280hp and 6 speed transmission are well-sorted and just yesterday I towed through the mountains, while my brother was following me with his 5.7 Tundra and he was towing his SxS (also around 3,000 lbs combined weight.) He was blown away that the Ridgeline could pull 80mph uphill, in the wind. I've towed the same setup with my LC, and my LC (as built, anyway) felt like it was working harder with the same load, despite being rated to tow 8100lbs.
4) It's comfortable. Like, really comfortable. All day comfortable. Great seats, great ergonomics.
5) It has cool tech. LKAS (Lane Keep Assist) basically steers for you on the highway, even around turns, while ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) keeps the set distance. It's got in bed audio (surprisingly useful and with decent sound), and a lot of other great tech - including the best nav interface I've ever worked with. Apple carplay, 540 watt sound system, etc. etc.
6) Storage - lots of it. Giant console, tons of cubbies, and of course, the in bed trunk, which dramatically expands your cargo capacity. Back seats fold all the way up and there's just an enormous amount of space inside.
7) Efficient-ish. Well, it's still a V6 truck. But, considering it's full time AWD, I do get 25-27 highway and around 17-19 around town. Even pulling the trailer yesterday, over 200 miles, through the mountains, I averaged 13mpg. My LC would maybe have averaged the same amount without a trailer, and it would have had a lot more trouble going 80, as it's a rolling brick wall.
8) Easy to drive and park. It's basically a car that can do some decent truck stuff. The dimensions are nice for living with the vehicle daily.
9) Doesn't look very aggressive. I can't think of anything I don't like about the truck, but I would be ok if Honda designed it to look a little meaner. The Black Edition looks decent, but basically like any other small-ish truck out there.

So that's my take. I'm glad I got one, as it meets my needs and I think it's brilliantly engineered. We will see if it holds up to my use. I do tow fairly often, and I've already got about 6500 miles on it in just over a month of ownership (compared to 15k on my LC in over 2 years of ownership!)

 

[wardharris]

OK, time for a disclosure. I drive Toyotas (LC, Tacoma) and sell parts for Toyotas, but my wife wants a Honda Pilot. I love her and will do what she wants - a nice compromise. Congrats on the Ridgeline.

 

[Canyonero]

Will she settle for a Ridgeline? Same vehicle, basically, but the RL can tow and haul stuff...

My wife loves the RL. Throw a tonneau cover on there (Honda makes a nice one) and you've got all that extra storage.

 

[wardharris]

Will she settle for a Ridgeline? Same vehicle, basically, but the RL can tow and haul stuff...

Uh......no. The stuff she wants to haul (including passengers #5 and 6) like antiques/furniture, other treasures mean she needs the SUV vs. ute box.

PS - She has been driving an Odyssey since new 10 years ago and with limited exceptions she has been quite happy with it. If she gets the Honda, I get a used 200 to build for demo rig.

 

[TeCKis300]

But it doesn't have body on fra.....

But seriously, nice truck! Glad that Honda has the engineering chops and balls to think outside of the box. This is really all the truck that the casual truck owner needs. Thanks for the honest comparison.

 

[Markuson]

Now that they finally got rid of that crazy sloping bed angle...it looks like a nice little truck.

Nice review. Its funny, because I am far more inclined to read/respect a review of a Ridgeline by someone I know understands the appeal of the LC.

 

[mcgaskins]

Nice truck! I'll be honest I've been eyeing the new CRV for my wife and am looking forward to test driving it myself. The new gen Hondas are very nice vehicles and will undoubtedly last a long while holding value extremely well. Bonus for the Ridgeline is you don't see them very often on the road yet!

 

[Markuson]

Nice truck! I'll be honest I've been eyeing the new CRV for my wife and am looking forward to test driving it myself. The new gen Hondas are very nice vehicles and will undoubtedly last a long while holding value extremely well. Bonus for the Ridgeline is you don't see them very often on the road yet!

It seems like Honda must have replaced their chief designer or something...because suddenly their Civic looks cool again...their Ridgeline doesn't look weird...and the CRV looks great again.

 

[LCHardriver_02]

Our family have owned several Hondas prior to my 100 series and have had great luck with every one of them. I'll be honest and say that the Ridgeline had no appeal to me, but then again my towing needs are vastly different! If I replace the LX, it will be a Tundra to maintain the larger towing capacity and reliability.

As you might have seen in other threads, the reliability of my LX has not been great which has been very frustrating, but with a trailer that approaches 6k lbs and a tongue weight of over 600lbs, I need a truck that can handle that without a problem. That eliminates Honda from my truck list.

Nice write-up though. I am envious of your electronics.

 

[Hothonda]

Sensible choice....traditional pickup trucks are overkill for what most use them for in the real world.

 

[ryanCA]

Congrats (I believe I congratulated you prior on TW forum ) and great review.

Now if the TW Tacoma Fanboys were as nice as the Ih8Mud forum, the Ridgeline wouldn't get bashed there so much

Enjoy the truck in good health. I have the 17 Taco PRO 6MT for my needs, and if I can give up the 3 pedal, will be moving to a Tundra Double Cab in 2018.

Did you give up the RCF? I will be giving up my Orange RCF later this year.

 

[40Man]

Not a huge fan of the Ridgeline, but it does have a niche, and that gas mileage is great. I personally would not get a new Tacoma. The powertrain in the Tacoma leaves a lot to be desired, and needs some tweaking. I test drove four 2017 Tacomas (all autos), and the transmission does not like to hold a gear. Leaves a lot to be desired. I was pretty set on getting a Tacoma until those test drives. It was ultimately what caused me to look at a used 200 series instead.

 

[Canyonero]

Congrats (I believe I congratulated you prior on TW forum ) and great review.

Now if the TW Tacoma Fanboys were as nice as the Ih8Mud forum, the Ridgeline wouldn't get bashed there so much

Enjoy the truck in good health. I have the 17 Taco PRO 6MT for my needs, and if I can give up the 3 pedal, will be moving to a Tundra Double Cab in 2018.

Did you give up the RCF? I will be giving up my Orange RCF later this year.

Yes @ryanCA I think you did congratulate me, so thanks again, haha. Enjoy that 3rd pedal, that was one of my main reasons for initially wanting to go the Tacoma route!

Yes, I did sell the RC-F. What an amazing car that was! I'm hoping to jump back into the sports car world in a year or two, probably with a Porsche this time. Need to finish my garage to be renovated from 3 car to a 5-6 car...

 

[D21FJ60]

They do look sharp, thing that gets me is a donut spare mounted inside the bed...so what do you do if the bed is loaded down and you get a flat? Or is there a way to access spare without emptying bed?

 

[ryanCA]

Yes @ryanCA I think you did congratulate me, so thanks again, haha. Enjoy that 3rd pedal, that was one of my main reasons for initially wanting to go the Tacoma route!

Yes, I did sell the RC-F. What an amazing car that was! I'm hoping to jump back into the sports car world in a year or two, probably with a Porsche this time. Need to finish my garage to be renovated from 3 car to a 5-6 car...

Share your garage pics when done Enjoy the ridgeline and the future P car

You should give one garage bay to wifey.

Other 5 + lift in each = 10 cars for you.

That is what I do here

 

[Canyonero]

They do look sharp, thing that gets me is a donut spare mounted inside the bed...so what do you do if the bed is loaded down and you get a flat? Or is there a way to access spare without emptying bed?

Yes the spare is in the bed (between the bed and the trunk), but in the last 17 years I've had exactly 1 flat tire to ever change. Maybe I've just been lucky!

So I guess if I get a flat and it happens to be when there is stuff in the bed I would just move some of that stuff over to open the trunk (the trunk needs about 1/3 the bed to open.)

Given how often one needs to access the spare, I think that's brilliant packaging. And that trunk - holds a full size, 42 quart cooler plus a Yeti Hopper 30!

 

[wardharris]

Yes the spare is in the bed (between the bed and the trunk), but in the last 17 years I've had exactly 1 flat tire to ever change. Maybe I've just been lucky!

Fodder for a Chat thread - "When was your last flat and what did you have to move/unload?"

 

[M1911]

The one problem that I have with the Ridgeline is the mini spare tire. I take my 200 offroad, and I want a full-size spare.

I think the Ridgeline is more than enough truck for most people (not all people, most) who own full-size pickup trucks. The full-size pickup trucks have gotten so darn big and capable, that they are overkill for most of us. The sides of the bed are so high these days, that you can't reach in easily to grab something. And who really needs to tow 10,000 lbs? Don't get me wrong, some people do.

But in the 15 years that I've owned a vehicle that would tow more than 7,000 lbs (my V8 4Runner and now my 200), the biggest thing I've ever towed was a log splitter that probably weighed less than 1,000 lbs.

 

[ryanCA]

The sides of the bed are so high these days, that you can't reach in easily to grab something.

WELL SAID!!!!!

That is my problem too. Some of us who actually use trucks as trucks, I can't believe how deep the beds have gotten.

1999 Tacoma had the perfect bed height (for us normal humans) and you could reach inside from all sides.

 

[Canyonero]

The one problem that I have with the Ridgeline is the mini spare tire. I take my 200 offroad, and I want a full-size spare.

I think the Ridgeline is more than enough truck for most people (not all people, most) who own full-size pickup trucks. The full-size pickup trucks have gotten so darn big and capable, that they are overkill for most of us. The sides of the bed are so high these days, that you can't reach in easily to grab something. And who really needs to tow 10,000 lbs? Don't get me wrong, some people do.

But in the 15 years that I've owned a vehicle that would tow more than 7,000 lbs (my V8 4Runner and now my 200), the biggest thing I've ever towed was a log splitter that probably weighed less than 1,000 lbs.

I hear you, and that makes sense. But, I don't consider the Ridgeline to be something built for off-roading - certainly not the way I think of off-roading! I wouldn't try Hell's Revenge with it. I figure that mini spare will get me to a tire shop no problem.

A lot of cars don't even have spares! My last Lexus had a patch kit and a note that said "good luck."

As for the capability question - that's a big one. A big part of selling vehicles--and particularly pickup trucks--is selling a "lifestyle" and answering the "what if" questions about use. Like "what if I need to tow a house?" You're selling the "possibilities." But in reality, I think we all know that most jeeps don't hit the trails. Most pickup trucks don't tow or haul. Most 200's don't get modded and run trails in Moab. But I get that too--there's nothing wrong with buying what makes you happy. If a lifted super-duty diesel with truck nuts is your thing, go for it!