Honda Ridgeline wins MT Truck of the Year

[sciguy_0504]

Small car with independent suspension that gets over 30MPG award!

[Polish_Kris]

i saw it on some other survey just recently.  also CR has it as higly rated for that as well.

[post="62296"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I dunno <_< I know ppl with Focuses and they don't have good experiences with them

:huh:

[pow]

I dunno  <_<  I know ppl with Focuses and they don't have good experiences with them

:huh:

[post="62693"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

The early-build ones suffered from some build quality problems, but they eventually got it down. The Focus is a brilliantly packaged car, and the fancy multilink rear suspension is impressive for its price... the Corolla and Cobalt use twist-beams.

[BrewSwillis]

I dunno  <_<  I know ppl with Focuses and they don't have good experiences with them

:huh:

[post="62693"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

That's because you're biased towards Toyota's and foreign cars, and you probably hear what you want to hear.

[sciguy_0504]

I heard the Focus had a few dozen recalls and Ford didn't focus on making a high quality car, in the beginning, at least. I wouldn't buy one for that reason alone.

[Polish_Kris]

That's because you're biased towards Toyota's and foreign cars, and you probably hear what you want to hear.

[post="62737"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Actually, no.... sorry to burst ur bubble. I liked the Focus when it was out in Europe. Then I was still loyal towards it cause of it's European design. However, truth of the matter is, it is a car, at least the North American version, with one of the most recalls in North American automotive history. And now it's even pissing me off more that the euro Ford is moving ahead with it's nice new Focus, and NA Ford is being cheap and milking the old one until 2010.

[BrewSwillis]

The 2004 Ford Focus won two honors in Consumers Reports "Top Picks 2004:
The best models in 10 categories ":

#1 Small Sedan - Ford Focus
#1 Fun to Drive - Ford SVT Focus

http://www.consumerreports.org/static/0404pic1.html

[andretti]

The Cobalt has far more torque than the motorcycle motor thats in the Honda. I dont understand why japan thinks horsepower is key. Even though the Balt makes more of that as well. I want a vehicle who gets its power quickly, not wanting to feel like i gotta floor it to get it moving.

[post="61676"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Japan doesn't "think horsepower is key". Japan understands what the market wants and gives it to them. That is why they sell so many Civics. People like the HP and the smooth reving engines.

[The O.C.]

just was reading M/T's rag again why is it that the lowly Cobalt SS sedan had a better 1/4 mile time than the supposedly awesome neck snapping power machine with the 8000 rpm they call the Civic si?

for a car that pins its hopes on performace and the Si cannot beat the cobalt in the 1/4 mile.

[post="61641"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

.....man please DROP IT.....! :o

No, seriously.....didn't we put this to BED in the Civic thread? OK so you don't like the CIVIC....WE GET IT......

Geezus Reg....you piss me off sometimes.....

<_<

[The O.C.]

I dunno  <_<  I know ppl with Focuses and they don't have good experiences with them

:huh:

[post="62693"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I'd buy another Focus in a HEARTBEAT.....even the "old" one (now that Europe gets the "new" one.)

I had an SVT Focus for a bit over a year....and that was a HELL of a car....and I never had any problems with it....tight, no squeaks, rattles, nada.

The Focus is STILL one of the best-driving small cars out there (even in 'base' form....that's what makes it so good....the base car drives GREAT.)

[MyerShift]

Let's just admit it, the Ridgeline is not a real truck, it's just a poseur toy for fools who shouldn't be buying a truck in the first place and to the Asian Import sheep. As far as the topic is concerned, the only Japanese automaker that really has a "credible" truck is Nissan and its Titan. And, of course, people who have any idea what good looks are won't be caught dead is a Ridgeline either.

[Hudson]

Let's just admit it, the Ridgeline is not a real truck, it's just a poseur toy for fools who shouldn't be buying a truck in the first place and to the Asian Import sheep.

As far as the topic is concerned, the only Japanese automaker that really has a "credible" truck is Nissan and its Titan.

And, of course, people who have any idea what good looks are won't be caught dead is a Ridgeline either.

There have been many import-branded "credible" trucks...even the Ridgeline. They just don't fit YOUR definition of truck. There are hundreds of thousands of pickup buyers out there who don't need a full-frame, V8-powered, solid axle, 8-foot bed truck. Datsun and Toyota demonstrated this in the 1960s (heck, Hudson, Ford, Chevrolet, and others showed it in the 1950s). Mitsubishi, Isuzu, Subaru, and Mazda showed trucks that filled niches other than thoses occupied by the F-Series and C/K.

The Ridgeline fills another pickup-oriented gap in the marketplace. It's not a "lesser" truck, it's just another type of pickup. Stop trying to compare it to the F-Series/Silverado or even the Dakota/Tacoma pickups.

[BrewSwillis]

[MyerShift]

Sorry. I meant "credible" as in body-on frame and available/standard V8 power. They have to do things that the Silverado, Sierra, Ram, and F-Series and do them well. And this isn't about getting the groceries either. I just feel that trucks have to be able to haul a massive fifth wheel or something. Edited December 29, 2005 by S.Myers

[Hudson]

Sorry. I meant "credible" as in body-on frame and available/standard V8 power. They have to do things that the Silverado, Sierra, Ram, and F-Series and do them well. And this isn't about getting the groceries either.

I just feel that trucks have to be able to haul a massive fifth wheel or something.

As much as I hate to prove BrewSwillis right, you've missed the point AGAIN.

There are different niches within the truck market. This happens to fill one that doesn't require fifth-wheel towing. That trailer would have to be very small to be towed by a Ranger, Colorado, Commanche, Frontier....and yet nobody's complaining that they are "real trucks."

The Ridgeline can handle quite a bit more than "getting the groceries," but, on the other hand, a large portion of Silverados and F-Series don't do more than haul groceries. Why should these pickups be allowed to waste fuel to get a six-pack of Pepsi from the Acme when the Ridgeline, a vehicle that gets better gas mileage and pollute less, is being bashed for having the same capability?

[evok]

There are different niches within the truck market. This happens to fill one that doesn't require fifth-wheel towing. That trailer would have to be very small to be towed by a Ranger, Colorado, Commanche, Frontier....and yet nobody's complaining that they are "real trucks."

The Ridgeline can handle quite a bit more than "getting the groceries," but, on the other hand, a large portion of Silverados and F-Series don't do more than haul groceries. Why should these pickups be allowed to waste fuel to get a six-pack of Pepsi from the Acme when the Ridgeline, a vehicle that gets better gas mileage and pollute less, is being bashed for having the same capability?

[post="64641"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Hudson, I see this circle jerk Ridgline truck/not a truck discussion is still going on.

Here is the data to support all the points you have made.

http://dmses.dot.gov/docimages/pdf94/371928_web.pdf

But I am sure the ignorant rabble on this thread will say it is wrong. Hell I am sure most if not all will dispute the study without even opening the link and looking at the data for themselves. Suffice it to say, the Ridgline meets the needs of the significant majority of truck buyers in the real world, no matter what the ill informed objectors say in this thread.

Ill informed because they will not read the study.

[sciguy_0504]

If the Ridgeline meets the needs of a significant majority of truck buyers in the real world then why isn't it selling more?

[pow]

If the Ridgeline meets the needs of a significant majority of truck buyers in the real world then why isn't it selling more?

[post="64779"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Media bias, of course. :rolleyes:

Seriously, though, some publications seem to have gone out of their way to dispell even a whisper of pro-Honda bias charges by being unduly harsh to the new Ridgeline and Civic.

[siegen]

Thanks for that pdf Evoc.

If the Ridgeline meets the needs of a significant majority of truck buyers in the real world then why isn't it selling more?

[post="64779"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Probably the image that goes along with owning one of the "big trucks". Or the idea of safety. I imagine as Honda stays in this segment longer, they will gain consumer confidence.

[mystik]

Funny how MT is quick to be rash about the underpowered H3, but dont seem to mind about the lack of EVERYTHING in the Ridgeline. Seriously now, thats enough. On the one hand, its like the SUV of the year award. Its not that the Xterra was insanely awesome and it sets a new standard. Its just that the competition sucked. It was an off year. The Ridgeline though, MT is trying its hardest to give it good press. It really is. I remember when the Ridgeline first released and they left no stone unturned on that thing to find its redeeming qualities. Only to finish with an "Oh yeah and its a little hard on the eyes sometimes..." heh. Had it been the Avalanche.... "OMG plastic! Plastic UGLY plastic everywhere. Even the engine is PLASTIC. The interior is HORRIBLE." The Ridgeline is ugly, its useless. I mean whats the point? If I want a car, Id get a car. If I want a truck, Id get a truck. Why get a crappy version of both? Have I sat in one? Yeah. We went with an Avalanche. A truck Im not ashamed to drive. I couldnt say the same for that thing. Way to go MT. Good luck convincing buyers to buy that thing.

[evok]

Thanks for that pdf Evoc.
Probably the image that goes along with owning one of the "big trucks". Or the idea of safety. I imagine as Honda stays in this segment longer, they will gain consumer confidence.

[post="64807"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Your welcome and I agree.

[sciguy_0504]

Thanks for that pdf Evoc.
Probably the image that goes along with owning one of the "big trucks". Or the idea of safety. I imagine as Honda stays in this segment longer, they will gain consumer confidence.

[post="64807"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

It looks like Honda understands both of those things. It advertises the Ridgeline as a "1/2 ton," certainly something that's able to run with the other "big trucks." The Ridgeline's also built off of a modified minivan platform so you know it has to be safe. I just hope no one hits any body part on those interior plastics...

[MyerShift]

Still ugly. But, as long as there is a shared platform and profit can be made by milking the hell out of it, well, it works. The Mercedes-Benz R-Class is, after all, a glorified minivan sans sliding doors. The R-Class shares its platform with the M-Class and the new G-Class too, yes? The Chrysler Pacifica is another segment-busting vehicle, now isn't it? Sports Tourer? What is that exactly? What could really be sporty about a six passenger tarted up minivan with a 250 hp V6 saddled to at least 4639 pounds and a four speed automatic? I'm waiting to see if there'll be a Dodge Caravan SRT-Something. A performance minivan, now that's an interesting niche. Or "The Man's" minivan. Ooh, the possibilities are endless!!!!!!!! Edited December 30, 2005 by S.Myers