Honda Ridgeline, MT TRUCK of the year

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My definition of a half ton truck is this.



A 1/2 ton truck should match the performance and capibilities of all other 1/2 ton trucks.



What is the definition of a supercar? Is it 0-60 performance? The older Lamborghini's were nowhere as fast as they are today. Does that mean the older Lamborghini's ar no longer super cars since the new ones are? Does the supercar definition now mean that it can perform as well as the other cars that would be considered a supercar.



What about a luxury car? A Lincoln 40 years old is in no way a luxury car by todays standards. The competition dictates what a luxury car is. If a new Lexus came out with an 8 track radio, 3 speed automatic tranny, and non-power assist brakes. It would be the laughing stock of the luxury car owners.



How is the Ridgeline any different? It is not a truck. It is a FWD system. It is unibody. It does not tow what a 1/2 ton truck tows. It does not haul what a 1/2 ton truck can haul. It does not have the power of a 1/2 ton truck. Why?



It is not a 1/2 ton truck.





Tom



p.s. I take it the 2000 F-150 had the V6.
 
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RLOwner, thanks for the explanation. So you are here to change attitudes, not just fight; that is good.



But your first post was sarcastic ("Yep....the Ridgeline is a piece of junk. All these people have to be wrong!"), and sarcasm is a weak form of communication when attempting to change attitudes, especially the attitudes of zealots and fanatics; which almost by definition is what you will find on a board like this. Those two words, zealots and fanatics, need not necessarily mean anything negative. I am using them in the context of people that have diehard passion for a subject matter, in this case, the ST.



So, coming to an ST site, where you obviously are going to see trash talking about competition (just like you would if you went to the Steelers section of the arena during the game against the Cowboys), and start your first communication with the group with sarcasm, expect that it might "go down hill" from there.



You could have posted all the same accolades and ask: "Please explain this?"



Then calmly discussed the replies.



BTW, I think the RL's look very nice and am sure they will fill the need of many people; and am secure enough in the capabilities of the ST to accept the healthy competition in the marketplace.



TJR



 
I see no reason to kill this thread. I am enjoying it. I like to hear other sides of the story and I like to say mine. I think we are adults here and name calling is not needed.





Tom



BTW, the RL is a Minivan that is really ugly. LOL Looks are subjective.
 
I say we all go out and have a cold one!
Click to expand...



Hey - a competition - how many cases of cold ones can you fit in the bed of each without them peeking over the top?? Let's invite RL to the Nat' meet and figure it out.:p



grump
 
Caymen - "My definition of a half ton truck is this.....A 1/2 ton truck should match the performance and capibilities of all other 1/2 ton trucks...It is a FWD system. It is unibody. It does not tow what a 1/2 ton truck tows. It does not haul what a 1/2 ton truck can haul. It does not have the power of a 1/2 ton truck. Why?".



You still didn't answer my question as asked. I asked, without doing compairisons, give me YOUR definition of a 1/2 ton truck. But, I think I can pretty much read between the lines. You are still saying, YOUR definition of a 1/2 ton truck is....it has to be rear wheel drive. It has to have ladder-type frame....has to tow X number of lbs....be able to haul X number of lbs....has to have a V-8 and X number of horse power. I already admited that the RL does not tow as much as, say a F-150, and does not have as much power (Torque + HP). It was never intended to have as much. Yet, it does have as much payload capacity as a 1/2 ton pickup (Matches the F-150) and has the HP of many V8's out there.....has a stiffer frame than most 1/2 tons out there.....just because it handles and rides better than EVERY truck out there, it's not a truck?!?!? Again, just plain silly.



TJR - "RLOwner, thanks for the explanation. So you are here to change attitudes, not just fight; that is good. But your first post was sarcastic.... ".



Yes, it was sarcastic. After reading things like the RL is a piece of sh!t, people having their stomachs turn because it won TOTY.... I think I had every right to be sarcastic. In retrospect, I probably should have been a little more straight forward on my questioning and probably should have come in with a little different attitude.....but that's water under the bridge.



Other than that, TJR.....I have to agree with you on just about everything you said.



Caymen - "I know 10 cases of long necks fit in the bed. There is room for 30 cases, at a minimum."



Well, cut down the RL's trunk all you want....but you could take some of those 10 cases of beer, a few 50 lb. bags of ice, and fit it all in the RL's trunk and....bada bing, bada boom....instant 8 cubic foot cooler (It's got a drain in it to drain out the water after the ice has melted too.)!!! :lol:



Kill this thread if you want to but, like I said before.... I think this exchange has been fun!



 
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RL,



You choose not to see my definition of a 1/2 ton truck. There is not true definition. A 1/2 ton truck must be able to be compared to other 1/2 ton trucks.



If Honda would have come out with the Ridgeline that could tow 15,000 LLBS, haul 2500 LBS in the bed and have 450 LB Ft or torque, but call it a 1/2 ton truck, I would disagree. It is, at a minimum, a 3/4 ton truck. To call some type of vehicle something requires you to compare it to something. What makes a midsize car? Smaller then a full size, but larger then a compact. Could Honda make a midsize car and call it a compact? They could brag about having the roomiest compact on the market. When midsize cars start to go a little larger, the industry adapts. What is Honda built a compact car and called it a midsize car? They could brag about having the easiest to manuver midsize on the market.



Compare apples to apples. Honda can call the RL a 1/2 ton truck, it doesn't mean it is a 1/2 ton truck. Put a 5000 LB trailer behind a RL and a 5000 LB trailer behind an F-150 5.4L 3V and go up a steep hill. The F-150 will eat that Ridgeline alive.



The F-150 is a real 1/2 ton truck, the RL isn't.





Tom



p.s. Put the beer in the truck full of ice. Put a yard of mulch in the bed. Go grab a beer! Change the flat tire while you are at it.
 
from trucks.about.com I did not add the "for instance" it was already there.



“Load Capacity”

Glossary

Definition: Load capacity refers to the maximum amount of weight a truck's springs, chassis, and bed are designed to safely carry. For instance, a half ton truck can carry a maximum of 1000 pounds, or one-half of a ton.

Can be referred to as a weight or by other desigation, such as a letter. Designation varies by manufacturer.



I guess ours are 3/4 ton trucks.



grump

 
Grump, I said the same thing. The rule technically no longer applies. the names 1/2, 3/4, qnd 1 ton are names giver to 3 trucks sold to consumers.





Tom
 
Caymen - "You choose not to see my definition of a 1/2 ton truck. There is not true definition....".



EXACTLY! You choose a definition that suits your purposes and that suits this discussion. I think if a vehicle meets the minimum standards of a 1/2 ton pickup, it may be called a 1/2 ton pickup. Now, did I make up these standards, did Honda make up these standards....? No. They are subject to interpretation. According to your interpretation, the RL is not a 1/2 ton pickup, according to mine it is. So, I guess we just have to agree to disagree on that point.



Tom - "p.s. Put the beer in the truck full of ice. Put a yard of mulch in the bed. Go grab a beer! Change the flat tire while you are at it."



Talk about missing the point!!! Holy crap....you are so blinded for your hate that doesnt' have a Ford emblem on it, that you can't even enjoy a little levity! Sheese.....
 
I choose to see this thread hit 300 posts.



The Ridgeline makes the Avalanche, the Vehicross, the Aztek, and the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile look like Aston Martins.



And I agree with Caymen, if you say you're a 1/2 ton truck, prepare to be compared to other 1/2 ton trucks.





EXACTLY! You choose a definition that suits your purposes and that suits this discussion. I think if a vehicle meets the minimum standards of a 1/2 ton pickup, it may be called a 1/2 ton pickup. Now, did I make up these standards, did Honda make up these standards....? No. They are subject to interpretation. According to your interpretation, the RL is not a 1/2 ton pickup, according to mine it is. So, I guess we just have to agree to disagree on that point.
Click to expand...



So what you are saying RL, is that you agree that the Ridgeline, a 1/2 ton truck, may be compared to every other advertised 1/2 ton truck out there? I mean heck, if you say you're something, you should be in the same class.



So what, it can carry 1/2 a ton in the bed, so could my Corsica.



When I say I'm shopping for a sports car, I compare cars in the class I want, you know, the toy breed, the rice cookers, and the muscle cars. I don't compare a WRX to a Mustang.



However I can compare a Porsche and a Corvette, because they are in the same class.



And the best part is, you just read something that a knob wrote. You proclaim me a knob, and then read my post. So you kind sir, may go play hide and go **** yourself.



Don't hate the knob, hate the game.



Have a nice day :D
 
Knobleman - "The Ridgeline makes the Avalanche, the Vehicross, the Aztek, and the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile look like Aston Martins."



And, what, the ST looks like a work of art? No, it looks like what a pickup is "supposed" to look like. The old tired "Let's stick 3 boxes together, throw 4 tires on it, and call it a truck" look. Man, that is engineering on the cutting edge...! The Ford engineers had to put in, what, 2 hours of overtime to come up with that design! The big three have most people so brain-washed on what certain vehicles are supposed to look like.....most people wouldn't recognize innovation even if it ran them over in a cross-walk.



Not only does the RL's look give it one of the stiffest/strongest frames in the industry, it gives it one one of the lowest drag co-effiecents in the industry. Thus, it ain't as thirsty as many vehicles in it's class. So, rip on it's looks all you want.....you can call it ugly....I call it efficient and innovative.



Knobleman: "And I agree with Caymen, if you say you're a 1/2 ton truck, prepare to be compared to other 1/2 ton trucks."



Read my posts again. I never claimed the RL was a 1/2 ton pickup or should be compared with 1/2 ton pickups; Caymen was. I was trying to get Caymen to give me HIS definition of a 1/2 ton pickup and I kinda got caught up in the whole comparison thing. He's the one who is all upset the people at being "mislead" that Honda is advertising the RL as a 1/2 ton pickup. If you look at the definition of a 1/2 ton pickup, the RL is a 1/2 ton pickup. Simple as that. Now the only thing you and he can say.....the definition of a 1/2 ton pickup doesn't mean what we think it should mean.... because the RL isn't a 1/2 ton pickup because it doesn't compare with other 1/2 ton pickups. Whatever floats your boat.



Personally, I put the RL in the mid-sized pickup class.....where it has been compared with in numerious articles. When I shopped I looked at the RL, Dakota, Frontier, Tacoma, Canyon/Colorado, and, yes, the ST. For what I want my pickup to do, the RL was the perfect choice for me. Second was the Tacoma. Third was the Frontier.



When I was looking to buy a pickup, with all the "Employee Pricing" sales, and those kinda incentives going on, full sized pickups were cheap, so I test drove several, including the F-150, Silverado, and Ram 1500 4x4's. With the price of gas the way it is, I couldn't see driving around getting 12-14 MPG, plus, for me, they were just not practical. My new truck was also going to be my communting vehicle. Trying to park a full sized pickup in the parking garage where I park, forget it.....again, just not practical. So, I started looking at the mid-sized pickups and after a year of test drives, research, and haggling with salesmen, I decided on the RL because.... as I said, the RL was perfect for me. Instead of just sitting there ripping on a vehicle, which the only knowledge you have about it is what you read.....you should really take one for a test drive and you will see what I mean. I know you won't, but you really should.



Knobleman: "And the best part is, you just read something that a knob wrote. You proclaim me a knob, and then read my post. So you kind sir, may go play hide and go **** yourself."



I won't even acknowledge that drivel with a reply.

 
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Yawn.



c30dbc4f27412e43252e05b7fb1ff2b7.jpg
 
RL,



What type of gas mileage are you getting with the RL. Arent the EPA estimates around 21 MPG highway?





Tom
 
RL,



Another point, you might want to consider. The RL exterior portion of the bed shares the sheet metal with the rest of the bosy. It is a unibody design. Can you figure out the reasoning of having the bed seperate from the cab on a truck?



I don't know if you notice or not, but trucks have real frames. Be it a Ranger, Tacoma, Colorado, Dakota, or Frontier up to a semi truck. They have full frames. Why? The frame handles the weight. 5000 LBS in a trailer behind a truck is really nothing. 600 lbs on the tongue is alot of weight. Where does that weight hang? On the frame. Being a unibody construction, the weight is transfered to the rest of the body. I am sure if Honda really wanted to get serious about trucks, they would have no choice but to build a real frame.



The Sport Trac was never designed to be a heavy hauler. That is what the F-150 and above are for. Ford also does not call the Sport Trac a 1/2 ton truck, even though, buy definition would be considered a 3/4 ton truck.



A while back I looked up the deifintion of a 1/2 ton truck. It said that the bed is designed to hold 1,000 lbs. It even says that those rules no longer apply because the 1/2 ton trucks no longer use that rule and it is a generic term for a truck.



As nobleman said, you call your truck a 1/2 ton truck, compare it to a 1/2 ton truck. It is sad though that the media will forgive those claims and compare it to small trucks like the Sport Trac, which I might add is not even classified a truck by Ford Motor Company, Ranger, and Colorado.



If you call it a 1/2 ton truck, compare it to other trucks that use that designation.



If I had a choice between a Ridgeline or a Titan. I would buy the Titan. The Titan stands its ground as a 1/2 ton truck.





Tom
 
Must resist....can't give in...must not post to this thread....Oh, why not.



Just for the record- The Oscar Meyer Wienermobile is built on a Dodge dually frame and drivetrain.



Kraft is one of my clients.:rolleyes:



I never understood cock fighting (that's chickens, not...nevermind) until I read this thread.
 

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