Reader decries Ridgeline omit; photo spans Toyota trucks
Bud, I enjoy your reviews each week in the Denver Post. In your review last week of the Jeep Gladiator you listed what it competes against but you did not mention the Honda Ridgeline. The Ridgeline has the best ride of all the small/midsize trucks, great storage (a trunk in the bed), the best fold-up rear seats, dual-action tailgate, comparable load capacity and decent fuel economy. It may lack a little in towing but how many people are really towing trailers or boats that are more than 5,000 pounds? Most are using them just to drive. I drive back to western Iowa a few times per year and I would much rather have a nice, smooth, quiet ride. It is an all-wheel drive that works well. It is not an offroad vehicle, but it was never meant to be. How many of us really do off-roading? I did some when I had my FJ40.
I am the owner of a
2011 Ridgeline and hope to purchase a 2021 Ridgeline. I have hauled sand, gravel, rocks and multiple items in my truck. I can place a
48-inch piece of plywood flat in the pickup bed. In August I towed a car transport with a 1973 Chevy Malibu on it from western Iowa to Boulder. I did exceed the towing limit, but it wasn’t a problem. I now have 144,000 miles on the
vehicle and have not had one repair that was not part of the recommended maintenance. Don’t cut the Ridgeline short. – Lynel V.
Well, Lynel, I agree that the Ridgeline offers outstanding ride comfort and is a good handler. Compared with the others, it lags some in towing and hauling and offroading. Its ground clearance is an inch to 2 inches lower than the others. If I’m referring to one of the others for its offroad capabilities or towing or snow-busting,
I do occasionally omit the Ridgeline as a competitor. When you say, “It is not an offroad vehicle, but it was never meant to be,” that helps explain why it might be left out. I first drove a Ridgeline
at Devil’s Thumb Ranch near Tabernash six or seven years ago; it was impressive in ease of handling and ride comfort. – Bud
Bud, I thought you might enjoy the side-by-side of my two four-wheel-drive trucks, the 1980 Toyota Pickup (formerly known as Hilux), left, and the 2020 Toyota Tundra, both considered half-ton. – Edwin B., Arvada
Thanks, Edwin, I remember those little pickups as hot sellers in the 1980s, including the Ford Courier, the Chevy LUV, the Dodge D50 and its Mitsubishi twin, Datsun 620, Subaru Brat, Mazda, etc. – Bud