Honda Ridgeline The GM Truck Of The Future?

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by RedVee8

Open beds also cause a lot of drag. Put a tonneau on, or a hard lid.

When we were looking into the Ridgeline I read somewhere that it was designed to let air pass over the bed and not into it. Don't know if that was true.

Originally Posted by DW115

If you want to see what a Lambda truck go to the revitalization in action website (http://www.gminsidenews.com/naias/re.../outlook.shtml and look at the Outlook. It has a version of what one would look like.

The Switch is a decent looking light pick up, but the bed is so small its useless. It reminds me of the H2 pick up. Plus it will never sell badged as a Saturn, it needs to be a GMC and/or a Chevy.

[CobaltSScrazy]

Originally Posted by ctaylorzl1

A full-size UBC Silverado???????


That might be a decent Idea for smaller trucks like the Colorado or something(if they can work out a decent off-road package out of it!, doubtful). But not the Silverado! The hand-basket sure is getting hot now!!!

that is exactly what I was thinking: IE: make a colorado/s10 on a unibody lightweight and roughly the size it is now. Leave the BOF trucks ALONE! Make them lighter if possible to increase FE but WORKing people need WORK trucks, not little play toys to carry a boat around or a pop up camper or a U-haul trailer to move their belongings. sheesh!

CobaltSS

[DW115]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

The Switch is a decent looking light pick up, but the bed is so small its useless. It reminds me of the H2 pick up. Plus it will never sell badged as a Saturn, it needs to be a GMC and/or a Chevy.

The vehicle is not to haul a ton in the bed but give people the ablity to have a bed to get the little things they typically would get at the hardware store. Unfortunately you would not be able to get a 8 foot board in the vehicle but you would be able to do the things the suburbanites typically do on a day to day bases including tow 4500 lbs. As for selling as a Saturn I think you yo are wrong. I think you will be surprised

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by tgagneguam

I'm not so sure BOF FS trucks, with their amazing capabilities, are going to go the way of dinosaurs. The market remains one of the largest in NA, moving nearly 2.4 million units last year. Even if sales were to tank by 40%, you're left with 1.45 million units, which would probably mean casual FS pickup truck buyers would migrate to something else (like an El Camino, perhaps?), leaving the market for people who actually need the capabilities of such a vehicle. Assuming GM gets its "fair share," which I tally at 40%, that would mean about 600,000 units annually (excluding the at least 100,000 FS SUV models that would share the platform). That's not chump change, and GM should commit to building the best FS truck platform available. And remember, viewed globally, there's even more sales to be had. This talk in another thread about delaying investment in these vehicles is typical GM lack of vision. You lead the market now, so avoid investing in it to secure your position so that competitors walk away with yet another market. Simply unbelieveable thinking at GM.

I wouldn't be surprised if sales drop more than 40%, if the price of fuel stays high. Even for people that use body-on-frame V8 pickups for work, many don't use anywhere near the full payload or tow rating. And one way to save on gas and a purchase price is to get regular cabs and extended cabs. For a very long time, truck sales of crew cabs was relatively low. Only in the last decade did they become enormously popular as a family vehicle option.

I agree that in general, GM leadership has an awful habit of resting on its laurels and letting the competition pass it by. But in this case, with the price of fuel heading up and the strength of the economy in doubt for possibly years to come, I think every spare research dollar GM has should be devoted to its smaller models. For the foreseeable future, that is going to be the bread and butter in the US auto market. Going the extra mile for improved fuel economy and such in the next Cobalt and the Epsilon 2 platform is probably better for profits than staying ahead in the shrinking truck market.

According to MythBusters, which looked into the very question of the aerodynamics of pickups driven on the highway with various things done to their beds, your contention is not well supported. Granted, MythBusters isn't an automotive source, but their investigation was reasonably scientific.

I've heard about that episode, but I have to wonder if there isn't some odd circumstances they missed, like a change in air temperature or wind speed between the first and second test, more aggressive driving, or whatever.

I would hardly consider the Ridgeline a sales success and would prefer that GM simultaneously expand Lambda for a more friendly albeit less capable pickup truck and regularly develop the GMT-900's to maintain GM's competitive edge in one of the few market niches that GM seems to enjoy some competitive edge.

I'm positive AndrewGS was joking.

But he did leave one thing out. The Ridgeline has all wheel drive with locking rear differential, stability control, traction control, compartment under the bed, dual opening tail gate, side curtain airbags, and a crew cab for $28,000. Up until crazy discounts with the current gas crunch, the base price for any American half-ton pickup with all those features was $35,000+.

The domestic pickups are dramatically more capable, but if you don't need the extra capability the $7000 difference really helps the Ridgeline.

[BBDOS CV8]

The Denali concept had poor payload because it was a hybrid, and basically the payload was cut in half due to weight of the hybrid gear. I would expect for non-hybrid it would be up to 1800-2000lbs, similar to a standard base Holden Ute or the Colorado. And that's with IRS. Overall consumption rating is 20 USmpg for the V6 auto Ute.

The SV6, SS and SS-V models have lower payloads due to harder sports suspension and low-profile non-load-rated tyres. 42 cu ft payload and longer than 6 feet bed.



The Holden Ute (aka G8 ST) has the same tow rating as the VE Commodore and G8, of about 3500lbs braked. It's very common to see people towing car trailers here in Oz both with Holdens and Falcons. In the older Crewman tow rating was actually higher as they had a solid rear axle.

The Holden Ute actually pretty much matches the sedan for economy. And it is also comfortable and rides and handles fairly well due to IRS.

Maybe the G8 ST might sell better than people were saying a while ago?

[FenwickHockey65]

LOL @ the ridgeline ads at the bottom of the page.

[wildgoosechase]

This is something I mentioned a few months back, this is the end of the traditional 1/2 ton truck. GM can move the 1/2 tons to the Lambda and keep the 2500 and up body on frame. Those who really need a real truck can pony up for a 3/4 ton.

[1G6]

Only if they want to forfeit the truck market. This would be the death of the pickup.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by DW115

The vehicle is not to haul a ton in the bed but give people the ablity to have a bed to get the little things they typically would get at the hardware store. Unfortunately you would not be able to get a 8 foot board in the vehicle but you would be able to do the things the suburbanites typically do on a day to day bases including tow 4500 lbs. As for selling as a Saturn I think you yo are wrong. I think you will be surprised

It needs a bed at least as big as the Ridgeline, which is about 5 feet with the tailgate up, and 6 feet down. I really don't think it would sell as a Saturn since people don't put trucks and Saturn in the same sentence.

Originally Posted by BBDOS CV8

The Denali concept had poor payload because it was a hybrid, and basically the payload was cut in half due to weight of the hybrid gear. I would expect for non-hybrid it would be up to 1800-2000lbs, similar to a standard base Holden Ute or the Colorado. And that's with IRS. Overall consumption rating is 20 USmpg for the V6 auto Ute.

The SV6, SS and SS-V models have lower payloads due to harder sports suspension and low-profile non-load-rated tyres. 42 cu ft payload and longer than 6 feet bed.

The Holden Ute (aka G8 ST) has the same tow rating as the VE Commodore and G8, of about 3500lbs braked. It's very common to see people towing car trailers here in Oz both with Holdens and Falcons. In the older Crewman tow rating was actually higher as they had a solid rear axle.

The Holden Ute actually pretty much matches the sedan for economy. And it is also comfortable and rides and handles fairly well due to IRS.

Maybe the G8 ST might sell better than people were saying a while ago?

Yea but look how low it is to the ground, people downgrading from larger pickup's don't want to lose the riding height. Plus I doubt we will get a crew cab, and AWD/4WD option on it if it comes here.

[jlt0x]

GM should've done a mid-sized version of the Avalanche a while ago...like when the Ridgeline was initially introduced. Dodge made the Rampage concept and it really looked like they had something going...then it too fizzled. I suppose the Rampage is being modified to have AWD and a possible 2-mode trans.

It would be nice to see GM make a smaller Avalanche on the Lambda platform. And it would be nice to see them commit to putting the Denali XT concept into production either using the Lambda or Zeta platforms.

[Robert Ryan]

According to MythBusters, which looked into the very question of the aerodynamics of pickups driven on the highway with various things done to their beds, your contention is not well supported. Granted, MythBusters isn't an automotive source, but their investigation was reasonably scientific.

It was about the tailgate being left down not a covered bed. Strange seeing Mythbusters is produced by an Australian company(i.e. Towards /Beyond 2000) that they did not include some Ute comparisons.

Yea but look how low it is to the ground, people downgrading from larger pickup's don't want to lose the riding height. Plus I doubt we will get a crew cab, and AWD/4WD option on it if it comes here.

That is why they sell here, much easier to load and unload.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

That is why they sell here, much easier to load and unload.

Maybe, but some people want the ground clearance. Look at the Subaru Baja, how well does that sell? During this year I think I have seen 2, I have seen dozens of Ridgelines during that time.

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

Maybe, but some people want the ground clearance. Look at the Subaru Baja, how well does that sell? During this year I think I have seen 2, I have seen dozens of Ridgelines during that time.

The Baja doesn't really work for a comparison because it's so tiny. The bed was just under 3.5 feet long, the full weight capacity was 1075 pounds (that's not the bed payload, that's the vehicle payload), max tow rating was 2400 pounds.

[PA Dweller]

Originally Posted by Michael_S

The Baja doesn't really work for a comparison because it's so tiny. The bed was just under 3.5 feet long, the full weight capacity was 1075 pounds (that's not the bed payload, that's the vehicle payload), max tow rating was 2400 pounds.

Your right, I have seen it up close and it has very little bed space. I don't even know why Subaru continues to make them, they are nearly useless.

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by PA Dweller

Your right, I have seen it up close and it has very little bed space. I don't even know why Subaru continues to make them, they are nearly useless.

Subaru isn't making them any more. The Baja is no longer listed on the company page or in Yahoo Autos.