Refreshed Ridgeline Spied

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Hitman1970

True statement. He earned it.

True statement? I'm usually not easily offended but you're completely pushing it.

BTW, that "refresh" improves it IMHO. Looked decent, looks better now.

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by Aprime

You should only buy a truck if you really need one, and the look of the truck doesn't matter to these people, aka not your 'hay guise I has a boat I need a truck (no you don't, this is why rental agencies are created)' types, and we're seeing these people being driven out of the marketplace thankfully due to gas prices now.

So by extension, one should only buy a Ridgeline if they want to look like a poseur, drive an ugly crossover, get the same mileage as my V8 Silverado and not be able to do the other truck things that a body on frame truck can do. So who are these people?

[Aprime]

Originally Posted by Uzzy

So by extension, one should only buy a Ridgeline if they want to look like a poseur, drive an ugly crossover, get the same mileage as my V8 Silverado and not be able to do the other truck things that a body on frame truck can do. So who are these people?

I often question the people who buy them, but I normally can't get a clear answer as to why they bought it, but it's usually 'I'm a Honda fan' or 'I wanted to be different', though...

I haven't bothered with the Canadian fuel economy numbers but that could be playing a part too... I don't know, all I know is that they're used as light utility vehicles most of the time, their beds are rarely empty and I often see them towing boats or the kind (lol, people using Ridgelines to do work while the poseurs with trophy wives cruising around in chromed, jacked up trucks that serve no purpose whatsoever? I'll be damned).

Originally Posted by E. Haskell

You should only buy a truck if you want one and you can afford it.

No, but I'm not going to force your ass in a subcompact because you don't actually need a truck - you have the right to buy one. However, gas prices seem to be having that effect on people, so yay for that.

By buying vehicles we don't need and use as commuters we're putting ourselves on a losing path overtime, the same could be said about a number of things, but hey, can't break that 'American dream'!

(I think my parents were stupid for buying a 45 grand 7.6L V8 camper with a now rotting frame because they actually believed it was a worthy investment, rather than putting money into hotels and such - considering the mileage it gets and they amount of money they'll have to pour in it in maintenance and the fact that we barely ever use it (twice since the purchase two years ago), it was poor thinking on their part... Just like buying a truck you're barely ever going to use (my step-dad was considering one, and I just told him to get a small utilitarian car like the Vibe instead and pay to rent a truck if he ever needs one or get his gravel dumped with all the money he'll be saving on fuel - keeping in mind that the Vibe will allow him to carry a number of things without having to worry about trashing the car).

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by SwampFoxZ71

Cheaper??? The base model goes for around 28k. Equipped you are pushing 35k. With incentives, I'm sure you can pickup an extended cab and/or crew cab 1500 Silverado for around 30k, if not less.

The Ridgeline has side curtain airbags, AWD, locking rear diff, the bed, the trunk under the bed, dual action tailgate, traction control, stability control, CD player, cruise control, power locks and windows, air conditioning, and rear seat HVAC vents all on the base model for $28,000. Tow hitches are standard, and the trailer wiring harness is standard on the next trim, which is $28,500.

In order to get side curtain airbags on a Silverado Crew Cab 4x4 you need to get the LT1 trim. Add the wiring harness, the side curtain airbags, and the locking rear diff. The Silverado is more capable than the Ridgeline and has Onstar, but now costs about $34,000. The Ridgeline has a $5500 advantage.

In order to "push 35k" with a Ridgeline you have to order the leather heated front seats, the 6-cd disk changer with Subwoofer, Homelink, the DVD navigation system, and the power moonroof. Put a 6-cd disk changer, subwoofer, navigation system, leather, trailer harness wiring, and homelink on the Silverado Crew Cab 4x4 and the price is just over $42k. Now the Ridgeline has a $7000 advantage.

There are incentives on the Silverado, but there are also incentives on the Ridgeline.

The real competitor to the Ridgeline is the Colorado, and if GM would just give the Colorado decent crash safety, it would be hands-down a better, more economical buy across the board. (The Colorado crash safety from the US government is 5/5/4/5, which isn't bad. But it's never been tested by the IIHS, and as far as I know it shares a platform with the Trailblazer, which is IIHS rated Marginal in side impacts even with side curtain airbags.)

[Aprime]

Originally Posted by Michael_S

The real competitor to the Ridgeline is the Colorado, and if GM would just give the Colorado decent crash safety, it would be hands-down a better, more economical buy across the board. (The Colorado crash safety from the US government is 5/5/4/5, which isn't bad. But it's never been tested by the IIHS, and as far as I know it shares a platform with the Trailblazer, which is IIHS rated Marginal in side impacts even with side curtain airbags.)

Um, they don't share the same structure though.

I mean the last gen Malibu doesn't get the same ratings as the new one in safety, but they're sitting on the same platform.

[E. Haskell]

Originally Posted by Aprime

No, but I'm not going to force your ass in a subcompact because you don't actually need a truck - you have the right to buy one. However, gas prices seem to be having that effect on people, so yay for that.

By buying vehicles we don't need and use as commuters we're putting ourselves on a losing path overtime, the same could be said about a number of things, but hey, can't break that 'American dream'!

(I think my parents were stupid for buying a 45 grand 7.6L V8 camper with a now rotting frame because they actually believed it was a worthy investment, rather than putting money into hotels and such - considering the mileage it gets and they amount of money they'll have to pour in it in maintenance and the fact that we barely ever use it (twice since the purchase two years ago), it was poor thinking on their part... Just like buying a truck you're barely ever going to use (my step-dad was considering one, and I just told him to get a small utilitarian car like the Vibe instead and pay to rent a truck if he ever needs one or get his gravel dumped with all the money he'll be saving on fuel - keeping in mind that the Vibe will allow him to carry a number of things without having to worry about trashing the car).

Your argument fails because "need" is very subjective.

A person that rides a bicycle 35 miles per day may say that most people don't NEED a car at all....

Someone else may say that performance cars aren't needed....ATVs, boats, motorcycles, airplanes, scooters...none of them are needed. Heck, you don't NEED a home bigger than 500 sq ft. While were at it, why not grow your own food and make your own clothing - that'll save energy by cutting down on manufacturing and transportation. Do you NEED the internet? Cut that out too.

[Uzzy]

Originally Posted by Aprime

I haven't bothered with the Canadian fuel economy numbers but that could be playing a part too...

Well L/100kms means squat to me. The DIC in my Silverado is set up for English measurement, so my odo is in miles, electronic temp controls in fahrenheit and the fuel economy readings are in MPG. I get the same 15/20MPG that the Ridgeline is rated at. I average about 17MPG. It's better in the summer than winter, because I can drive with the AWD off most of the time. Maybe I'd get better in a Ridgeline, maybe not.

[5.3Avalanche]

Originally Posted by Aprime

You should only buy a truck if you really need one, and the look of the truck doesn't matter to these people, aka not your 'hay guise I has a boat I need a truck (no you don't, this is why rental agencies are created)' types, and we're seeing these people being driven out of the marketplace thankfully due to gas prices now.

Of course, you could argue that this truck auto-excludes itself from that 'rule' (being unibody and designed with suburbanites in mind), but regardless, it's a balanced vehicle - heck, it could look like that Mahindra pickup (which is dreadfully disproportionate), but it doesn't, nor does it pretend to be the toughest around.

By the way, if you felt hurt or feel that my comment regarding his Cavalier and "baaaaw trucks need to look like awesome cool and have all this chrome over it proving it doesn't even do the job it's intended to do" were 'personal attacks' (I'd rather see it as 'in your face' humor, personally), you're the ones who have issues, not me. Pulling a near-racist (I wouldn't put it that way (but I've got no other term in mind to qualify your remark, aside from, maybe condescending... But it doesn't quite capture the lowness of the vocabulary you've employed), as I believe that races = Caucasian, and so forth, not something that is dependent on your nationality or religious beliefs) remark was totally inappropriate on your part, I didn't "ask for it", as you're trying to imply. And if you're to play the part of 'I SO TOLD HIM', next time I recommend you don't resort to insults of the kind, it makes you look childish and retarded (effectively playing my game, because I get kicks out of people's unmeasured reactions).

I could take the same route you took, being a resident of Alabama and all, but I won't, because I don't feel like trolling tonight.

Ok, first, I didn't "so told you" anything. Second, an increment is a defined value, and when you said, "it's an incremental improvement", I replied by suggesting that since I don't see it as an improvement at all, then that implies that the incrental improvement was small, thus, your increments were small, no condescending remark intended but I question your choice to call it an "improvement" as the truck is super ugly. Additionally, I use my truck like a truck, so why shouldn't I be allowed to want it to look nice? If there are 4 trucks on the market that offer the same capabilities, I'm going to choose the best looking one. I'm not going to buy the ugliest truck. Also, I don't understand what you're talking about up there about race, so I won't even comment. Anyway, hope we're on better terms now as I really didn't mean to insult you. I don't troll these boards and I'm not looking to make enemies.

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by Aprime

Um, they don't share the same structure though.

I mean the last gen Malibu doesn't get the same ratings as the new one in safety, but they're sitting on the same platform.

(Actually, the last gen Malibu is basically identical to the new one in crash safety, as long as you got the side curtain airbags which were optional on the Malibu from model year 2004-2006 and standard afterwards. But I get your point - the Malibu and G6 share a platform, and their crash ratings are quite different.)

My point is that there are plenty of vehicles out there that get outstanding crash ratings from the US government (5 star) crash tests but fail the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety side crash test. The US government side crash test uses a sedan, the IIHS side crash test uses a 3500 pound taller vehicle meant to simulate a compact pickup or a small SUV.

A classic example is the Ford Crown Victoria, which was the gold standard for crash safety for years with 5 stars across the board from the US government. IIHS impact rating is "Marginal", second from bottom.

The Ridgeline hasn't been tested, but everything else on that platform has a "Good" side impact score from the IIHS. I would give it the benefit of the doubt.

The Colorado hasn't been tested, but its closest platform relatives have bad side impact crash ratings. I won't trust it until GM gets it tested by the IIHS and it gets a good score.

[68CoupeDeVille]

Originally Posted by Michael_S

It has a frame. They took the Odyssey/MDX/Pilot platform and put in 7 crossmembers on top of the existing frame to improve rigidity and body bending.

That's still not a frame. I've welded on full-length subframe connectors with three crossmembers onto my Camaro... doesn't mean it's got a frame.

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by E. Haskell

Your argument fails because "need" is very subjective.

A person that rides a bicycle 35 miles per day may say that most people don't NEED a car at all....

Someone else may say that performance cars aren't needed....ATVs, boats, motorcycles, airplanes, scooters...none of them are needed. Heck, you don't NEED a home bigger than 500 sq ft. While were at it, why not grow your own food and make your own clothing - that'll save energy by cutting down on manufacturing and transportation. Do you NEED the internet? Cut that out too.

Aprime wasn't talking about "need" in terms of use of the vehicle, he was talking about "need" in relation to your budget - which seems to be the same thing you are talking about.

[Hitman1970]

Originally Posted by lio45

True statement? I'm usually not easily offended but you're completely pushing it.

BTW, that "refresh" improves it IMHO. Looked decent, looks better now.

Easy, Pierre. The true statement was in response to the post that I made a generalization. I did. True statement. You guys love to insult tourists' poor French. How about mastering English context before you get your Speedo bunched up in a wad?

Did you even read the post that generated my comment, where Aprime insulted someone for driving a Cavalier?

[Michael_S]

Originally Posted by 68CoupeDeVille

That's still not a frame. I've welded on full-length subframe connectors with three crossmembers onto my Camaro... doesn't mean it's got a frame.

It's not body-on-frame, naturally. But it has all the stiffness and strength it needs to do its job.

The automotive media and especially GMI would be all over any reliability problems the Ridgeline had. To my knowledge, there's only one widely publicized problem - an Edmunds staff member wrecked his suspension off-roading. Honda claimed he was driving too quickly, he said he was not.

[Aprime]

Originally Posted by Michael_S

Aprime wasn't talking about "need" in terms of use of the vehicle, he was talking about "need" in relation to your budget - which seems to be the same thing you are talking about.

Actually I was somewhat referring to both.

The luxuries he mentioned are stupid if you don't use them for their intended purpose (Corvettes are statement cars, you can do plenty with them (track racing, simply cruising or using them to commute)), unless you're collecting them.

Of course it's quite subjective, but buying a truck because you've got something to haul every 3-6 months or twice a year isn't quite playing in anyone's favor, including the buyer's... While when you buy a Corvette you make it clear that it's a cruising vehicle/statement vehicle/track car/something awesome.

5.3L Avalanche, I don't quite grasp why you felt I was talking to you in that reply - must've been the chrome part, well that was a generalization. If you have a farm or are some entrepreneur and actually use your Silverado to do something else than one's typical suburbanite duty (GET THE GROCERIES HUN), good! Make it look good all you want, still, it's a truck. You don't put chrome on your wheelbarrow now, do you? :v (well, if the wheelbarrow in question is your only vehicle, I guess that makes plenty of sense!).