Time for a new pickup truck...but what to buy?

[maflynn]

Here is the thing I never got about the Ridgeline, is that yeah its a cool truck.

But why no V8?

No idea, perhaps because Honda doesn't have any other V8 vehicles. Its a nice truck, short bed which for me is ideal.

 

[quagmire]

Here is the thing I never got about the Ridgeline, is that yeah its a cool truck.

But why no V8?

Honda has no V8 period developed and it is a FWD Odyssey with a truck bed. Really want a FWD V8 truck?

Want a truck like a Ridgeline? Go find a nice used Chevy Avalanche( has to be used now since they stopped making it).

 

[G51989]

Honda has no V8 period developed and it is a FWD Odyssey with a truck bed. Really want a FWD V8 truck?

Want a truck like a Ridgeline? Go find a nice used Chevy Avalanche( has to be used now since they stopped making it).

Honda actually DID have a 4 liter V8 developed for the Acura line in the mid 00s, I remember reading about it. However as we know of the crash of 2008, the entry level luxo market crashed. So the new RL was canned as was its engine.

Whats wrong with a FWD/AWD truck? ( under 9MPH in really bad terrain, ice or snow, the front and rear diffs can lock btw ) it can tow 5,000 pounds, has TONS of interior room lots of options for the price, you get Honda build quality, which you don't get with a Avalanche.

It's not meant to be a full duty truck, and the people who buy it don't need one, year the MPG kinda sucks, but isn't so terrible, its in line with mid sized SUVS.

But between a new Ridgeline and a used Avalance if you dont care about towing a huge amount? And 5000 pounds handles your boat or ATVs just fine? The Ridgeline, hands down.

Why? The Ridgeline has a much nicer interior than any Avalance I've been in, it handles alot nicer, and the ride is very very very very good, best ride I've ever had in a truck.

Plus, the Ridgeline isn't fug. And the door wont fall off.

And that properity GM coolant wont gunk up at 40K miles and destory your cooling system.

 

[maflynn]

Honda has no V8 period developed and it is a FWD Odyssey with a truck bed. Really want a FWD V8 truck?

The V6 in my ridgeline is plenty powerful, but the truck is all wheel drive not FWD. I think in inclement weather this truck is one of the better handling ones imo

My wife had an Odyssey and I can easily say its not one with a bed of truck, It shares the same chassis as the Pilot.

All around, it a great truck, inside and out. The handling capability is quite amazing, drives very smooth, and al to amenities, and price point is much less then Avalanche (when it was made).

True the bed of the truck is non standard, yet it has one design that is a head turner and I love it - A trunk. A place to stow equipment, gear or what not. It even has a drain plug so if you want to use it as a tail gating cooler, you can.

 

[jger77]

Here is the thing I never got about the Ridgeline, is that yeah its a cool truck.

But why no V8?

Audi straight 5s notwithstanding, the longest bank of cylinders commonly mounted transversely is 4, ajacecent to the transaxle. A 90° V-8 is probably short enough to mount transversely, but too wide. GM had a few transverse V8s in the past, they weren't particularly good cars.

Eight cylinder engines with angles other than multiples of 90° have really odd(read undesirable) vibrational and power delivery characteristics. It probably just easier to tune a 60° V-6 for optimal torque and other charachteristics than to try and shoehorn an 8 in there for what would be essentially bragging rights.