Newbie Couple Purchase

Jebby14 wrote:
as someone intimately familiar with the current ridgeline (im an automation designer and did a lot of the tooling for it) I do not have any desire to own one at their current price point. I think there are several better options. That said, to each their own. If a ridgeline is what your after I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of it. Good luck with whatever you chose.

Thanks for the response and your insight. Had we had the option to follow the best path for purchasing; i.e. trailer first, then tow vehicle, we might have gone a different route. Our circumstance simply didn't allow that, so that's why we put so much research into matching our truck and trailer.

And I wholeheartedly agree, Honda has really missed the mark in their pricing. The current Gen 2 truck - in the highest two trim levels - is commanding right at MSRP - and often a wait of 2-3 months. You can get a very nicely equipped 1/2 ton - assuming significant discounts - for about the same price. But it's all about what you want/need a truck to do and how often you need to do it.

Illustration: got a great friend with whom I hunt. The deer lease we were on together was about an 8 hour drive from our homes out to west Texas (south of Sweetwater in Taylor County at the extreme northern edge of the Hill Country). He bought a Ford F-150 with the long bed and 3.5 Ecoboost specifically to make trips out there. Fantastic truck! I know, I've driven it on the highway and used those twin turbos to pass traffic. What a beast! At highway speeds it just glides down the road. (Navigating parking lots and parking garages - not so great.) It handles dirt and rock ranch roads OK, but you better not try it on a muddy surface. A few years ago we were headed to a stand that required him driving on a rain slick muddy surface from rain the night before. Truck couldn't make it with its 2WD. We got it out by me nursing it in reverse while he literally pushed on the front hood. We made a memory!

You know how he typically uses that great truck? Once a year, coming home from the lease, he loads a small ATV on a small trailer and tows that thing. Throws maybe a couple of hundred pounds in the bed and cab. Other than that, he never tows nor hauls anything. It sits in his extra large garage right beside most of the time next to their Ford Explorer - which gets virtually all of the daily driving (super SUV, by the way). I believe that my Ridge's AWD variable traction management system (VTM-4) would not have had a problem on that muddy road. And for sure I could have towed his ATV and hauled our gear easily. The penalty? Not as much interior room as his F-150, absolutely, not to mention incredible power - though our mileage figures are strikingly similar when not towing.

So my point is that there is no "perfect tool for the job," truck-wise. Lots of great options out there that the OP needs to investigate. The Ridgeline is one of them. But in light of some dismissive comments about its capabilities and our years of positive towing experience, it seemed appropriate to introduce a different viewpoint. As you said, to each their own.