Thinking about buying one and looking gor some 1st hand reviews. Do any of you own one?

Just get the minivan.

They are just an Accord or CRV with a bed. If you need the capabilities of a truck don't get one. If you want AWD and a smooth ride with a bed then they are fine.

Very debatable. I don't have one, but they perform very well in tests.

What do you mean when you say capabilities of a truck? No I wouldn't try to lift it and put 35's on it, or try to build a rock crawler, or mud bogger, or tow a 7,000 lb travel trailer, or use it for a work truck etc. but for picking up mulch and some lumber at home depot, dragging a modest boat to the lake etc. stuff people normaly do with a 1/2 ton pickup I think it would serve its purpose fine. Mind you people have been using v-6 trucks forever.

I will look at one when it comes time to replace my wifes escape, it offers much more capability and similar fuel mileage.

And a Tacoma is just a Camry with a bed?

Ouch... I thought it, but didn't say it

I like www.tfltruck.com for truck/trailering info. Here is their towing test of the Ridgeline:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=296&v=HQY90ZxSEiQ

try to take a Ridgeline in to the places that my Tacoma has been and it would not be coming out. At least not on it's own. One place where a Ridgeline will definitely outperform a Tacoma is on the hwy. I will take the off road capabilities of the Tacoma over the Ridgeline any day because that is what I need. If you stay on paved roads than the Ridgeline is probably a better choice. A Ridgline's suspension and off road features do not come close to the Tacomas. I have 6112s on the front, 6150 remote reservoirs rear, ATRAC and a locker. I bet a Ridgeline would not make it through a season where I hunt.

Put some bigger tires on it and I bet it would suffice. Your precious shocks serve your ego more than your performance any day. The ridgeline is not meant as a hardcore offroad vehicle. Besides if extreme offroad ability is the only/main measure of a TRUCK the vast majority don't make the cut.

you are correct and that is why I said it was a better hwy vehicle than mine. People use trucks for different purposes. I bought Tacoma specifically to handle the rugged ranch roads I travel. Most people would not put up with the hwy ride. I have hunted this ranch for long time and driven several trucks and none of them handle the terrain like the Tacoma. Everyone one I hunt with agrees it rides better than any other truck off road.

I doubt many people on a fishing forum is going to drag their boats through a hunting lease as you describe. The majority of fishermen/women are more interested in paved roadway performance,,,, at least that a perception of mine. After all I thought this was a fishing forum. You may be better served to pound you chest about the best vehicle to run on a deer lease on the hunting forum. But that's just me.

Never said anything about dragging boat through deer lease. A lot of people that fish also hunt. I was just pointing out that just because the Ridgeline is AWD that does not mean that it is a good or even decent off road vehicle. I am not beating my chest but Tacomas and Tundras are superior to Fords in every way.

LOL

When did Ford start making the ridgelines?

just taking a jab at Fordnut's precious Fords.

haha, good discussion here. The redesigned Ridgeline is 2017 truck of the year from somebody I can't remember. Wifey and I drove one and it really drove nice. Very peppy 3.5 v-6, 285 hp. It looks more like a truck than the previous models. We're a little older and our days of pulling travel trailers and boats are behind us. We're just wanting something to take a few long trips in. Still considering it. I think it is overpriced.

Honda's and Toyota's ARE overpriced.

Superior at being overrated overpriced and first to the pump.

I am pricing Tundras right now. When you look at what people are actually paying Tundras are not priced any higher than Ford or Chevy. The difference is in the MSRP. Toyotas start lower so you do not see the 5 figure discounts and the rebates that you do on Fords & Chevy's. Even if you do pay more you will get it back and then some at resale. Tacomas are the number one vehicle in resale for a reason.

I was just pointing out to the OP that a Ridgeline sits on xover frame and does not have a solid rear axle and someone jumps in and starts bashing Tacoma's. Not knowing the OPs needs I wanted him to be aware that just because a Ridgeline is AWD does not mean it if off road capable. Tacoma's are not for everyone because of their size and road manners and I understand that. My son was not really a Tacoma or Toyata fan until I bought my second one. He just bought a 4 Runner because he wants a vehicle that will last.

I have never owned a Toyota personally and all my vehicles have LASTED. The last one I sold only lost 3,500-4,000 in 4 years and 50+k miles when I sold it. Toyota is not the answer to world hunger.

A good friend of mine just traded in his Tundra for a new Ridgeline. He first bought the regular version and he couldn't get his Z18 out his driveway. The front wheel drive was a definite issue. He went back the next day and came home with a fully loaded AWD version and likes it "ok". He says it's fine to haul the boat very short distances to the local ramps and to the dealer for service. He said he hasn't had to panic stop towing. ....and he says he hopes he never has to try it. He says the fuel mileage is not as good as his older, more capable, Tundra when pulling or just driving. (He had a 4.7). He does, however, get better mileage than my 5.7 4x4. But about 1/2 an MPG when towing. I do not have to worry about stopping in my truck, by the way, it has the biggest brakes in its class.

He does like the speakers built into the bed though. And the double hinged tail gate is easy for his wife to use.

If it lasts even remotely close to as long as my wife's old Honda Pilot, it will be around a while. But, at $46,000...it's too much to pay for too little "truck" and too many gimmicks. <<<that is my opinion.

On a very real note....again an opinion....EVERY GUY AT OUR WORK laughs hysterically at his "truck" every day. They can't believe he got talked into buying it by his wife.

In third party testing they averaged mid to high 20's mpg out of them, no way his tundras, either one ever got close to that.

it probably needs to get broken in. Both my Tacomas went from around 15 up to 20-21 on their way to 10k.

My Tundra doesn't get close to the ridgeline empty....but towing I am very close to the same he is getting. But, my Tundra has torque and is geared better for towing. So, under a load, my truck is more efficient than the ridgeline. I think that if he used his ridgeline as much for towing as I do with my truck, I think my truck would hold up to the use better in the long run.

I like to compare trucks like I do tools....I wouldn't use a little cordless drill to drill into 2x4's all day. Could it do it? Sure....with lots of battery changes and time to let it cool down every few minutes.

It's the same with a little truck using a small, high revving, v-6. It just doesn't tow as well as a v-8 with a heavier over all package with BIG disc brakes. And the side swinging tail gate won't open with a boat hooked up, so that feature would be a waste for me as well.

Well of course the tundra will tow better and will likely stand up to much more sever towing duty. On the other hand I bet your average joe spends less than 10% of the miles on their vehicle towing.

Here is another fact most people drastically overestimate what they tow and how often they do it. Its probably not for the guy who tows a flatbed every day to the job site or is a hot shot driver, or a tournament angler that is all over the country with a trailer or hauls something large and or heavy but I bet its more than enough for your average run of the mill weekend warrior who is lucky to fish a weekend or two a month near home with an aluminum boat or a moderate fiberglass boat.

TFL truck ran one up ike guantlet with 5,000 lbs behind it... its more than sufficient to drag an average to light boat around.

For "small" boats a "small" truck is probably o.k. However, most "small" boats do not have trailer brakes. Most smaller fiberglass boats also do not have trailer brakes. Personally I would not recommend putting 5,000 lbs behind it unless it had brakes on the trailer. Even if it did I probably would not do it. I suspect as you say they could get the boat moving but in a panic stop the rule of physics comes into play and the added weight will significantly increase the stopping distance. Unfortunately it seems today on the highways people just can't resist pulling in front of me when I am pulling my boat and leaving a little extra space between the car in front of me.

In texas at least, probably everywhere else also any trailer over 3,500 lbs is suppose to have brakes to be legal... "suppose to"

Laws in several states are more stringent. Not sure if it still is but Ca used to be 50% od vehicle weight. They also require retaining clips on the safety chains. Tacomas with tow package are wired for brakes. All you need is the controller.

The Ridgeline is a Pilot with a pickup bed. Same specs.

When I was looking at both a few years ago, I chose the Pilot since I could at least carry a fishing rod in the back.

You can tow more load with a bicycle. Ridgeline is probably the worst possible selection for a tow vehicle. I suggest a good SUV or a real Truck. The Tacoma is a rear drive vehicle and works well for towing. I tow a 18.5 ft Kenner and would not use the Tacoma for anything much heavier.

I've towed boats with smaller vehicles...Ranger, Tacoma, Explorer, Wrangler. They have their place and they got the job done. But the older I get, I'd rather have a little too much truck than not enough. If you tow a normal size bass boat frequently, at least a half ton would be a wise choice, imo. They just handle the load better.

I think it all depends on what you need out of it. If you live 10 minutes from the lake sure. If your toing a 16-foot lund, tracker, other aluminum boat etc. go for it.

If you tow long distance and something that weighs more than 3000-3500 lbs its probably not your best bet.

Not necessarily