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.