personwithatruck

What would you get? I've done a bit of research, here is where I am so far...

Here's what I need a truck to do:

-fit in a 20 foot garage

- tow a 2000 lb 16' (loaded) bass boat 9k miles per year. About 30% of this light towing will be at 5k feet, the rest closer to sea level.

- daily driver 9k miles per year

- drive in snowy conditions well (with snow tires)

- best mpg is a consideration. So is price. I'm cheap.


So I need either a Ridgeline Sport (only Ridgeline that looks OK IMO). a 4x4 reg. cab F150 XL 126' WB w/ 3.7 V6 (or 5.0?), or a Silverado 4.8 liter 4x4 reg cab.

Thoughts so far:

The Ridgeline and Silverado seemingly beat out the F150 in the winter driving department since they have AWD options.

The F150 IMO is the most well-built of the three.

Ridgeline drives best day-to-day, given the nature of its' frame.

MPG on the V6 Ridgeline is pretty pathetic. The 5.0 seems to do a little better/about the same, the 3.7 get 2-3 mpg better it seems.

-towing mpg seems to be very similar in all 3 models based on what I'm reading w/ light loads such as mine.

Priced how I want them, the Silverado is cheapest with the F150 very close, then the Ridgline a few K more.

What would you get in my situation? Thank you for reading my long-winded blather!

blyons808

Have u driven a new f150? It probably feels better than the ridgeline. Not to sound biased, but I'd go with the f150 with a 5.0. The only thing that the ridgeline has over the ford regular cab is that it's a 4 door. And its probably more luxurious since its a sport edition and the xl is basically a work truck

Tmmyby

I'm not sure you will get too many honest opinions here. But I will try since I am a car guy and not a brand loyalist. I just recently bought my truck so I test drove a ton of vehicles.

Silverado (I drove the Sierra): drives like a truck, but with soft, almost spongy steering. The interior wasn't exciting, but did the job. I wasn't excited about it after I drove it.

Ridgeline: looks good, but it's built on a FWD minivan platform. Love the trunk feature in the bed, but if you keep anything back there, it's hard to access. Interior is ok, but the flat dash isn't all that exciting. I personally think Honda is way too proud of this vehicle, and they show that in the price.

F150: I've never owned a Ford prior to this one. I've not been much of a fan of the feel of the F150, until I drove this body style. The interior looks and feels great. The ride, for a truck, is spectacular. And the steering is firm and accurate, much like a true sports car. The only thing I would change would be the factory nav unit.

Tmmyby

I did forget to mention, you're comparing apples to apple cobbler here. An XL F150 isn't going to have anywhere near the same amount of features as a Ridgeline Sport. It would be similar to comparing a base model flip phone to an iPhone 4S. It's just not the same.

Rurak

My wife just got a 2012 honda pilot which is basically a ridgeline with no bed ....... i tried to talk her into a ford edge but you know how women are with listening Let me start off with this...... the pilot is great. 20 mpg, comfortable and roomy. However, it has one of the cheapest interiors ive ever seen. My 2010 xlt was the same price and my interior blows hers away. Thats really the only negative i see. Honda powertrains will outlast a ford by a long shot. The 4wd system honda has works great too.

Lurker

I have owned all three, an older k1500 extended cab (POS), tradeed for a 2006 Ridgeline, traded for a 2011 f160 screw eco-shudder. And I like my shudder, but the Ridgeline got better daily gas milage, better towing milage (towing a 5k trailer which is max for the truck). Maintenance on the Honda was easy drain plugs for everything, which was good since they wanted you to change the tranny fluid and vtam fluid every 20k miles, and I didn't find an approved aftermarket. Also due to the front/all wheel drive the Ridgeline was the best car or truck I have driven in the winter. Any truck or suv you chose will have its share of problems, and will probably be good at one thing or another but not good at all things.

CDC5.0

In my opinion your choice falls between the F150 and the Ridgline. The silverado IMO is outdated and unless your going to opt for the 5.3L with the 6-speed tranny your going to regret buying one. The interior on them is boring and the 4.8L Vortec with the 4 speed drinks just as much if not more fuel then the 5.3L with the 6 speed, but with less power available.

If you need a 4 door vehicle for extra passengers or storage and you absolutely do not want anything more then a reg cab pickup, your decision is pretty simple, go with the Ridgline.

The F150 will be a better hauler and is designed to be 100% truck (although still drives great) where as the ridgline is more focused towards people who are thinking about buying a crossover or suv but still want a truck bed.

If you can I would suggest looking for a good deal on an extended cab XL F150. The extra cost will be very much worth it with the addition of the back seats and extra interior storage. The interior of the base XL is sparse, but if your okay with no goodies (like a CD player or power windows / locks) then you will be more then happy with the Ford interior, well laid out, well built, very comfortable. Also you can get the 3.7L 4x4 in an extended cab, although you'll love the extra power of the 5.0 (I know I do ).

Given the 3 choices your working with I would personally go with the F150. But thats just my opinion, good luck with your decision!

southernstyle

I'm a 100% biased ford fan so i automatically say screw chevy, and definitely forget the civic. But, in realistic facts, you will be towing an albeit light load, far distances. This is what i do know, independent suspension doesn't like towing. The ridgeline is full independant, meaning it doesn't have a solid rear axle; it is cv joints: which wear way quicker under a load, and are (generally) not as strong. I personally think the ridgeline is an ugly truck to boot. It also is terrible to back up to anything, the rear window is too small and the tailgate too high, causing a humongous blind spot (chevy has the same issue in the avalanche). The Chevy is what its always been. Old technology, with a few doodads to make it seem new. Like i said, I'm biased, but its for a reason. I honestly feel if you spring for a nice xlt package you will surpass all the competitors in every single category. Just my .02 :thumbsup2:

Rayman21186

Show me a Honda that can take the abuse my stepdad's 83 F-100 took and still make it to 450k miles. The first 150k, my grandpa owned it and towed a camper trailer all over America. After that, he sold it to my stepdad, who drove the HELL out of it, and it only ever needed minor repair until the 3 speed manual finally gave out at 450k. The 300ci straight six still ran fine!

Flash!

If you don't care about carrying more than 2 people (3 in a pinch) the RCSB F150 XLT is probably your best bet. The V6 will get better gas mileage and is less expensive, 5.0 has more power (and sounds ridiculously good).

IMO, I'd look at some SUV/CUVs before I'd consider buying the Ridgeline. 2000lbs is nothing, even for some of the small CUVs. Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, etc. Even the new Escape is rated for 3500lbs with the 2.0L EcoBoost.