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Edmonds best midsize truck ranking

JT_Hambone

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The Gladiator edged out the Tacoma for for 2nd, but the Ridgeline?
https://www.edmunds.com/truck/

0153A1B2-5350-406D-A7CE-98E1B4A9C539.png
That's a good article. I agree with all of the points. I've seen a lot of reviews that put the gladiator in the lower levels of its class, but most of the points were the things that make it a Jeep. Very happy with my Rubicon so far.
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Playmon

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I traded my Ridgeline Black Edition for a manual JT Rubicon. There was no such thing as a Gladiator when I bought the Honda. The RL was an incredible all-around, light duty truck; better than the JT. But JT suits me better. Here is my assessment.

-The RL drove like a well planted car due to its low CoG.
-It had great stopping power (until the rotors warped like they do on every Honda I've owned).
-It would launch in the wet just like it was dry.
-It was as comfortable to drive as any vehicle I've driven (I rent about 40 cars/yr).
-It would get 20-21 mpg with the cruise set on 83.
-The stereo was great.
-The tailgate and trunk are awesome.
-It was really good on unpaved roads, too.
But...
-The paint was easily scuffed, scratched, or chipped.
-You could have any option you wanted, as long is it was included in the standard list for the model you selected.
-You could put it in any gear you wanted, as long as it started with PRN or D.
-I work in places where there are no roads and I found myself constantly freaking out over the piles of dirt left behind where a dozer or excavator would turn around (6" high) or else just walking alot.
-It only had one "skid plate", which covered the exhaust and was made from aluminum foil's equivalent.
-On more than one occasion, in soft mud, the electronics would enter into spasm mode and the RL would do nothing, at which point, I would use and excavator or my wife's Wrangler to pull it out.

-I find the JT to be much slower and not even in the same class with regard to handling.
-It rides like a pretty well balanced and comfortable see-saw.
-Its way louder.
-I have to work hard to get 17.5 mpg.
-It is shaped like three bricks, stacked together.

But..
-I can go wherever I want or need to go and instead of worrying, I'm grinning.
-I'm no longer inclined to drive like I'm in a hurry everywhere.
-I'm sitting up high, where a man belongs.
-I have a convertible pickup truck.
-I get to do my own shifting.
-My adult sons think I'm cool, just like they did when they were 6 yrs old.
-It is shaped like three bricks, stacked together, not my wife's used soap.
 

Horde

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I would never buy a Honda Ridgeline. I don't consider it a practical truck.

I am surprised the Ranger is so low on the list. Ii once had an F150 I thought it was good. But I liked my Ram better.
 

LostWoods

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Basically a minivan with a dumpster in the back.
Which is exactly what 90% of the buyers in the mid-size market actually need. It's not what anyone wants but from a specifications standpoint, it's perfect for the average family man who just needs the occasional dump run after remodeling the bathroom or for those weekend runs to Home Depot.
 

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Tapped_Out

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How exactly do you get away with calling a raised Honda Accord with a bed a truck?
 

unsocbl

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I had a 2019 Ridgeline RTL AWD and a 2017 Recon JKU that I traded for my JT Sport. Onroad, The Ridgeline was better at everything. I'm not a hardcore 'try to bury my truck' guy and the Ridgeline was surprisingly decent in the situations I put it in offroad with a set of Cooper STT's on it. The features were really well thought out, controls well laid out (Except the god wawful entertainment unit). Gss mileage was consistently around 25mpg and the fun part was doing things the haters couldn't in their Colorado's and Tacomas (the 'It's not a real truck crowd')

But, after saying all the good things, it had no soul!! My wife called it the 'hooker truck'. Embarassed to be seen with it, never took it out to show it off and left it ina corner somehwere for when it was needed.
 

Silvertruck

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Not sure the answer is gmc but consider this a PSA to protect our fellow neighbors from bench stats suggesting a ridgeline is on top.



he’s right you know.
 

noside85

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I traded my Ridgeline Black Edition for a manual JT Rubicon. There was no such thing as a Gladiator when I bought the Honda. The RL was an incredible all-around, light duty truck; better than the JT. But JT suits me better. Here is my assessment.

-The RL drove like a well planted car due to its low CoG.
-It had great stopping power (until the rotors warped like they do on every Honda I've owned).
-It would launch in the wet just like it was dry.
-It was as comfortable to drive as any vehicle I've driven (I rent about 40 cars/yr).
-It would get 20-21 mpg with the cruise set on 83.
-The stereo was great.
-The tailgate and trunk are awesome.
-It was really good on unpaved roads, too.
But...
-The paint was easily scuffed, scratched, or chipped.
-You could have any option you wanted, as long is it was included in the standard list for the model you selected.
-You could put it in any gear you wanted, as long as it started with PRN or D.
-I work in places where there are no roads and I found myself constantly freaking out over the piles of dirt left behind where a dozer or excavator would turn around (6" high) or else just walking alot.
-It only had one "skid plate", which covered the exhaust and was made from aluminum foil's equivalent.
-On more than one occasion, in soft mud, the electronics would enter into spasm mode and the RL would do nothing, at which point, I would use and excavator or my wife's Wrangler to pull it out.

-I find the JT to be much slower and not even in the same class with regard to handling.
-It rides like a pretty well balanced and comfortable see-saw.
-Its way louder.
-I have to work hard to get 17.5 mpg.
-It is shaped like three bricks, stacked together.

But..
-I can go wherever I want or need to go and instead of worrying, I'm grinning.
-I'm no longer inclined to drive like I'm in a hurry everywhere.
-I'm sitting up high, where a man belongs.
-I have a convertible pickup truck.
-I get to do my own shifting.
-My adult sons think I'm cool, just like they did when they were 6 yrs old.
-It is shaped like three bricks, stacked together, not my wife's used soap.
perfect assessment. i enjoyed my 2017 ridgeline, but it was my first truck and it made us want to do more truck/outdoor stuff. it was great for going to the drive-in, getting mulch, hauling furniture, loading up for a weekend trip at the beach, running errands. wasn't too big or too small. i don't need a full size truck. 6 trips to home depot for mulch in my sonata wasn't cutting it. so yeah, the ridgeline is great/practical for the vast majority of people that use a truck (in the city). but like i said, having a truck made us want to do more stuff outside. and who thinks practical all the time anyway.

went to a campsite near asheville one day in the ridgeline and was LUCKY to get up a trail that would've been no issue for a proper 4x4 truck/jeep.

the first gen didn't look great. and since it's a honda people give them little thought. some people say they are ugly and aren't a proper truck, some people say that about gladiators too. who cares? how many people buy jeeps and don't do shit with them? how many people will spend 50k on a jeep to take out over boulders? how many gladiator owners tow boats? but how many will appreciate a solid drive around the city with good mileage?

all i know is i had two trucks that i loved, but i enjoy my jeep much much more. in many ways they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. cool vs logical, fun vs safe, comfort vs capability, urban vs offroad, business vs pleasure.

surprised the ridgeline made it to the top, but really not surprised it fared well.
 
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FormerToyotaGuy

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I'll stick by my statements that it is a good vehicle, its Honda reliable and it rides great as it should its a CAR. I am sorry but its really not in the same class as the other trucks. If Subaru still made the Baja then it would be a fair comparison.
 

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RacerX00

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How exactly do you get away with calling a raised Honda Accord with a bed a truck?
Frankly I think this hits the nail on the head. I've always loved the El Camino and I view the Ridgeline as an El Camino-type rather than a truck. If they just changed the platform slightly and marketed it that way, similar to say a Subaru Outback-style vehicle I think that would really nail the segment.

You'd get a lot more suburbanites proudly driving this thing if you just marketed it as a tough car with a bed as opposed to a truck.
 

WaterDR

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Whenever I see a RL I am curious to see what the driver looks like and always surprised to see someone who’s not headed to a circus driving it. The thing is so goofy looking. Like someone’s idea of a joke. I don’t care how comfy the seats are or how well the AC works....hey wait....the AC works.
 

whiteglad

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You might be happy with a Honda, if you think a truck is for hauling one bag of potting soil, and off-road is your driveway. . .unless your driveway looks like this:
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