I bought one in mid-February, and I am still developing my opinion. Here is
what I would recommend at this point - if you are only going to own one
vehicle, I would recommend the Ridgeline over any truck. If you are going to
own a car and are looking for a workhorse, you may want to consider a
traditional truck. The Ridgeline in its current configuration probably won't
be a hot seller with farmers and construction workers - partly because of
the small bed and partly because of its towing capacity. However, as far as
how it is constructed and its design, it seems very tough and capable.

I like the trunk in the bed, the handling and ride, and the spacious
interior, including the well thought out rear seats. The interior is a nice
compromise between truck and car. I would like to see them lower the vehicle
a little, or possibly put in an air-adjustable ride-height option. The ride
is quiet and firm. The FWD priority AWD is very nice in bad weather. The
trim body makes parking lots a little more welcoming than with a full-size
truck.

Most of my complaints are about poor instrument and control layout.
Unfortunately, Honda continues with the Japanese tradition of every control
having an On/Off switch in addition to controls for the item. The HVAC
system is about as convoluted as can be and takes up nearly a square foot of
dash space. The cruise control On/Off is conveniently placed out-of-sight by
your left knee, while the remainder of the cruise system is on the steering
wheel. The light switch, is placed where my left knee bangs into it every
time I get into the vehicle. The tilt steering wheel, keeping in Japanese
tradition, doesn't have enough adjustment, and when it is adjusted as good
as I can get it (its lowest position is still too high), almost completely
blocks my view of the speedo, tach, and some of the idiot lights (I'm 5'7").
Other complaints include ambient type lighting of the instruments which
makes it tough to remember to turn on your headlights when you are in an
illuminated parking lot. The headlights are not automatic, but the
instrument lights are, leading you to believe your headlights are on when
they aren't. Other gripes are the lack of DRL's, small sunroof, lack of low
range in transfer case, and wimpy heated seats.

My biggest complaint, and the complaint of most owners so far is lack of
fuel efficiency. I drive almost entirely on the highway between 55-65 mph
and have yet to break the 16 mpg barrier. Since it is listed as 16 City/21
Hwy, I am not too impressed. It will likely increase slightly as it breaks
in, but I think claims of AVERAGE 21 mpg Hwy was a little optomistic, if not
downright fraudulent.

Dana
2006 Ridgeline RTL

"Stan Dupp" <sdupp@netscape.net> wrote in message
news:e0oco6$p3m$1@emma.aioe.org...
> Thinking about buying a Ridgeline. Any Ridgeline Owners in this group
> care to share the pros & cons on this truck.