flipside909

Toyota started using direct ignition (TDI) in their vehicles starting in the early 1990s. Toyota's Direct Injection and Dual VVT-i is their new tech.

flipside909

On another note, I did see the new Ridgeline at a Honda dealer that was right next door to the Lexus dealer we were test driving a GS430 yesterday. The Ridgeline sure isn't pleasing to the eye or appealing to me at all. It's a pansy truck based off a minivan chassis. Kudos to Honda for their own attempt to build a convertible suv. At least it wasn't borrowed from Isuzu this time.

bizzy928

I read that 90% of its chassis is brand new...

doug_999

So they use an older engine and you bash them for life? Interesting. But most people I know would say (including me) that Honda's engines are more refined than Toyota's. Especially when it comes to the 4 cyl.

Techonolgy is also interesting - would seem to me that Honda has them beat as well. Variable Cylinder Management anyone?

1984911Tar

I drove the Ridgeline on Saturday. It is a very nice truck.

I am the type of person that only needs a truck to run to Home Depot every so often, and don't want to get my accord trunk dirty.

I think Honda has some refinements to the Ridgeline, before it will be a sure winner in my court, but it has some great optionsl

Michael

thisguy_06

my neighbor just got his silver ridgeline and he got his 22's or 20's in his "truck" bed already. I'm waiting to see how this looks and works out.

flipside909

That's nothing new. GM used it on Cadillac several years ago.

flipside909

Despite that, the chassis is an evolution of the Pilot which was a stem of the Odyssey. It's base roots was from a minivan but with a stiffer new chassis and beefed up suspension from it's original counterparts. Nothing really wrong with that. It provides a very smooth ride. Just not something I would spend $30k on.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I think they are about equal there. Honda also had the Direct Ignition in the early 90s, fist was on the NSX in 1989 and then on the Legend in 1990. Toyota';s VVT-iL is the same as Honda's -VTEC. Both vary came phase and valve lift diruration. Diract Injection is where Toyota has the edge this year.

jaydunn

Unlike GM, however, Honda actually got it to work. All of the Caddies that came with 4-6-8 are now in landfills where they belong.

mmarshall

Isuzu didn't even sell THEIR own pickup, Flip. The last pickup they marketed here in the U.S, the Hombre, was a rebadged and decontented Chevy S-10.

I understand your low opinion of the Honda Ridgeline...and respect it.........But it must be remembered that this truck was not meant, or designed, to go one-on-one with Ford Super-Duty and Dodge Cummins diesel dual-wheelies towing 15,000-18,000 pound boats and motor homes. It was meant as a light-to-medium duty truck at best.

flipside909

Well we should revisit this in about 3-4 years and see if Honda continues to use this technology. Like Cadillac, the idea was great and worked initially, then it was eventually scrapped.

flipside909

Not necessarily, there's a difference. Toyota's VVTL-i (Variable Valve Timing/Lift w/intelligence) was continually variable unlike VTEC. i-VTEC was the answer to it. DOHC was only available to Honda's top line models, most of them are SOHC. Twin Cam/Four Cam = DOHC designs have been evident in Toyota's lineup since the 80s.

flipside909

Well Isuzu is on it's way out. Before the Hombre, you had the Isuzu pickup truck that Joe Isuzu used to taunt Toyota w/back in the early 90s. The Passport and Acura SLX aka Rodeo and Trooper. Yeah that's really original.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Well, we are just talking about a year or two difference. I'm not turning this into a Toyota vs Honda war, but all I'm sayiny is both companies have been coming out with the technology to compete with each other . VTEC was used in 1989 at least. VVT-i came out in 1997 I believe. If I'm not mistaken, VVTi only varies cam phase, while VTEC did not vary cam phase but varies lift duration. The answer for Honda was to release i-VTEC that not only varies lift duration but now varies cam phase continously just like VVT-i. The answer for Toyota was to introduce VVT-iL which now varies lift along with continously varies cam phase. DOHC motors were used in Honda since at least 1985 as an 86 model in the Integra. The CRX, Integra, Prelude, NSX. Now the NSX is top of the line, but the others really can't be said to be top tier. Those are just the ones I personally know of since a lot of things in Japan are different. Then we can talk about Variable Volume Induction that Honda used as well as Toyota and many others. All I'm saying is the competition between the two is tight and each take an advantage over the other oe year then the other takes it right back. It is good to see that sort of competition between the two so we get better products every year..