This hits the nail on the head! You simply can't have a truck in this price range without a V8. I remember a few years back looking at the T-100. I liked the fact it was closer to full size and the fact it was a Toyota. I walked across the street and saw I could get a V8 in the American trucks for the same money as the V6 T100 and thought, forget the T-100. Either give it a V8 or drop the price. I think that is the way most truck owners/shoppers see it.

On paper the Ridgeline is great, and probably fits very well the way a lot of people (at least in California) actually use their trucks (occasionally haul, but mostly daily driver stuff). It just needs a V8.

 

The Aztec wasn't bad inside either, and actually drives NICE, but it still needs a bag over it.

 

My loaded crew cab Nissan Titan was 3-5k less than a base Ridgeline. It has all the storage and space of the Ridgeline and then some. It is a fullsize, however if you can get a comparable fullsize over the midsize Ridgeline from Honda, it's pretty easy to see why they're sales numbers are not up to par.

 

At least it isn't the Lincoln Mark LT or Blackwood

I've seen maybe 5 of those on the road since they've been out

 

Man I have seen a quite a few Mark LT's so far. Quite a few of them have been lifted with 20-22" rims and 35-40" tires. Granted this is SoCal. I do like them though. I would like them more if they would make the truck more of a Lincoln and less of a Ford...

 

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...eline-ap_x.htm

Honda Ridgeline named truck of the year by Motor Trend
DETROIT (AP) — The Honda Ridgeline was named the 2006 truck of the year by Motor Trend magazine, an award that could help boost the pickup's lackluster sales.

It's the second time this year a Honda vehicle has won the magazine's top award. Motor Trend last month named the newly redesigned 2006 Honda Civic its car of the year. The 2006 Nissan Xterra was the publication's sport-utility vehicle of the year. The designation is important to automakers, who often use Motor Trend's endorsement in their advertising.

This is also the second straight year a Japanese maker has won Motor Trend's truck of the year. Last year's winner was the 2005 Toyota Tacoma.

The Ridgeline, which went on sale in the spring, is Honda's first entry in the pickup market. Motor Trend said innovative features set it apart from other trucks in its class, including an 8.5-cubic-foot trunk under the pickup's bed, four cargo lamps that illuminate the bed and a rear gate that opens like a door or swings down.

"The Ridgeline showcases a vehicle built on intelligent technology and impressive durability," Angus MacKenzie, editor of Motor Trend, said in a news release.

Finalists for the truck of the year were four large trucks — the Dodge Ram 1500, Dodge Ram Mega Cab, Lincoln Mark LT and the Ridgeline — and two compact trucks, the Isuzu i350 and the Mitsubishi Raider. Only new or substantially redesigned trucks were considered, and all had to be on sale to the public by Jan. 1, 2006.

The Ridgeline was the unanimous pick of Motor Trend's editors after thousands of miles of testing in a variety of weather. Motor Trend evaluates the vehicle's finish and materials, engineering, handling and response, safety and power.

Motor Trend also takes into account the truck's value for its price. The Ridgeline starts at $27,700, according to Edmunds.com, an online vehicle research site. By comparison, the Isuzu i350 starts at $16,989, the Dodge Ram 1500 starts at $20,090, and the Lincoln Mark LT starts at $38,680.

Despite the accolades, the Ridgeline may not meet Honda's sales targets this year. **** Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., said in January that Honda expected to sell 50,000 Ridgelines this year. As of the end of November, Honda had sold 36,000.

 

Well, with competition like that, how could it not win.

 

its not a bad looking truck to tell the truth. Customized this thing is phat... blk on blk on the ground slammed... but to each his own... not the hottest thing but you kno

 

They had an auto show down here in Mexico City and it was the first chance I got to see this truck in person (Honda does not sell it nor does it sell a lot of models found in the states). Everyone there was asking the Honda person why it was so underpowered (claims it was not)and if they were going to sell it here (No)

You have to give the customer more than just a pretty design. Remember the PT Cruiser...nice design but underpowered until the 2.4 L Turbo came in.

 

If the non-turbo Cruiser was so underpowered, then why were there long waiting lists at the dealerships and markups as high as 40-50% for the first year or so when it was new? Power is not the only thing that makes a vehicle attractive.

 

I am aware in the U.S. this was a big deal, but down here in Mexico they had a tough time selling them as they were criticized for being underpowered. Chrysler sold it on pure design thinking people would be suckers. Not until the turbo version came out did it get some spike in sales. Probably good thing the Ridgeline didn't make it down here either.

mmarshall, take a look at the prices down here (move the decimal point one place to the left to get a rough idea in dollars...see the difference between the 150 hp and 220 hp versions)
http://mx.autos.yahoo.com/newcars/ch...l_overview.php

Toyota did something similar with the Matrix by not offering the 180 hp version here and it is still a poor seller down here.
http://mx.autos.yahoo.com/newcars/to...l_overview.php

The Murano actually took off down here very similar to the PT in the states...but if I remember somebody told me they do not come with CVT here.

 

x2 on Honda being stubborn. They need a completely new engine platform. The J-series block is long overdue and is proven to not be up to par with competitors. Nissan did right with the VQ-series. Quite a bit more torque down low, where it needs to be. If the ridgeline packed 300hp/300ftlbs of torque, then I would bet sales will be more forgiving. Underpowered vehicle with an overpriced tag. Not a good combination. Weighing at ~4500lbs, it's going to need more than a 3.5L V6 to get some medium-duty work done.

 

I don't disagree that the lack of a V8 for the Ridgeline and the availability of only a V6 may have hurt sales....I have felt that from the outset. Honda is learning the lessons that Toyota learned 10-12 years ago with the T-100 and T-150. Mid-sized and larger pickups pretty much have to have either a high-torque gas V8 or a high-torque diesel for heavy hauling and towing, which more or less separates this function from large-engine cars. In regular cars big engines are usually put in for acceleration; with trucks that is usually not the case, except for a few purpose-built drag-strip trucks like the Ford Lightning and Dodge Ram SRT-10. In trucks, the torque is needed....and designed.....more for towing than for quick acceleration. And....yes, the Ridgeline's lack of a high-powered engine is one of the things that limits its towing capacity to around 5500 lbs. Nissan, fortunately, recognized thuis from the start and avoided the twin mistakes that both Toyota and Honda made, and put in a 305 HP V8 right from the start. Too bad the Canton, MS plant had such lousy quality control.....if it wasn't for that, the Titan would have probably done even better in the marketplace than it has already done.

But in the end, it must also be remembered that no matter HOW well the Japanese manufacturers design their trucks and HOW much power they put in, the American pickup-truck market is EXTREMELY hard to break into. F-150, Silverado, and Ram owners are some of the most loyal people on the planet. To try and crack this market is like banging your head against the Rock of Gibraltar. Dodge has had some success in the last 10 years, with the droop-fender big-rig look of the full-size Rams, in taking some sales from Ford and Chevy, Toyota has taken a smaller number with the ( finally ) V8 Tundra.....a actual mid-sized truck marketed with a V8 as a full-sizer. The Titan, with its true full-size competition but hurt by poor quality control, has taken a few more...but that's about it.

 

I gave up on them when C. Van tune left. They have the foggiest idea. I don't see innovation, I see stubborness and one UGLY truck.

And wow, it really beat out some competiton huh