caddyowner

^^^
Thanks for posting that pic with the bed dimensions. That's probably too small for the hauling I do. I think that a 5' bed, with the tailgate up, is borderline.

Danimal

I think the Baja is a Legacy/Outback, with a bed instead of a hatch.

Although at first glance, it's fugly beyond all reason; it's been growing on me recently. I just wouldn't get it in Sonic Yellow, unless that's your favorite color. It's just a weird/different car.

Re: Ridgeline. My brother's girlfriend used to have one for highway travel; she said the engine couldn't get out of it's own way, it had no towing capacity, and was essentially just garbage. I'd go Baja all the way. Especially if the utility isn't something you'll be using every day.

Other choice... Aztek... in white.

mmarshall

Yes. That's exactly what it is. Forward of the rear windows, they are identical.

Agreed. The yellow color itself is OK, although it's a more muted yellow, and not really that bright like the Chrome Yellow found on some sport-oriented vehicles. But, I agree with you that, somehow, it just doesn't look good combined with the Baja's silver two-tone paint.


Honda specs give the Ridgeline some 5000 lbs. towing capacity...that's not bad.
http://automobiles.honda.com/ridgeline/towing.aspx
With a standard Honda 3.5L V6, You can't expect it to tow the kind of weight that a Ford F-350 or Dodge Ram 3500 dualie will.

I hope you're joking. Aside from its truly butt-ugly looks (even being subjective, most people would agree with me on its looks), the Aztek doesn't have a bed, which was one of caddyowner's original requirements.

caddyowner

Speaking of beds, I really like the ability to reach over the sides of my Dakota into the bed. Fullsize pickups are now so tall that this is almost impossible. The worst truck I owned in this regard was an 02 Chevy Avalanche. I suspect the Ridgeline may also have tall sides. However, the Ridgeline has the swinging tailgate that makes it easier to reach the trunk and more of the bed. I'll have to "swing" by the Honda dealer and check it out again. I'm getting too old to climb in and out of pickup truck beds.

Danimal

About the having a bed: forgot about that part somehow. I had looked up some of the specs, and saw that it could actually haul a 4x8 sheet of plywood, etc. with the rear down (opens half up, half down, right?); I think this is where I got confused about the bed requirement, since it would fulfill some sort of utility.

The rest of it was all serious though. Truly an ugly car, but the later ones (without the ugly black body cladding, and not in ugly colors) really have grown on me recently. Not to say I'd buy one, though. I do notice, there seems to be a ton of them on the road, they're weird/cool in a Honda Element sort of way. Just hit with an ugly stick a couple thousand times. I don't think I've ever heard a bash about the Aztek that wasn't centered around its looks.

caddyowner

The Aztek was simply a crossover ahead of it's time - with a bad dose of Pontiac-cladded styling.

mmarshall

The Avalanche, though (and its Cadillac EXT cousin) are unique among pickups in that they have the removable multi-function rear-window panel that allows you to extend the bed into the rear cabin......or even the front, if the rear seat is folded down. No other pickup has that.

mmarshall

The Aztek, though generally castigated for its looks, was not without its fans, though. I've already shared the story (several times) in various threads about how I was helping my ex-boss shop at a GMC/Pontiac store for a new Yukon XL, and a young couple came in, test-drove a white Aztek on the lot, fell in love with it, and took it home a short time later.

caddyowner

Aztek: Every owner of one that I've known loves their Aztek. Some are unaware of the stigma. Most grin and bear it.

Avalanche: The biggest complaint I had with my Avalanche (aside from cold start knock) was the tall, hard-to-access, and small bed. If something rolled to the front of the bed, I had to either go in through the midgate, crawl under the hard tonneau, or fish it out with a rake. The heavily treaded bed mat made sliding stuff into the bed very difficult. The hard tonneau covers were fairly easy to remove and install, but if you were away from home when you needed to remove them, you had to store the big covers along the side of the bed, making the bed even narrower. The side storage boxes were convenient for many things that I would normally carry in a bed box, but they were tall and hard to access.

Gee the more I think about the Avalanche, the more I think the Ridgeline may be too much like it. But, the Ridgeline's bed is probably a lot lower, has the swinging tailgate, and a trunk. Hmm...

IS-SV

Ridgeline is big enough to be useful, mountain bikers love it.

LexFather

If it was called the Honda Aztek, people would have bought them in droves. B/C it was a Pontiac, people dismissed it.

No offense but the Element, Fit, Ridgeline, MDX, CR-V, Pilot, RDX, ZDX all look like the sons of the Aztek. They get passes by people though.

It is amazing to me that ugly is given a pass b/c of a badge. (wait, I do like the Cayenne)

IS-SV

Good example of lucrative (for Porsche) and ugly.

Janizary

We've had our 2008 Ridgeline RTL for about 18 months now. Here are some of my 'good' and 'not so good' thoughts on it:

Good:
Bullet Proof J-Series 3.5L engine
Automated AWD that just works well
More CAB space than my 90's F350 Crew Cab has
Trunk! (Really, my wife and I get lots of use out of the trunk)
Rides like a tall car
Acceptable off-road performance for soft-road and a bit of rough stuff


Not so Good:
Power is not good (really needs more TQ, but VTM apparently can't handle more power without self-destructing)
Terrible driver's seat (completely anecdotal and IMHO)
Nit-picking - Was it too much to ask for an automatic sun-roof and rear window? (I told you it was nit-picking)
Rides like a tall car (see, it works both ways )
Really, its not a jeep!

pagemaster

2004-2006 double cab Toyota Tundra is what I would get. The 4.7 is based on the previous LS400 engine and it is one smooth operating engine..

caddyowner

Could you elaborate on these two items? Does the AWD work well on roads with mixed icy / clear conditions? Is the driver's seat uncomfortable and or just not adjustable enough?


Unfortunately, all full sized pickups are too tall to transfer my wife from a wheelchair. Our maximum passenger seat height is set by a measurement:

- Park on level pavement.

- Open passenger door and lower power seat to lowest and furthest back position.

- With a tape measure, measure up 18" from the pavement next to the door sill.

- While holding the tape measure at the 18" point, bend the tape above 18" to the highest edge of the seat bottom. The tape measure can't read more than 30" where it touches the seat. (This mimics someone standing with their back to the vehicle and sitting back onto the seat.)

- Since my wife can (most of the time) step up onto a single, 6" tall platform, the above measurements can be increased to 24" & 36".

- She can't use running boards.