Not likely to get much love for the Ridgeline here but if that's what you need now, it is what it it. I decided it was time for 4WD as well so I parked the XR in the garage for the winter and bought myself an FJ Cruiser. I the truck is paid off and you still like it, you could always keep it as a toy like I have.

I did think about keeping it as a "toy", it's very fun to drive. But like you said, I'll have to park it. I'd hate to park it outside as it's always been in the garage and for an 09 it still gets complements. I thought about getting something like the FJ or even a Tacoma but really it needs to be something that my wife can/will drive and or my kids. Just in case. The XR with the T56 and clutch the way it is, it really likes to be driven hard and is not friendly to folks with half a technique.
Funny thing about owning a truck in the first place. When I purchased the XR I 'needed' a truck but didn't want one. Really wanted something a bit more sporty. In the end the XR fit the bill to a T. As for the Ridgeline, well I still don't want a truck and I don't do any off-roading like I did 30 years ago in my Subaru Brat (Ha). Also, until recently I thought the ridgeline was U-G-L-Y but they seem to have fixed that. But occasionally I find the truck bed to be very useful, so that's what I'll get. In one form or another.

I loved the Ridgeline for about 10 minutes. My '94 Celica was stuck in the mud after a bad storm in VA. I attached a 10' strap to my Chevy 2500HD work truck ( with a Reading tool bed )... it was 4X2, so now they're both stuck with the strap taught.... along comes a Ridgeline and pulls'em both out... Well, now you know what it's capable of... GOOD LUCK!

Skip the 4X4 and buy a C8 Corvette.

I got a new titan... 5 years 100k mile warranty and 390hp...

Have you seen this?

I would do the Ridgeline. My other cars are Hondas, Civic EX 2015 and an Accord Coupe 2014. Traded my 07 XR for a Colorado in 2015 and had regrets after 3 mts. Traded the Colorado for a 2014 XR last August. Never been so happy to grind some gears

Gators Taco said:

I would do the Ridgeline. My other cars are Hondas, Civic EX 2015 and an Accord Coupe 2014. Traded my 07 XR for a Colorado in 2015 and had regrets after 3 mts. Traded the Colorado for a 2014 XR last August. Never been so happy to grind some gears

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I thought about buying a Colorado when they came out. I liked the idea of six cylinder power with the 5 and mileage like a 4. Still thought they should have put an LS motor in it to start. Never got one. Didn't really need a new truck until years later then got my X. What didn't you like about it?

I have not driven the new Ranger or Jeep yet.

Did drive around in a Colorado turbo diesel and it was a little slow, but drove much better on the highway than the new Tacoma 3.5.

If I was going to get rid of all of my vehicles and start over and needed a pick up to haul stuff for the house and had a long commute everyday, I would give a serious look to the Ridgeline. I really think Honda has done well there.

Odd how Toyota opted out of this comparison test. I think they know that the new 3.5 with the Atkinson Cycle and the overly tall gearing has taken the fun out of what was a super nice little pickup truck.

Spoke with a few friends today, one of which just retired and sold his auto shop. Their comment about Honda's was that every single one of them have a timing 'belt' and it's a $1500 ding every 100K miles. By the time I get 100K miles I'll be going to some electron pushing battery truck with 600 mile range (a guy can dream can't he?). I'm surprised that the comments here about the Ridgeline are as good as they are. I've been looking and never see them on the road. Still, a very nice ride.

I might better go drive the new Ranger just to see. I still have the old small ranger image engraved in my brain. I really like the looks of the new Jeep but I'm looking for something a bit less radical. After all, it would be a shame to have something like that and never get it dirty.

BSP06XRU said:

Have you seen this?

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No, I hadn't seen that video (just watched it). Kinda makes me think I'm looking in the right direction. The 2020 Ridgeline now has a 9 speed transmission not tested in the video.

brs said:

Spoke with a few friends today, one of which just retired and sold his auto shop. Their comment about Honda's was that every single one of them have a timing 'belt' and it's a $1500 ding every 100K miles. By the time I get 100K miles I'll be going to some electron pushing battery truck with 600 mile range (a guy can dream can't he?). I'm surprised that the comments here about the Ridgeline are as good as they are. I've been looking and never see them on the road. Still, a very nice ride.

I might better go drive the new Ranger just to see. I still have the old small ranger image engraved in my brain. I really like the looks of the new Jeep but I'm looking for something a bit less radical. After all, it would be a shame to have something like that and never get it dirty.

Click to expand...

Why in the heck did Honda put a timing belt in the Ridgeline engine? Out of the 4 vehicles I own, none of them have a timing belt. I hope to never buy a vehicle with one again! (Dang, I actually like the look of the 2nd Gen Ridgeline.) But I also won't purchase a truck that you have to remove a wheel to change the oil filter, so the new Ford is out of the question. Once again, why in the heck didn't they relocate the oil filter? The more I look at our 4.0L engine, the more I appreciate it every day! I plan to keep it until it dies, or something so remarkable comes along that it's worth the change. Frankly unless a 600 mile battery range 4X4 pickup truck starts selling for $30K, or Toyota brings a clean diesel powered Tacoma to the US, I don't see the latter happening...lol

Took the XR to PRE-racing (Portland OR) last week for a dyno test. First time I ever had anything on the dyno, first time I've been able to calibrate seat of the pants 'feel' to a known number.

359.57 HP
375.24 Torque

Here is the chart (I tried the "Upload a File" button but didn't work for some reason)...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xgqj5dzukclas59/XRdynoPull.jpg?dl=0

BTW - I plunked down a deposit for a 2020 Ridgeliner. Used Costco member discount which sent me to the local Honda Fleet office for a no hassle purchase. I highly recomend this route for those buying new. The fellow at Fleet encouraged me to keep the truck as a fun vehicle and take it to PIR (Portland International Raceway) for the annual public track days. He also offered to buy it if I ever feel like selling it a bargain price. Still haven't put a sign on it.

Nice numbers. Do you have a stock bottom end?

Not sure what you mean by bottom end. Are you talking about the Crank etc? Only internal changes to the engine are the exhaust timing gears.

Here is a list of what has been done...
URD TwinDisc Clutch for 1GR-FE 4.0L V6 w/6 speed
URD Spec T-56 Magnum Transmission for URD 1GR-T56 Swap Kit
URD Built 8.4 Differential, 4.10 Gears with Detroit TrueTrac LSD
MGW Shifter
Thorley Long Headers
URD Spec-U Exhaust
2" lowered rear
1.5” lower front
TRD SC pulley 2.7”
UCON-EMS Advanced Engine Management V-2
URD 7th Injector
AFE cold air intake
Joying 8” head unit.
StopTech disk brakes
Tundra master cylinder
Wheels: Adventus Forged
Front: 8.5” x 20 +30
Rear: 10” x 20 +30