If you want an SUV get the Honda, if you want a Truck get a Silverado. I personally see no reason for anyone to buy the Honda, it's not really a truck, you don't save any money anywhere and if you are towing it falls way short. I will say this though, quality reviews aren't all they are cracked up to be, my father has owned GM trucks all my life, and the only thing he's ever had to do to his was change the oil, brakes, shocks on them, and he keeps them for 250,000+kms. He's currently got a 2002 with 294,000kms on it and I asked him the other day when he was getting a new one, his reply..."Why would i get a new one this one works great".

 

Your probably going to get alot of people saying Silverado, mainly because everyone here owns a truck made by GM. Theres a rare chance you are going to find someone that has owned both. Personally I dont like vehicles that are not made in the US. But like Bsi said you cant always go off of other peoples reviews. If the people writing the reviews have had Honda vehicles all there life of course there going to say Honda is amazing, same with the people here that have owned nothing but GM and Chevy. If you want the best ratings of the 2 vehicles I suggest you look them up on Consumer Reports. They are completely un biast and just give you the straight up facts.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/chev ... o-1500.htm

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/honda/ridgeline.htm

Hope this helps!

 

I am obviously biased,but to me honda truck is an oxymoron...

 

Chevy and GMC make some very nice smaller trucks that are just as dependable as the silverado and sierra and have a full frame, but I'm not a fan of any unibody.

 

I'm not surprised by what I've seen so far. Living in suburbia I spend a good amount of time on the pavement and have started thinking about doing more 4-wheelin. I had Jeep's in the past and there are a ton of places to go just west in the mountains. I realize the Honda has some real limitations in the offroad catagory. But, it fits in parking spaces alot better. I work in the mountains and have a long drive to the firehouse in the winter. The bigger Chevy attracts me for the comfort factor. My dad has a Dodge 1500 and I think the ride quality kinda sucks. One of my FF's has a 2011 Silverado, his second and he loves it, I should take his for a spin. My brother-in-law had his last one for almost 20 years, so I know they'll last. You'd be surprised just how many of the Honda owner/leasers have commented that they get something else based soley on the poor gas mileage. I guess that in 2012 most people think that a v-6 Honda should be getting better EPA numbers.

Thanks for the input, you got anything else feel free to bark it out...

Joe

 

It has some cool features, but it's not a truck. It's a Honda Pilot with a 5' bed. (This is going to sound mean, but it's the truth) If you can put up with your buddies giving you a hard time for driving a girly "truck" then go with the Ridgeline.

Honestly, I thought about getting one several years ago but ended up getting a Titan. After having a full size truck, I can't see ever going back.

 

Id have to personally say silverado, of course im biased But for the simple facts you allready laid out, they get the same mileage. And also they haul the same amount of people... the actual " truck" has more capabilities. Now i know you allready said you really wouldn't be doing allot of major towing and thats fine but who knows about the future, maybe your needs will change and in that case you will be happy you got the truck! My father in law test drove one, and said it was ok but in the end he went with a 05 suburban, its not a silverado or sierra but its sitting on the same chassis with the same engine/ driveline package. Hope this helps man, and good luck!

 

"I like the Chevy cause its BADAZZ"
Sounds to me like you want a Silverado, but the "quality reviews" of Honda are leading you to buy something many see as practical.
Ask yourself what you will enjoy making payments on.
I've made payments on a practical vehicle before and hated sending in that check every month. I drop the check for my Silverado in the mail every month with a smile on my face feeling like I am supporting and part of something bigger.

Where will you be after the apocalypse?

 

A friend of mine has the ridgeline. His gas mileage with his V-6 is worse in the winter then my new body 07 with the 5.3 and 300= horsepower. He likes his ridgeline but it has a whiny motor that you here upon accelaration ect. It sounds like a tin can. I agree alot of foreign makes make a dependable vehicle but they dont have the quality in the ride/features ect. as a gm. I would buy a honda over a dodge though. That is a pile of sh*t

 

Personally I dont like vehicles that are not made in the US.

Me either, but I bought my GMC Sierra anyway! (Siloa, Mexico? Really GM???)

 

The last person that had the Honda vs Chevy truck dilemma... opted for the Honda and ended up homeless in a roadside ditch. Don't end up homeless in a roadside ditch....get the Chevy.

 

^^^^ :lol: Great comercial!

 

^^^^ :lol: Great comercial!

Yea ...I couldn't resist the opportunity. :lol: Oh and I vote for the OP to get the Chevy.

 

Here's some food for thought.

I traded off my 2003 Avalanche (not a real truck) for a 2007 Silverado, (I let someone else take the depreciation hit). My thoughts were this, I can get by with a Ext. Cab because I rarely had people in the back seat. I would like an actual bed to put stuff in instead of the 5.8 foot bed of the Avalanche.
The reality of all this was that after I got my Ext. Cab and tried to haul my buddies during a hunting trip is that the back seat was not near as comfortable for them and since I lost all the extra storage space that my Avalanche had, I had to get a truck box, which takes 22 inches out of my 6.5 foot bed. So now I have a little back seat and a Smaller bed than my avalanche did.

I know it sounds like I hated the trade and that I am not satisfied, purely opposite. I knew what I was getting into and what the trade offs I would be making. I am completely happy with my decision and there are some things that in time are going to be upgraded on my truck to make it better than it sits right now. Funds are tight and priorities come first.

You are comparing an apple to an orange and you will have to make the decision for yourself, I have not driven but did take a ride in one with a buddy once. They are very underpowered compared to a Silverado or an Avalanche, and the MPGs are not as good. You may not need a lot, but why not if your going to get better MPGs.

 

My friend has one. It's a good little car\pickup. Reliable too I might add. It drives like a car. As a matter of fact it's smoother then a Silverado\Sierra. It's pretty much a Honda Accord V6 with I don't know 8" clearance and a tow hitch to mount a bicycle rack.

What I didn't like about it was when he had 5 adults in it with some luggage in the back. The back would sag tremendously and the lights would point to the sky.

 

I will say what I always say about the foreign vs domestic truck debate: If you have serious work to do, whether its regular hauling, towing, plowing, etc, buy the Chevy/GMC. If you just need something you can throw your kids bikes in and maybe some other junk, and you don't really need all that power, buy the Honda. I'm very biased and want to see people buy the world's greatest truck, but there are people out there who just really don't need them. I have a friend who wanted a truck solely for the purpose of looking "cute and country" even though she had a hard time backing her Cobalt out of her driveway, and she is a elementary school teacher. People like her... do not need a truck.

 

I would go with the Silverado since the gas mileage is the same why not get the one with more capabilities. You may not need all of them today but may in a few years. It can be expensive to get out of the Honda and into a full size truck in a few years if you end up needing or wanting the additional capabilities.

 

Welcome aboard!

It comes down to what is the most predominant activity you'll be doing. If you're just going around town a lot and towing only occaisionally (2-4 times a year), and not towing anything heavier than two dirt bikes on level terrain, I'd go with the Honda. If however, you're doing more than stated above, you'll be better off economically with the truck. The Silv/Sier's drive line is much more durable and will save on future maintenance; and, with a lot of towing you should even get better milage. This is because the GM truck was born to do this!

Hope this helps.

 

It's the Honda hands down...

if you want the bed floor to pop up and lock like a car trunk and want the versitility of the tailgate swinging open to the side. Other than that I see no reason at all to go with the Honda. You really can't compare these two side by side since they are 2 totally different vehicles built for totally different purposes. If anything, I'd think you'd be comparing the GM to the Tundra (still the GM comes out on top, but it is a fair comparision).

You need to sit down and write out the Pros and Cons of each and then do your comparison. To me the Chevy is the best option. Good luck - hope to see your next post with a picture of your new CHEVY truck!

 

Buying a truck ...a pickup truck ...is like building a tool shed; build it bigger than you think you need it ...'cause you will ...and if you don't 'cause you think "Oh, this smaller shed will do just nicely" ...you will always kick yourself for not making it bigger and eventually come to loathe the pathetic pile of lumber you are stuck with.

IMHO, if the fuel mileages are equal, I would go with the "real" truck. Quality? I think you'll find GM's truck line (and, ducking my head here and whispering, at the threat of speaking blasphemy ...any of the US-made trucks) quite reliable and well made. You say now all you intend to do with it is haul camping gear, dirt bikes, etc ....BUT, when you need to run down to the lumber yard and buy wood for that really big shed you're gonna build and you find your little weenie sub-six foot bed ain't worth crap at *really* hauling stuff ...you're gonna start questioning your logic; "what was I thinkin'?" And then when you have to run to the rental center and check out that Bobcat and lowboy trailer so you can properly grade the area upon which you are going to build this man-castle ....and your little truck wannabe can't pull anything bigger than a garden cart ...well ...then you're going to start to question your manhood ...and when that happens ...

Buy a real truck. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

 

In my experience, the Ridgeline/Avalanche body style is a less functional SUV, not even gonna justify the design by saying a less functional truck.

Someone else mentioned the smaller trucks - if you're not going to be towing/hauling and aren't 100% committed to a half-ton, or if you're truly concerned about parking and don't want to end up in the back of the lot with all of us - look into the quarter ton pickups. The Colorado is pretty functional and gives you better bang for buck than a cross-over SUV/Truck thing....

 

You know I love the "buy american" arguments... I can't remember how many "american" build vehicles there are, but I suspect most of them are from Toyota, Subaru, and Furd.

My 2 hobbies are Sailing (22footer, trailerable), and Field Trialing (dogs/Horses)... My sailing buddies tow #3500 rigs, and SWEAR by the ridgelines, in fact it is their number 1 recommended tow vehicle. They like the ability to hold 4 adults comfy, and put gear in the rear (pronounced cooler/fuel/sails). My horse buddies are torn on Furd versus Chevy (and I have one fanatic Dodge fan). I personally owned the Dodge just before this. My horse friends tow serious amounts of weight, all #5000 and up. The biggest rigs are pulled with Chevy/Duramax, and Dodge/Cummins. The oldest most reliable trucks are the Chevies, this is by direct query only. Reliable defined as "what was your most expensive repair." How many repairs a year do you do? What is your basic maintenance consist of?

What to choose, is I think totally a matter of preference. I have no choice at all, because the towing is my main need. The extra space for people is a need (crew cab), but the storage is also a need (long bed)... the tow capability to #12,000 is also a need, therefore 2500HD. That was my reason for buying the truck I have. It wasn't the boat, it was the horses.

I've stated before, after talking to Dodge, Ford, and Chevy owners from all versions across all lines, strictly on reliability, and seems like Dodge has great running engines (lousy tranny/electrical). Ford's old diesels were terrific, but the new ones are a joke (everything else being pretty decent quality), but the Chevy guys were the only ones to say very little bad about their trucks. Worst I got was a guy who smoked his tranny after 250k miles. Towing #10k with a 1500. well, OK... somehow I don't think that was the truck. Our horse rental gal, drives a duramax regular cab thousands of miles every week, hauling 6-8 horses around (pronounced #10k). She's got over 100k on it now, and she had to put a new exhaust bracket on (that's it!).

Honda makes a great product. I personally have never figured out the niche in which it would fit.
You're telling me a Ridgeline has the same space as a 1500 Ext Cab, and gets same mileage at roughly the same price? Sorry dude, easy choice for me, go with the real Truck. You'll be amazed at what you'll wind up hauling in that truck, that you would not dare in the Ridgeline. Reliable. How about this... Start a thread or better I will: "how many miles on your truck and what was your biggest repair bill?" Look for it. I apologize now, if on a Chevy board, you didn't hear me say Honda.

 

yeah if your haulding series weight why not get the diesel which sounds sick and you can power them up to be monsters...I pulled a 32' race car tailer about 45 minutes every friday with a cummins that thing was terrible..every bump we hit it rocked the truck and berely had power...but when hooked up to a duramax that som bitch didnt even know the trailer was back there...

but for this post aitn about that..

to be honest i loved the ridgeline, its all personal preference..but one of my good hunting budding has the honda ridgeline and his looks sick...lifted nice rims and mud tires and it was really comfy. great that the back window rolled all the way down and layed flat to make the bed come up again the front seats if you are in serious need to haul stuff...the locking storage under the bed was great kept alot of gear out of the elements and if tail gating fill it up and go to town on some brews...

i drove gms all my life and yes if you want power and performace as well as a bed then id say the chevy...but for luxury and hauling just some small gear once in a while the ridgeline in a great vehicle for your needs if its pretty much more of a grocery getter or daily driver 100% ridgeline..

I prefer the chevy because it is a real truck, it has real power, it has real potentiel for add ons and all that jazz, it has tons of room and is very comfy...espically the ltz models and z71 just very rooms and cozy..fits all of your equipment no problem and hauls 6 if you dont get the center consol and get the flip up seat with 3 cup holders and huge stoage under the seat and in the arm rest...

forget everything i typed...get the CHEVY!

 

Ridglines are terrible. I cringe everytime I see one. If you want a truck "like" the ridgeline, then get the Chevy Avalanche. Honda and truck just don't go hand in hand. And, the things damn ugly. It's the "prius" of trucks! :evil: