Honda Ridgeline Revival

[rbryan4]

Pretty much as expected. There are more suitable tow vehicles for the 21, and you'd even have to be careful with the 19 depending on how it's configured and what you carry, due to the GCWR.


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[bisonbill]

I don't think Honda really made the Gen2 as a tow vehicle. There is no tow haul mode, the gas tank has dropped to 19.5 gallons, and the tranny cooler is only available in the high level trim lines.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Pretty much as expected. There are more suitable tow vehicles for the 21, and you'd even have to be careful with the 19 depending on how it's configured and what you carry, due to the GCWR.

Although not ideal for the 21', I find it hard to see how a 19' could be too much. In a recent discussion it appears that no one has loaded up a 19' to even 4000 pounds (starting from an empty and dry weight of 2610 pounds), so even with 2017 changes it would be very conservative to assume a 4400 pound loaded weight... which would leave 1071 pounds for options (beyond the best-equipped trim level), occupants and cargo. There are F-150's towing 5.0TAs that have far less available payload than that.

One issue with suitability is that most travel trailer owners do something other than tow the trailer for most of the year. If you can dedicate a vehicle to towing that's okay, but for many vehicle choice is a compromise. Having a vehicle which better-suited 90% of the time can be a good balance even if it means it is only well-suited (rather than ideal) as a tow vehicle the other 10% of the time. That's the appeal of the Ridgeline; I doubt anyone would choose it specifically for towing two tons or more of travel trailer.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by bisonbill

I don't think Honda really made the Gen2 as a tow vehicle. There is no tow haul mode, the gas tank has dropped to 19.5 gallons, and the tranny cooler is only available in the high level trim lines.

I don't think Honda builds anything primarily for towing and hauling, but most of the vehicles of any brand used to tow Escapes are primarily passenger vehicles (some with a big box on the back). It is not unusual to be required to buy a high trim level full of luxury and convenience items to get critical real working parts; this is used as a way to drive customers to more profitable variants and legitimately does reduce the complexity of inventory. For example, if you want the diesel engine in a Jeep Grand Cherokee for towing ability or economy, you have to buy tens of thousands of dollars of luxury and toys... and then still thousands more for the engine.

As for the transmission cooler... this is what pops up for description of the towing package on the base version (RT) - on the U.S. site because Honda Canada doesn't show the Ridgeline yet:

Want to tow up to 5,000 lbs?* Then go for it. The Ridgeline is so strong, all you need is the Trailer Hitch Towing Kit and your Trailer Hitch Ball-no additional coolers needed.

• Kit includes Trailer Hitch Ball Mount, Trailer Hitch Locking Pin, and Trailer Hitch Plug Cover
• Trailer Hitch Locking Pin helps provide an extra measure of security 7-pin connector allows use of Electric Trailer Brakes and Trailer Charging System.
• Trailer Hitch Ball-Available in 1 7/8-in or 2-in
• Accessory Trailer Hitch Harness is available for RT and Sport trims and is standard on all other Ridgeline models

I tried the web site's build feature for the bottom (RT) and top (Black Edition) versions, and the same choices are offered. The spec page says that the "Heavy-Duty Transmission Cooler" is "Available" on all trim levels (and standard on the top two) but I didn't see it in the Build choices. I wonder if the Ridgelines which actually appear in stock at dealerships will have the higher transmission cooling capacity?

[Brian B-P]

Well, there must be some new Ridgelines in captivity... a FiberglassRV member (Baja Bob) has reported that he is now towing with his:

We have a 2017 Ridgeline AWD It pulls our A frame and gets 19 mpg ( 30 mpg Hwy without the trailer ) we are very happy with it so far. We pick up our independence in Nov.We will see.
Bob

(post #33 of 2017 Honda Ridgeline has arrived)

The "independence" is a Casita 17' Independence, similar to an Escape 17B.

[WStatz]

Waiting on my 19 but have used my 2017 Ridgeling to tow a 6X12 UHaul from AL to MD with a total trailer weight of approx 4,200. Pulled on hills pretty well with appropriate down shifting and never exceeded 5,000 rpm. No sway but some bucking on a couple of uneven road sections. Nothing scary. (Gen 2 manual now says that truck is designed to tow without a WDH but should you want to use one you should consult the trailer manufacturer.) pg 400-something. I averaged about 16 mpg. The poor truck only had 850 miles on the odometer when I started towing.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by WStatz

Waiting on my 19 but have used my 2017 Ridgeling to tow a 6X12 UHaul from AL to MD with a total trailer weight of approx 4,200. Pulled on hills pretty well with appropriate down shifting and never exceeded 5,000 rpm. No sway but some bucking on a couple of uneven road sections.

Bucking is a normal result of tandem axles on a short trailer - not the Ridgeline's fault.

[War Eagle]

The new Ridgeline is what it is, and I like it for what it is. The disappointing thing to me is it didn't live up to Honda's long-running pre-release hype that it would be best in class (mid-sized truck with V6) in most performance categories. Now that it's finally out, it seems average in class for most things and still falls far short of the Nissan Frontier in towing capacity. That said, if we weren't moving up to an Escape 21', I think the new Ridgeline AWD would make a really nice pairing with our current 17' EggCamper.