Pardon me on an extended rant here: I just went to Omaha Auto Show, and I looked at what trucks cost, and their relative capabilities. And of course, my SUV with a birth defect always comes in for some heat and jokes. From the moment I drove it off the lot, Ive taken my fair share of ribbing for it. Even my Father-in-law, after looking it over, said pointedly, That is a nice VEHICLE, John. Okay. So my truck is deficient in the manly department. So here is the burn: what it lacks in manliness it far exceeds in every other possible category. The pros: it has towed my boat probably over half of 65K miles it has traveled, once we had a good tailwind heading to Valentine, we got 17.5 MPG for the trip (but 13 is the norm). Its seats 4 hunters and their gear comfortably, I know, because Ive done it, A LOT! It isnt meant for off-roading, but the all-wheel drive is quite literally the finest vehicle Ive ever driven on snow and ice conditions. You cant drive it out of control, it wont let you. And Ive taken over roads as challenging as I care too(although in Wyoming or Idaho, it would be over-matched). It has tow capacity of around 5,000, which admittedly, isnt much at all. But it is about 3,000 lbs more than I need. Here is the rub: most of my friends on FB do not hunt and fish as often as I do. You all know this. You see me with some fish or some duck or something or other, I get out there, all the time. And my Ridgeline takes me there. Here is what you dont know, we traded in a paid off car for this Ridgeline, and had something like 12,000 left (which we had saved for), the Ridgeline was on sale for 25K nearly 5 years ago. Ive NEVER MADE A PAYMENT! Nearly the same capability as a light duty full-size truck, about 2/3 the cost. If this takes the fun out of these jokes, then Im sorry..., but like Larry Wilmore Im just keeping 100% real... Honda has currently ended the Ridgeline Production run, and there will be a new one in 2016. If it is anything like my 2009, Ill be first in line!
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 23:10:31 +0000