Everyone but honda gets smacked on the sales floor

[Arminius]

I still prefer to buy an American car (HQ in the USA) if I can. Just give me the efficiency.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by fshagan

...anyone remember the Ridgeline truck?

It's not a truck - can you imagine trying to haul a sheet of plywood or a load of firewood in one? It's just a largish sedan with the trunk lid missing.

[fshagan]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

It's not a truck - can you imagine trying to haul a sheet of plywood or a load of firewood in one? It's just a largish sedan with the trunk lid missing.

Its a lot like my SportTrac in that regard, but yes, it is a truck, has a 5,000 pound towing capacity, and was Honda's first attempt into that market. The EPA classifies it as a "standard pickup" and Edmunds.com classifies it as a "large truck". At 15 / 20 mpg, I doubt they will be selling many in the next few months. Its a small part of their product mix, so continued lackluster sales of it won't hurt them.

[jamesqf]

Nope, not a truck. Towing capacity has nothing to do with being a truck, nor do government regulations. If you can't carry stuff in the bed, it ain't a truck :-)

Indeed, I'd even go further: if it bothers you to haul a load of horse manure in the bed, it ain't a truck.

[fshagan]

I remained unconvinced until the mention of horse manure. You have persuaded me.

Now I wonder if my neighbor's Cadillac Escalade EXT is really a truck. Think I'll go find a horse ...

[SuperTrooper]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Nope, not a truck. Towing capacity has nothing to do with being a truck, nor do government regulations. If you can't carry stuff in the bed, it ain't a truck :-)

Indeed, I'd even go further: if it bothers you to haul a load of horse manure in the bed, it ain't a truck.

Trust me, jamesqf is an expert at spreading horse manure.

Honda didn't target the Ridgeline at traditional truck buyers, but at Honda owners looking for more hauling capabilities with a more car-like ride than traditional trucks. Honda has always been slow to dip their toe into different markets. Look at how long it took them to build a minivan, but when they did build one it was instantly the standard for the class. Same thing for SUVs; they badge-engineered Isuzus until they built the CR-V and then later the Pilot. Since launching Acura they are content to be known as reliable, high-value and maybe just a tad boring. The S2000 being the exception. Now they are positioned to take full advantage of the current circumstances. Who would have guessed the vehicle to knock the F150 off the top sales mountain would be the Civic?

[RH77]

I'm just shocked that the "Biggest Loser" was the Chevy Impala. I would have bet the F-150 would have had a larger drop.

It's a large car, but the Impala 3.5L variant is fairly efficient. Aside from some build-quality issues, I actually kinda like the car -- if you need to haul 4-6 adults with lots of trunk space, it's great. Most of them are in fleet service, so I've rented every combination. Maybe it's nostalgia talking with the number of miles logged...

But would I buy one? No. These days I even look for somthing like the Malibu 4-cyl to rent, to save fuel on family rental trips. I wonder if they would consider (or if it's possible) to put a 4-banger in the Imp? Maybe the "Vortec 2900" -- DOHC 2.9L @ 185 hp / 195 lb-ft torque would fit. It's the base engine in the Colorado/Canyon/Isuzu pickups. I thought about the 2.4L direct injected turbo, but likely too complicated. Otherwise the EcoTec would fall on its face with that kind of weight.

As we've noticed, all but Honda have relied on the large vehicle premise -- plus they kept up the build quality. I'm on my 3rd Honda/Acura, and I don't have any reason to buy otherwise. As the article mentioned, the Fit is popular -- so the other brands need to catch up with subcompacts -- simple as that.

In the meantime, trucks and large cars are going to pile up.

I think Hyundai and Kia have a chance to really capitalize on this opportunity. Of their small cars that I've driven, no complaints.

RH77

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by SuperTrooper

Honda didn't target the Ridgeline at traditional truck buyers, but at Honda owners looking for more hauling capabilities...

But that's my point: it doesn't have any more hauling capability than a large sedan with the trunk lid removed. Do you honestly think you could carry a 4x8 sheet of plywood or sheetrock in one, or a few 2x4 studs? It might fill a niche as a tow vehicle for boat/camper owners, but that's as specialized as the tow vehicles for manufactured housing sections.

I do wish Honda would introduce a practical small pickup, something similar to what Toyota did with its SR5 Sport Truck back in the 70s. It'd find a market, just as the original did.

[SuperTrooper]

Oh the small truck market is out there. The Ranger is still the best selling small truck, and I think it's because (so far) Ford has resisted upsizing it. The body is basically the same since 1993!!! A year ago when my buddy Skip went to replace his 98 S10 he looked at the Colorado. The thing is freakin' huge next to the S10, so he swallowed his Chevy pride and bought a Ranger. He had to wait a couple of days while it was brought to the dealer, because there were no 2wd standard cab 4 cyl/5 spd within 100 miles. The dealer said there is no demand for stripper rangers. I doubt that is still true.

[Duffman]

Real trucks have a full frame underneath. Unibodies are for cars. I feel sorry for anyone who bought a ridgeline thinking they were getting a truck but dont know the importance of a full frame on a work vehicle.