08' Ridgeline or 08' Taco?

[treihing]

Ok, please do not flame me for asking this but I need to get some advice from everyone.

Yesterday I reluctantly went ad test drove an 08' Ridgeline and I was impressed. Nice interior, option for leather and Navi and the was nice and smooth.

After my test drive I went and drive (again) an 08' Taco Double Cab and comparably they are pretty close. Now to be clear, I do not do a lot of off-road driving but will be going camping a couple time a year.

This ride will be my personal vehicle that I will also use to transport my two kids when needed.

What I like aout the Taco is its size and the available configurations and of course the long standing reputaton.

I may be a little vague here but I reall want o get somegood and honest feedback-

Thanks!

T

[Jredneck480]

Your on a tacoma forum man, so of course we are going to be against a ridgeline and for a tacoma

[boone]

[Pb]

If you don't actually do much work, towing, or Offroading then go ahead and get the Ridgeline. It has no solid axle. It's pretty much just a big car with a small bed on the back. It does ride nice and it has all the bells and whistles.

But you can also get a Tacoma with leather interior, sunroof, etc. Your dealership can have all that stuff added to your truck. There are several members here that have those options.

Because the Tacoma way out-sells the Ridgeline, the Tacoma has a lot more aftermarket support too. Lots more upgrades and stuff for the Tacoma than the Ridgeline. I don't think the Ridgeline will be around near as long as the Tacomas. Ridgeline sales are kinda weak.

[jdwilson]

i understand that you want to make the best decision here, but if you want an suv with a truck be in it, get the ridgeline. if you want a truck that will actually be able to serve the intended purpose of a truck get the tacoma.

[Trail Gator]

I don't understand the want for leather in a truck. Only car I would get leather in is a Lexus.

I much prefer the Taco to the Ridgline (obviously). I felt crampt in the Ridgeline, and I am just not to big a fan of Honda. The vehicle also is just odd looking.

I don't want to sound like an jackass here but, 90% of the Ridglines I see around here are 4x4, and are drivin by Grandmas. I am not even kidding. Its insane.

[rentz]

i half looked at the ridgeline before i bought my tacoma , though i never went to test drive it. Ultimately i went tacoma because i enjoyed my previous toyota truck, and i got a great deal on my tacoma.

As others said, the ridgeline is more carlike suv than truck, sort of like an avalanche or explorer sport trac. Just buy whatever fits your needs best. If hauling and towing will ever be done, consider the tacoma if you want smooth ride and handling and more "luxury" get the ridgeline.

[outermosttaco]

I test drove a Ridgeline, an Avalanche, and a Frontier before I bought my Taco just so I could tell my wife I did some research. Of course she said "why did you do that? I would have told you to just go buy a Tacoma."

First thing she said when she saw the Ridgeline was "man that is ugly." I couldn't agree more. I couldn't get past the Avalanche's gas mileage even though I could get a really good price on one, since I qualified for GM's Employee pricing. The Nissan was a solid 2nd place.

I have had an '01 Tacoma Extracab, an '05 Tundra DoubleCab and now an '07 Taco Dcab, and the current one is by far the best of the 3. Great combination of size, ride, gas mileage, hauling capacity, payload, etc.

[GreySky72]

not goin to get technical and and deep I'm just goin to say the ridgelines are absolutely hideous so go tacoma

[SilverBullet08]

I also half looked at the ridgeline before I got my Taco last week. The main thing for me was that the Ridgeline is only a few years old, so the resale value on them is kind of unknown. They call it a truck, but it is, as stated above, just a big car with a truck bed. A suped up El Camino if you will.

[106TACOMA]

Well my descision was for all the midsize trucks, chevy gmc, ford, nissan,honda, and toyota. After test driving them all and looking at the fit and finish. Toyota won in all my picking apart. The honda was cheesy if you ask me.

[JoeTaco]

Why do you want a truck instead of a car or an SUV? I assume it's to put stuff in the bed. Which is the better bed to use? Go load a couple heavy crates or boxes into the vehicles you are looking at. Honda has that swing out tailgate feature, but you can't load stuff over the side. How old are your kids? Do you have carseats? See how they fit in both trucks.
The best advice for your situation is to determine what you must have, what you would really like, what you would just appreciate, and what you don't want and compare this list with what is actually available. You've already started, just finish it. Good luck and enjoy whichever you go with!

[Wartsnuff]

Originally Posted by Pb

If you don't actually do much work, towing, or Offroading then go ahead and get the Ridgeline. It has no solid axle. It's pretty much just a big car with a small bed on the back. It does ride nice and it has all the bells and whistles.

But you can also get a Tacoma with leather interior, sunroof, etc. Your dealership can have all that stuff added to your truck. There are several members here that have those options.

Because the Tacoma way out-sells the Ridgeline, the Tacoma has a lot more aftermarket support too. Lots more upgrades and stuff for the Tacoma than the Ridgeline. I don't think the Ridgeline will be around near as long as the Tacomas. Ridgeline sales are kinda weak.

+1

[Wartsnuff]

Originally Posted by bjohnson@kinlin

I test drove a Ridgeline, an Avalanche, and a Frontier before I bought my Taco just so I could tell my wife I did some research. Of course she said "why did you do that? I would have told you to just go buy a Tacoma."

First thing she said when she saw the Ridgeline was "man that is ugly." I couldn't agree more. I couldn't get past the Avalanche's gas mileage even though I could get a really good price on one, since I qualified for GM's Employee pricing. The Nissan was a solid 2nd place.

I have had an '01 Tacoma Extracab, an '05 Tundra DoubleCab and now an '07 Taco Dcab, and the current one is by far the best of the 3. Great combination of size, ride, gas mileage, hauling capacity, payload, etc.

funny that you say that. i hate to say this. because i love my taco..

but it would not surprise me in the least is a avalanche would beat a taco on gas. milaege. not even a little surprised.

cheers
Warts

[yotaforshota]

Low range is also nice to have and you won't get that on the uni-body Ridgeline! It does have a cool storage under the bed though but thats about it. Tacoma Ridgeline