Bambi tow options - Ridgeline vs. Avalanche

[Road Ruler]

Wazbro is correct and I stand corrected.

I did a quick review of late model Ridgelines and the Avalanche on the Edmunds site.

Fuel mileage is the same 15 city/21 highway. Edmunds says the Avalanche has a nice ride. They said the Ridgeline has an extra nice ride.

Interesting that the Ridge has a payload rating of 1,550lbs vs the Avalanche 1,350lbs. The 4,500lb Ridge can carry 200lbs more than the 5,800lb Avalanche. Hummm.

[BillTex]

Yes, according to Edmunds there are significant differences between the 2 vehicles in capacity...here is the rest of the story as it relates to real world towing/hauling (from Edmunds);
Maximum towing capacity
Honda
5000 lbs.
Avy
8100 lbs.

Maximum payload
Honda
1546 lbs.
Avy
1326 lbs.

Gross weight
Honda
6050 lbs.
Avy
7000 lbs.

Stream on...hope some of these replies addressed your specific questions...

[knunut]

Wazbro , caught my mistake before i could get back here. 2013 is the last Avalanche !
POI : the E85 is wasted Technology on the trk. E85 has low HP and it drinks it almost twice as Fast. LOW MPG. Also could never figure out why the 8/4 Eng. is in 8 mode at a stop light?

[Ahab]

This is just above 10'000' on the way to Gunnison, Co. Been towing this for 5 years and more than 20k, mostly mountains. No problems and I don't hold anybody back. Truck has 90k and runs like new.

[BAAMbi7]

We've enjoyed our '05 Ridgeline for 6 years before we got the AS this year. It is perfect. It has been the best "car" for us and has become a super TV. As a TV, we drove through the mountains of southern Colorado and and had no problems at all! It handles great and gives great storage room. We love the under bed storage area and the full back seat area as well. A bicycle with both tires on fits right in that back seat!

For all the reasons why we love it as a car, we love it as the TV. We don't have the bed cover. The back seat and under complartment provides plenty of protected storage. The 16' and the Ridgeline - ours is silver! (a coincidence) - works great!

Good luck!

[quilter]

We just got a 16' International Bambi and decided to get a Tundra to pull it. We were very close to getting the Ridgeline. It had the most car-like ride. Three things made us change our mind. The Ridgeline has never been a big seller, and this is its last year of production. The total capacity of the Ridgeline (truck + trailer + what's in the truck + what's in the trailer) was just borderline. The towing capacity drops something like 250 lbs for each person in the car. Finally, we’re a bit annoyed with Honda, because we had to replace the transmission in our Civic last year at only 86K. Nothing we did, it’s a known problem in that model year – sudden and complete failure of the transmission.

Some truck models had limits on the frontal area of the trailer. We were never quite sure what to make of these and the trailer specs don’t include this value.

In the end, we decided we wanted a little more power. We live in Western Washington. You pretty much can’t go anywhere without going over a mountain pass.

[slowmover]

Some truck models had limits on the frontal area of the trailer. We were never quite sure what to make of these and the trailer specs don’t include this value.


All vehicles have frontal area restrictions for trailer towing, but it can be harder to find that info than not. Generally, the "smaller" vehicles play this info up more. The A/S advantage is in the fully-radiused corners and curves; fully-enclosed underside and low ground clearance (all aerodynamic concerns as is the FA problem). A 23' A/S takes, generally, 20% less HP to move down the road at the same speed than an equivalent length "box" trailer.

Or, one could pull a larger trailer at a lower speed. Etc. This concern is part of the equation in trying to find the best match between TV & TT, but is aimed at the 97% of trailers that have no [real] aerodynamic qualities (were all of them A/S, the FA restriction would be raised in total square feet, IOW).

.

[dznf0g]

According to JD Powers 2012 Dependability analysis, there are only 2 problems per 100 vehicles difference between Chevrolet and Honda. That is almost an inperceptable difference. (this is a study of 3 year old, 2009 models, which IMO is a better yardstick than the initial quality study)

This old line that Japanese is always better is a very old truth which is now mostly a myth.

2012 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study | J.D. Power Autos

Toyota still does a great job and is the industry benchmark, but many of the "assumed" nameplates, aint all that great.

I'd go Avalanche, but I'm biased.

BTW. Avalanche was the 2012 award winner...and it has exactly the same mileage ratings as the Ridgeline.
http://autos.jdpower.com/research/Truck/index.htm

[Naper]

Honda makes great vehicles but a Ridgeline is not a truck and if you think you may up size your Airstream anytime in the near future buy the real thing. Take a hard look at the F150 Ecoboost.

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by Naper

Honda makes great vehicles but a Ridgeline is not a truck and if you think you may up size your Airstream anytime in the near future buy the real thing. Take a hard look at the F150 Ecoboost.

Agree. I looked at both the Ridgeline and the F150. Ended up with a 2012 F150 XLT Candy Apple Red Ecoboost. In my opinion much better for my needs now and in the future. I thought I would be happy with my Bambi II forever, but lately have been thinking a little bigger and newer.

[BillTex]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

In my opinion much better for my needs now and in the future. I thought I would be happy with my Bambi II forever, but lately have been thinking a little bigger and newer.

This is a common affliction in RV and Boating circles "2 foot-itis"...there is only one known cure...

[floridalarry]

Least we forget Nissan! Just bought an Armada with the towing package to yank my 28' Classic. Contacted AS to be sure it would tow okay and they said it would. Hugh difference to comfort than my Dodge 2500 Cummings. I know guys, I won't get the same fuel milage, but for the sake of my marriage, comfort was priority #1.

[knunut]

Congrats on the new F150. Sounds Great and a nice Color ! See it @ Topsail ?

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by knunut

Congrats on the new F150. Sounds Great and a nice Color ! See it @ Topsail ?

Looking forward to it. Should be a great rally, with lots of tin and great company. Ya, you can't miss the truck, it is rather bright, shiny with all the chrome and easy to spot.

[Ahab]

Those who make the ignorant statement, "the Ridgeline is not a truck" are the same folks who believe the moon landings were staged.

[purman]

The bottom line for me would be dependability!! I have had 3 chevy's in my life, the last being an 01' blazer. At this point I don't on ever buying another. The 01' blazer was the worst. Luckily it was under warranty when I had to get everything fixed on it. I traded it in with 50,000 miles for an 01 4-runner with 42,000 miles. it know has 180,000 miles and has never had a problem, Except for a bad plug wire..

There are some bad apples and 3 out of 3 was enough for me. Honda does have problems once in a while must like Toyota but over all they are more reliable.

That said my neighbor just sold his 01' blazer for $300 for parts. It had 450,000 miles on it. But it was in the shop every month for the past few years and has had everything replace at least once except the engine it's self. You never know...

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by Naper

Honda makes great vehicles but a Ridgeline is not a truck

Some folks who drive real trucks as in Freightliner, Western Star, etc have said that 1/2 ton to 1 tons are not "real trucks" either. Hobby trucks!!

Forget about the lame labeling. Take the vehicle for it's face value, consider the merits/potential/abilities and get on with it.

[AldeanFan]

Going back to the original question,
Almost any vehicle that comes with a towing package will tow a 16' airstream icluding any pickup or large SUV and most meduim SUV's and minivans.

If you plan to move into a bigger trailer you will need a properly sized tow vehicle but your tow vehicle will need to be replaced eventually anyway. If you buy the F950 or whatever monster truck and don't upgrate your trailer for 10 years, you'll be buying a new truck anyway.

The important decision is what vehicle do you really need?
Most of the pickup trucks rarely have anything in the bed, infact when I drove the truck as my primary vehicle i missed having a trunk.

I drive about 30,000 miles a year, maybe 5000 towing, so towing ability is not my primary motivation, however my Tundra is basically a dedicated TowVehicle now, but most people can't afford to have a vehicle for each and every purpose.

[Phoenix]

We have a hard tonneau cover on our 2008 Tundra CrewMax, and we use it like a big sedan with a huge (but not very tall) trunk. It's a great tow vehicle (although our 19-foot Bambi isn't very big), and it's great around town, too. However, our in-town commuter car is a Prius; and the fuel we save driving it offsets the extra cost of driving the Tundra. So, we have the best of both worlds.

[Naper]

It's difficult to compare a Honda Ridgeline with a full size pickup, Chevy Ford Dodge or Toyota. They are not the same. The Ridgeline is a unibody construction the same as most cars and full size pickups are body on frame. Don't get me wrong, the Honda would be a fine TV for a Bambi it's just not in the same class as a full size pickup
(notice I didn't say truck)