Honda Ridgeline

[AngryScientist]

Gets it.

I'm curious, though, what don't you like about your Taco? Sometimes I lust after one as a second car.

haha, i lusted after a taco also, right up to the point i rented one for a week out of LA. I've now spent a week with a 2WD 4-cyl and a 4WD TRD 6-cyl. They are pretty bad, and the engine/trans hunting is maddening. on the 4-cyl it was so bad the mpg returned (i was driving through the mountains a lot) was abysmal for a 4-banger with zero power.

in comparison the colorado is SO much better of a truck, in every single way (can't speak to reliability, since these are all new trucks obviously).

the taco looks cooler and has the rugged adventurer vibe to it, but really, for what they cost, they are almost universally the wrong choice for most people, at least the newest ones.

edit: i bet a manual trans would help things out a lot in the driveability standpoint, but hey - nobody rents manuals these days.

[AngryScientist]

and of course the above brings up another point: i really want a manual trans in my next truck, and these are getting more difficult to come by. surely the ridgeline is a no-go on that front, and i think the colorado is a limited to the smaller engine for manual trans. should be able to get one in the new jeep, but the price tag on those is simply nutso

le-sigh.

[dgaddis]

and of course the above brings up another point: i really want a manual trans in my next truck, and these are getting more difficult to come by. surely the ridgeline is a no-go on that front, and i think the colorado is a limited to the smaller engine for manual trans. should be able to get one in the new jeep, but the price tag on those is simply nutso

le-sigh.

Indeed. Ridgeline is V6 & 6-speed auto only. As far as 'configurable' goes, the Ridgeline has the least options. One engine, one bed/body/chassis, one transmission. FWD or AWD are the only "mechanical" options.

Tacoma is available with a manual only w/the V6 and 4wd it looks like.

EDIT to add when I was looking at the Tacoma, the I4 gets 1mpg better in town, 1mpg worse highway mileage...yet the V6 has an additional 100+hp. I'd go V6 all day...

[AngryScientist]

EDIT to add when I was looking at the Tacoma, the I4 gets 1mpg better in town, 1mpg worse highway mileage...yet the V6 has an additional 100+hp. I'd go V6 all day...

not a surprise. as i mentioned above, driving at any real highway speeds, especially on even the slightest incline, the 4-cyl is constantly forcing the trans to downshift. the taco with the I4 is truly a drag to drive, especially with an auto if there are any hills in your life.

[monadnocky]

I'm getting atrocious mileage on the 2017 Taco. If the throttle issue is meant to address fuel efficiency, it ain't doing the trick.
I got better mileage on the 2004 by 2-4 mpg. And that was a manual.

This truck is hot garbage.

[Matthew Strongin]

haha, i lusted after a taco also, right up to the point i rented one for a week out of LA. I've now spent a week with a 2WD 4-cyl and a 4WD TRD 6-cyl. They are pretty bad, and the engine/trans hunting is maddening. on the 4-cyl it was so bad the mpg returned (i was driving through the mountains a lot) was abysmal for a 4-banger with zero power.

in comparison the colorado is SO much better of a truck, in every single way (can't speak to reliability, since these are all new trucks obviously).

the taco looks cooler and has the rugged adventurer vibe to it, but really, for what they cost, they are almost universally the wrong choice for most people, at least the newest ones.

edit: i bet a manual trans would help things out a lot in the driveability standpoint, but hey - nobody rents manuals these days.

You're really making me regret selling my manual FJ. I should have kept it as a second car for when I didn't need to drive on a highway.

[randonneur]

I don't have much pertinent stuff to add to the conversation, but as someone who often lusts after a small pickup, it's been interesting following along.

I HATE the lack of a volume knob on the audio "controls."

However, I did run across this video recently of a guy who hacked together a proper knob for the volume in his civic (I think) using a computer USB peripheral, for those interested. The end product is a bit ridiculous, but I do find it fascinating that you can basically just plug a mouse into your infotaiment system and have it work...

[AngryScientist]

You're really making me regret selling my manual FJ. I should have kept it as a second car for when I didn't need to drive on a highway.

and you are making me regret you not selling it to me. they are hard to find in good condition with under 1M miles on them.

[monadnocky]

You're really making me regret selling my manual FJ. I should have kept it as a second car for when I didn't need to drive on a highway.

Those things sell for insane prices in New England. And a manual to boot? That would be a real unicorn here in NH.

[NYCfixie]

What he built is amazing and ridiculous at the same time.

I also like the WD40 through the mohawk trick.

However, I did run across this video recently of a guy who hacked together a proper knob for the volume in his civic (I think) using a computer USB peripheral, for those interested. The end product is a bit ridiculous, but I do find it fascinating that you can basically just plug a mouse into your infotaiment system and have it work...