Nope, no seat lift needed. I'm 5'9-5'10, and it had power seats so I could adjust it any way I wanted to. It was just hard to see out of. The headreasts blocked my view out of the back windows, and it seemed as if the body was curved when you look out of the side mirrors.

And Hersh, my aunts 2006 Eddie Bauer Expedition (IRS) doesn't ride NEARYLY as rough on these roads. I'm not sure why, but it just felt like the Ridgeline got tossed around on the 405, which is by no means a NICE road, but it's not a gravel logging road either. I don't think the tires were out of balance, because there wasn't the "shimmy" that you get from an out of whack tire.
EDIT: Also, he hasn't been able to close the visors/sunglass holders/etc in place since it was new. I think it's just the roads... hopefully. However, again no other car I've driven in has the squeaks and rattles on the roads that bad. Ok, maybe the 1966 Dart does...

And to the one who got my last thread locked (you know who you are ) Do me a favor and don't reply to this thread.. please?

 

Back in the 80's when I was stationed in So-Cal (San diego) there were a few roads that was suspected of being purposely designed to give a bad ride. They were givin a slight washboard effect so it would upset the vehicle harmonics when you exceeded 55 m.p.h. thereby forcing you to slow down to stop the annoying vib. I had traveled the same roads in different vehicles and always had the same problem, but drive those vehicles on a different road and we would have a smooth ride. Possibly you were on one of those roads, or there is something wrong with that vehicle (every auto manufacturer build lemons)

 

Naw, it's because the earth is alyways moving in Cali. You know they say it's going to fall off into the ocean.

 

Yeah, I had a 2003 Eddie Bauer Expedition (IRS), and that thing rode like a DREAM... It is still the smoothest riding "truck" I have ever owned. Even when I switched to 20's, she rode well. She felt a little loose on a grated road (When Tx DOT was working on 635) but on any other road surface, including that bad patch on east I-20 from Shreveport, LA to near Grambling, LA- it still rode very well.

Not even my first Expedition (2000, XLT, no IRS) rode as well as the 2003 - 2006 variant. The old Expy (Which my mother in law owns now) still rides well, but if you introduce it to bumps or bad pavement, you will know it. The guys who designed that suspension and steering mechanism must have been trained by the guys at Lexus or Lincoln. And about the steering, the 2001 SuperCrew was so much tighter than the 2000 Expy, my wife didn't even want to drive the 2000 Expy anymore. She said it felt too loose when moving from the SuperCrew back to the Expedition. I thought the 2001 was only tight because it was new, but 5 years later, it still had a better steering feel than the 2000 Expy. (What a difference a year makes).

The '03 Expy we had, and the '06 SuperCrew's steering were equal- but the 06 truck doesn't like bumps nearly as much.

In 2005 I test drove a Navigator expecting it to ride even better, and it rode about the same as my 2003 Expedition. But, somehow, the Escalade (2005) (which had no IRS) felt smoother.

Ironically, in a recent comparision between the 2007 Tahoe and the 2006 Expedition King Ranch, the magazine editors said the Tahoe rode better than the Expedition; which was a surprise to them (and me) since even with this new generation of trucks, GM didn't equip the Tahoe with IRS. That means those guys must've tuned the hell out of that suspension. The Expy won in the utility categories, but in ride, and fit & finish, the Tahoe beat the Expy.

Now the mildly redesigned 2007 Expy is out. I'm sure they'll go head to head again.

And, one last word to Mountaineer before I put him on ignore.

Yes, I read the magazines because I LOVE cars. I can't think of any car that I "hate" or dislike- I guess I'm not wired that way. And, since I don't have time to drive them all, or the money to collect them all, I do the next best thing- and that's read about them.

I would say I'm "stunned" or "offended" about your thinly veiled racial comment towards me, but it's hard to be either once the source is considered. So, good luck- and lets hope you have the good sense not to use that word in public; I'd hate to see what could happen to you, happen to you.

 

I haven't driven a Ridgeline, but a friend of mine traded his 3/4 ton Chevy pickup in on one. Looking at it in person, I think it's plenty of truck for the average city slicker. I personally wouldn't own one, but I can see the reasoning behind them, and Honda put some thought into the design of it.

 

There's plenty of design in the Ridgeline... I especially like the dual opening tailgate (they stole this idea from my mother's station wagon) and the under the bed floor storage.

 

I just saw the last thread...wow is all I can say. I was going to comment but won't because I don't want this thread to be locked too. Some people

 

yeah great design, putting the spare under the bed so you have to completely unload the bed if you get a flat.
and IRS on a truck? CV's cant handle near the stress a solid axle can. And not to mention the v-6 will not produce the low end TQ needed to pull a trailer well.

 

I agree, but most people who buy a ridgeline will never have any thing back there anyway.

 

I've only been in one once and it was just a ride from one end of the boat yard to the other so I can't comment on ride quality. I will say this...I thought the interior was a little to "Star Trek" for me. The door handles are just funky. If I look at the outside from one angle I kinda like it, but from a different angle I absolutely hate the looks of it. It's a Honda, so I'm sure its a good truck, just not my cup of tea...


HERSH.....I am truely sorry that you had to read that trash Matt posted. I appologize for him because I know he never will. I am also embarrassed that he or anyone in todays world would say such a thing. I know you're a bigger person and it prolly won't bother you as much as it's bothering me. I have no room in my life for such crap.

Matt, you crossed the line dude...not cool at all. I always gave you the benfit of the doubt. Not anymore, I'm done with you.


BREW

 

The only people Ive seen driving those things dont look like they would know what to do with the spare if they ever could find it. I just laugh at the Ridgeline, especially when someone calls it a "truck". They are just a novelty vehicle, those who buy them have no need for a truck. But they think they impress people drivng something like that, cause it is a Honda after all

 

Wait a minute. Are you saying that a bunch of design engineers from Tokyo and Pasadena secretly flew out to Missouri, and in the dark of night studied your Mom's station wagon?

I find that hard to believe.

 

It happens.
About five years ago I wrecked a car but, kept on driving it.
One day I noticed some guys in white lab coats, eyeballin' me.
Six months later the Hyundai Santa Fe was in the showrooms.

Coincidence?

 

Well, if the stuff I've been reading lately is even remotely correct (the idea that there is no such thing as coincidence), then I guess the answer would have to be "No".

However, maybe the idea that there is no such thing as coincidence is merely a construct to allow people who feel that they are victims of some sort of universal/cosmic joke to feel better about their lives and to feel safer.

I guess the answer to your question is this question . . .

How paranoid are you?

If your answer is affirmative in any way, then I suggest you have case against Hyundai.

 

Thanks Brew... Regarding BrokeBack, when one lacks the intellect to respond appropriately, even if it's in name-calling, they resort to bigotry. I've noticed that undertone a lot in his posts over the years (see Union threads for more examples). So, for it to come out of him when he felt cornered came as no surprise. He’s young, so the occasional bought of stupidity is to be expected. After all, what can we expect from someone who speaks of Mexicans and Japanese, the way he does?

I'm a black man, and I’ve been around a while, so the term itself, even though I know BBM, meant it in a derogatory way- is no big deal. He's only saying how he really feels, which might have a lot to do with his upbringing.

However, being called dumb, by someone who is a dysfunctional illiterate, (Mountaineer) is where I draw the line!