Honda Odyssey, a better Truck than the Ridgeline?

"TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts." (thebloody) 05/09/2016 at 14:40 • Filed to: Honda Odyssey, Honda Ridgeline

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Reading the FP about the Ridge line and looking at the specs I thought to myself, “huh that’s pretty close to the Odyssey so why not just get that instead?” so I starting doing some research and it seems (at least to me) the Honda Odyssey is much more practical than the Ridgeline.

Things the Odyssey does better than the Ridgeline:

Cargo : Fold down the seats on the Odyssey and you suddenly have almost twice the bed as the Ridgeline and with both having similar payload (around 1600lbs) you can carry a lot more stuff in the Odyssey. Now I know what you’re thinking but if my cousin can transport his 750 Yamaha YZF to track days in his late nineties Rav4, you can fit a couple of dirt bikes in the back of an Odyssey.

People Carrier : A lot of family’s these days don’t have the kind of disposable income that would allow them to buy a people carrier and truck so they have to make a compromise. Minivan is the more practical solution here with the capacity to carry 8 people in a more comfortable fashion in addition to the superior cargo space.

Milage : The Odyssey gets 18mpg vs the Ridgeline’s 15mpg.

Okay so that lists the stuff for the Odyssey, on to the Ridgeline.

Things the Ridgeline does better:

Towing: Okay so the Ridgeline has a towing capacity of 5000lbs vs the Odysseys 3500lbs, but that comes at greatly reduced cargo room and 3500lbs towing capacity will fulfill most peoples requirements who would be looking at these vehicles.

Ground Clearance: The Odyssey falls short here as well with only 4.5", however that is fine for most of the dirt roads you’d be taking the Ridgeline down. Let’s face it, these are not the kind of vehicles you take off road in any fashion no matter what Honda tries to tell you about the Ridgeline.

Tied:

Open Bed(tied): Open bed gives you a little more flexibility, but that fridge and/or antique bureau will load just fine in the back of an Odyssey when you lay it down (and is probably easier to load due to the lower ground clearance of the Odyssey) so we can call this one a tie.

There you have it, it seems that if you really want a practical vehicle get yourself a Odyssey. Now if you don’t mind me I’m going to go indulge in some self flagellation because I actually suggested someone buy a minivan...

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 14:43

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You forgot the largest advantage to a minivan, stealth.

No one notices minivans. They are invisible to the world including police officers.

Also, forget the Odyssey and buy yourself a Dodge AVP for $19k after rebates. Find one CPO for even less. Then you don’t even have to worry about what you put in it. Keep the savings for detailing.

For Sweden > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 14:44

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WILL DOUG DEMURO EVER RECOVER?

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 14:44

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....still prefer the Roadmaster.

CalzoneGolem > For Sweden 05/09/2016 at 14:45

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SIGNS POINT TO NO.

Scott > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 14:46

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On the towing, if you really need 5000lbs of towing capacity, you probably should get a true truck, not the Ridgeline.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 14:46

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I have a lot of gravel on my property, so my truck sees tons (ha!) of gravel and loose dirt in the bed every year. Even bulk mulch. This wouldn't be fun in the back of the Odyssey.

Scotchead > For Sweden 05/09/2016 at 14:48

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Hell, you might even be able to fit the Aston in on an angle in the back of the Oddy

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > For Sweden 05/09/2016 at 14:50

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OUTLOOK LOOKS DOUBTFUL.

Klaus Schmoll > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 14:50

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Unless you have to tow extremely heavy stuff or have to deal with gravel, mulch, whatever regularly the van will always be the better choice.

Sir Halffast > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 05/09/2016 at 14:50

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True, but if you live in paved-over suburbia, not a major consideration for most. Our mulch comes in bags from Home Depot.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 05/09/2016 at 14:51

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Roadmonster > everything else.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 14:51

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Soon.....

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Sir Halffast 05/09/2016 at 14:52

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Fair enough. I’m in suburbia, but still have a gravel pathway and parking pad that need at least bi-annual maintenance.

And mulch is SOOO much cheaper when they just dump it in the truck!

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 14:53

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I really want to see a lifted Odyssey now.

MultiplaOrgasms > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 14:54

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CX Loadrunner > everything else.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 05/09/2016 at 14:56

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With that storage bin in the bed of the Ridgeline, how much gravel do you think you can load back there before it breaks? I know I’m not risking resting an engine block on it.

Sir Halffast > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 05/09/2016 at 14:57

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True that, but I just have two street spots and no place to put it without angering the HOA.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 15:04

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I spent my teenage years in a odyssey (my mom) and Ridgeline (my dad) and I’d rather drive the Ridgeline. Hands down

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 15:06

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You can fill the bed to the full capacity of 1200 pounds and it will work just fine once you empty the bed. I can’t tell you how many tons of mulch my dad’s 05 Ridgeline has carried through the years and not one hiccup from the in bed trunk

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 05/09/2016 at 15:33

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Fair enough, however if you’re just going to use the truck to get mulch once a year you’re probably better off just paying the $50-$100 to have it delivered and getting the minivan.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Klaus Schmoll 05/09/2016 at 15:40

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This is true, your average suburbanite (including me) doesn’t really need a pickup and a van will fulfill 90% of their needs.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 15:40

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My parents own an odyssey and a Ridgeline. I always loved the ridgeline more

dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 15:45

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Overall, I’d say the Odyssey/minivan wins. Unless you tow a boat, but most of us would rather have a Miata, which the Odyssey can haul.

~Odyssey driver

Probenja > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 05/09/2016 at 15:49

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I don’t think you’d want to do that as you need to have the bed empty to get to your spare tyre. Or you can remove it before loading it with gravel or dirt.

shop-teacher > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 05/09/2016 at 15:53

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No kidding! I built a sand box for my girls a couple weeks ago. Instead of paying $3 a piece for little bags of play sand, for $9.72 they dumped a giant bobcat scoop of sand into my truck. I had so much, I gave the rest to a friend so he could build his kid a sand box.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 05/09/2016 at 15:55

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Honest question, how much of that is because minivans have a stigma of being minivans? I’ve driven both and the Odyssey feels much less top heavy compared to the Ridgeline, add to that the Ridgeline’s steering gets uncomfortably light when there is heavy stuff in the bed.

Klaus Schmoll > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 15:58

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And will even be better at it.

Yet, I can fully understand the “when I really want to do X” part. As a single adult, my sedan is perfect almost all the time. Yet I still want a wagon rather sooner than later. Shopping for outdoor furniture right now as the weather is getting really nice and dragging the kitchen table outside gets old..... sifting through delivery options is no fun when even picking stuff up a mile away is no option. But that’s wagons vs. sedans.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Klaus Schmoll 05/09/2016 at 16:05

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Thing with wagons and sedans these days is that the sedan no longer has a decent trunk opening to be useful so it’s not even an argument on which is more practical now.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 16:18

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Probably about 30 percent stigma and 20 percent sentiment. I just prefer the looks and feel of the way the ridgeline drives. Now I own an explorer and a cobalt and the wife and I agree that there will never be a minivan in our driveway. When we outgrow the Explorer and the cobalt we will get a bigger suv and a larger sedan. That said my dad and I drove the newer Odyssey to Nashville a few summers ago to help my sister with a move and it was really nice. It’s a great mileage eater. But for regular every day driving I’d rather have a truck or a ute which is what the ridgeline is essentially

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 16:22

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

While you’re correct that the average person can probably get away with 3500lb towing capacity, you would like to avoid maxing out your capacity on a regular basis. Operating at the limits of a vehicles rated capacity could lead to excessive wear on the brakes/trans/engine and put you at the performance limits of the vehicle. The extra margin of safety of the Ridgeline’s higher towing capacity could make towing that 3500lbs easier, in addition to letting you push higher if need be.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 05/09/2016 at 16:23

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Fair ‘nuff.

Ash78, voting early and often > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 16:25

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Totally agree, but a single counterpoint — your cargo in a van (or wagon) can only be something you’re willing to smell, or whose mess you’re willing to deal with for however long it takes to clean up. Our Odyssey’s third row stays stowed about 95% of the time, and all the armrests and panels back there are scuffed to hell after just a year. It’s almost embarrassing...they need to come up with flip-up armrests or something to better convert the van to cargo duty on a day-to-day basis. Because apart from cargo capacity, the van itself is extremely MEH.

Klaus Schmoll > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 05/09/2016 at 16:28

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My biggest gripe is that the opening when you lower the rear seats is too damn small. It’s nice that they fitted strut tower braces front and back but you can’t fit shit in there.

E92M3 > Klaus Schmoll 05/09/2016 at 16:52

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It’s not “extremely heavy”, but the Ody would shit it’s trans.

E92M3 > Klaus Schmoll 05/09/2016 at 16:53

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Just rent a truck from uhaul or home depot by the hour.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 05/09/2016 at 17:03

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Yes and no, tow ratings in the US have more to do with saftey than actual vehicle limitations. If you look at comarible vehicles in the US and elsewhere, you’ll see the non US version normally has a higher tow rating.

Hammerfistpunch does a good job explaining it.

http://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-16…

Granted any extra weight is going to cause premature wear on various drive train components but it’s not as much as you’d think.