Karl's Daily Log Book - READ ONLY

2391 messages, Last post on Nov 30, 2005 at 6:50 AM

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What is this discussion about? Coupe, Sedan, SUV

Karl Brauer is the Editor in Chief of Edmunds.com, which means he finds himself in a different vehicle almost every day of the week. If you want a daily road test review regarding the latest cars and trucks to hit the market, along with commentary on everything from auto industry happenings to L.A. drivers to his latest close encounter with Johnny Law, this is the place to be.

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#31 of 2391 Re: March 10 [editor_karl] by varmint Mar 11, 2005 (10:37 am)
Replying to: editor_karl (Mar 10, 2005 9:07 pm) Love to read your stuff. Was planning to read without posting, but I was surprised to read a mistake in that report. "Of course, unlike the Cadillac, the Honda isn't a real truck. The Escalade EXT is based on the body-on-frame Chevy Avalanche, while the Ridgeline is based on the unibody Pilot/MDX, both of which are largely based on the Odyssey." Not true. The Ridgeline is built on a fully boxed frame with a uni-body cabin on top. The design incorporates rails some 70% deeper than the supports incorporated into the Pilot. Something like 90% of the chassis is all new. It is a similar design to that used with the Grand Cherokee and LR3. (Rovers are still real trucks, right?) The not-a-real-truck feature for the Ridgeline is not frame-related. The odd duck on that truck is the indy suspension. Replies to this message: editor_karl (Mar 11, 2005 2:17 pm) rsholland (Mar 13, 2005 3:25 pm) kurtamaxxguy (Mar 22, 2005 1:35 pm) editor_karl (Mar 22, 2005 2:06 pm) and 6 more...
#32 of 2391 I wasn't going to post either... by kyfdx HOST Mar 11, 2005 (11:45 am)
"The odd duck on that truck is the indy suspension." Also, the FWD bias on the 4WD... A real truck is RWD, because that is where the load is.. The Ridgeline has most of it's power going to the front wheels in normal driving... That is just weird for a truck.. I'd prefer to think of it as a "crossover pickup/ute". And, to be clear... I like it..
#33 of 2391 lev_berovich by davem2001 Mar 11, 2005 (12:26 pm)
I'm not saying people shouldn't be allowed to buy a truck unless they can prove they are going to use it....I'm not really an anti-truck person... I just think it's sorta funny, most trucks you see have one person in them and are used for commuting....for the way probably 90% of truck owners use their trucks 90% of the time, a Honda Insight would do the same job, it just wouldn't look cool. Replies to this message: lev_berkovich (Mar 11, 2005 1:01 pm)
#34 of 2391 Re: lev_berovich [davem2001] by lev_berkovich Mar 11, 2005 (1:01 pm)
Replying to: davem2001 (Mar 11, 2005 12:26 pm) Bingo again! Looking cool drives the buying decisions for so many people, especially where I live - Southern California. Otherwise how can you explain the situation when almost every second person drives a truck or SUV (including monstrous Hammer) in area with probably the least in the world need for an off-road vehicle.
#35 of 2391 lev by davem2001 Mar 11, 2005 (1:59 pm)
To me, it's a little hypocritical of 'enthusiasts' to be anti-SUV or anti-truck just because someone doesn't really "need" a truck or SUV, never takes it off-road,etc.... Well, nobody really "needs" a 400Hp sports car either... Nobody "needs" a luxury car... If we went strictly by "need" everyone would have some tiny box with a 1.0L engine Replies to this message: lev_berkovich (Mar 11, 2005 2:50 pm) doug889 (Mar 19, 2005 3:16 am) lev_berkovich (Mar 19, 2005 10:47 am)
#36 of 2391 Re: March 10 [varmint] by editor_karl Mar 11, 2005 (2:17 pm)
Replying to: varmint (Mar 11, 2005 10:37 am) In my original post I almost went into the whole "in reality the Ridgeline is only loosely based on the Pilot because of the different frame rails..." etc., etc., but I didn't want to get into it. But I concede your point: the Ridgeline is certainly further from the Pilot than, for example, the Silverado is from the Tahoe. Just so everyone knows, part of my definition of "based on" is when two models are: 1. Produced at the same plant (not a requirement, but an indicator) 2. Utilize the exact same drivetrain(s) 3. Have roughly the same wheelbase, track and curb weight (within 10 percent) Basically, if the above situations exist and the vehicles aren't somehow based on each other, the OEM is wasting money! Replies to this message: rsholland (Mar 13, 2005 3:25 pm) kurtamaxxguy (Mar 22, 2005 1:35 pm) editor_karl (Mar 22, 2005 2:06 pm) lev_berkovich (Mar 22, 2005 2:59 pm) and 3 more... andys120 (Mar 23, 2005 7:29 am) kurtamaxxguy (Mar 23, 2005 8:17 am)
#37 of 2391 Re: lev [davem2001] by lev_berkovich Mar 11, 2005 (2:50 pm)
Replying to: davem2001 (Mar 11, 2005 1:59 pm) I totally agree with you. I drive Volvo S80 and my wife drives XC90. They are cool, nice, up-scale - chose any adjective you like. We bought XC90 to conveniently drive up the Mammoth Lakes on our ski trips 5-6 times a year. We could be better off just buying a set of tire chains for $60 - but it is not so cool... Remember, I am the one of those who buys an expensive toy...
#38 of 2391 Re: March 10 [editor_karl] by rsholland Mar 13, 2005 (3:25 pm)
Replying to: editor_karl (Mar 11, 2005 2:17 pm) Just so everyone knows, part of my definition of "based on" is when two models are: 1. Produced at the same plant (not a requirement, but an indicator) 2. Utilize the exact same drivetrain(s) 3. Have roughly the same wheelbase, track and curb weight (within 10 percent) The Ridgeline's drivetrain, while based on the Pilot, has been beefed up to meet truck needs. The wheelbase of the Pilot is ~ 106," while the Ridgeline's wheelbase is 122." Finally, there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding out there as to what category the Ridgeline falls into. Is it fullsize or midsize? Honda is positioning it against the midsize trucks out there, which means, Dakota, Frontier, Tacoma and Explorer Sport Trac. However—and this is a big "however," the Ridgeline is wider by far than any midsize truck. That extra width allows it to lay 4x8 paneling flat on the floor, like the fullsize trucks—and Honda promotes that benefit—hence the confusion. Also, the total vehicle payload is ~ 1550 pounds, of which 1100 pounds can go in the bed. So is the Ridgeline a midsize or fullsize 1/2-ton pickup? Yes. Bob
#39 of 2391 March 17 by editor_karl Mar 17, 2005 (9:53 am)
Sorry about the lack of recent updates. I took vacation time earlier this week so I could visit Legoland with my family. We used our long-term 2005 Honda Odyssey, but before I could travel a couple hundred miles in it I had to fix the front, passenger-side tire, which of course uses the new PAX run-flat system. We discoved a nail in it that was causing a very slow leak, and I immediately suspected the fix would be more painful than with a standard tire. Sure enough, it took multiple phone calls to multiple Honda dealers, followed by multiple phone calls to multiple Michelin tire dealers, to find one that could repair it. Then it took about two hours once they started working on the tire because, as the technician told me, "This is the first one we've done, and the machine isn't working properly. I'll have to call our Michelin rep to have the machine repaired." The whole "this is my first experience with PAX" was a common theme, as I also heard it from every Honda dealership I called. Seems like a standard patch on a standard tire, done at a standard tire store, would have been easier... "New and improved" run flat tire technology aside, I still love the new Odyssey. LOTS of power, plus it was getting really good gas mileage when we could actually maintain a steady speed. We were stuck in standard Los Angeles nightmare traffic on the way back from Legoland (60 miles in three hours), but if you have to be stuck in any car with your family for that much time, the Odyssey is a solid choice. It would be even better if our test car had an entertainment center. Anyone with kids will know what I'm talking about, but buying a minivan without an entertainment system in today's world is like buying a Porsche without a manual transmission. What's the point? Replies to this message: daddyd (Mar 18, 2005 11:21 am)
#40 of 2391 Well... by mirth Mar 17, 2005 (1:13 pm)
...personally, I'd drop $300 on a portable DVD player before I'd spend $1000 on a built-in one, but you are correct. Replies to this message: cteng1 (Mar 18, 2005 8:56 am) editor_karl (Mar 18, 2005 8:35 pm)