Given I do this vagabond thing full-time, two things are true: (1) I put a lot of towing miles on my vehicle and trailer and (2) people ask about my tow vehicle a lot. I finally made an FAQ page last year about my experiences towing with the Subaru Outback 3.6R to answer the inevitable questions.
Now I have a 2019 Honda Ridgeline RTL AWD, and it’s a different experience. It tows the Alto so much easier, as if it’s not working very hard on flat ground or small hills. With the Outback, I was always aware of the load on the car because there was such a different sound and feel when it was towing vs. not towing.
To document my Ridgeline experience, I’ve added a new page to the website, with the absolutely brilliant title: Towing with a Honda Ridgeline. I’ve towed about 2000 miles and driven about 3000 miles total, from flat to hill climbs (up to 4500 feet, which is small by Western US standards), and from twisty back roads to interstate highways.
I’ll be adding to this page as time goes on and I get more experience and data.
Look for chances to take the less-traveled roads. There are no wrong turns.
Susan Magsamen
Good to know… We would only be towing about once a month, so we also would like a comfortable ride for all the other days.
We own a 2005 Casita 17 Freedom Deluxe that weighs just under 3,000 lbs. At some point, we will need a new tow vehicle. We love Hondas and Laura is not a full-sized pick up truck fan. We are interested in the Ridgeline. BTW, love Subies and your Alto!
Give the Ridgeline a test drive, see how you like it. It’s got tons of room, compared to the Subaru Outback, and it tows my Alto like a dream. I didn’t want a big, aggressive pickup, the Ridgeline feelsl like the “Goldilocks” pickup for towing small trailers like ours.
Thank you for sharing your life with us! How do you like the Ridgeline as an everyday driver?
Pretty comfortable as a driver, and not huge so it fits into parking spots, etc. The biggest diff from the Outback is the turning circle is bigger so I have to allow more room for u-turns when I do them. One of the reasons I got the Ridgeline is because every time I was a passenger in one and then I stepped out, I was suprised I was in a pickup, the ride was that smooth.