Maverick v Ridgeline

[ejgroth2620]

I picked up my 2024 Maverick Lariat Hybrid about a month ago. My first Mav. I have had a Honda Ridgeline since 2019. My thoughts after 1 month and about 2,000 miles including a 600 mile round trip on Interstates and the balance a mix of local driving.

The Maverick Hybrid is as advertised on gas mileage, 39.9 mpg on trip about 43.0 mpg around town. Ridgeline (6 cyl gas) got in the low 20s.

The touch screen in the Ridgeline was a royal PITA. Maverick is more user friendly and intuitive.

Maverick seems shorter to me than Ridgeline but not by as much as I expected given the smaller bed length.

Maverick is just easier and more fun to drive in my opinion.

Interior seats, controls, etc are better than Ridgeline in my opinion.

Ridgeline had MUCH better storage than the Maverick. Ridgeline has a fairly large lockable trunk in the bed. Ridgeline also has superior storage under the rear seat and with the rear seat up. Has anybody had experience with the pivot storage boxes? Any other ideas how to increase Maverick storage space?

The Ridgeline also had a tailgate that dropped down like most pickups, but the gate could also swing open which turns out to me more useful than I thought.

The Ridgeline was AWD and did well in snow. The Maverick Hybrid is FWD. I have not yet driven in snow, but I expect to see some decrease in performance as a result. I live just outside of Buffalo NY, so we should see a good test next winter.

So far, I think I made the right decision for me. The Maverick is better for the features I value most, but I can understand why others might prefer the Ridgeline.

It's not really a fair comparison since the Maverick is a compact and the Ridgeline is a midsize. If I want an economical vehicle for my small business or home DIY projects, I pick the Maverick. If I'm going cross-country and want comfort with some carrying capacity, I pick the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline shares the same platform with the Pilot and Odyssey, both comfortable vehicles.

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[JoeB2656]

It's not really a fair comparison since the Maverick is a compact and the Ridgeline is a midsize. If I want an economical vehicle for my small business or home DIY projects, I pick the Maverick. If I'm going cross-country and want comfort with some carrying capacity, I pick the Ridgeline. The Ridgeline shares the same platform with the Pilot and Odyssey, both comfortable vehicles.

Fair point. The Right vehicle depends on how you use it and how you rate different features. Both trucks offer a comfortable ride. I like the Mav ride slightly better because of the seats, which feel more comfortable for me (6'3" tall 185 pounds)

 

[MichaelHigh]

The Mav is my first pickup, and I can't complain at all. At 6'4" and a lot bigger "round" than I was when I retired, I have plenty of room and find it to be quite comfortable. Mileage is averaging out to about 40.1 or so MPG using the EcoBoost setting. Once a quarter I have to drive to the Denver VA for a HEM/ONC appointment. It's been averaging about an hour and a half. Pretty sure if my lower back weren't so screwed up, it'd be a really nice ride (sans traffic) there and back. Come to think of it, I don't think I could go there and back in a full-sized pickup (only ridden as a passenger in my son's Raptor - and those were short trips).

And the color I have! Cyber Orange? Okay. Looks yellow to me (I'm about 80% colorblind) and I'm happy with that. Kinda hard to not see me, LOL! Sure, internal storage is rather lacking, especially in the Hybrid with the battery taking up half the under-seat storage. The nice thing about that, though, is I cut about 70% of the BS stuff I carried/forgot I had/etc. in my Honda CR-V (BTW, the CR-V was a really nice, comfortable SUV).

My immediate turn off to the Ridgeline series is that it looked like a cheap knockoff of the Avalanche. It's good to see they got rid of the slope on the bed sides. Still, don't care too much for the looks of it. But that's all opinion.

My point? I love my little Mav. It's been good to me these few months. Here's hoping it continues.

Mike

 

[Hunters Edge]

I have a hybrid Lariat and drove from my home in Florida to Fredonia, NY Sept '23 and will be here until Sept '24 when I'll make the drive back home. I'm originally from Silver Creek, then moved to Dunkirk, and left this area when I was 21 when I joined the Army. I spent nearly 11 full years in uniform, but had injuries to my cervical and lumbar spine, and both feet, which led to a medical discharge. My family and I settled down in Florida, and only come back to this area once in a while. My mom, who is 85, took a turn for the worse last Sept, and I decided to come back up here for a year. I'm looking forward to my return trip in Sept to be back with my family.

With that said, I drove my truck 1250 miles on the interstate towing a 5' x 8' UHaul trailer to get here. My hybrid towed it like a champ! UHaul recommended going no faster than 55 mph, but I ended up going faster than that w/o any problem. The ride was as smooth as can be. On my return trip this Sept, I hired a moving company to bring my belongings back home so I won't have to worry about renting another UHaul.

When winter came, I didn't have any problem driving in the snow, although I will note that this past winter was light and wasn't anything like the winters I spent when I lived here from 1959-1981. The biggest fear I had was the salt that accumulated on my Mav could cause rusting down the road. I took it to the car wash every opportunity I had with having the underbody washed as well, following by drying it off and wiping down the inside of the doors.

My other fear is breaking the suspension with the number of potholes in this area, including Buffalo. I can only dodge so many and have hit a few here and there. Some potholes are pretty wide and deep. It's like this area has gone to hell in a handbasket when it comes to paving the roads. Main St in Buffalo looks like a war zone with craters everywhere!

Thank you for your service. Thanks for posting and a little review with winter driving and towing with your Maverick. Sorry to read about your mom and having to be away from your family in Florida. Hope she gets better or finds peace and comfort. I can only imagine how glad she was to see you, or how happy you made her. My prayers for you, your family and of course your mother.

 

[Oscarcat]

I picked up my 2024 Maverick Lariat Hybrid about a month ago. My first Mav. I have had a Honda Ridgeline since 2019. My thoughts after 1 month and about 2,000 miles including a 600 mile round trip on Interstates and the balance a mix of local driving.

The Maverick Hybrid is as advertised on gas mileage, 39.9 mpg on trip about 43.0 mpg around town. Ridgeline (6 cyl gas) got in the low 20s.

The touch screen in the Ridgeline was a royal PITA. Maverick is more user friendly and intuitive.

Maverick seems shorter to me than Ridgeline but not by as much as I expected given the smaller bed length.

Maverick is just easier and more fun to drive in my opinion.

Interior seats, controls, etc are better than Ridgeline in my opinion.

Ridgeline had MUCH better storage than the Maverick. Ridgeline has a fairly large lockable trunk in the bed. Ridgeline also has superior storage under the rear seat and with the rear seat up. Has anybody had experience with the pivot storage boxes? Any other ideas how to increase Maverick storage space?

The Ridgeline also had a tailgate that dropped down like most pickups, but the gate could also swing open which turns out to me more useful than I thought.

The Ridgeline was AWD and did well in snow. The Maverick Hybrid is FWD. I have not yet driven in snow, but I expect to see some decrease in performance as a result. I live just outside of Buffalo NY, so we should see a good test next winter.

So far, I think I made the right decision for me. The Maverick is better for the features I value most, but I can understand why others might prefer the Ridgeline.

You may already know that the Mav is likely to have an AWD hybrid [Buffalo NY Edition ] in 2025. I considered a Ridgeline but it was very expensive and got poor MPG here in the land of $5.39/gallon 87 octane.

I use my back seat for tool boxes. I purchased a U shaped doggie pad that loops on the front and rear headrests to protect the upholstery. I just unhook the pad if I need to use the rear seat for passengers [seldom to never]. Yes, I loose access to the under seat storage but the rear footwell provides storage. My entire 4'6" bed is free for carring things. My 2024 hybrid returns 42-45 mpg, range of roughly 600 miles/tank.

 

[Cocobean]

In 2022 I bought a 2006 Ridgeline from a neighbor w 236K for $2500; I put that same amount into it for repairs and had a great truck. I loved it!
It was loaded, mint in and out though my mechanic said it looked like an old boat anchor underneath lol
I think they were larger back then because when I looked at the 2023 it just wasn’t the same. I couldn’t touch the price so bought my Mav which I also love
Kudos to Honda tho for that tailgate - that I miss

 

[SLINGSHOT]

I mean I'd still buy a pontiac aztec if they were still being made.

Right. Like a homely girl at 9 pm on Saturday night. By 12 pm, she looks really good.

 

[NJBob]

Was looking at a Ridgeline today thinking it's just showing it's age. Honda needs to refresh it.

What I don't like about it is the engine still uses a timing belt. That's at least a 1500 cost even if it's only every 100k.

 

[jfg6869]

I've had a couple of Ridgelines. I love my Maverick, but the Ridgeline is superior in comfort and interior room. It also wins on practicality with the trunk bed and magic seat in the back. Falls short on gas mileage and price though. But it is in a different segment as well. I have no qualms with them. If they could make them get 30-35 mpg and maintain the reliability, they'd be more popular.

 

[DrJoKr]

In my neighborhood there are several Ridgelines, Rangers, F-150s, and Silverados. They are always shocked when I put mine in the garage with my other vehicle and close the door. This is especially nice with all the storms we have had recently. Sometime, the smaller truck wins.

 

[Montana]

Was looking at a Ridgeline today thinking it's just showing it's age. Honda needs to refresh it.

Totally agree with this.

Honda seems to be WAY behind the refresh curve on vehicles.

 

[DTF-Garage]

As long as you have snow tires on your vehicle it will do fine in the snow. I've had old early 2000's Focuses that were complete beasts in the snow with a good set of snow tires. I honestly wouldn't even drive an AWD vehicle in the snow without snow tires. AWD just gives you a false sense of traction.

 

[inline_five]

What I don't like about it is the engine still uses a timing belt. That's at least a 1500 cost even if it's only every 100k.

There are advantages to belts though. Many cars, from various manufacturers, have timing chain issues. It's super easy to change a belt and there are zero lubrication issues with it. There are also leaks from the timing chain covers which necessitates in some cases pulling the engine to fix.

Good news is the Ford 2.5l (hybrid) engine is solidly designed as far as timing chain components go so we should see only rare issues occurring, and probably from just a lack of oil changes with quality oil.

Not sure about the 2.0l chain, but I'd imagine it's of similar design and component quality. So we shouldn't have any worries.

 

[inline_five]

In my neighborhood there are several Ridgelines, Rangers, F-150s, and Silverados. They are always shocked when I put mine in the garage with my other vehicle and close the door. This is especially nice with all the storms we have had recently. Sometime, the smaller truck wins.

Yep 100%. I love being able to park two cars in my 2-car garage (including the Maverick) with room to spare.

It's got a great footprint, hopefully they don't succumb to what every other manufacturer does and stretch the design every couple years.

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