Auto News 5

Model: 2006 to 2013 Honda Ridgeline

Vehicle Type: Pickup Truck

The Verdict: The Ridgeline's functionality, confidence, room, and flexibility seem to be its most appealing attributes, and common issues should be easily identified in a pre-purchase inspection, if present. With a mechanical thumbs-up, you'll likely enjoy an incredibly handy and versatile pickup truck for years to come.

Price: Earlier, higher-mileage units can be had from about $9,000, with newer, immaculate, low-mileage units commanding over $40,000. There's plenty of selection between $20,000 and $30,000.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

History/Description: Though it likely won't haul a skid of roofing shingles to a jobsite or climb the side of a mountain, the Honda Ridgeline earned a loyal following by offering functionality to meet the needs of light-duty pickup shoppers who also needed a highly functional and flexible vehicle for day-to-day use.

It's an ideal vehicle for family hauling, camping, pet transportation or anyone interested in outdoor sports thanks to a clever, flexible design ideology that manifested itself in the form of an incredibly practical interior, generous on-board room, and the famous under-bed trunk. Furthermore, the Ridgeline's tailgate opens out, like a door or downwards, like a tailgate, too.

Clever, thoughtful touches like these make the Ridgeline well suited to a variety of active shoppers.

Available options included heated leather seats, a rearview mirror with compass, automatic climate control and a HomeLink universal garage door opener. If you frequently tow with your Ridgeline, be sure to check out the backup camera that adds a degree of security and makes it easier to hook up a trailer when you're alone. Travellers will also appreciate the DVD-based navigation system, Bluetooth phone interface, and more.

The Honda Ridgeline came just one way in the powertrain department: with a 3.5L V-TEC V6 engine, automatic transmission, and automatic four-wheel drive with a driver-selectable locking mode.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

What Owners Like: Honda Ridgeline shoppers typically rave about unbeatable flexibility, great wintertime traction, relatively capable off-road performance for light to moderate trails, and a car-like driving experience. Plenty of interior space, a commanding driving position, and relatively easy entry and exit round out the package.

What Owners Dislike: Complaints include limited all-around visibility, which is partially impeded by thick door pillars. Many owners wish for better fuel mileage and a longer rear box, saying that an accessory bed extender is needed to transport longer items in the back of the Ridgeline.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

Common Issues: Engage the Honda Ridgeline's VTM-4 LOCK mode (which locks the 4x4 system for added traction) to ensure the indicator lights up quickly and that no blinking lights or warning messages are displayed. Do this several times to be sure the system is working properly.

Be absolutely certain to have a mechanic inspect the fittings that connect the radiator to the transmission cooler for signs of a common excessive corrosion issue. A new radiator (or new fittings) may be the solution if the line fittings are badly rusted. If the fittings on the unit you're considering are in good shape, a coating with an appropriate rust inhibitor is advisable to prevent future corrosion. Note that some owners choose to preemptively change their radiator and fittings for extra confidence.

Though not overly common, cracks or failure of the rear differential housing and carrier were reported. Add this to the list of areas you'd like a mechanic to inspect ahead of your purchase, as well as a check for a potentially leaky power steering pump that could cause fluid to drip down to the oil-pan, and beneath it.

Vibrations or a “shaking” sensation felt while cruising at speed or accelerating could be caused by a variety of issues, including improperly torqued lug nuts, bad CV joints, axles or even the electronic throttle control system. If you notice any of the above, seek a mechanic's advice.

Finally, flip the Ridgeline's rear seats up into their storage position, ensuring the bars which support the seats against the floor fold themselves flush against the bottom of the seat pad as you lift. If not, the pulley system inside the seat is likely broken.

Photo: Sébastien D'Amour

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From WEC

Following a meeting of the FIA Endurance Commission today the definitive calendar for the 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship has been confirmed.

In a change to the previously announced 2014 calendar the FIA World Endurance Championship will now visit Brazil at the end of November instead of August due to a request by the local promoter, Emerson Fittipaldi.  The 6 Hours of Sao Paulo will now take place on the 30th November and will become the season finale.

The change to the Brazilian date was requested for two reasons.

The first was because the earlier date in August would've made it difficult to market the event properly as the country will be in the grip of the soccer World Cup in June and July. All media attention will be focused on this very important event and would only leave four short weeks to market the 6 Hours of Sao Paulo to the Brazilian fans.

The second reason was the change in the F1 calendar with the Brazilian Grand Prix now taking place on the 9th November and the Interlagos circuit being unavailable on the original date in August as the circuit has to be prepared for the arrival of Formula One well in advance.

The 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas has been confirmed on Saturday 20 September following an agreement at last weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona between COTA, IMSA and the ACO.

The grid for the 2014 FIA WEC will be unveiled in Paris on Thursday 13 February along with the grid for the 24 Heures du Mans.


2014 calendar
April 20 (Silverstone, UK)
May 3 (Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium)
June 14/15 (Le Mans, France)
September 20 (Austin, USA)
October 12 (Fuji, Japan)
November 2 (Shanghai, China)
November 15 (Sakhir, Bahrain)
November 30 (Interlagos, Brazil)

Brazilian Felipe Massa topped the timing charts, Friday, as F1 teams wrapped up a four-day test a Jerez, Spain.

The test gave 32-year-old Massa, who switched from Ferrari to Williams at the end of 2013, a chance to get familiar with the Grove based team over the week.

After acknowledging this was only testing, Massa admitted he is feeling quite happy his new family.

Felipe Massa, Williams FW36 (Photo: Williams)

"Testing is testing," he said.

"(But) overall, I'm happy with my first days with Williams and I'm pleased with what I have seen in the team this week.

"(Friday) wasn't a great day because it was raining, but we completed some laps in the wet conditions which was interesting to understand how the car behaves in wet, with the tyres and new power unit."

The team was also pleased with itself: "We are very happy with the performance and reliability of the car up to now," said Rod Nelson, Chief Test & Support Engineer.

"We still have a lot of work to do when we get to Bahrain and in the time leading up to then but overall, we are pleased with how we have ended the week here."

From DTM

Flat out for the healing of paraplegia - that's the goal DTM ace Martin Tomczyk and the foundation ‘Wings for Life' jointly are pursuing since the foundation's creation back in 2004.

Since then, the DTM driver has regularly been supporting the foundation for the healing of spinal-cord harms in numerous events.

And now, Martin Tomczyk will become ambassador of the ‘Wings for Life World Run' held on 04th May, 2014. The unprecedented running event will be contested simultaneously by sportswomen, sportsmen, celebrities and hobby runners on all the five continents and in 40 cities.

Photo: www.tomczyk.com

100 percent of the revenue produced by the long-distance run will benefit the donation ‘Wings for Life' that financially supports the research in the spinal-cord injury area.

This running event unifies athletes all over the world - and it goes without saying that Martin Tomczyk, an enthusiastic runner himself, supports this project.

“I'm inspired by the idea of thousands of people simultaneously having the same goal: to make paraplegia curable,” says Tomczyk. “It's not about records, times or the competition but about the joint goal. That's what fascinates me.”

From GMM

Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz is keeping his calm, despite a nightmarish opening test of 2014 for the reigning world champions Red Bull.

While key Mercedes and Ferrari-powered rivals got up to speed at Jerez with their radical new V6, turbo and energy-recovery-powered cars, Red Bull struggled to run the RB10 with Renault issues and chassis cooling problems, ultimately collecting a meagre tally of barely 20 laps for the entire four-day test.

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull RB10 (Photo: WRi2)

Energy drink magnate and Austrian billionaire Mateschitz, however, sounded calm as he spoke to the Salzburger Nachrichten newspaper.

"These were the more-or-less expected teething problems with a new engine, which was being tested for the first time on a track," he said.

Red Bull and Renault now have two weeks to solve the issues for the next test, in Bahrain, but Mateschitz said it is already clear the RB10 is a good car.

"Yes, it is very positive," he said, "because it is more than just 'state of the art' again, as can be seen in the details.

"The moment of truth will come at the first race in Melbourne," Mateschitz insisted.

He denied that recent high-profile staff departures, like aerodynamics chief Peter Prodromou's switch to McLaren, have contributed to the problem.

"Our current problems are not with the team," he said, "but in the engine area. The team has more than excellent know-how."

Mateschitz admitted, however, that Mercedes and Ferrari will be powerful rivals in 2014, after four consecutive seasons of Renault-powered Red Bull dominance.

"Ferrari has made enormous efforts during the winter," he said, "and Mercedes seems to have done a very good job with the motor.

"But Renault is coming again, the only question is when."

Mateschitz seemed to acknowledge, therefore, that Red Bull's current deficit could still be an issue when the F1 circus travels to Melbourne in March.

"A deficit at the beginning of the season does not automatically mean that the world title is lost," he said. "Even if you come from behind, you still have a chance."

From Pirelli

The 2014 Formula 1 season is now underway, the teams having just completed four days of testing in Jerez, Spain.

The debut of the new V6 era meant everyone was talking about engines, and not about the new 2014 Pirelli tires, which were also in action in Jerez.

Things started off slowly on Tuesday with only 93 laps for the whole field. But by Friday, almost everyone was up to speed. On that day alone, 688 laps were turned.

Kevin Magnussen, McLaren MP4-29 (Photo: WRi2)

The results? Pirelli will have to wait for the Bahrain test, in two weeks, to learn more about the differences between the new compounds, as there were too many unknowns in Spain.

"The teams had only one goal in mind: get to know their car. They will worry more about tires in Bahrain," explained Paul Hembery, director of Pirelli Motorsport.

"We've adopted a very open approach (this year), which will enable us to modify our tires according to the teams' feedback."

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