2009 Toyota Tundra VS. 2009 Honda Ridgeline

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2009 Toyota Tundra

First Glance

What a difference a year makes, or rather, what a difference two redesigned competitors make. After ruling the roost for its first couple years of production, the 2009 Toyota Tundra must now contend with the redesigned trucks from Dodge and Ford. Despite this onslaught, the Tundra sticks to its still-mighty guns for 2009, adding only a pair of limited-edition sport and off-road packages. The lineup of three stout engines, three bed lengths and three cab styles remains the same. Notably, the Tundra forgoes a traditional extended cab in favor of two crew-cab flavors: regular Double Cab and jumbo CrewMax.

Trim Levels

The 2009 Toyota Tundra is a full-size, half-ton pickup truck available in three body styles: regular cab, Double Cab (crew cab) and CrewMax (really big crew cab). Regular and Double Cabs can be ordered with either a 6.5-foot or 8-foot bed, while the CrewMax comes only with a 5.5-foot bed. Trim levels include base Grade, midlevel SR5 and plush Limited. The regular cab is only available in Grade trim, while Double Cab and CrewMax styles are available in all flavors.

Engines

Three engines are employed for duty underneath the Tundra's sculpted hood, and all versions of the Tundra can be equipped with two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Standard on the 4x2 Tundra regular cab and standard bed 4x2 Double Cab is a 4.0-liter V6 good for 236 hp and 266 pound-feet of torque. Fuel economy for this engine is 15 mpg city/19 mpg highway and 16 mpg combined.

Safety

In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's frontal-offset crash testing, the Tundra earned the highest possible "Good" rating. In side impact crash testing, a Tundra Double Cab also achieved a "Good" rating.

The 2009 Toyota Tundra has without a doubt the most stylish interior among full-size trucks. However, many of its audio controls are out of comfortable reach for the driver. Meanwhile, each gauge is housed in its own deep tunnel, resulting in less-than-stellar legibility. Materials quality is satisfactory for a full-size pickup, though the same can be said for the Tundra's rivals.

The regular cab offers comfortable seats as well as a generous amount of interior cargo space. In Double Cabs, the backseat is fully usable for adults, while the CrewMax offers the roomiest rear seat of any pickup truck. With a limo like 44.5 inches of rear legroom, even 6-footers can stretch out and cross their legs.

First Drive 2009

 The 5.7-liter V8 makes the 2009 Toyota Tundra one of the quickest pickups on the road, and the engine's delivery is impressively smooth. Shifts from the six-speed automatic transmission are prompt, and the console shifter's precise action makes it easy to use the manual mode while tackling steep highway grades or off-road challenges. The light steering further complements the Tundra's easy-to-drive nature.

2009 Honda Ridgeline

The formula is simple: Every five to eight years, depending on the manufacturers, engineers get a chance to improve, redesign, and basically rebuild the previous vehicle. In between, those significant upgrade events can be a horrible waiting game for OEs where sales can slump if their buyers don't get something "new and improved." Enter the "Mid-Model Refresh" or mid-model upgrades, or minor midlife change, or whatever else you want to call it.

A New Appearance

What we're usually talking about here is the point in the life of the vehicle where marketers get their chance to influence (albeit minor influence) what the vehicle will offer next. When times are tight -- like right now -- you can bet those changes will be conservative, in fact, bordering on miniscule. Probably the most obvious changes to the vehicle for '09 are cosmetic, meaning the front fascia is clearly designed to look more familial with the recently released and redesigned Honda Pilot. Grille and headlights are more integrated with a new color and shape for the front and rear light housings. The front bumpers have a new small stepout, almost like a rim, that melds right into the wheel arch, giving the new Ridgeline a more masculine look -- bigger tire flare and bigger bumpers tend to do that for trucks. The rear bumper continues the bigger bumper theme, as it wraps around the side of the truck and flows right into the more pronounced wheelflares.

Engine Power and Response

Additionally, Honda keeps the current five-speed automatic, but does offer slightly different gear ratios, in some cases changed only 0.2 percent, to help to improve overall responsiveness. Of note, throttle response off idle is vastly improved, making it feel like the truck has more power off the line because of how strongly it jumps from a stop. A new computer software program works with the new gearing strategy to make it feel like there's more power than the small gains in hp and torque would suggest. Additionally, because the axle gears and weights have not changed, EPA ratings will likely stay 15 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway-same as before.

Honda Ridgeline 2009 Interior Styling

Inside the vehicle, much remains identical but there have been some slight changes to the gauge shaping and to the choices of type styles for the tachometer and speedometer. Honda has also done a better job of integrating bigger temperature and fan controls for the HVAC system and nav screen. Also new for 2009 is the coupling of a backup camera with the nav system option for all Ridgeline buyers. Also helping make the Ridgeline an even safer choice is a new front seat active head restraints that will instantly snap forward to reduce excessive head recoil from a rear-end collision.

Options and Features

 2009 models will keep the in-bed storage box and dual-open tailgate. Other changes, such as new colors, an MP3 input jack, a new floor mat, are minor at best but do offer the needed upgrades to address certain in-market buyers. Although exact pricing has not been announced, new Ridgelines won't change much, ranging from $28,000 for the base RT model, on up to $36,000 for base RTL models. All Ridgelines will be offered in RT, RTS, or RTL trim (gone is the RTX package).

 

 Conclusions

The 2009 iterations of the popular Honda Ridgeline truck and Toyota Tundra are both worth a good look. They both offer good fuel economy with the maximum topping out at 20 mpg with an average mpg of 16. "Finally, a Toyota truck with no excuses. And it sure won't need any." says Car and Driver about the Tundra. The Honda has gotten a minor overhaul in regards to the front fascia to look like its sister vehicle the Honda Pilot. The Toyota sports the most stylish interior of any of the trucks in this model range. As Kelley Blue Book states, the Ridgeline has "a great set of front bucket seats and a unique storage compartment below the bed that's perfect for hiding valuables." More than likely the choice will be made based on what makes sense to the buyer, most likely determined by the true cost of the vehicle. Toyota and Honda both have very reliable reputations in terms of their quality. The Buyer will have to decide in the end.