So, I've decided to wait for the Santa Cruz, after cross shopping the Ridgeline, F150, Ram, and test driving a new-gen Turscon. Here's the email I sent to my Honda dealer:
"Right now, I have decided to wait for the Hyundai Santa Cruz to come out. I am leaning that way, and as a business owner I always like to pass along what the factors were in my decisionmaking. The factors that led to this are:
Pros: unibody construction, comfort, drive quality, Honda reliability, flexible bed space, trunk in bed.
Cons:
1 - Technology is about a generation behind:
Adaptive cruise does not have low-speed follow, shuts off at 25mph. I commute 80 miles a day, ACC with low speed follow is a major fatigue reducer.
ACC is jerky and inconsistent.
Lane centering is spotty, doesn’t work well off the interstate.
Unable to remote start the vehicle via the Honda app. My office is a long way from the parking lot.
2 - Honda lacking common features (especially since they are available in Canada, not in USA):
Ventilated seats
Heated rear seats
Power folding mirrors
Rear climate control panel
Rain-sensing wipers
The Santa Cruz is plenty of truck for me and ticks all the boxes above. Without the Santa Cruz as an option, it would be a difficult decision between the Ridgeline with its shortcomings and buying an F150 or Ram (at $25k more).
If the Ridgeline had current gen tech and driver aids, it would be an easy choice. If the Black Edition had most/all the features a Canadian Ridgeline has, it would be “shut up and take my money”.