Honda is getting back into the midsize pickup truck market with an all-new 2017 Ridgeline. Photo credit: Len Katz.
It wasn’t all that long ago that automakers seemed ready to abandon the midsize pickup market. Among those walking away was Honda, which pulled the plug on the slow-selling Ridgeline truck.
But with demand suddenly on the rebound, the Japanese automaker is making what could be a well-timed return with the completely redesigned 2017 Honda Ridgeline. Like the original, it uses a non-traditional, crossover-based platform – but the Ridgeline redux opts for a more traditional design that Honda is hoping will do a better job of connecting with conservative truck buyers.
“We listened and we learned,” Honda brand boss Jeff Conrad told TheDetroitBureau.com during a background briefing prior to the 2017 Ridgeline’s reveal at the North American International Auto Show. “With its traditional truck profile,” he added during the presentation, “Ridgeline will better communicate its capabilities.”
The new Ridgeline is still considered a midsize, but Honda has rejiggered its dimensions where it counts. The bed is now five feet wide and 5.4 inches long – 5.4 inches wider and four inches longer than before. And the bed can handle a four-foot sheet of plywood lying flat.
The maker won’t release all the details until its launch later this year, but it hints payload capacity will be around 1,600, in line with segment leaders.
The new 2017 Honda Ridgeline will be powered by a 3.5-liter direct-injection V-6. Photo credit: Len Katz.
The fully independent front and rear suspension should provide a more car-like ride and what Honda is promising will be among the segment’s best fuel economy (when you exclude the new diesel versions of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon).
(Honda getting back in the game with Ridgeline pickup. For more, Click Here.)
The unibody platform also permits a variety of novel features, some carried over from the old Honda Ridgeline, others new. There’s a hidden “trunk” beneath the composite, scratch-resistant bed, for example. And to access cargo, Honda uses a dual-action tailgate that can either swing down, like a conventional truck, or to the side.
The bed also features eight 350-pound tie-down cleats, as well as a 400-watt power inverter. That’s enough to run a blender for a tailgate party, the maker notes, or even a widescreen TV. There’s even an optional bed-mounted audio system with six “exciters,” rather than conventional speakers, pumping out 540 watts of sound.
The single cab design is, Honda declares, the roomiest in the midsize pickup segment. It features a tri-zone climate control system and 60/40 fold-down rear seats. Honda joins the procession of automakers adopting both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through its 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
The new 2017 Honda Ridgeline will be powered by a 3.5-liter direct-injection V-6. Final horsepower and torque numbers won’t be released, however, until closer to production, as well.
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The new truck will be offered in both front-drive and all-wheel drive configurations, the AWD model using i-VTM4 torque vectoring system to enhance Ridgeline’s cornering capabilities.
The truck will be equipped with an Intelligent Terrain Management system that will allow a driver to instantly set up key operations, such as brakes, throttle and transmission shifts to specific conditions, such as Sand, Snow and Mud.
The 2017 Honda Ridgeline also will be offered with the various Honda Sensing safety suite features, including Collision Braking Mitigation, Lane Departure Warning and Lane Keeping Assist.
No pricing details have yet been announced.
(To see more about the new Honda coupe, Click Here.)
As with the original Honda Ridgeline, the 2017 remake was designed and engineered in the U.S. It will be assembled at the Honda Manufacturing plant in Lincoln, Alabama.