2016 Honda Ridgeline
We’ve known for quite some time now that 2014 will be the final year for the current-generation Honda Ridgeline , but an official confirmation came today when Honda released the first teaser image of the next-generation pickup and announced that it is set to arrive "within two years."
According to Honda officials, the "next-generation Ridgeline
will build on Honda’s role in creating new value with a new take on
advancing form and function in the truck segment." Also, it looks like
the next Ridgeline will play an important role in Honda’s future
"product portfolio and strengthen an already class-leading lineup of
light trucks."
The current Ridgeline enjoyed relatively decent
success in a market that’s starving for midsize pickups. In fact, sales
in 2013 grew by 29 percent, thanks in part to the addition of the new
top-of-the-line Special Edition
model for 2014, with sales totaling 16,160 units. This jump in sales
can also be credited to a relative lack of competition in the midsize
truck realm.That said, the Ridgeline will have an all-new, midsize Chevy
Colorado to contend with when it does return in a few years.
Honda
failed to reveal any information on what will power the new Ridgeline,
but we suspect the same V-6 powertrain, but with output closer to the
300-horsepower mark. A four-cylinder setup is a possibility, given the
Colorado has a four-pot offering, so keep an eye out for that too.
Competitors
Toyota Tacoma
Another
pickup that enjoys awesome sales numbers is the Toyota Tacoma. The
Tacoma has a long tradition on the market, as the current generation has
been on sale since 2005, with the only update being offered for the
2012 model year.
The Tacoma is offered with a choice of two
engines: a 2.7-liter four-cylinder that produces 159 horsepower and 180
pound-feet of torque and a 4.0-liter V-6 that provides 236 horsepower
and 266 pound-feet.
We anticipate a new-generation Tacoma by time the Ridgeline returns in 2016.
The current Frontier has been on the market since 2005, with the only update being a light front-end refresh in 2009.
The
Frontier is offered with a choice of two engines: a four-cylinder
engine that delivers a total of 152 horsepower or a V-6 engine that
delivers a total of 261 horsepower.
While no announcements were made, we expect the Frontier to enter a new generation by 2016.
Chevrolet Colorado
Much
like the Ridgeline is set to do, the Colorado took a few years off
before returning in time for the 2015 model year. The Colorado rolls in
with an all-new look that more closely resembles its big brother, the
Silverado 1500, and it carries a line of new engines.
These new
engine range from a 2.5-liter, inline four-pot engine with 193
horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque to a 3.6-liter V-6 with 302
horsepower and 270 pound-feet of twist. In 2016 — just in time for the
Ridgeline’s re-introduction — we also expect to see a 2.8-liter I-4
turbo-diesel engine that churns out 200 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of
torque.
History
Honda
unveiled the Ridgeline was unveiled initially as the SUT concept in
2004 and the production version arrived in March 2005 as a 2006 model.
The model was built on the same platform as the Acura MDX platform, just
like the Pilot.
Some of the cool features offered by Ridgeline
include a ladder frame-unibody hybrid chassis and a four-wheel
independent suspension that ensures improved stability and handling
under load.
During its life, the Ridgeline remained pretty much
unchanged, except some new features offered in 2009, a new Ridgeline
Sport version added to the lineup in 2011 and a Special Edition to
celebrate the last year of production.
An
all-new Honda Ridgeline pickup truck will come to market in less than
two years and, today, Honda shared a sketch expressing the new truck’s
styling direction. Honda also confirmed that production of the current
Ridgeline (http://automobiles.honda.com/ridgeline/), built exclusively by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC, in Lincoln, Alabama, will conclude in mid-2014.
Like
the innovative first-generation model that earned 2006 North American
Truck of the Year and Motor Trend Truck of the Year honors after its
fall 2005 debut, the next-gen Ridgeline is being designed and developed
by Honda R&D Americas, Inc. at its Los Angeles and Ohio R&D
centers.
The Honda Ridgeline broke new ground in the American
pickup market with its unique design featuring a spacious five-passenger
cabin, smooth ride and handling, and half-ton truck capability. The
first truck of its kind to be built on a closed-box unibody platform,
the Ridgeline introduced innovative new features to the pickup segment,
such as its large In-Bed Trunk® and dual-action tailgate.
"The
next generation Ridgeline will build on Honda’s role in creating new
value with a new take on advancing form and function in the truck
segment," said Michael Accavitti, senior vice president of automobile
operations for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "With a clear path
forward, Ridgeline will play an even more important role in our future
product portfolio and strengthen an already class-leading lineup of
light trucks."
Sales of Ridgeline have enjoyed strong momentum in
2013, strengthened recently by the introduction of a new top-of-the-line
Special Edition model for 2014, with sales totaling 16,160 units
through the first 11 months of the year, an increase of 29 percent.