The 2021 Honda Ridgeline, made in Alabama, will arrive at dealerships early next week. Redesigned to underscore its versatile capabilities, the pickup truck comes with fully independent suspension and standard torque-vectoring i-VTM4 all-wheel drive, giving it the ability to tackle challenging trails and treacherous roadways. The truck also has more room for the drivers and passengers, as well as gear space with the In-Bed Trunk lockable storage compartment.
The 2021 Ridgeline sports a new hood with a pronounced power bulge, a squared off nose, upright grille and new front fenders. It also has brighter LED headlights and a body-color lower front bumper, which accentuates the truck’s tough new look. Its reshaped rear bumper exposes aggressive new twin exhaust outlets, with 18-inch wheels and an additional 20 mm of track width, giving the vehicle a broader, planted stance.
Designers of the Ridgeline collaborated with Honda Performance Development — Honda’s U.S.-based racing company — on the design of a new HPD package, which includes a unique grille treatment, black fender flares, aggressive bronze-colored wheels and special HPD graphics. This new HPD package is one of four new post-production options that customers can choose from, with the other trims being the Utility, Function and Function+ packages.
Inside, the Ridgeline sports new trim, a flat floor and foldaway 60/40-split rear seat bottoms, offering enhanced flexibility for carrying long and tall items in the cabin.
The truck comes with a 280-horsepower, 3.5-liter direct-injected VTEC V6 engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission with iVTM4 torque-vectoring all-wheel drive. The Ridgeline’s standard Intelligent Traction Dynamics System further optimizes power delivery and distribution in various conditions.
As for safety, the Ridgeline comes standard with Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies, including the collision mitigation braking system, lane keeping assist system, lane departure warning and road departure mitigation. It received a good rating in all Insurance Institute for Highway Safety collision tests and a superior rating for front crash prevention.
The Ridgeline is made at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln. The $2.6 billion manufacturing plant started production in 2001 and, in addition to the Ridgeline, makes the Odyssey minivan and the Passport and Pilot SUVs, as well as the V-6 engines that power the vehicles.
