From City Slicker to Country Boy: 2021 Honda Ridgeline Gets Rugged

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey

As much as we try to cover the news without bias here at TTAC, it would untrue to say that those of us on staff don’t have certain vehicles we like more than others. Our Slack channel is often filled with discussions about how this car or that crossover is good or bad and why. We all have certain vehicles we’d put our own money down on.

Adam has shown Bronco love. Chris has Nissan on the brain. I have a weakness for hot hatches, Impalas from the mid-60s and mid-90s, all sorts of quirky vehicles, and Fox-body Mustangs (the current pony car is pretty damn good, too). Our last news guru had a thing for old cars. Corey insists on making up words to describe cars with taillights that run from side to side without interruption.

Tim Cain even bought a Honda Ridgeline. Which, as it happens, is something I would also like to do, if I needed a truck, which I don’t.

That brings us to, yes, you guessed it, the Honda Ridgeline.

I like the current Ridgeline for its Accord-on-stilts car-like ride, its tailgate-friendly tricks, and the fact that Honda hasn’t tried to make a mid-size truck that’s probably more at home on city streets (despite being, by all accounts, quite capable off-road – yours truly has only driven one on the street) into some faux-rugged rig.

Until now.

The 2021 Honda Ridgeline is redone, and the biggest changes are fore of the A-pillar. That’s a new hood with a power bulge – no, that’s not a term referring to a body part on a certain type of film star – a more “upright” grille, a squared-off nose, new front fenders, LED headlights, and a grille crossbar that’s either Gloss Black or chrome, depending on trim.

There’s a new front bumper that ads air vents on the sides to improve aerodynamics and has more body color than before. There’s also a skid plate, which is both there to protect the undercarriage and make the truck look tougher. The rear bumper is reshaped and the two twin exhaust tips are redone, as well. With the tips being more exposed than before.

The 18-inch wheels are also changed to look off-road ready and the all-season tires get a more aggressive sidewall. The track is widened by 20 mm. New options packages include a Honda Performance Development package that offers bronze wheels, a different grille treatment, black fender flares, and HPD graphics.

All that gives the truck a more rugged look, as if it changed from a suit to flannel for the weekend up at the cabin by the lake.

Inside, the infotainment system gets updated/improved graphics, different icons for the touchscreen, and an actual volume knob. Sport-trim trucks get new cloth inserts, while all trims have new contrast stitching for the seats. Sport, RTL, and RTL-E trims get new accents for the dash, steering-wheel, and center console.

The Alabama-built Ridgeline will remain powered by the 3.5-liter V6 that makes 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque and mates to a nine-speed automatic transmission.

I may be in the minority, because I prefer the “citified” looks of the outgoing truck. Others may approve of the “truckier” looks more than myself, and still others will be happy to see that there’s more differentiation from the Pilot crossover.

Love it, like it, or loathe it, this is the next Ridgeline. Pricing has yet to be revealed. The 2021 Honda Ridgeline is set to launch early next year, according to the press release.

[Images: Honda]

Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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  • CKNSLS Sierra SLT CKNSLS Sierra SLT on Oct 08, 2020

    These things have only sold in excess of 40,000 units (annually) three times since 2005. They are an extremely poor seller. Many think with this refresh if sales don't increase it will be the end of the road for the Ridgeline.

  • Petey Petey on Oct 09, 2020

    The Honda Ridgeline is a great truck for people who dont want or need a truck. Therefore, i see it as being pointless. The odyssey with its dry and secure cargo area would be better suited for most people. The worst part about the ridgeline, the price, and the fuel economy. A full size truck, with more then twice the amount of torque and capability, can somehow get similar fuel economy, and cost nearly the same! There is something seriously wrong with that picture.

  • Oberkanone My grid hurts!Good luck with installing charger locations at leased locations with aging infrastructure. Perhaps USPS would have better start modernizing it's Post offices to meet future needs. Of course, USPS has no money for anything.
  • Dukeisduke If it's going to be a turbo 4-cylinder like the new Tacoma, I'll pass.BTW, I see lots of Tacomas on the road (mine is a 2013), but I haven't seen any 4th-gen trucks yet.
  • Oberkanone Expect 4Runner to combine best aspects of new Land Cruiser and new Tacoma and this is what I expect from 2025 4Runner.Toyota is REALLY on it's best game recently. Tacoma and Land Cruiser are examples of this.
  • ArialATOMV8 All I hope is that the 4Runner stays rugged and reliable.
  • Arthur Dailey Good. Whatever upsets the Chinese government is fine with me. And yes they are probably monitoring this thread/site.
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