2021 Honda Ridgeline: Restyled To Look More Truck, Less Crossover

Honda is giving its genre-bending 2021 Ridgeline pickup a new, more rugged look just one year after it received substantial powertrain and safety equipment updates. Though mechanically it will remain largely the same, Honda’s new truck will feature an entirely freshened front end and a series of interior upgrades.

The front-end redesign will include a new hood with a power bulge and new fenders, and it’s updated profile has a more upright grille and squared-off nose reflecting Honda’s push to make the truck look more rugged and less crossover-like. A new appearance package developed by Honda Performance Design also will offer a distinct unique grille design, bronze wheels and exclusive graphics. Three other packages also will be available: Utility, Function and Function +.

Inside, the Ridgeline will get a new infotainment display with updated graphics and a more intuitive system layout. Honda also included a volume knob, replacing the sometimes-frustrating touchscreen controls from previous Ridgeline models. New interior styling accents will be offered, depending on the trim level.

Under the sheet metal, the Ridgeline is mostly the same. It features the familiar 280-horsepower 3.5-liter VTEC V6 engine and nine-speed automatic transmission under the hood as the 2020 model, and buyers can still upgrade to torque-vectoring all-wheel drive in the top three trims. The system sends up to 70% of torque to the rear wheels and toggle the torque between the wheel that needs the most traction. Towing capacities remain the same: 3,500 pounds for two-wheel drive models and 5,000 pounds for models equipped with all-wheel drive.

The Honda Ridgeline competes in the fierce midsize pickup segment that includes the perennially top-selling Toyota Tacoma, Ford’s Ranger and the Chevrolet Colorado. Despite the Covid-19 pandemic that has affected industry-wide sales, the Ridgeline sold 20,357 units through August of this year, a 4.5% drop from the same period in 2019, according to data provider MotorIntelligence. In August alone, sales of Ridgeline topped 3,000 units. That’s more than both Nissan’s aging Frontier and the GMC Canyon, which round out the category.

The trucks will be built at Honda’s plant in Lincoln, Alabama, and will feature a mix of domestic and global parts. Honda hasn’t yet announced a firm release date for the new Ridgeline but says pricing and more detailed specs will be made available closer to the truck’s on-sale date in early 2021.