The Honda Ridgeline has gained a dedicated fan and customer base over the years, and the automaker is now working on the next-generation model.
Whenever we talk about midsize trucks, the Honda Ridgeline is definitely not everyone’s favorite. Still, Honda isn’t particularly worried about some of the more polarizing opinions over the years, as for the past several years, with a few exceptions, it has reliably recorded 4,000 to 5,000 sales per month. Now, after a full decade in production, it’s time to bring New Ridgeline – and Honda confirmed in a statement Thursday that it’s doing just that.
The automaker is designing the third-generation Ridgeline in its California design studio and working out engineering details at its Ohio development center. Honda says that within the next two years, we’ll have an all-new truck coming out of the Lincoln, Alabama plant, which has been building the Ridgeline for the past 18 years, and currently produces it along with the Passport and Pilot SUVs.
Lance Wolfer, Honda’s vice president of auto sales, promises that the next-generation truck is “gaining even more robust design and capabilities.” This is on top of the utilitarian approach the automaker already takes to its midsize offerings, focusing on a range of capabilities that most recreational truck buyers actually want. (With my own opinion: I’ve argued that the Ridgeline actually offers a level of ability for most people needIf they can get ahead of the curve they can move ahead with unibody construction compared to the body-on-frame designs of their competitors. That said, if you must have a body-on-frame truck, there are plenty of options to meet that demand.)
At the moment, Honda isn’t giving away any technical details for what exactly we’ll see for the next Ridgeline truck.
However, when it arrives in calendar year 2029, it’s likely we’ll see some major changes from the previous two generations, beyond updated styling. The biggest “rumor”, if you can really call it that, brings a new V6 hybrid system, which improves both performance and fuel economy compared to the 3.5-liter J-Series V6 we’ve had for the last 30 years, even before the original Ridgeline. An updated infotainment system is also another fairly safe guess, as Honda has been promoting more capabilities like Google built-in apps and Gemini AI capability in its most recent update.
What Will not done The changes with the next-generation Honda Ridgeline (at least we hope) are features like a dual-action tailgate, in-bed trucks, and a generally spacious cabin, as Honda builds its midsize pickups on the same platform as its midsize SUVs. That said, I expect all updates to include the latest version of Honda’s Global Light Truck platform as well as its latest i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system, as we see in the fourth-generation Passport. Or, if the Ridgeline goes to a hybrid powertrain and the Passport somehow doesn’t, at least a Similar The setup is in line with what we’ve experienced in SUVs.
Obviously, this teaser is just the beginning, so we’ll definitely know more when Honda reveals more details 18 months from next year. However, just as it is preparing a new Ridgeline, Honda announced Production of the current Ridgeline will cease at the end of this year.. This means we probably won’t be able to see 2027 Ridgeline at all, though the company will likely launch the next-generation version as a 2028 model — though that will largely depend on when in the calendar year Honda decides to debut it.
