2017 HONDA RIDGELINE QUICK TAKES

TESTDRIVENOW QUICK TAKES: 2017 HONDA RIDGELINE OVERVIEW

The 2017 Honda Ridgeline is the second generation of Honda’s innovative midsize pickup truck, redesigned from the ground up to offer both recreational and work users a higher degree of utility and versatility in a modern, rugged and sophisticated midsize pickup with the largest and most flexible cabin in its class; a higher level of confident and refined dynamic performance; and robust cargo-hauling and towing capabilities, including a class-leading maximum 1,584 pound (718.5 kg) payload capacity (varies by trim) and up to 5,000-pound (2,268 kg) towing (RT AWD).

Based on Honda’s Global Light Truck platform – with its highly rigid, aerodynamic and tightly sealed unitized body construction, Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) safety body structure, and fully independent front and rear suspension systems with Amplitude Reactive Dampers – the 2017 Honda Ridgeline offers vastly superior ride comfort and handling precision compared to conventional body-on-frame truck offerings, along with the top-in-class cabin quietness and anticipated collision safety performance.

Combining this new platform with a more powerful and efficient direct-injected 3.5-liter i-VTEC™ V-6 engine, a 6-speed automatic transmission with wider ratio spread, and available new Intelligent Variable Torque Management™ (iVTM-4™) torque-vectoring all-wheel drive – the most advanced AWD technology in the midsize truck class – results in class-leading EPA fuel economy ratings along with superior all-weather traction and handling capability and robust medium-duty off-road performance.

The 2017 Ridgeline also offers customers more choices than ever before including, for the first time, both two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive options, as well as an expanded array of standard and available premium features and technologies, including a new 8-inch Display Audio touchscreen with Android Auto™ and Apple CarPlay® compatibility and new generation of Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™. A wide array of new standard and available equipment includes Tri-Zone Automatic Climate Control, Push-Button Start, Remote Engine Start, Smart Entry, a power sliding rear window, LED exterior and interior lighting and more.

The second-generation Ridgeline was designed, developed and is manufactured in America using domestic and globally sourced parts. Its exterior and interior design was conducted by Honda R&D Americas, Inc. in its Los Angeles design studio, while vehicle development was undertaken at the company’s Raymond, Ohio, new-model development center. Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC, in Lincoln, Ala., is the exclusive manufacturing home for the 2017 Honda Ridgeline.

Premium Style and Features
The all-new 2017 Ridgeline sports a sleek, sophisticated and rugged exterior design, incorporating new premium features including standard LED taillights, and available features such as LED projector headlights and LED daytime running lights.

The premium quality of the new Ridgeline carries over to the interior, where designers have applied high quality, soft-touch materials throughout the cabin and added thoughtful details such as LED map lighting (see the Interior section for more information on interior styling).

Additional high-end amenities include a standard 4.2-inch color display, available heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. All models also come standard with a Class III towing hitch and AWD modes add a 7-pin wiring connector.

The Ridgeline’s 60/40-split and folding rear seat offers roomy seating for up to three passengers and, with the seat bottoms folded up, has the capacity to carry bulky items like a 55-inch flat screen television or a mountain bike with the wheel intact.

Exclusive in its class, the Ridgeline’s large under-seat storage area can carry long items, such as golf clubs, with the rear seats folded down.

Innovative and Versatile Pickup Bed

The 2017 Ridgeline’s new UV-stabilized ultra-high strength glass fiber-reinforced SMC composite bed is longer (+3.9 inches, or 100 mm) and wider (+5.5 inches, or 140 mm) than in the previous model and is the only bed in the midsize class that can flat haul 4-foot-wide items, such as drywall or plywood panels on the floor between the wheel wells.

Importantly, it does not require a bed liner like conventional steel beds. The new Ridgeline bed also boasts numerous Honda-exclusive features and capabilities, including a highly versatile Dual-Action Tailgate, a redesigned In-Bed Trunk™ with fully flat floor, and available world’s first Truck Bed Audio System, making this new Ridgeline the ultimate tailgating vehicle.

An available 115V AC in-bed power outlet with up to 400-watt charging (with engine running) and eight standard 350-pound (159 kg) tie-down cleats complete the Ridgeline’s capable and versatile bed design.

Advanced Powertrain and All-Wheel-Drive Technology

The 2017 Honda Ridgeline is powered by a new 3.5-liter direct-injected SOHC i-VTEC™ V-6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM™), mated to a wide ratio 6-speed automatic transmission.

Peak engine output of 280 horsepower (+30HP over the previous model) and 262 lb.-ft. of torque (+15 lb.-ft.), along with a 78-pound average reduction in curb weight and a more aerodynamically efficient exterior design, combine to deliver the quickest acceleration and help the Ridgeline receive the highest EPA fuel-economy ratings in the midsize pickup truck class.

For the first time, the 2017 Ridgeline is available in both two-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive drivetrain layouts. All-wheel-drive models utilize Honda’s newest and most advanced AWD technology – Intelligent Variable Torque Management™ (i-VTM4). This entirely more capable system offers reduced weight, improved all-weather traction and enhanced dynamic handling capability.

Honda i-VTM4 progressively distributes optimum torque between the front and rear axles and dynamically distributes engine torque between the left and right rear wheels, with the capacity to overdrive the outside rear wheel by 2.7 percent to create a yaw moment that improves cornering precision.

Intelligent Traction Management

This new Ridgeline features a button-operated Intelligent Traction Management System that offers different operating modes, for the AWD: Normal, Snow, Mud and Sand; and for the 2WD: Normal and Snow.

Developed, tuned and tested at various locations in the U.S. and around the world – including Imperial Dunes “Glamis”, California; Moscow, Russia; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates – the Intelligent Traction Management system allows the driver to select the operating mode that best suits the driving conditions by simply pushing a button on the vehicle’s center console.

Based on the setting selected, the system adjusts the drive-by-wire map, transmission shift map, Vehicle Stability Assist™ and i-VTM4 torque distribution for AWD-equipped models for optimal performance in a variety of road or surface conditions.

Advanced Technology

The new Ridgeline delivers the most advanced technology and connectivity that Honda has to offer, including an available 8-inch capacitive touchscreen Display Audio connectivity interface with both Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ compatibility for seamless integration of compatible smartphone features and functions, including smartphone-powered navigation capabilities.

The 2017 Ridgeline can also be equipped with a newly designed Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ featuring improved graphics and new capabilities, including 3D renderings of terrain, buildings and road signs, improved lane guidance, live search function and more.

Additional standard and available technologies include HD Radio, SiriusXM 2.0 and up to four USB ports including two with 2.5-amp charging capability.

Advanced Safety Performance

Utilizing Honda’s second-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure and “3-bone” front floor construction, along with advanced supplemental restraint systems and available Honda Sensing™ safety and driver-assistive technologies, the 2017 Ridgeline targets the highest available crash safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) including an a 5-star Overall Vehicle Score in the NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) and a TOP SAFETY PICK+ score from the IIHS, including a GOOD rating in the Institute’s rigorous small overlap frontal collision test.

Honda Sensing™ is the most comprehensive suite of advanced safety and driver assistive features available in the midsize pickup truck segment and includes Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) and Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC).

The 2017 Ridgeline, depending on trim, can also be equipped with Honda LaneWatch™, Rear Cross Traffic Monitor and a blind spot information system; and all Ridgeline’s come equipped with a Multi-Angle Rearview Camera.

Standard safety features include four-channel anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Brake Assist and Hill Start Assist; Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with Traction Control; Trailer Stability Assist; Agile Handling Assist; dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags, driver and front passenger side airbags and side-curtain airbags for all outboard seating positions; and a new Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) with real-time display of individual tire pressures. See the Safety and Driver Assistance section for more information.

Black Edition

From its Crystal Black Pearl paint and

black exterior moldings to the black chrome accents

and exclusive black 18” wheels,

Black Edition is a whole new way to Ridgeline.