2016 Honda Ridgeline to get a

22/06/2015 - 12:58 Honda Ridgeline, Honda Anjan Ravi

Will be based on the new 2016 Honda Pilot SUV.

Next year will see the re-launch of the Honda Ridgeline utility truck, which was sold between 2005 and 2014 with a 3.5-liter V6 engine. Honda confirmed at the Chicago Auto Show this year that the second generation Ridgeline will indeed arrive at the marketplace within two years time, and even showed a teaser sketch of the pickup.

2017 Honda Ridgeline Preview Sketch — The teaser sketch of the new Ridgeline released at the Chicago Auto Show.

Road tests of the new 2016 Ridgeline have started, with AutoBlog reporting that the pickup will debut next year. According to John Mendel, executive vice president, American Honda Motor Co., the new Ridgeline will get a more "traditional truck design", ditching the somewhat 'polarizing' design of its predecessor.

The second generation Ridgeline will be based on the new 2016 Pilot, which entered production in Alabama in May 2015, where the new Ridgeline would also be made. Hence, it is expected to get the newly-developed 3.5-liter V6 i-VTEC engine with direct injection technology and Variable Cylinder Management technology. On the new 2016 Pilot, this engine produces 280 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 355 Nm of torque at 4,700 rpm, and is paired to a 6AT or a 9AT gearbox.

2016 Honda Pilot interior press shots — Like the Pilot, the new Ridgeline is expected to get a 6AT and 9AT gearbox, paired to the new 3.5L V6 engine.

Also read: 2016 Honda Civic shows its production-ready interior

Honda is also expected to up the equipment on offer, with the 2016 Ridgeline receiving the new LaneWatch system, a Blu-ray media system for the top-end variant, Smart Entry and LED headlights with automatic high-beam assist.

Following the launch of the new Ridgeline will be the next generation Odyssey, Mendel said.

[Source - AutoBlog]