TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The all-new 2017 Ridgeline made its Canadian debut at the Canadian International Auto Show, once again challenging conventional thinking in the pickup truck market with Honda-exclusive features, design and technology.
“We are bringing our unique technology and original thinking to the market in a new and challenging concept for a Honda pickup,” Jean Marc Leclerc, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Honda Canada Inc. “We think we’ve got a better idea, a truck that uses its unibody construction and Honda packaging magic to deliver more of the things that many of today’s truck customers want and need with none of the things they don’t.”
The new Ridgeline will launch in the first half of 2016 with a combination of features and capabilities unlike anything else on the market today, including:
· Superior on-road performance – with the segment’s best handling, ride quality, cabin quietness and all-weather traction capabilities – courtesy of its unibody construction, sophisticated chassis, and i-VTM4™ torque-vectoring AWD system
· Class-leading space – with the largest and most versatile cabin and the only 4-foot-wide flat bed space in the midsize pickup segment, along with targeted payload capacity rivaling top competitors
· Innovative and class-exclusive features, including an In-Bed Trunk™, dual-action tailgate and the industry’s first truck-bed audio system – making Ridgeline the ultimate tailgating vehicle
· Targeted top-in-class acceleration, NR-CAN fuel economy ratings and third-party collision safety ratings, and featuring Honda’s next-generation ACE™ body structure and Honda Sensing™ suite of safety and driver-assist technologies
· Leading edge connectivity with 8-inch Display Audio featuring Apple Car Play® and Android Auto™ compatibility
Advanced Chassis, Powertrain and All-Wheel-Drive
The new Ridgeline is based on Honda’s Global Light Truck platform with its rigid yet lightweight unibody construction, next-generation ACE™ body structure and sophisticated, fully independent suspension, delivering a higher level of ride and handling refinement than conventional body-on-frame designs. The Ridgeline will be powered by a 3.5-liter, direct-injected i-VTEC™ V-6 engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, targeting best-in-class acceleration performance and segment-leading NR-CAN fuel economy ratings.
All Ridgeline models will utilize Honda’s i-VTM4™ torque vectoring AWD technology, featuring Intelligent Traction Management with Normal, Sand, Snow and Mud modes, providing robust medium-duty off-road and towing capability with superior on-road, all-weather handling, traction and performance.
Sophisticated, Versatile and Spacious Cabin
Inside, the Ridgeline boasts the largest, most versatile and sophisticated cabin in a midsize 4-door pickup, featuring high-grade materials and finishes, available leather trim and all the latest technologies that Honda has to offer, including tri-zone climate control, push button start, a full-colour TFT center meter and 8-inch Display Audio touchscreen with Apple Car Play and Android Auto compatibility.
The Ridgeline’s 60/40-split flip-up rear seat provides the ultimate versatility for people and cargo-hauling utility. With the seats folded down, the Ridgeline will comfortably carry up to five people while still accommodating long items, like a set of golf clubs, under the rear seat. Folding up one or both sides of the 60/40-split seat bottom opens up the back to carry tall and bulky items.
A Bed Like No Other
The Ridgeline bed offers pickup users unmatched versatility in a midsize 4-door pickup. At 5’ wide and 5’4” long (5.4 inches wider and 4 inches longer than the previous generation Ridgeline), the 2017 Honda Ridgeline has the only 4-foot wide flat bed space (with 48 inches between the rear wheel arches) in the midsize pickup class, allowing for flat hauling of items like plywood sheeting or drywall. The Ridgeline will also offer payload capacity rivaling top competitors, approaching 1,600 pounds, with final specifications to be released closer to launch.
The composite, UV-stabilized and scratch-resistant bed also boasts a number of available Honda-exclusive features that add to its incredible versatility, including an In-Bed Trunk™, dual-action tailgate, available 400-watt AC power inverter and the industry’s first truck-bed audio system.
The Ridgeline’s standard, lockable In-Bed Trunk provides secure storage space with no compromise to bed utility and now features a fully flat floor while still including a drain plug for easier cleaning and draining of water from the trunk. The dual action tailgate is hinged both at the bottom and along its left side, opening down or to the side, which enables easier loading and unloading of heavy and bulky items without having to reach over the open tailgate. The bed also features eight 350-pound tie down cleats and an available 400-watt power inverter, located behind an access panel in the right bed wall, with the capacity to recharge power tools or energize a tailgate blender or flat screen TV.
A first for any pickup, the new in-bed audio system, together with the In-Bed Trunk and available 400-watt power inverter, makes Ridgeline the ultimate tailgating vehicle. The new truck-bed audio system utilizes six exciters located inside the bed walls, in place of conventional speakers, pumping out sound from the Ridgeline’s audio head unit, with up to 540 watts of power.
Top-Level Safety Performance
Featuring Honda’s next-generation ACE™ body structure, advanced airbag systems and Honda Sensing™ suite of safety and driver-assist technologies, the new Ridgeline will target the highest available collision safety ratings – an NCAP 5-star Overall Vehicle Score from the US’ NHTSA and a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the US IIHS.
Honda Sensing™ technologies standard on the 2017 Ridgeline include Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™), Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) and Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS). All Ridgeline models will feature a standard multi-angle rearview camera and an available Honda LaneWatch™ or Blind Spot Information system.
Ridgeline Development and Manufacturing
Like the first generation Honda Ridgeline, the all-new 2017 Ridgeline was designed and developed by Honda R&D Americas and will be produced by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln, Alabama.
About Honda Canada
Honda Canada Inc. was founded in 1969. It has produced more than seven million cars and trucks since 1986 at its two manufacturing facilities and builds engines at a third manufacturing plant in Alliston, Ontario. Both manufacturing facilities are extremely flexible and currently build Honda Civic and CR-V models. Honda Canada has invested more than $3.9 billion in Canada and each year it sources nearly $2.1 billion in goods and services from Canadian suppliers. Honda Canada has sold more than four million Honda and Acura passenger cars and light-duty trucks in Canada.
