Honda Previews Next Ridgeline Pickup

Honda Motor Co. unveiled its Ridgeline Baja Race Truck this week at the Specialty Equipment Market Assn. show in Las Vegas. Prepped to compete in the grueling Score Baja 1000 off-road race in Mexico, the vehicle previews the styling of the next-generation Ridgeline midsize pickup truck.

Honda says the Baja model’s front fascia, hood, roof and pickup bed closely resemble that of the new production model, which is due in mid-2016. The headlights and grille treatment are similar to the latest Pilot crossover.

The Ridgeline Baja is built on a tube frame—the production model likely will retain its unibody construction—and is powered by a 550-hp, 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine from the carmaker’s Honda Performance Development (HPD) unit.

The 2017 Ridgeline will use the same engine block, cylinder heads and crankshaft, but it won’t get the Baja model's HPD-designed intake plenum and customized engine control unit.