2021 Honda Ridgeline sees family-friendly pickup get a tougher look

Honda's perennially-popular pickup is getting a refresh, with the 2021 Ridgeline bringing a new look and more cabin tech to dealerships next year. At the front it's the new grille design that's likely to be first spotted – not to mention most divisive – with its scalloped mesh and more upright position, with new LED headlamps promising better illumination.

The hood now has a new "power bulge" while the front fenders have been reworked to better emphasize the squared-off nose, Honda says. Indeed, everything from the front roof pillars forward is new sheet metal, and there's a new front bumper with wide, functional side vents.

They create air curtains around the front wheels and tires, helping with pickup's aerodynamics. A crossbar spanning the grille will be finished in chrome on the RTL and RTL-E trims, and gloss black on the Sport and Black edition trims. Honda has also extended the body color further down on the truck, and added new skid plates.

At the back, there's a new bumper with twin exhaust outlets. 18-inch wheels with a more rugged design are standard, and the track has increased by 20mm for a more planted stance. An optional Honda Performance Development (HPD) Package cranks up the styling a little further, with a special grille, black fender flares, and new bronze-color wheels. It'll be offered alongside the Utility, Function, and Function+ packages.

Standard is the 3.5-liter VTEC V6 with direct-injection, and a 9-speed automatic transmission. That gets 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. The 2021 Ridgeline Sport and RTL will have optional i-VTM3 torque-vectoring all-wheel drive; the RTL-E and Black Edition versions of the truck will have AWD as standard.

It can push up to 70-percent of the torque to the rear axle, and then allot up to 100-percent of that power to the left or right wheels. It's controlled by the Intelligent Traction Dynamics System – standard on both 2WD and AWD models – which adjusts the torque split automatically depending on traction and driving conditions. AWD versions add mud and sand modes to that system, on top of the standard modes which include snow and pavement settings.

Inside, there's an upgrade to the infotainment system, with a newer version of Honda's Display Audio tech. The automaker says we can expect better graphics and a physical volume knob, among other changes. Sport trim gets new cloth seat inserts, while there's new contrast stitching across all trims. Sport, RTL, and RTL-E models have new dash, steering wheel, and center console accents. Honda Sensing, with features like adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, and collision-mitigation braking, is standard.

What hasn't changed are the various practical features which help keep the Ridgeline popular among owners. That includes 1,580 pounds of payload capacity in the extra-wide bed, up to 5,000 pounds of towing capacity, and an in-bed trunk that puts 7.3 cu-ft of washable, lockable storage under the bed floor. The Dual-Action Tailgate can open downward or to the side, and handle loads of up to 300 pounds; eight tie-down cleats int he bed are rated at 350 pounds each.

Optional is an In-Bed Audio system – using "exciters" that turn the bed into a huge speaker – that can be added to RTL-E trims and above. Pricing for that, and for the 2021 Honda Ridgeline in general, will be confirmed closer to its arrival at US dealerships early in the new year.