Honda Will Reveal New Pilot And Ridgeline During 2015

2015 Honda Pilot (Credit: Honda)

While the Honda Pilot and Ridgeline admittedly aren’t the sexiest vehicles on the market, they still fill a real need for consumers. That’s why the news that came out during the Detroit Auto Show that Honda will be launching new generations of the three-row crossover and pickup truck is a big deal.

Honda says the 2016 Pilot will be revealed not too long after the new HR-V launches, which is the company’s subcompact crossover that is slated to hit dealerships sometime during the spring of 2015. The new Pilot will seat eight, just like before, but apparently it will “redefine what is possible” with such a vehicle, whatever that means.

While the next-generation Ridgeline will also be revealed during 2015, it’s not clear if it will be a 2016 or 2017 model. Honda needs to refresh the pickup, considering that rivals like the Chevy Colorado and Toyota Tacoma have recently gone through redesigns. In the past, the Ridgeline has boasted innovations like a tailgate that can be opened traditionally or like a car door, and a “trunk” located in the bottom of the payload. Likely, Honda will debut more unique designs for the next generation of the pickup in a bid to differentiate it further.

Also during the Detroit Auto Show, Honda revealed that it will start making four-cylinder VTEC Turbo engines. Considering the industry trends currently going on, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Honda included such an engine on the Ridgeline and maybe even on the Pilot, allowing owners to enjoy incredible fuel economy along with sufficient utility. So far, nobody knows which Honda models will be getting a forced induction powertrain setup, but at least one turbo vehicle is scheduled to debut before the end of the year.