New Model News

Honda gives 2020 Ridgeline a new transmission, standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Eileen Falkenberg-Hull
Dec 15, 2019, 8:34 am
Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Honda is giving the Ridgeline a host of important updates for the 2020 model year including added safety technology, a new standard transmission, a narrowed trim lineup, fresh tailgate functionality, and standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

For 2020, Honda will offer the Ridgeline in four trim levels: Sport, RTL, RTL-E and Black Edition. It has a starting price of $33,9001 (excluding $1,095 destination and handling).

2020 Honda Ridgeline Honda has given the Ridgeline standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for the 2020 model year.Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

The truck has gotten few exterior tweaks at the front aside from available LED headlights, but its tailgate now features remote locking. The truck's rear doors open wider to make ingress and egress easier.

The Ridgeline continues to be powered by Honda's 3.5-liter V6 engine, which will now be mated to a standard nine-speed automatic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Two-wheel drive is standard on Sport and RTL trims, which have available all-wheel drive. Ridgeline RTL-E and Black Edition grades get standard all-wheel drive.

Honda's Display Audio system now comes standard and includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in addition to an 8-inch touch screen. An eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat with lumbar support and ambient interior lighting are also available.

2020 Honda Ridgeline The Ridgeline's tailgate now has remote functionality.Photo courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

The automaker has added a standard suite of safety and driver assistance technologies to the Ridgeline for the new model year including a collision mitigation braking system with forward collision warning, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation, lane departure warning, and adaptive cruise control.

The 2020 Honda Ridgeline goes on sale at dealerships in the U.S. on December 16.

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New sports car

2022 Honda Civic Si on the way with trick manual gearbox

The new Si gets many improvements over the standard Civic.

Honda

The 2022 Civic and Civic Hatchback are just starting to hit our streets, but Honda's already moved on to higher performance versions of the car. The automaker just announced the Civic Si, which lands between the standard cars and the red-hot Type R in the Civic lineup.

2022 Honda Civic Si The Si's manual transmission gets rev-matching from the Civic Type R.Honda

The 2022 Civic Si gets a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. The VTEC unit has been updated with broader power curves and better output at the top of the rev range. It's paired exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission that features the handy rev-matching feature from the Civic Type R. The system can detect downshifts and blips the throttle to perfectly align engine revs with the shift.

Honda tightened up the new Si's body with an 8 percent bump in torsional rigidity and a 13 percent increase in bending rigidity over the previous model. The 2022 Civic Si also rides on a longer wheelbase and has a wider rear track for better stability. Honda says that at 107.7 inches, the Si has the longest wheelbase in its class, which should give the car a stable and comfortable ride.

2022 Honda Civic Si The 2022 Civic Si's interior is clean and sporty. Honda

The Si's cabin borrows heavily from the standard Civic, but the sporty car gets more aggressive front sport seats with stronger bolstering and better thigh and shoulder supports. Honda raised the seats' bottom cushion by half an inch at the front for better thigh support. A 9-inch touchscreen display is standard that runs wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 12-speaker Bose stereo with Centerpoint 2 tech and SurroundStage digital signal processing are also standard.

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Off-road racing

Modified 2022 Honda Passport competes in rally events

The Passport was lightly modified for competition.

Honda

Honda recently announced a line of off-road-oriented trims and packages for its vehicles. Called TrailSport, the trim brings rugged appearance upgrades to the Honda Passport and will eventually offer more performance upgrades for other vehicles in the automaker's catalog. To further prove its mettle in the off-road space, Honda built a 2022 Passport rally truck to compete in the American Rally Association race series. The truck debuted over the weekend in Michigan and had a reasonably successful run for its first time out.

2022 Honda Passport Two Honda engineers handled driving duties.Honda

Importantly, the Passport's drivetrain and suspension were left untouched for the rally. The 3.5-liter i-VTEC V6, nine-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, and suspension in the rally vehicle are the same components that you or I would see if we bought a new Passport today. Honda did add a transmission fluid cooler, but even then, it's the unit that everyday buyers can get with the available towing package. The SUV's interior was stripped and modified for safety and performance.

2022 Honda Passport Honda is pushing deeper into the off-road with its TrailSport trims.Honda

Honda did upgrade the Passport's wheels and tires for the event by fitting 17-inch BRAID Winrace T rally wheels and Maxxis RAZR M/T or A/T tires. The automaker also made modifications to the SUV's underside with custom 1/8-inch thick aluminum oil pan and rear differential skid plates. High-density panels protect the fuel tank and other sensitive components, while Carbontech XP12 brake pads and high-temp racing brake fluid slow things down.

2022 Honda Passport The Passport's interior had to be stripped and modified for the event.Honda

The ARA National and Regional Championship Series events feature modified street vehicles that travel at speeds well in excess of 100 mph. The courses include gravel, dirt, mud, and snow, and cover hundreds of miles. The Honda Passport rally vehicle was first driven by two Honda engineers and ran in the top ten out of 42 teams. Honda says that a tire de-bead eventually slowed the team, leading to a delayed finish.

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