2020 Honda Ridgeline gains nine-speed auto, simplifies trim structure

The 2020 Honda Ridgeline gets a quick shot of new life as it heads into the 2020 model year. Honda is making the nine-speed automatic transmission from the Pilot and Passport the new standard transmission, displacing the six-speed automatic it exclusively used previously. Nothing else powertrain-related is changing, as the Ridgeline retains its 3.5-liter V6 that produces 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque.

Honda is also switching up the trim structure for 2020. The previous base RT trim is officially MIA, making the Sport trim the new base Ridgeline. Other trims available for 2020 include the RTL, RTL-E and Black Edition, which means the RTL-T is also gone. Eliminating the RT trim effectively raises the base price of the truck by $3,910, all the way up to $34,995 after the $1,095 destination charge. Of course, the new “base” truck also comes with a greater amount of standard features now that it’s one branch higher up. Honda made its eight-inch infotainment system standard equipment, bringing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to every trim of Ridgeline — it was previously only implemented on the RTL-T trucks and up. Honda Sensing safety equipment is also made standard for every trim of Ridgeline, bringing adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist to all Honda trucks now. There’s no word on whether Honda updated these driver assistance systems, but we hope it did, as the adaptive cruise control on our long-term Ridgeline was a nightmare.

If we compare the 2019 Sport trim with the 2020 Sport, the price has gone up by $510. It’s not a bad price to pay for all the extra equipment on the 2020 Ridgeline, but we do wish Honda had gone a bit further. The nine-speed transmission and push-button gear selection is here from the Pilot and Passport, but the new digital instrument cluster and infotainment system didn’t migrate over to the 2020 Ridgeline. That’s a shame, because the Ridegeline’s tech was already starting to feel a bit aged compared to Honda’s latest systems.

Just like before, front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is available — it’s $2,240 more on the Sport trim to send power to all four wheels. Fuel economy figures are also out, and the nine-speed transmission hasn’t helped out the way one might think it would. Trucks equipped with all-wheel drive are rated for 19 mpg in the city, 24 mpg on the highway and 21 mpg combined. That’s up 1 mpg in the city, but down 1 mpg on the highway. Strange thing that adding gears would end up hurting highway fuel economy, but that’s what happened here. We dove into the specs and found that the all-wheel drive model is a bit heavier in 2020 than last year. In RTL-E and Black Edition trims, the curb weight is up 41 pounds. The front-wheel drive Ridgelines are actually a bit lighter than before, but they return the same fuel economy at 19/26/22 mpg. 

Honda says the updated Ridgeline will be rolling into dealers on Dec. 16, so it’s just around the corner for those in the market for a Honda truck.