Honda Rugged Open Air Vehicle Concept for 2018 SEMA Show. Photo: HondaWhile the Honda Ridgeline may not exactly evoke scenes of gravity-defying jumps and gag-inducing dirt plumes, the automaker’s off-road build revealed at this week’s SEMA show in Las Vegas certainly looks like it’s on its way to earning a dirty pedigree that would make any truck maker proud.
Created as an attempt to dream up what “the ultimate off-road Honda four-wheeled vehicle could look like,” rugged Open Air Vehicle concept is an impressive marriage between the Ridgeline pickup and Honda’s Pioneer 1000 side-by-side.
While the Rugged Open Air Vehicle is a concept, it nonetheless uses existing Honda components, such as modified Ridgeline body and suspension, along with production Pioneer doors and custom designed bed and tailgate panels modeled after the Pioneer.
Photo: Wayne GraysonA 3.5-liter V6 is under the hood, married to a 6-speed automatic transmission. It boasts iVTM4 four-wheel drive and Intelligent Traction Management.
The Ridgeline chassis has been lifted 2 inches higher and the truck rides on 33-inch tires.
The Ridgeline-based interior has been modified to take on the outdoors and features a Pioneer 1000 steering wheel adapted to the Ridgeline steering column, along with Civic Type R seats reskinned in waterproof Pioneer 1000 material, smartphone holders from RAM Mounts, and durable paint-on surfaces to protect the exposed instrument panel from the elements.
Powered byHonda is certainly no stranger to off-roading. In June, Team Honda Racing Ridgeline won the Baja 500 for the second time in the last three years.
Photo: Wayne Grayson
