Black roof option, not sure what that's all about ?! I don't get the angst over not having a 'refresh' this year.... Its evolved in many small ways from my '20 RTL-E...... Aren't those all refreshes ? Curious does it now have the Honda 9 (or 10?) speed or still a ZF ?

For a purpose built road truck with mid range (for a midsize) towing capability, what major redesign should have been done- and why ? Does somebody out there now out-handle the RL on the road and light off-road? I believe its one of the most spacious mid-sizes, certainly a good deal wider inside than the Ranger.... Should it be bigger ? Smaller ? The bed- does it not still have the best configured bed/trunk/tailgate of all the midsizes ? Does the AWD need to be better ? I know of none better, and in several situations mine has performed better than a 4WD F-150.... The engine ? (Yes I would personally like a timing chain, oh well..) Its a great engine, isn't it ? Should they be like Ford and put a bitty twin turbo in it ..... Major changes cost tons of time and $ and with it comes risk- risk of market acceptance, risk to reliability- to name a couple

 

Black roof option, not sure what that's all about ?! I don't get the angst over not having a 'refresh' this year.... Its evolved in many small ways from my '20 RTL-E...... Aren't those all refreshes ? Curious does it now have the Honda 9 (or 10?) speed or still a ZF ?

For a purpose built road truck with mid range (for a midsize) towing capability, what major redesign should have been done- and why ? Does somebody out there now out-handle the RL on the road and light off-road? I believe its one of the most spacious mid-sizes, certainly a good deal wider inside than the Ranger.... Should it be bigger ? Smaller ? The bed- does it not still have the best configured bed/trunk/tailgate of all the midsizes ? Does the AWD need to be better ? I know of none better, and in several situations mine has performed better than a 4WD F-150.... The engine ? (Yes I would personally like a timing chain, oh well..) Its a great engine, isn't it ? Should they be like Ford and put a bitty twin turbo in it ..... Major changes cost tons of time and $ and with it comes risk- risk of market acceptance, risk to reliability- to name a couple

It has the same 9 speed as the 2025.

The tiny changes for the 2026 are indIcative of big changes coming, probably for the 2027 or 20228 model years. IMHO.

 

So they slapped a black Black Edition roof panel on a non black Black Edition and wanna charge an extra $500 for it? Add a couple new colors and we're good for MY 26?

soniamdissapoint.jpg

 

Gettin' ahead of yourself One new colour only.

 

And they dropped the Radiant Red colour for 2026 BE

So now the 2026 BE has only 3 colour options, whereas the 2026 Trailsport has 8!!!

What's that all about?!

Trying to encourage people to buy Trailsport trims as a way of conditioning RL buyers to be thinking more about off road adventures - real or imagined - mirroring perhaps the direction of a Gen 3 RL which will have much more of an off road theme??

 

So now the 2026 BE has only 3 colour options, whereas the 2026 Trailsport now has 7!!!

What's that all about?!

Aren’t all BEs Black?🤓

 

No red on the Black Edition?

 

Nope, they've dropped that colour. Now only 3 colour choices for the BE, 2 choices for the BE Two Tone.

If I didn't know better I'd say Honda is trying to steer us toward the Trailsport way of thinking - which has 7 colour choices. This perhaps mirrors Honda's plans for a Gen 3 RL - more off road orientated?

 

How visible is the roof that one would notice a diff color? Now had they painted the hood - that'd be visible. Even more visible is The Cop Black Edition: black with white doors. Accessorize with several short whirly antennas.

For $500 you could get a body shop to paint your roof any color you wanted.

 

haha I was thinking Cop BE edition, too!!

 

the old RTL-E is now the black edition and the Black edition 2 tone is now the new black edition

 

Honda I wanna love you. But you keep breaking my heart.

 

In late June I gambled - and I now feel I greatly won. For quite awhile I've personally wanted another full sized 3/4 ton truck - but I always hesitated, thinking a new Gen3 RL was just around the corner.

Then (come late June) my bride needed something more versatile, something with easier cargo loading than her daily driver (a 23 Ody) - so we picked up a white 25 RL, BE.

Now with this new 26 RL revelation news (let-down) I'm tossed between shopping for a heavier full sized truck - or a new SEXY Passport TSE. My heavier towing would be limited, but it still exists.

So again I need to decide, choose between big brain -or little brain.
My big head suggests one thing: F250, Chev/ Gmc 2500, Tundra - while my little head suggests something much less.

 

In late June I gambled - and I now feel I greatly won. For quite awhile I've personally wanted another full sized 3/4 ton truck - but I always hesitated, thinking a new Gen3 RL was just around the corner.

Then (come late June) my bride needed something more versatile, something with easier cargo loading than her daily driver (a 23 Ody) - so we picked up a white 25 RL, BE.

Now with this new 26 RL revelation news (let-down) I'm tossed between shopping for a heavier full sized truck - or a new SEXY Passport TSE. My heavier towing would be limited, but it still exists.

So again I need to decide, choose between big brain -or little brain.
My big head suggests one thing: F250, Chev/ Gmc 2500, Tundra - while my little head suggests something much less.

Tundra...Its the way

 

Yes, for some reason, Honda doesn't seem to want to sell many BE trims. Not only does the BE not get the best color, they dropped the second-best color.

2025 BEs are getting hard to find around here. Everything is TS or RTL.

 

Yes, for some reason, Honda doesn't seem to want to sell many BE trims. Not only does the BE not get the best color, they dropped the second-best color.

2025 BEs are getting hard to find around here. Everything is TS or RTL.

Yesterday, my local dealer had 4 BE's. This morning 2. I just put a lowball offer on one of them. I guess the 26 announcement will fuel 25 sales. This particular BE was delivered last Friday so I think my chances are zip.

 

Gotta say, I'm keeping my '24 as long as I did my Gen1, 15 years or longer, if it cooperates and continues to serve my rock-and-roll lifestyle.
While I like to see what the latest thing is, I'm never convinced that putting 10s of 1000s of my hard-earned dollars into it is a good idea. There really isn't a must-have feature or style that trumps a proven platform that meets my needs.
I'd be just as happily buy a '26 Ridge as my '24 knowing what the competition is. Hell, I'd still be happy in my 2009, with blue tooth unit plugged into the Aux jack, map on my phone, and 16 miles/gallon if I could still be driving it today. Money in the bank!

Guess I'm just the unibody, comfortable daily driver, DIYer that Honda is happy to sell to. Trunk, loading sheet goods on the bed floor, pleasant commute, decent mileage, reasonably comfortable back seat for the family on local runs, etc. The competition still lacks where it counts for me.

If I had not found out that I was incompetent in applying vinyl a few months ago, I'd already have a 2026 BE two-tone clone.

 

I am waiting on a Scout Terra which HOPEFULLY hits the 2027 mark. However, I certainly wouldn't turn down a HEV Ridgeline as a 2nd vehicle. I am just not sure Honda has it in them to finally give the world a decent Hybrid Mid-Size truck.

 

I’d love Highland Green (darker metallic) like Ford used on the’68 Mustang GT. My ‘68 Roadrunner was dark metallic green…loved it. The “trending” colors nowadays are military greens, gray and tan/brown.

 

British Racing Green!!! Now that was a green.

 

For all those who doubted that there would be a 2026...

 

I agree, Honda obliviously doesn't care much about trucks. An off-road package with no larger tires? A very dated dash by today's competition, functional it is, but nothing groundbreaking. They could have a winner, but it seems like they don't care. Lack of BOF doesn't seem to hurt the Maverick at all. Price is what sells today. But we got a new color for 26, WOW.

 

Honda is coming back to bat in 2027, let’s hope we get a grand slam Ridgeline.

 

I don’t think any of this surprising and in fact more suspected. It might have been nearly a year now a few of us have posted several times, maybe starting @zroger73’s initial comment how Honda doesn’t have a factory tooled and available to accommodate a Gen-3. That alone should have been the hint to kill all expectation for 2026.

And… remember, Honda did a 10 year run on the 1st-Gen and then took a two year hiatus to line up production for the 2nd-Gen. Who’s to say that won’t happen again for the 3rd? Especially since whatever is next, for the sake of being relevant, needs to be hybrid or EV. I could see a couple year pause.

 

Here's a video I saw on Smartnews yesterday, a preview of the 2026 RL. DON'T BELIEVE IT...But I wish the 2026 RL DID look like this. Maybe 2027. Interesting watch none the less.

 

I'm not a big fan of censorship, but crap like that video is a slippery slope.

 

Not in the market for a '26 regardless of changes, but I absolutely wouldn't have the black roof (at least one any other one other than black). I really don't like that look and have never liked it.

 

I have to say it's the weirdest, most un-Honda like move that I could have imagined happening. Doing nothing at all would have been more credible than the crazy two tone stuff they've come out with.

 

2027 New Feature Black Hood
2028 New Feature Black Tailgate
2029 New Feature Black Driver's Door

 

I just knew beneath your jovial veneer laid an all knowing Honda insider.

 

I know that Chevy did the white roof with the Equinox and Toyota did the black roof with the Camry but for some reason with the Ridgeline, it makes me think of ADAM-12.

 

I think the black roof on the Camry looks pretty cool especially if the Camry is red. Honda should have kept the Radiant Red BE of the Ridgeline with a black roof.

 

One Adam 13 is based on a NART and has reversed the colors.

 

View attachment 471341

Yeah, I looked it up and even though the roof is white.

 

Careful for what you wish for on flaming the RL for not going hybrid immediately. The first F-150 Hybrid almost went up in flames under me.

Tested powertrain and tech that will go 200k miles. Guess people would rather have newer glitchy tech, subscription services, colors like Gecko Green, and more visits to the dealer. Head over to Jeep or Ford.

 

Careful for what you wish for on flaming the RL for not going hybrid immediately. The first F-150 Hybrid almost went up in flames under me.

Tested powertrain and tech that will go 200k miles. Guess people would rather have newer glitchy tech, subscription services, colors like Gecko Green, and more visits to the dealer. Head over to Jeep or Ford.

If you are referring to my post. It is not a flame. It is inevitable. I'm in no rush and I could give two squats... I'll buy a hybrid if it is good... I won't if it's not. But that is what propelled Toyota with a 13% U.S. increase this year. All makers will need to progress. And if Honda has to re-tool for another 10yr lifecycle of a generation, beginning in 2028 (or 2029) ... it most likely won't be a non-hybrid ICE. Honda is already behind in the evolution... and has decreased in sales. Toyota shows the way it needs to be to move on.

 

Here's my prediction for the Gen 3 RL:

I think the Gen 3 RL when it comes will basically be a mirror of the current Passport trims.

The BE trims will be dropped altogether.

There will be RTL trims for the basic road going / utility needs and then the rest will be levels of Trailsport trim with an emphasis very much on adventure / off road lifestyle (real or imagined).

I think this theory is evidenced by the winding down of available 2026 RL BE colour options - now only 3 choices, whereas the 2026 RL Trailsport has been expanded to 8 colour colour choices - the same number of choices for the Pilot and Passport.

I don't think a Gen 3 RL has to wait for a hybrid option. I think the Gen 3 will get a front end makeover from the Passport, and interior updates ALA 2026 Passport.

I think mechanically the Gen 3 will of course get the same platform as the Pilot & Passport and also inherit the 10 speed trans from them, along with the slightly tweaked J35Y8 engine instead of the current J35Y6.

I think Pilot will be first to get a hybrid, then the Passport, then the a later version of the Gen 3 Ridgeline. IE I don't think Honda will wait for a Gen 3 RL introduction that has a hybrid and Honda certainly, IMHO, would not offer a RL with a hybrid in front of the Pilot or Passport.

The Gen 3 RL teasers will officially appear in autumn 2026, then formally announced in early 2027 to be available for sale in mid 2027 as a 2028 MY vehicle. That pretty much follows how the all new 2026 Passport was marketed and I don't think the Gen 3 RL will be much different..

That's what I think will happen and I will surprised if it pans out to be much different to that, but we'll see.

Happy trucking,

Siouxsie

 

Ridgeline will probably get the hybrid as a MMR (unless they can get enough CAFE benefits with an early hybrid through the next Admin) to the G3, probably around 2030.

When will we see the G3 Ridgeline, if there is one? The wildcard here is the Odyssey, as it is overdue for a new generation. However, Odyssey sales remain strong, so Honda has little incentive. We'll either get a new Odyssey or a new Ridgeline in 2027, with the other one coming in 2028. 2029 will bring the next-gen Pilot. If the Passport sales remain strong and it proves popular, it may get a new generation in 2030.

As mentioned, hybrids may arrive anytime based on Honda's ROI, but i wouldn't look for one for the large platform until 2028.

 

I am one of the 'tried and true' owners who wanted to stick with what has been proven. No turbos, hybrids nor complicated electronics.

My preferred shade of green would match the original flat green military jeeps, 5/4s, deuces. Alternatively Game Wardens dark green.

 

I’m going to sell my 2025 RL BE for a 2024 Ford Raptor R. I want muscle truck power and 0-60 under 4 seconds. Can’t wait!

 

Price and location?