Honda Rugged Open Air Vehicle revealed at SEMA
No it's not for sale, and the base car doesn't come to Australia. Boo, and indeed hoo.
Honda doesn't offer a dual-cab ute for the Australian market, but it's not truck-less everywhere in the world. If you live in North America, the company will sell you a Ridgeline, a monocoque dual-cab pickup designed to offer a car-like drive than its body-on-frame rivals.
That doesn't mean it's soft, though. To prove what can be done with the Ridgeline's underpinnings, Honda USA has combined them with the body of a Pioneer 1000 side-by-side to create the Rugged Open Air Vehicle Concept, revealed overnight at SEMA.
Here's the breakdown of parts: the chassis and suspension are from a Ridgeline, while the interior blends parts from the dual-cab Honda with seats from the Civic Type R. Given the lack of windows and doors, they're trimmed in a special water and dirt-resistant material.
Meanwhile, the tray and body panels have been adapted from those of the Pioneer 1000 side-by-side, while there are RAM Mounts scattered around the cabin to hold your phone (or GoPro) in place over rough terrain. The steering wheel has also been nicked from a Pioneer, although it's attached to a regular Ridgeline steering column.
Obviously, this won't be on show at regular Honda USA dealers any time soon. It's just a concept on show at SEMA, unfortunately.
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