2026 Honda Ridgeline: A Truck Built Around Getting Things Done

Honda Warning Lights: Your Car Is Trying to Tell You Something Honda warning lights aren't there for decoration. They're the vehicle's way of telling you that a system needs attention, and sometimes they're telling you to do something about it right now. The trick is knowing the difference. Some dashboard lights point to routine maintenance or a condition you can check yourself. Others can indicate a problem serious enough to stop driving. For Honda owners around Germantown, MD, understanding a few of the most common symbols can make that decision considerably easier. The Check Engine Light Covers a Lot of Ground Few Honda warning lights are as familiar—or as vague—as the check engine light. It can illuminate for several reasons, ranging from a loose fuel cap to a problem involving an engine sensor or emissions component. Because the light itself doesn't identify the failed component, proper diagnosis is important. If it stays illuminated, schedule an inspection instead of replacing parts based on a guess. A flashing check engine light can indicate a more serious condition, so reduce driving and have the vehicle inspected promptly. Low Oil Pressure Deserves Immediate Attention The oil-can symbol is one warning you don't want to test your luck with. An illuminated oil pressure warning light can indicate that the engine isn't maintaining sufficient oil pressure for proper lubrication. If it appears while driving, find a safe place to stop, shut off the engine, and consult your owner's manual or contact a service professional. Continuing to run an engine without adequate oil pressure can cause significant internal damage, turning one dashboard light into a considerably larger repair. A Battery Light Isn't Just About the Battery The battery-shaped warning light points to the vehicle's charging system, which means the battery itself isn't necessarily the culprit. An alternator problem, electrical connection, drive belt issue, or another charging-system fault may be responsible. The vehicle can continue operating for a limited period using stored battery power, but once that charge is depleted, you're going nowhere. If the battery warning appears while you're driving, minimize unnecessary electrical loads and arrange for the charging system to be inspected. TPMS Is Asking You to Check the Tires Honda's Tire Pressure Monitoring System can alert you when tire pressure drops below the appropriate level. Low pressure can affect handling, tire wear, and fuel economy, so the TPMS light deserves more than a glance. Check all tires when they're cold and inflate them according to the pressure listed on the vehicle's tire-information label, commonly located inside the driver's door jamb. If one tire repeatedly loses pressure, have your tires inspected for a puncture, valve problem, or other source of air loss. Maintenance Minder Keeps Routine Service on the Radar Not every light means something has gone wrong. Honda Maintenance Minder is designed to help owners keep track of routine service based on vehicle operating conditions. It can indicate when services such as an oil change, tire rotation, or other maintenance are approaching. Following those reminders and the recommendations for your specific Honda helps address normal wear before neglected maintenance creates additional problems. Red and Amber Lights Don't Tell the Same Story Color can provide a quick indication of urgency, but your owner's manual should always be the reference for the specific symbol in your Honda. A red warning generally deserves immediate attention and may mean the vehicle should be stopped as soon as it can be done safely. Amber or yellow indicators commonly identify a system that needs inspection without necessarily requiring an immediate stop. If you don't recognize a symbol, don't rely on a guess. Check the manual and arrange professional Honda service when needed. Put a Name to That Dashboard Light at Criswell Honda Knowing what Honda warning lights mean takes some of the mystery out of that illuminated dashboard. The check engine, oil pressure, charging-system, TPMS, and Maintenance Minder indicators all communicate different things, and responding appropriately can help protect the vehicle from additional damage. Drivers around Germantown, MD, can visit Criswell Honda for diagnostic service, routine maintenance, and help identifying the cause behind a warning indicator. Schedule a service appointment online when your Honda starts asking for attention.

2027 Honda HR-V: Small Outside, Properly Grown Up Inside Compact SUVs tend to live or die by packaging, and the 2027 Honda HR-V makes rather good use of its 179.8-inch length. There is seating for 5, 37.7 inches of second-row legroom, and as much as 55.1 cubic feet of cargo space, figures that give this small Honda more room to work with than its footprint suggests. For Germantown, MD, drivers, that combination should prove handy in crowded parking lots without asking rear passengers to fold themselve s into the seats. Three Trims, Without Making Things Complicated Honda has kept the range commendably straightforward: LX, Sport, and EX-L. The LX already brings 17-inch Pewter Gray alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 9-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ compatibility, wireless phone charging, and a 4-speaker 180-watt audio system. Sport earns its name mainly through appearance and equipment, adding 18-inch Gloss Black alloys, a Sport grille, gloss-black exterior trim, and a chrome exhaust finisher, while heated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, Smart Entry with Walk Away Auto Lock®, remote engine start, and a 6-speaker 180-watt audio system improve the cabin. EX-L takes the comfort route with leather-trimmed seats, an 8-way power driver's seat, dual-zone automatic climate control, an 8-speaker 180-watt audio system, front and rear parking sensors, and a one-touch power moonroof. The Tape Measure Tells the Better Story The HR-V's dimensions are more interesting inside than outside. All 3 trims provide 24.4 cubic feet behind the second row, expanding to 55.1 cubic feet once the 60/40-split rear seat is folded. There is 41.9 inches of front legroom and 37.7 inches in the rear, so the second row has been treated as passenger space rather than somewhere adults merely tolerate. LX and Sport provide 98.7 cubic feet of passenger volume. The moonroof-equipped EX-L sacrifices a little of that, dropping to 97.3 cubic feet, but remains close enough that the difference is unlikely to transform how the cabin is used. One Engine, Two Driven-Wheel Choices There are no escalating engine outputs to decipher here. Every HR-V gets the same 158-hp 2.0L 4-cylinder and CVT, leaving drivetrain choice as the significant mechanical decision. Front-wheel drive is standard, while available Real Time AWD™ can distribute power where traction is needed. Econ, Normal, and Snow drive modes are standard, as is Hill Descent Control. Fuel economy changes modestly with AWD: FWD versions are EPA-rated at 26 mpg city, 32 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined, compared with 25 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, and 27 mpg combined for AWD models. For Germantown winters, that 1-mpg combined difference may be an acceptable exchange for drivers who want all 4 wheels involved. Honda Sensing® Starts at the LX Honda has not reserved its main driver-assistance suite for the expensive end of the range. Honda Sensing® is standard throughout, bringing the Collision Mitigation Braking System™, Road Departure Mitigation System, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, Lane Keeping Assist System, Traffic Sign Recognition, Traffic Jam Assist, and Driver Attention Monitor. Sport and EX-L add the Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Monitor. EX-L goes further with Low-Speed Braking Control and front and rear parking sensors, giving the top trim additional assistance precisely where a compact SUV spends plenty of its time: maneuvering at low speeds. Choosing Your HR-V in Germantown The appeal of the 2027 HR-V lies less in spectacle than in getting the fundamentals into a compact body. LX covers an unexpectedly strong technology baseline, Sport adds comfort and a sharper visual treatment, and EX-L concentrates on cabin equipment and additional driver assistance. Drivers around Germantown, MD, can explore the new Honda inventory at Criswell Honda, compare all 3 HR-V trims, or schedule a test drive online now to see which version makes the strongest case.

2027 Honda Prelude: The Hybrid Coupe Has Returned The 2027 Honda Prelude is back, which is good news for anyone who remembers when 2-door coupes were a normal part of the automotive landscape instead of something you explained to younger relatives. Honda has revived the name as a hybrid sport coupe producing 200 total system hp while returning an EPA-estimated 44 mpg combined. For drivers around Germantown, MD, the interesting part isn't simply that the Prelude has returned. It Looks Like a Coupe Because It Is One At 178.4 inches long, 74.0 inches wide, and only 53.4 inches tall, the Prelude has the low, wide proportions you'd expect from a sport coupe. Standard 19-inch Berlina Black alloy wheels wear 235/40 R19 all-season tires, while flush-mounted door handles and LED lighting keep the exterior clean. Inside are leather-trimmed front sport seats with blue accent stitching, heated front seats, a flat -bottom steering wheel, sport pedals, and dual-zone automatic climate control. There's even a practical side to all this: the rear seat folds 60/40, and the cargo area provides 15.1 cubic feet of space for luggage, groceries, or all the things people claim coupes can't carry. The Hybrid System Has 200 Total System HP A 2.0L Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder works with Honda's two-motor hybrid system to produce 200 total system hp through the front wheels. The gasoline engine develops 141 hp and 134 lbs. ft. of torque, while the electric drive motor generates 181 hp and 232 lbs. ft. of torque. Yet the Prelude still manages EPA estimates of 46 mpg city, 41 mpg highway, and 44 mpg combined. In other words, Honda has created a sport coupe that can pass a lot of gas stations, which isn't traditionally the first skill listed on the sport -coupe résumé. The Chassis Hardware Is Where Things Get Serious Honda could have stopped with the coupe body and hybrid powertrain, but it didn't. The Prelude receives a dual-axis MacPherson-strut front suspension design shared with the Civic Type R, paired with a multi-link rear suspension and Adaptive Damper System. Brembo® 4-piston aluminum front brake calipers clamp 13.8-inch front brake discs, while variable-ratio electric power steering is designed to sharpen response. Comfort, GT, Sport, and Individual drive modes allow drivers to alter vehicle characteristics. That's a significant collection of hardware for a car capable of returning 44 mpg combined, and it shows that the Prelude's performance credentials extend well beyond its styling. S+ Shift Gives the Hybrid Something to Shift The Prelude's direct-drive hybrid arrangement doesn't operate like a conventional multispeed transmission, so Honda created S+ Shift to simulate the sensation and response of gear changes through steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. Activate the system and the power meter becomes a tachometer while simulated upshifts and downshifts add another layer of interaction. GT and Sport modes further alter powertrain response and sound. Is it necessary? No. Neither are paddle shifters, sport pedals, or most of the things that make driving more entertaining, which is precisely why people enjoy them. The Cabin Technology Comes Fully Loaded A 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and 9-inch touchscreen are standard, along with Google built-in, Alexa Built-in, wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™, wireless phone charging, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, and an 8-speaker Bose® premium audio system with a subwoofer. Honda Sensing® is also standard, including Collision Mitigation Braking System™, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, Lane Keeping Assist System, Road Departure Mitigation System, Blind Spot Information System, and Rear Cross Traffic Monitor. There's no need to climb through a complicated trim ladder to obtain the core technology. Meet the 2027 Prelude at Criswell Honda Drivers around Germantown, MD, can visit Criswell Honda to explore the 2027 Prelude, compare its Hybrid and Hybrid Two-Tone configurations, and take a closer look at the suspension and braking hardware behind Honda's revived coupe. Browse available Honda inventory and schedule a test drive online to experience its 200 total system hp, S+ Shift system, and Adaptive Damper System from the driver's seat.