The 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport: How dirt-worthy is it, really?
As buyers shifted away from passenger cars and toward SUVs of all sizes, the likes of models like the Honda CR-V became their automakers’ best-selling models — and it’s not even close. Last year, Honda dealers sold 402,791 CR-Vs (more than an 11% increase over 2023) just in the United States. Even being that remarkably popular, though, time and competition wait for no one, so the 2026 Honda CR-V is getting a list of noteworthy updates, including this new dirt-minded TrailSport model. But is it actually worth your time and money?
Honda brought Tommy and me out to Southern California to test it out on the road and in the dirt, and we both came away with the same conclusion (more on that below). While the rest of the lineup also sees some updates from the base LX to the top-end Sport Touring Hybrid, we’ll largely be focusing on the $40,195 TrailSport Hybrid here, as it gets the widest range of changes from the standard models.
So, what is this TrailSport model all about?
For the past few years, Honda’s had three off-road-themed TrailSport models to talk about. There’s the Ridgeline pickup, the three-row Pilot SUV and — what I would consider the most focused TrailSport — the new fourth-generation Passport. The question is, then, where exactly does this CR-V TrailSport fall on the spectrum from soft-roader to legitimate off-road machine?
Well, right off the bat, the 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport differentiates itself as the only hybrid-only option among the automaker’s four adventure-minded models. There is still a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine option without the hybrid assist, but it’s still only available on the LX, EX and EX-L models. So, step up to the TrailSport, and you’ll get an electrified powertrain with a total output of 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque (that’s unchanged from previous years). Honda did tweak the all-wheel drive system across all CR-Vs to offer more aggressive brake-based torque vectoring below 9 mph, with the goal of transferring more power to the wheels that have grip.
While that upgrade is available across the lineup, the CR-V TrailSport arguably benefits the most from that change thanks to the new wheel and tire package. Wrapping 18-inch gray wheels, you get a set of 235/60-R18 Continental CrossContact ATR all-terrain tires. The Passport’s Ash Green Metallic paint makes another appearance here, and again is exclusive to the TrailSport model. Rounding off the stylistic changes, you get a host of TrailSport badging inside and out, gloss black trim to complementing the lower cladding, and silver faux skid plates front and rear with cosmetic intakes and exhaust ports, respectively.
You may be wondering: “Where are the rest of the off-road upgrades?”
For its part, the Passport TrailSport gets breakaway recovery points, a set of specially designed all-terrain rubber, a special Trail mode, underbody skid plates and a revised hill descent control allowing drivers to control their speed using the throttle and brake pedals when navigating a downhill obstacle. Well, of all that kit, the CR-V TrailSport just gets the hill descent control setup and the all-terrain rubber — that’s it. You also get 8.2 inches of ground clearance, or about the same as a Passport TrailSport’s 8.3…so at least you don’t lose out there.
The 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport sits just above the Sport Hybrid trim, so you get cloth seats as well as all that gloss black trim, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and Normal/Econ/Snow/Sport drive modes (but again, no Trail mode). However, this model does also borrow some features from the Sport-L as well, so the TrailSport also brings in an 8-speaker audio system, a power tailgate, a 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster and two rear USB-C charging ports. You even get a heated steering wheel from the top-end Sport Touring, which is a nice touch. Apart from the feature set, the TrailSport further sets itself apart with appropriately branded all-weather floor mats as well as “TrailSport” on the headrests.
Does the 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport actually work off-road?
Part of our time with the most dirt-worthy CR-V was a “soft-roading” test at a motocross park outside of San Diego. Now, you likely gathered from the list of changes against the rest of the lineup that this is not a hardcore off-roader where you’ll be able to traverse the Rubicon Trail. At the end of the day, this is still a CR-V, and Honda knows the sort of demographics that comprise their 400,000-plus sales every year.
A few months ago, I drove the pre-refresh 2025 CR-V Sport Touring Hybrid, and we also tried a similar version out on the TFL Slip Test. The TL;DR version: It did not perform well…and the updated 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport did much better in low-traction conditions. The current-gen Real-Time AWD System can actually torque-split 50:50 across the axles, and the improved braking force to slipping wheels ensures you don’t wind up hopelessly stuck in a loss-of-traction situation as easily.
As you’d expect, the all-terrain tires do make a difference against the all-seasons too. As long as you don’t get in over your head on which “trails” you tackle in your TrailSport, this version of the updated Honda CR-V should get you up to your country cabin or out to one of your favorite fishing spots without too much difficulty. You know, as long as it’s not so difficult you’d need a hardcore off-roader to get there (in which case, you’d probably be looking at a Jeep Wrangler anyway, and Honda knows that).
In short: The 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport is a bit more capable than its counterparts, but don’t expect the tire package to miraculously turn this into a true rock crawler, or anywhere near it.
On the road, the CR-V TrailSport is pretty similar to its stablemates.
Most of the driving time we had with the 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport is the same place most production units will actually spend their time — on the pavement. I mentioned in my February Sport Touring Hybrid review that if you had to have one car and only one car, the CR-V is a tough choice to beat. After a few hours on California back roads and sprawling freeways in the TrailSport, that take still applies about 98% here.
Here’s the thing: the 2026 Honda CR-V lineup doesn’t see any radical powertrain or chassis changes from previous model years. What was good in previous years is good now, including the comfortable ride, decent handling and relatively spacious interior.
If anything, Honda’s two-motor hybrid system — where an electric motor drives the wheels with the gas engine acting as a generator, or both drive the wheels at highway speeds through use of a lockup clutch — is one of the best available systems out there if you’re looking for the best efficiency with solid everyday performance.
The TrailSport, for its part, dials back the daily commuter capability a couple percentage points because those slightly knobbier off-road tires generate some more noise. That comes with the territory, and is a compromise you need to consider if you are looking for something that can get a little farther off the beaten path over, say, a normal Sport, Sport-L or Sport Touring Hybrid (or any of the gas models) on all-seasons. Not to mention you could swap tires on any of those out for A/Ts and wind up in the same situation.
Verdict: Great car, not the best TrailSport.
With that $40,195 price tag, the 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport is currently the most affordable option if you want that black-and-orange badge with the host of adventure-minded upgrades. But is it actually worth it?
Our overall takeaway from this drive is that the current-gen CR-V is still one of the best compact SUVs out there…but it’s not a great TrailSport. At least, if you want to really buy into that rugged sort of lifestyle and really go places with the family and gear in tow, the Passport TrailSport is clearly the better off-road option if you want to stay within the Honda brand.
All that said, the CR-V outsold the Passport by nearly ten to one last year, so its outstandingly clear where most people are shopping when it comes to putting down their own money. On that basis, there’s only so far Honda really can move when it comes to changing up the formula, and their approach to the TrailSport acknowledges its relative limitations when it comes to heading out into the unknown (that is, you definitely shouldn’t do it with this car).
We’ll test the 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport more when we get it back to Colorado, on the onX Offroad course and the TFL Slip Test. That said, our first drive video (check that out below) has a surprising inclusion directly from Honda — and it’s something they haven’t done on previous CR-V drives, that’s for sure.
There is one situation in which I would more strongly recommend the CR-V TrailSport, and that’s in winter weather. I suspect the updated all-wheel drive system and the chunkier tires would actually play to the TrailSport’s strengths when the commute gets slippery, and that would be a solid reason to consider the TrailSport along the likes of Subaru’s Wilderness models, a Ford Bronco Sport Badlands or Toyota RAV4 Woodland. Again, we’ll have to test that in a few months when Father Winter makes his return to the northern hemisphere.
