2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport Hybrid Review: Off-Road Friendly Enough?

With the passenger rear tire hanging 18 inches off the ground, I slowly — carefully — descend a 30-degree slope. As the view from the windshield shifts from sky to ground, and all four wheels take purchase of the rocky gravel terrain, hill descent control takes over, and the CR-V TrailSport manages the short but steep slope with ease.

Yes, the 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport very much qualifies as a mainstream crossover. But, new tires and a few software tricks make it a surprisingly capable one.

This CR-V off-roader departs from the recent book of TrailSport tricks. For example, it’s the first to use hybrid power. For another, after years of adding genuine kit to the Pilot, Passport, and Ridgeline TrailSport versions, the CR-V takes a light approach. Aside from all-terrain tires, it’s largely a look.

But that only piqued my curiosity to eagerly accept an invitation from Honda to Southern California and spend a bit of time on pavement and playing in the dirt. I had two questions: Does a TrailSport compact crossover still behave on the roads of suburbia? And how far away from such pleasantries should owners truly venture?

In short: The 2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport indeed continues to play nice on the slew of paved roads that the rest of the lineup populates. The Continental CrossContact ATR all-terrain tires hold the road reasonably well and stay quiet while doing so. You do suffer a minor fuel economy penalty, but the hybrid powertrain keeps mpgs in a pleasant place. Moreover, more aggressive all-wheel-drive and the aforementioned tires, do allow the CR-V to easily make it to more remote trailheads and campgrounds.

2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport Hybrid Review

Engineers started with a hybrid-equipped CR-V for the TrailSport. Moreover, it’s equipped with all-wheel drive as standard. From there, you get Shark Gray 18-inch wheels that hold Continental CrossContact ATR tires size 235/60R18 at all four corners. Otherwise, this version of Honda’s off-road sub-brand sees cosmetic improvements, with no added ride height, skid plates, or recovery points here.

Honda adorned the CR-V TrailSport with the usual smattering of visual cues. You get the badges on both the front grille and the rear tailgate, to start. The lower front and rear bumpers also get a distinctive gray. Looking across the profile, you see black sideview mirror covers and door handles, too. Finally, Honda will coat the TrailSport in a military-esque Ash Green Pearl paint.

Inside, you see orange accents and stitching throughout. I spotted it on the door trim, steering wheel, shift knob, lower center console, and, of course, the seats. More than that, the headrests of the front seats have “TrailSport” embroidered. To cap it off, all-season, rubber floor mats protect the carpet. And, fittingly enough, they also wear the TrailSport badge. Honda added a few other bits with the TrailSport in mind, but not exclusively for it.

New for the 2026 CR-V

The 2026 model year brings us a total of seven trims of CR-V. The base LX, EX, and EX-L still make use of the turbocharged 1.5L inline-four-cylinder. The other four trims — Sport, TrailSport, Sport-L, and Sport Touring hybrids — get the 2.0L hybrid powertrain.

All CR-Vs do see a few improvements for 2026, and the TrailSport benefits from it as well. For example, a 9-inch center display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto now comes standard on the compact crossover, as does a wireless smartphone charger.

Additionally, EX-L, TrailSport, Sport-L, and Sport Touring trims now get a fully digital 10.2-inch instrument cluster. The former only came with the higher trims of CR-V in 2025, and the latter didn’t come on any of them.

And for every all-wheel-drive (AWD) CR-V, Honda retuned the system to more aggressively engage the brakes on every wheel, regardless of axle, to mitigate tire spin. That result is the tire with traction gets more power sent its direction, increasing the chances of the CR-V avoiding getting stuck. This system works at 9 mph or slower, so nothing that affects vehicle dynamics at higher speeds.

Finally, most trims get new-design 18-inch wheels. The LX trim still runs on 17s. The Sport Touring still gets 19s, as well as Google built-in (Google Maps, Assistant, and Store) to make that trim stand apart.

Off-Road-Worthy Powertrain?

Combining TrailSport and hybrid marks a first for Honda — and the CR-V handles the job just fine. In fact, the electric motor’s immediate response and torque pay dividends to easily maintain smoothness at low speeds with torque to spare.

After all, Honda’s system mainly relies on the drive electric motor’s outputs, 181 horsepower at 5,000-8,000 rpm, and 247 pound-feet of torque up to 2,000 rpm. It’s only at highway speeds that the engine plays any role other than generating electricity. And, in those roles, you get a grand total of 204 horsepower and the same torque.

It’s the same powertrain enjoyed since the 2023 CR-V hybrids, as well as the latest Accord hybrids. And due to the electric motor’s flexibility, no transmission is needed. Furthermore, the drivetrain can send up to 50% of the torque to the rear axle.

Combined with the more aggressive braking to put power toward the wheel with grip, the system claws its way up steep hills and sharp dips on your off-road trail of choice. Even without mechanical limit slip differentials, it holds its own.

Off-Road-Worthy CR-V?

Considering the added ride height, mechanical differentials, recovery points, and — critically — skid plates offered on the Passport, Pilot, and Ridgeline TrailSports, the CR-V takes a noticeably less serious approach.

“We did a significant amount of testing on the CR-V, it has 8.2-in of ground clearance,” said, Jonathan Yu, Senior Product Planner, American Honda Co. “We did a lot of testing, we did it on many different obstacles and we felt that, for the customer’s needs, there wasn’t any issue.” In other words, CR-V customers wouldn’t need them. And Yu went on to say Honda didn’t want to “over spec” the car.

That’s all fair, but I, personally, would still prefer to have at least one skid plate underneath the engine bay to protect those vitals from a rogue rock the driver failed to see when traversing away from pavement. I pick this particular nit because the CR-V TrailSport handles rough terrain better than expected. You can confidently take it on rough trails with sharp peaks and troughs, even rocky terrain.

Room for Roadtrips With Friends

And it swallows lots of stuff, over 36 cubic feet worth behind the second row — more than 76 cubic feet with it folded.

I feel perfectly comfortable carrying four adults on a road trip in the CR-V and all of their gear. And that in and of itself encourages you to venture a bit farther — to reach that perfect trailhead or properly remote camping spot.

On-Road Behavior

Good news here, the TrailSport still behaves itself on roads, just like the other trims. The Continental CrossContact ATR tire stays quiet, even at interstate speeds. Steering response suffers a touch.

The tires take an extra moment to stretch the sidewall before initiating a turn, which makes the steering feel a touch numb on-center. But that’s only noticeable because Hondas generally behave so well in this regard.

You also notice those tires at the pump. Higher rolling resistance drops fuel economy by a couple of mpg. You get 38 mpg in this city, 33 on the highway, and 35 combined. The other hybrid, AWD CR-Vs, manages 40/34/37 mpg (city/highway/combined). Otherwise, it rides comfortably, contains supportive and spacious seating, and plenty of elbow room, too. I just wish you heard a little less wind noise on the highway, a trait all CR-Vs share.

But, again, the hybrid powertrain operates smoothly and quietly. The engine only makes a fuss when you demand maximum acceleration. The CR-V pulls surprisingly well, and merging onto the interstate takes little effort.

Ah, but one interesting caveat, a fun little quirk. If you perform the task in the regular driving mode, the engine revs to redline, drops, and revs again as if shifting. In Sport mode, it pegs the redline and stays there. You get more electricity and a touch more performance as a result, but not quietly.

2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport Review Summary

The least expensive 2026 Honda CR-V is the front-wheel-drive LX, which costs $32,315 when you include the $1,395 destination charge. Going TrailSport raises that price nearly $7K to $40,195. That puts it on the higher side of the mainstream compact crossover market and a healthy chunk over the Nissan Rogue Rock Creek.

But you get a lot for the money. Standard all-wheel-drive, a fuel-sipping hybrid powertrain, helpful all-terrain tires, and an aggressive torque-transferring system at low speeds. That couples with tons of space inside, good levels of comfort, and a still-comfortable on-road experience.

I personally wish that Honda took the CR-V TrailSport closer to the Passport and Pilot versions in terms of added equipment, as I find it a great size for an adventure vehicle. Then again, this CR-V still delivers great on-road driving behavior and makes it easier to leave it. That makes its already broad use case even broader.