12/29/25 UPDATE: This review has been updated with instrumented test results.
Like children on a family camping adventure, the Honda CR-V has finally put on its nubby-soled shoes and agreed to go for a hike—but only if it isn’t too hard or too steep. Honda wants every possible compact-SUV shopper to consider the CR-V, and one place it hadn’t ventured is off-pavement. Enter the hybrid-only CR-V TrailSport.
TrailSport as a trim will be familiar to other Honda owners. The Ridgeline, the Passport, and the Pilot all offer the option of a TrailSport package, which brings a slightly more rugged aesthetic and some light off-road equipment. The 2026 CR-V TrailSport doesn’t go as far on the equipment side, but it’s not a purely cosmetic upgrade. Honda does want you to get it dirty.
The CR-V TrailSport is positioned between the all-wheel-drive Sport and Sport-L trims, with a $40,250 entry price. It uses the same powertrain as the other hybrid trims, a 2.0-liter four-cylinder paired with two electric motors for a total of 204 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. It’s not a rocket ship of a combo, but the new TrailSport hangs with the 7.1-second 60-mph time of the 2026 Hybrid Sport Touring we tested, with a 7.3-second run to 60 mph, and the TrailSport crossed the quarter-mile just a tenth behind with a 15.9-second pass. Passing power isn’t spectacular; it takes nearly six seconds to move from 50 to 70 mph, but there’s enough there to propel the little SUV past big trucks on the highway without triggering a panic attack.
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While the CR-V isn’t the quickest transportation on the market, it is a smooth-riding machine that handles more like an Accord sedan than a higher-riding SUV. It has a comfortable seating position, predictable brakes, and a firm but not overly stiff suspension that won’t jostle groceries or sleeping babies yet still allows for an enthusiastic run on a nice stretch of pavement. The TrailSport’s all-terrain rubber does eat into the CR-V’s road-hugging abilities, though. On the skidpad, the outdoorsy version managed 0.79 g, compared with the Sport Touring’s 0.81 g. Braking, however, isn’t penalized, with the TrailSport needing 183 feet to stop from 70 mph, versus the Sport Touring’s 182 feet. Depending on your lifestyle, the small trade-off in pavement grabbing with the nubby tires might be worth it for the benefits in bad weather and durability over potholes and dirt driveways.
The CR-V has been Honda’s bestselling vehicle since 2017, and it keeps finding new customers, with more than 400,000 units moved in 2024. More than half of those buyers go for the hybrid. We can’t blame them, as it comes in both front- and all-wheel-drive configurations (TrailSports are all-wheel drive only) and offers excellent fuel economy (although the TrailSport’s EPA combined rating of 35 mpg is 2 mpg less than that of other all-wheel-drive hybrid models). For 2026, changes to the CR-V lineup are minimal: a few cosmetic details like black window trim for hybrid models, some new wheel options, bigger screens, and more standard technology, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
The TrailSport trim is new for 2026, and even that is more of a fine-tuning than a major overhaul. The biggest difference between TrailSport and other hybrid trims is the wheel-and-tire package. Instead of glossy black wheels wrapped in all-season rubber, the TrailSport comes on model-specific Shark Gray 18-inch rollers shod in Continental CrossContact ATR all-terrain tires, sized 235/60R-18. There’s no additional ground clearance, so don’t expect to pass over fallen trees or major rock obstacles, but you will get a little more grip in the dirt.
The other feature that makes the TrailSport more than just looks is an updated traction-management system. Whereas previous all-wheel-drive CR-Vs could split the powertrain’s torque up to 60/40 between front and rear wheels, the 2026 models can go Dutch, 50/50, which means more grunt can now help move the back end out of slippery situations. The CR-V can also better sense which wheels are slipping and send more drive force to the ones with grip while applying braking force to the spinning wheels.
Honda demonstrated this for us with a demo on metal rollers, which simulated the experience of having a vehicle with several wheels out of contact with the earth. The demonstration showed that the 2026 TrailSport was able to power out of a situation that had the 2025 CR-V stuck and spinning. This is not to say that you’ll be trapped in quicksand in your 2025 CR-V, only that you might have to do more trailcraft to move out of a spot that the 2026 CR-V can now drive through without issue.
The rest of the TrailSport’s features are mostly for show, but they worth talking about. The TrailSport has its own model-specific color, Ash Green Metallic, a muted sage pearl likely to match well with Teva sandals and Yeti coolers. It does not have skid plates, but the lower fascia does get a silver trim piece that Honda calls a “skid garnish.” Cute orange mountain badges call out the TrailSport moniker on the front and rear, as well as inside on the headrests. Sunset orange also accents the ambient lighting, seat stitching, and rubber floor mats.
Our on-road drive backed up all previous observations of the sixth-generation CR-V. The interior is roomy, storage and cargo space are excellent, and the reclining and folding rear seats are comfortable enough for kids and pets alike. The all-terrain tires don’t add notable harshness to the ride, but the TrailSport is a bit louder than the regular CR-V hybrid, and it can be a tad loud inside when the engine is giving its all. Our sound-level tests bring the CR-V in at 25 sones during a 70-mph cruise—nearly 10 percent louder than the Sport Touring hybrid—and 72 decibels at full throttle. If you need some context, the quietest car we’ve tested this year was an electric Genesis GV70, which clocked in at 18 sones while crusing at 70 mph. If we were complaining about any noise pollution in the TrailSport, it would be that it hums with electric pedestrian warning chimes whenever you come close to a lane marker or make a fast approach on stopped traffic.
Our off-road time with the CR-V TrailSport was limited to a couple of laps around a motocross track, but traction was good and the TrailSport’s hill-descent control allowed the CR-V to navigate the steeper sections without excessively riding the brakes. The CR-V TrailSport likely can’t go much further into the wilderness than its non-TrailSport brethren, but its all-terrain tires and the new slip-managing software can make leaving the safety of pavement less stressful for those who like a weekend away from the city.
It’s too bad Honda didn’t give the CR-V a little more ride height and the trail camera and underbody protection from the Passport TrailSport to make it more of a true off-roader. But maybe we’ll see that in 2027. Just like when adventuring with kids, sometimes you have to ease into it.
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Specifications
Specifications
2026 Honda CR-V TrailSport
Vehicle Type: front-engine, front-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $40,250/$40,705
Options: Ash Green paint, $455
POWERTRAIN
DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-4, 145 hp, 138 lb-ft + AC motor, 181 hp, 247 lb-ft (combined output: 204 hp, 247 lb-ft; lithium-ion battery pack)
Transmission: direct-drive
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 12.6-in vented disc/12.2-in disc
Tires: Continental CrossContact ATR
235/60R-18 107V M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 106.3 in
Length: 184.8 in
Width: 73.5 in
Height: 66.5 in
Passenger Volume, F/R: 53/51 ft3
Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 72/36 ft3
Curb Weight: 3887 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 7.3 sec
1/4-Mile: 15.9 sec @ 86 mph
100 mph: 23.4 sec
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 8.4 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 3.9 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 5.9 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 115 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 183 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.79 g
Interior Sound
Idle: 32 dBA/1 sone
Full Throttle: 72 dBA
70-mph Cruising: 69 dBA/25 sone
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 32 mpg
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 35/38/33 mpg
Like a sleeper agent activated late in the game, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a young age. Like many girls, she planned to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and came closest to that last one by attending UCLA art school. She painted images of cars, but did not own one. Elana reluctantly got a driver’s license at age 21 and discovered that she not only loved cars and wanted to drive them, but that other people loved cars and wanted to read about them, which meant somebody had to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for numerous car magazines and websites, covering classics, car culture, technology, motorsports, and new-car reviews. In 2020, she received a Best Feature award from the Motor Press Guild for the C/D story “A Drive through Classic Americana in a Polestar 2.” In 2023, her Car and Driver feature story “In Washington, D.C.’s Secret Carpool Cabal, It’s a Daily Slug Fest” was awarded 1st place in the 16th Annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards by the Los Angeles Press Club.
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