It seems like we are in the golden age of the “off road package” when it comes to new cars. Yes, they have been around for decades and offered on cars ranging from the awesome to the ridiculous but these days they’re everywhere. The ads sell us on the idea of breaking out of the daily grind in the concrete jungle and using the upgraded vehicle to get out into nature, enjoy life, and go exploring. Like so many things with cars, manufacturers are selling an idea, a feeling, a dream. Like so many ideas, feelings, and dreams, they appeal to people who may never act upon them outside of their own thoughts. The 2026 Honda CR-V Trailsport Hybrid plays in this space.
For starters, this is one of the foundational small SUVs on the planet. The CR-V has spawned imitators and competitors in all corners of the world and yet it continues to be one of the most dominating models in the segment it helped establish. In so many ways, it seems that Honda knew it simply had to offer a Trailsport option for the CR-V to make sure they were not leaving anything on the table against competitors in the space that have one. As you’ll soon learn, there are reasons for this belief we hold.
The 2026 Honda CR-V Trailsport Hybrid gets high marks across the board from us. The hybrid system is seamless and putting all the power together, creates a 202hp package to shove the CR-V down the road. This gives some really nice acceleration, the feeling of confidence while highway merging, and being that the engine is hooked to a CVT, the power is applied smoothly. Of course all wheel drive is standard here and for the new model year there are enhancements to the traction management system at low speeds to aid in off roading situations.
As far as the day to day functions, the meat and potatoes, and the stuff that people who shop the CR-V care about, this model shines. As you can see here, loads of working storage area for whatever your daily functions are. Hauling the hockey team, feeding the family, to making runs for those potted plants you want to add to your home or office are all handled easily with the CR-V layout.
The 2026 Honda CR-V Trailsport Hybrid interior is not all that much different than the previous model year’s offering. The screen in the dashboard grew a couple of inches and with that growth becomes a little more user friendly. There’s a standard style shifter to use, nice HVAC controls that are laid out with knobs, a couple of buttons to engage hill descent mode, change drive modes, and toggle other functions as well. It’s functional and workable and it’s just nicely engineered. There’s not a lot to argue with or praise in this department.
Interior room is what you’d expect meaning that there’s plenty of it. Rear seats are not cramped in any way but we’d not really be rushing to be the man in the middle between two other larger individuals. Legroom is ample and the rubber floor mats are part of that off road touch that Trailsport brings.
The one bone we have to pick here is with the Trailsport package itself. On other models like the Pilot and the Passport there’s some meat on this bone. Those models get a mild ride height adjustment, skid plates, suspension that is actually tuned differently which results in a different driving dynamic than the other trim levels, etc. The CR-V Trailsport has no difference in ride height, faux skid plates, nothing different in the suspension, and outside of the wheels and tires, nothing mechanically different than any other trim package.
This goes back to selling the idea and the concept of off-road versus the actuality of it. Would we prefer the Trailsport in the winter as you see it here over the other models? Yes we would. Do we recommend anyone headed off into the woods with it on an adventure, no we don’t.
The 2026 Honda CR-V Trailsport Hybrid is an SUV we’ll recommend to people when they are in the market for one. While the enthusiast in us would love to see some more mechanical enhancements in terms of the Trailsport package, the rest of our experience with the CR-V was top shelf. The power is solid, the economy is great, the interior delivers, and Honda has legendary reliability in their drivetrains so this is not only a sensible but also a pretty handsome way to get around. Just keep it on the asphalt.
