30-04-2025
Honda's Latest CR-V Seems Aimed Straight at Subaru's Wilderness Models
Soft-roaders — crossovers with a few upgrades meant to provide a moderate boost to their off-pavement capability and a matching increase in how tough they look — have become quite the burgeoning category in recent years, with everyone from Hyundai to Toyota to Subaru entering the mix. As of Wednesday, Honda is adding yet another entry to the soft-roader game with the new 2026 CR-V TrailSport Hybrid, which becomes the fourth TrailSport entry in the carmaker's U.S. lineup.
It joins other compact SUVs with a rugged slant to them like the Forester Wilderness, RAV4 TRD Off-Road or Kia Sportage X-Pro. The package isn't designed to turn the CR-V into a rock crawler, instead aiming for a blend between on-road comfort and mild trail capability. New Continental CrossContact ATR all-terrain tires mounted to 18-inch wheels make up the most substantial capability upgrade. Honda claims the tires improve traction in dirt, sand, mud, rocky terrain and snow, but they're also designed to be comfortable and quiet for on-road driving.
For 2026, every AWD CR-V model is equipped with an improved traction management system. Honda says that 'when a difference in the rotation speed of two of CR-V's wheels is detected (one on each axle), the driving force transmitted to the two most tractive tires, and the braking force applied to the slipping wheels, are both increased significantly.'
Of course, every TrailSport comes standard with AWD. It's also offered exclusively with the hybrid powertrain, which produces 204 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. You'll be able to tell TrailSports apart by a new silver-finished front fascia, alongside black-painted door handles, window surrounds and rear spoiler – it can also be had in a trim-exclusive Ash Green Metallic paint. The orange TrailSport badges are tough to miss, and the orange accents spread to the interior where you'll see orange stitching throughout. Rubber floor mats are equipped for easy cleaning, and Honda spices things up at night with amber-colored ambient lighting to match the orange theme.
Outside of the TrailSport model, Honda upgrades the standard CR-V with a larger digital instrument cluster, now measuring 10.2 inches. And if you go for the top-level Sport Touring trim, Honda added a new Individual drive mode and Google Built-In infotainment software. The latter comes with a three-year data plan, but you'll need to pay to continue using data-connected Google services after that.
Honda says the updated 2026 CR-V will hit dealers this spring, and pricing will follow closer to the on-sale date.
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