Everyone is hopping on the faux off-roady bandwagon, but hey, at least they inject a bit of personality into otherwise plain-jane people movers. The 2026 Honda CR-V Trailsport is the latest to hop onto said bandwagon, sprinkling some of that off-roady personality on top of the CR-V’s already superb package.

Three years into this sixth-generation CR-V’s run, Honda is keeping things fresh with a few updates to the lineup as a whole. Regular CR-Vs get new wheel designs, all now have a bigger nine-inch touchscreen for infotainment, along with wireless CarPlay, Android Auto, and wireless charging standard across the lineup. Higher-spec trims, like this here Trailsport, now use a fully digital instrument cluster. Minor stuff when you take them piece-by-piece, but they add up to some nice quality-of-life improvements.

Trail-whosa-whatnow?

Of course, the big news for model-year 2026 is the new off-road-oriented Trailsport trim. It sits smack-dab in the middle of the CR-V lineup and serves as the second cheapest way to get into a hybrid. Our tester is dipped in a lovely new colour called Ash Green Metallic, contrasting nicely against a slightly meaner-looking front bumper. The bright faux skidplates front and rear add a nice contrast to the body cladding, and the orange Trailsport badges pop nicely.

It’s more of the same inside. You have Trailsport logos on the headrests and standard-issue WeatherTech-style floor liners, orange stitching and ambient lighting, and … that’s about it. If this comes across as a mostly cosmetic package inside and out, you’re right: competitors like the Forester Wilderness and RAV4 Woodland at least attempt to offer a bit of extra adventure-readiness by way of a slight suspension lift, extra underbody skidplates, or tweaking various driver assists and nannies for slightly better off-road performance. Nevertheless, the CR-V Trailsport treats the off-road dress-up more so as athleisure.

Powertrain and fuel economy

Non-hybrid CR-Vs are still powered by Honda’s familiar 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, rated at 190 horsepower and 179 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel-drive is standard on all but the entry-level LX trim, and a CVT is naturally your only transmission option. There’s enough kick for booting around town; on the highway, merging and passing might feel a little leisurely, but it gets out of its own way and the CVT is unobtrusive.

Stepping up to the hybrid not only returns better mileage, but also yields a pleasant side-effect of more power. The Trailsport shares its hybrid powertrain with the rest of the CR-V lineup, along with the Accord and Civic. This means a 2.0-litre normally aspirated four-cylinder gas engine lives under the hood, working with two electric motors and a 1.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack to put out 204 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque. Yes, you still get a CVT and all-wheel-drive.

Honda officially rates the CR-V Trailsport at 6.3 L/100 kilometres in the city, 7.2 highway, and 6.7 combined. Their ratings are seemingly spot on, having averaged 7.2 L/100 km after a week of combined-but-mostly-highway commuting. Impressive stuff, even if the Trailsport is a little thirstier than the standard CR-V hybrid. Do the few tenths here and there really matter, when you can easily eke more than 700 kilometres out of a tank without really trying? That the CR-V happily takes 87-octane gas is the icing on the cake.

How does the CR-V Trailsport drive?

If Honda axed the 1.5 turbo and made the CR-V hybrid-only, we wouldn’t be disappointed. It’s punchy, transitions seamlessly between gas and electric, and oh-so-quiet even with the gas engine online and your right foot to the floor. As with other Hondas with this powertrain, the CVT does a great job avoiding the “motorboating” sensation you sometimes get with others, and most surprisingly, the CR-V is eager to kick into EV mode and stay there longer than most, even on the highway.

Beyond the powertrain, it’s no surprise the Trailsport is just as easygoing as other CR-V models. Road manners remain a highlight; all but the harshest of bumps and potholes make you gnash your teeth, the steering is responsive and effortless, and wind noise is almost non-existent, punctuated by the silent nature of the powertrain in EV mode. Perhaps the only compromise here is the slightly elevated road noise from the Trailsport’s standard-issue Continental all-terrain tires, but it’s hardly a dealbreaker, and the generous sidewalls work well with the suspension to continue soaking up any unpleasantness.

Interior comfort, tech, and practicality

Three years in, we still dig the CR-V’s cabin. Aside from the logos and embroidery here and there, the Trailsport doesn’t change much; the clean and understated aesthetic clearly inspired by the redesigned Civic still looks great, materials and fit-and-finish remain top-notch, and we’re still infatuated with the little details, like the one-piece honeycomb trim spanning the dash to cleverly conceal the air vents, and the knurled volume and climate control knobs. Seriously, Honda didn’t have to sweat the small details so much, but their tight-and-clicky operation — not to mention that they glow red or blue depending on how you twist the knob — is stuff you’d expect from an Audi.

Part of the lineup-wide updates for 2026 are the fully digital 10.2-inch gauge cluster, along with a bigger nine-inch touchscreen for the infotainment. We dig that Honda resisted the two-screens-under-one-piece-of-glass trend, and although there’s isn’t much visual pizazz with the updated interface, it’s easy to use and just plain works. Visibility all around remains excellent, headroom and legroom remain incredibly generous regardless of where you sit, and you have up to 2,166 litres of cargo space with the rear seats down. That’s almost on par with the much bigger, three-row Santa Fe with all its seats stowed.

Is the Trailsport trim worth it?

Pricing for the 2026 CR-V lineup ranges between $36,975 for the base, gas-only, front-wheel-drive LX trim, all the way up to $51,200 for the hybrid-powered, top-spec Touring, all before destination fees, taxes, and all that great stuff. The Trailsport sits on the pricier end of the lineup, at $47,300 to start. Whether or not the soft-roader cosplay is your cup of tea is entirely up to you; if you can live without the badges, all-terrain tires, and the full-digital gauge cluster, save a few bucks and stick with the $45,900 CR-V Sport Hybrid.

But really, there’s not exactly a wrong answer as to which CR-V you should go for. It’ll win you over no matter the flavour with its superb overall package — it’s shockingly roomy, shockingly upscale, and shockingly excellent on gas. And now, if you happen to like dressing up in the automotive equivalent of athleisure, the 2026 Honda CR-V Trailsport lets you have your cake and eat it, too.