The Honda CR-V finished 2024 as one of the five best-selling cars in America. Americans drove more than 400,000 CR-V compact SUVs home last year – the first time a Honda has crossed that mark since 2001. The CR-V outsold the Ram 1500, helping knock a full-size truck off the sales podium for the first time in more than a decade.
It lost a duel with the Toyota RAV4 for third place on the sales list—a result most automakers would be ecstatic about.
But Honda has a plan to make the CR-V more appealing.
In a briefing with reporters this week, Honda revealed that a refreshed CR-V is on the way for the 2026 model year. The updates will likely include cosmetic changes and refreshed cabin technology – the kind of refresh most cars get at the midpoint of their production run.
But they’ll also include a rugged new TrailSport trim.
Honda has said little about the CR-V TrailSport beyond that it will have a “rugged appearance.” However, the brand has introduced TrailSport editions of its Passport and Pilot SUVs and Ridgeline pickup in recent years.
TrailSport models typically get new front and rear bumpers for improved approach and departure angles, suspension improvements, underbody protection, and all-terrain tires. They feature orange accents inside and out to mark them as off-road specials.
A CR-V TrailSport would battle off-road-oriented compact SUVs like the Subaru Forester Wilderness and Nissan Rogue Rock Creek.
