- The new Honda Trail Experience app lets you view vehicle data through CarPlay.
- Users can record off-road experiences through their iPhone.
- It is compatible with three Trailsport SUV models.
- An Android version of the app is coming later.
If you like to take your SUV off-road, Honda has a free upgrade that will make things a whole lot safer and more enjoyable. The Japanese automaker has just announced its new Honda Trail Experience (HTX) off-road app, now available as a free download on the Apple App Store. An Android version is coming later.
Honda says the app was developed specifically for its line of off-road SUVs, which includes the 2026 Passport TrailSport, 2026 Pilot TrailSport, and 2026 CR-V TrailSport. Although Honda also makes a Trailsport version of the Ridgeline pickup truck, the HTX is not available there. A Honda spokesperson told us: “The HTX app requires our latest generation user interface – featured in the CR-V, Passport and Pilot Trailsports.”
2026 honda passport trailsport
Photo by: Honda
The HTX collects 11 vehicle data points via Apple CarPlay, which can be displayed on the touchscreen. These include altitude, pitch, roll, brake pressure, throttle position, speed, engine temperature, outside temperature, tire angle, latitude and longitude. Users can select up to six data points to show on the screen.
To share their off-road adventures, Honda encourages drivers to mount their iPhone for filming. They can then start recording from the touchscreen using the phone’s built-in camera and microphone. If they export footage, HTX will also let them add maps and data overlays to the video. This same function allows capturing still photos even if the iPhone is in a viewer’s hand.
“With the launch of the Honda Trail Experience app, we are empowering TrailSport owners to get more from every off-road trip – providing real-time vehicle data, intuitive navigation tools and intuitive video sharing to help them drive with confidence and celebrate every adventure,” said Omar Saleh, HTX project lead at Honda Development and Manufacturing of America.
Honda has promised that it will continue to add new features to the HTX, including suggestions from the off-road community. There is a “Share Feedback” option built into the app, so users can send their suggestions directly to the development team.
32
Source: Honda
Motor1’s Opinion: Honda is showing it wants to be taken more seriously as a competitor in the off-road space by adding more TrailSport variants, including the more robust Passport TrailSport. This HTX app is a small step in the right direction, but it’s far from the first of its kind. Jeep, Ford, Toyota, and others all have similar apps to make off-roading safer and more enjoyable. For Honda to really have a mic-drop moment in this segment, it needs to tease a body-on-frame vehicle, as Hyundai recently did with the Crater concept.
