As it gets more serious about off-road-capable SUVs, Honda is adding more software features to its existing TrailSport models through a new app and wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity. Owners of 2026-model-year CR-V TrailSport, Passport TrailSport and Pilot TrailSport models can download Honda Trail Experience (HTX) for free from the Apple App Store (not yet available for Android users).
While it resides on the user’s iPhone and is projected onto the infotainment system using CarPlay, the HTX app can also access vehicle data, including 11 readouts: altitude, pitch, roll, brake pressure, throttle position, speed, engine temperature, outside temperature, tire angle, latitude and longitude. Drivers can choose six of them to show on the infotainment touchscreen at a time. The data can be logged and combined with maps if drivers want to revisit a particular route.
Drivers can also create videos of their trail runs with data overlays and export them for social-media sharing. Video and audio capture are handled by the iPhone’s camera and microphone, respectively, but via the same wireless connection as the touchscreen and other CarPlay features. This means the phone can be mounted anywhere – including outside the vehicle – or even held by a spotter.
Honda says it tested the app on a group of off-roaders with varying experience levels during a meeting at the Overland company in Troy, North Carolina in January 2026. According to a Honda press release, the group included both TrailSport owners and owners of vehicles from other brands, who provided feedback that “will impact near-term user experience updates and enhancements to the HTX.”
Other automakers already offer similar features with their infotainment systems, but Honda deserves credit for making HTX available at no cost via Apple CarPlay, rather than saving it for a future mid-cycle refresh. It’s also a logical addition as Honda expands the use of the TrailSport badge and focuses more on off-roading.
While the CR-V TrailSport isn’t tough enough, the Passport TrailSport has been a sales success and impressed us the first time around and in long-term testing over 13,000 miles. And this may just be the beginning. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Honda capitalize on the current off-road boom by crafting a Land Cruiser rival to match the moves by companies like Nissan and Hyundai, both of which are launching new body-on-frame models to attract the off-road crowd.
