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As it gets more serious about off-road-capable SUVs, Honda is adding more software features to its existing TrailSport models via a new app and wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity. Owners of 2026-model-year CR-V TrailSport, Passport TrailSport, and Pilot TrailSport models can download the Honda Trail Experience (HTX) for free from the Apple App Store (Android users are out of luck for now).
While it lives on a user’s iPhone and is projected onto the infotainment system using CarPlay, the HTX app can also access vehicle data, providing 11 readouts including: elevation, pitch, roll, brake pressure, throttle position, speed, engine temperature, outside temperature, tire angle, latitude, and longitude. Drivers can pick up to six of those to show on the infotainment touchscreen at a time. The data can be logged and combined with maps in case drivers want to revisit a particular route.
Honda
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 controlled via the touchscreen and the same wireless connection as other CarPlay features. That 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 of varying experience levels during a January 2026 get together at The Overland Company in Troy, North Carolina. The group included both TrailSport owners and owners of vehicles from other brands, according to a Honda press release, who provided feedback that “will influence near-term user experience updates and enhancements of HTX.”
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Other automakers already offer similar features with their infotainment systems, but Honda deserves credit for making HTX available through Apple CarPlay at no cost, rather than saving it for a future mid-cycle refresh. It’s also a logical addition as Honda expands use of the TrailSport badge and focuses more on off-roading.
While the CR-V TrailSport doesn’t go hard enough, the Passport TrailSport is a sales success and impressed us both at first blush and over a 13,000-mile long-term test. And that might just be the beginning. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Honda cook up a Land Cruiser rival to capitalize on the current off-road boom to match moves by the likes of Nissan and Hyundai, both of which are launching new body-on-frame models to appeal to the off-road crowd.
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he’s not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.
