Skip to main content

Honda is introducing a new off-roading trim to the automotive industry very soon. Competitors like Toyota have bolstered SUV and truck sales by offering off-roading trims on popular models. These trims allow consumers to enjoy additions like upgraded suspension, all-terrain tires, and skid plates. What can we expect from Honda’s new off-road trim, Honda TrailSport?

Honda is breaking into the off-roading scene

A white Honda logo with Honda written underneath on a red background.
The Honda company logo | Getty Images

Japanese automaker Honda is a giant in the automotive industry. The company produces vehicles that are competitive in nearly every vehicle class. Honda makes competitive sedans like the Honda Civic and Honda Accord. The company has produced the most popular SUV for years. Even its truck, the Honda Ridgeline, gets great reviews.

Honda also produces a competitive minivan, the Honda Odyssey. Excluding electric vehicles, it seems like the company excels at everything it attempts. Now, according to Motor1, the company is cooking up an exciting new trim for some of its vehicles. The trim is dubbed TrailSport. It specializes in…you guessed it, off-roading.

Off-roading is a popular hobby and pastime loved by many. The global pandemic has seen an increase in the demand for off-roading vehicles and off-roading builds. People have been cooped up at home for so long, and off-roading is a great way to have some outdoor fun. Honda aims to capitalize on this new demand and tap into the rich culture and huge off-roading community with its TrailSport trim. But which vehicles will be receiving the trim?

Which vehicles are likely to get Honda TrailSport trim packages?

Plenty of SUVs are off-roading beasts, but recently, the most popular off-roading vehicles tend to be trucks such as the Toyota Tacoma. Trucks often offer higher ground clearance as well as sturdier bodies built for many of the unique challenges that off-roading presents.

The Honda Ridgeline does many things well but isn’t exactly championed as an off-roading truck. It also faces stiff competition in the off-roading department. The Ridgeline could definitely benefit from a Honda TrailSport option. Honda would likely accentuate the existing comfort of the Ridgeline and add more rugged elements to its features and capabilities.

Honda claims that the TrailSport trim level will be reserved for light trucks in its unveiling video. The company doesn’t exactly produce an abundance of light trucks. The TrailSport introduction could be a hint that a new Honda truck is coming. There aren’t too many specific details on the TrailSport trim’s features, but it’s unlikely that Honda will be reinventing the wheel when there are so many off-roading trims to take inspiration from.

What features will the Honda TrailSport trim include?

A silver Honda Ridgeline crosses a small, shallow body of water while carrying two dirt bikes in its truck bed. The Honda Ridgeline truck appears to be in the wilderness.
The Honda Ridgeline | Honda

Off-roading trims usually make three major upgrades to vehicles. Upgraded suspension is a huge part of off-roading trims. Trucks and SUVs often get three to four inches of lift. Tires are also a huge component of off-roading trims. Many off-roading trim vehicles get huge all-terrain tires designed to grapple with all sorts of trick terrain. One of the newer additions to off-roading trim vehicles is terrain-specific driving modes.

Terrain-specific driving modes adjust a vehicle to adapt to different obstacles such as snow or hills. To be competitive, the TrailSport trim will have to include suspension upgrades, great tires, and some handy terrain tacklin’ driving modes to battle different off-roading challenges. The TrailSport is uncharted territory for Honda. Will the Japanese automaker create a trim that consumers enjoy, or will the TrailSport just be an overpriced easy cash-grab?