Honda launched the Trail Experience app today, an off-road tool that pulls vehicle data through Apple CarPlay and lets Passport TrailSport, Pilot TrailSport, and CR-V TrailSport owners export videos with map and performance overlays. The app is free on iOS; an Android version is planned but not dated.
HTX connects an iPhone to the 2026 TrailSport SUVs via CarPlay and logs 11 parameters directly from the vehicle: elevation, pitch, roll, brake pressure, throttle position, speed, engine temperature, outside temperature, tire angle, latitude, and longitude. The driver selects up to six data points for the touchscreen display at any time. Interactive maps and recorded data let users revisit routes after the fact.
The app’s video export distinguishes it from factory infotainment trail tools. HTX records footage using the iPhone camera and microphone, then syncs the video with logged trail data to produce clips with performance and map overlays. Video capture is controlled from the vehicle touchscreen, which means the iPhone can be mounted anywhere on the SUV, inside or outside, or handed to a spectator filming from within Bluetooth range. Still photos are supported as well.
Honda developed HTX with input from more than 1,500 owners of the 2026 Passport TrailSport. Omar Saleh, HTX Project Lead at Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, described the app as a way to empower TrailSport owners with real-time vehicle data, navigation tools, and seamless video sharing. The development team is based at Honda’s North American Automotive Development Center in Raymond, Ohio, and includes engineers who worked on the 2026 Passport.
In January, Honda ran a validation session at The Overland Company in Troy, North Carolina, with beginner, novice, and expert off-roaders testing the app on trails. The group included Passport TrailSport owners and drivers of other 4x4s. Feedback from that session will shape near-term user experience updates. A Share Feedback feature in the app lets users send comments directly to the Honda development team.
The competitive context is straightforward. Ford’s Bronco ships with native onX Offroad Elite integration, which includes access to roughly 1,200 professionally curated trails across North America and covers approximately 18,000 miles of off-road routes. Jeep’s Wrangler uses Uconnect 5 with Adventure Guides powered by Trails Offroad. Honda’s approach does not bundle trail maps or route databases; HTX logs the data your vehicle generates and lets you build the map yourself.
What HTX does not include, at least in this first release: pre-loaded trail maps, curated route databases, or membership access to third-party off-road services. The app is a data logger and video export tool, not a trail-finding service. Whether that distinction matters depends on how you use your TrailSport. If you already know where you are going, HTX gives you a record of what happened when you got there. If you need help finding the trail in the first place, the app does not solve that problem.
Honda plans to expand HTX’s feature set with continued input from customers and the off-road community. The Android version timeline has not been disclosed.
Source: Honda. Images courtesy of Honda.
