TWO DECADES AGO I was a wide-eyed college grad working for pennies at a surf magazine in Carlsbad, California—about halfway between LA and San Diego. I didn’t have health insurance, slept on a second-hand mattress on the floor, ate burritos most of the time, and drove an aqua blue ’93 Honda Accord wagon that was previously garage-kept by a grandma. It had that typical ’90s beige cloth interior, a smooth power sunroof, low mileage, and was a trusty chariot for surf adventures up and down the California coast.
The writer’s former ’93 Honda Accord wagon.
Recently, I returned to Carlsbad, this time under dramatically different circumstances. A June Wednesday found me in a lounge chair at the Park Hyatt Aviara overlooking the bluff. The luxury resort is just up the road from Carlsbad State Park Campground, a surf spot I used to frequent. I was sitting in the adults-only pool area, having just arrived to a press weekend hosted by Honda.
The dining patio of the Park Hyatt Aviara overlooking the Pacific.
This meant that I was one of the journalists and influencers they’d flown out to California and put up in a room at the posh vacation retreat, with its spa, destination golf course, and views of the Pacific. I was to enjoy the 5-star resort and—most importantly—get the opportunity to test-drive the newest iteration of the Honda CR-V: the 2026 TrailSport Hybrid edition. These days, I don’t sleep on a mattress on the floor and eat far fewer burritos (I live in New Jersey, and nowhere does burritos like San Diego)—but even still, the contrast with my former life had me feeling especially sentimental.
The greatest burrito known to man: the Justin burrito from Pavlos Tacos.
I know my way around cars, probably more than the average person—but I am by no means an auto journalist. This become abundantly clear the first evening at a happy hour, where I felt like the oddball in a group of car nerds, vloggers, and aficionados. That evening I learned that the CR-V is Honda’s best-selling vehicle since 2017 and is having another stellar year. Hybrids now make up more than 50 percent of all CR-V sales and more than 30 percent of all Honda brand sales. My comrades seemed to already know all of this, and they listened politely over their hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. In this context, for a CR-V to get the TrailSport badge makes sense. Take your best-selling model and give it the TrailSport makeover—more rugged, bigger tires, and a proper suspension—to go after the Subaru Crosstrek and Forester customer.
Parked with the CR-V at my morning surf check.
The next morning, Honda offered us the opportunity to take the CR-V TrailSport for a sunrise drive before heading out to the day’s events. I was only going to be in California for three days, so I didn’t even bother adjusting my sleep schedule. I was cruising down the PCH by 6am, and feeling like my younger self.
As the sun tried to peek through the thick June gloom, I drove from Leucadia to Cardiff, stopping along the way to do my old surf spot routine. Beacons Beach. D Street. Seaside Reef. My life back then revolved entirely around surfing—and this route was my pre-work practice, searching for a spot where the swell and tide had something to offer. Then there’d be a lunch session on the water with my co-workers at the magazine, and always an evening surf with buddies. When there was swell (and in Southern California there’s always something) I’d spend half my work day in the ocean, my aqua ’93 Honda Accord slowly filling with salt and sand. Driving the CR-V TrailSport, with 38/33 city highway gas mileage, breezing along the early morning, traffickless PCH, I felt more like an adult than I did on those same roads 20 years ago in my Accord. It handled smoothly despite the larger curb height, had a comfy interior that was powered and easy to adjust, and did just fine on the dirt parking lots along San Elijo Boulevard.
Later that day, the official test-drive began with a two-hour drive east, out into the hills. Our destination was the Barona Oaks Motorsport facility, where we were told the “softroad” fun would begin. The CR-V effortlessly glided along the winding roads as we ascended from the coast; as we moved out of the marine layer the temperature rose. The crossover was fun to drive, and I pushed the speed a bit around some (relatively mild) hairpin cliff turns and floored it on some open stretches to feel the 204 horsepower.
Stopped out in the foothills.
We made a pit stop at Julian Pie Company, an iconic staple of East San Diego County known for its iconic fruit pies. Julian Pie Co. was relatively unchanged, with its red-sided building and blue spherical awnings, like an interlude frozen in time. I hadn’t been there since the last time I drove out and camped at Joshua Tree in the spring of 2012. Every spring (on a weekend when there weren’t waves) a couple friends and I would head out to the National Park to sleep in the dirt, climb boulders, and watch some magical sunsets from atop them.
The writer bouldering in Joshua Tree National Park, 2008.
After pie, we hit the road. Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the Barona Oaks Motorsport facility. In the dirt promenade, food trucks sat next to a traction demonstration, where two sets of traction rollers were laid out. On one side was a 2025 CR-V without the upgraded traction, and it struggled a bit to make it through the mini course. On the other side was the new TrailSport, powering through the test with total ease. Point taken. Honda’s Motorsport team riders, including 11x Baja 1000 winner Johnny Campbell, completed the scene by flying through the air overhead.
Just a little of the spectacle that took place at Barona Oaks.
Admittedly, I am not a big offroader. I have lots of friends who are, but it’s never been something that spoke to me. Waiting for the first loop, my palms began to sweat on the steering wheel. The climax of the first loop was what appeared to be a 60-or-so-degree drop off a tiny hill. Watching a fellow journalist guiding the CR-V down it, I saw that the front end of the car briefly lost contact with the ground— which was on purpose. I’d never done anything like that before. But, I was there to do a job and eventually I sucked it up and approached the drop. The stunt was all about trusting the vehicle’s assisted speed control for steep descents, that the frontend would catch and you could roll away like it was nothing. And, after a breathless moment where I stared straight down through the windshield at dirt, that’s exactly what happened.
The writer navigating one of the drops on the trail.
It was fun and exhilarating, and the next loop was a little more tame (this time the backend didn’t have full ground contact). I was newly confident and didn’t sweat it one bit. Then, I did both loops again. While the CR-V TrailSport is not going to win any offroad awards, it’s clear it can hold its own on soft-road dirt situations, like getting to a more remote campsite. It will be interesting to see how this vehicle ultimately resonates with the Honda customer.
Once the day was wrapped, I drove back to Aviara through those hilly roads and towards the coast. After pulling into the premium resort I hopped in the adults-only pool one last time to rinse off some of that desert dust. From the pool’s edge, I stared out through the canyon and at the Pacific Ocean. I thought about how much my life has changed since my early 20s as I enjoyed, once again, that timeless view.
Ryan Brower is the Senior Gear and Commerce Editor at Men’s Health, where he tests the best products in outdoor gear and tech. Baseball, surfing, and camping occupied most of his time growing up.
He also trained in martial arts for 12 years and holds a third degree black belt. He has written about the outdoors for nearly two decades and was previously the Managing Editor, Content Performance at Gear Patrol. He is also a Certified Beer Server and previously covered the craft beer industry. Ryan currently lives on the water in New Jersey with his wife and their dog.
