The well-respected journalists at Automobile magazine are a canny lot. When they noticed the introduction of the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour meant all members of the Japanese Big Three were now selling “tall wagon” versions of their bread-and-butter mid-size sedans, they did what comes naturally and put all three to the test. The winner? The Crosstour, naturally.
While recognizing that “the vehicles do differ quite significantly in shape and purpose,” the magazine pitted the Crosstour against the Nissan Murano (built on the same platform as the Altima) and the Toyota Venza (built on the same platform as the Camry) to see which “best fulfills the needs of this fledgling segment.”
The clear difference in the Honda, according to Automobile, is that “the Crosstour offers more luxury and a better driving experience than the typical people mover,” something that shows up notably in the vehicle’s interior: “The cabin feels fully fitting of a $37,000 vehicle, which is more than we could say about the Venza and even the Murano.”
Getting that kind of response from Crosstour drivers was an important goal for Honda, and to achieve it, Honda stylists leveraged a range of innovative design cues. The instrument panel and wide center console were both crafted to give a feeling of extra width and space, for example, and two expressive interior color palettes are available to allow customers to better tailor the Crosstour to their own preferences.
The Crosstour also earned kudos for its excellent dynamics. The secret? Honda engineers maintained the Accord’s fully independent, double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear setup, then retuned it specifically for the Crosstour. This setup has earned praise from those climbing behind the wheel among Shreveport Honda dealers as it provides the right balance of sportiness and comfort.
And while those are the sort of things that caught the editorial eye over at Automobile, there is a bit more to the Crosstour than its engaging, premium-level ownership experience. The car also is a highly versatile addition to the Honda lineup, thanks to available four-wheel drive, more than 50 cubic feet of cargo room, a removable utility box that holds almost 2 cubic feet and a reversible carpeted cargo-box lid that can be flipped plastic-side up for messy cargo.
Boasting all these features and more, the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour is on sale at local Washington DC Honda dealerships now.
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