2010 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR

SPECIFICATIONS

Model: Honda Accord Crosstour 4WD
Engine: 3.5-liter V6
Horsepower/Torque: 271 hp @ 6,200 rpm/24 lb.-ft. @ 5,000 rpm
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Wheelbase: 110.1 in.
Length/Width/Height: 196.8 x 74.7 x 65.7 in.
Tires: P225/60R18
Cargo volume: 25.7/53.9 cu. ft. (rear seats up/down)
Fuel economy: 17 mpg city/25 mpg highway/17.6 mpg test
Fuel capacity: 18.5 gal.
Curb weight: 3,887 lbs.
Sticker: $36,930 (includes $710 destination and handling charge)

The Bottom Line: With the Crosstour, you get all the advantages of an Accord with the plus of a hatchback (albeit a stylish hatchback) for added cargo carrying capacity.

American Honda, the manufacturer, has two new fastback vehicles out this year. And although they’re built by the same company, essentially, they’re completely different.

The Acura ZDX is advertised as a “four-door coupe” and it remains true to that philosophy with a hidden rear door handle and cramped rear seating.

The Honda Accord Crosstour, while it may look similar to the ZDX from a distance, is a whole ‘nother animal. The Crosstour is a real Accord sedan forward of the C pillar, with all the advantages of a sedan. It also has that sexy fastback hatch that is useful for improving cargo capacity, among other benefits. It’s sort of like a small station wagon, but with a sexier body.

Under the hood of the Crosstour is a 3.5-liter V6 that delivers a healthy 271 horsepower. Three point five liters seems to be the new 3.0 liters, as many vehicles are appearing with that engine capacity lately. The engine offers a quiet, powerful, comfortable ride, exactly what you’d expect from an Accord.

We also had the advantage of 4-wheel drive in our tester, which we put to good use when we had some snow on the ground. Of course, this winter, all we had was snow on the ground.

Handling of the Crosstour is good, again, totally within the Accord spectrum. The front seats offer good side support for when you get that sporty feeling and want to corner a bit faster than normal. The rear seats offer decent legroom and good comfort. You can fit two child seats back there and still have room for a thin person between them. One advantage over the ZDX is that you can get in the rear seats without hitting your head on the roof when you enter.

The advantage of the hatchback design is cargo. Even in normal mode, there are 25.7 cubic feet back there. Fold the rear seats and it explodes to 53.9 cubic feet, enough for a small house (okay, a large dog). And you have the advantage of the hatch flipping up out of the way when you’re stuffing stuff back there.

When you fold the rear seats with the rear release they seem powered. They aren’t, though, just well-balanced.

The cargo area has a flat floor as well as a nice storage area under the floor that has movable vertical sections to customize the space.

My wife complained about the rearward vision, as she did about the ZDX, Insight and Prius. All the vehicles have a horizontal bar across the window as the glass transitions from near horizontal to vertical. It does restrict rear vision a bit. You can get used to it, but it is a pain when you first encounter it.

We had a navigation system in our tester that was easy to program for your destination. I also liked it because if there’s no input (either navigation or audio) for a minute or so, the screen shuts off. This darkens it and eliminates the distraction, not only of the screen itself but also the light at night.

On the other side of the distraction issue, there’s a tray in front of the navi screen that is more decorative that useful. This has a surface that reflects the light from the screen onto the windshield. What is needed is a slightly longer hood over the navi screen.

Styling of the Crosstour is dramatic. It isn’t as dramatic as with the ZDX, but it’s a more practical dramatic. I liked it.

Other than the styling, the Crosstour is an Accord (not a bad thing) with all the benefits that nameplate offers.