2010 Honda Accord Crosstour: What's It Like to Live With?

What do you want to know about?

• Introduction
• First Interstate Trip
• Taking The Long Way Home
• Our Favorite Caption
• You Write the Caption Part Two
• From My Eyes
• Rear Seats and Storage
• Rear Visibility?
• Sears Pointless
• Comfortable Front Seats
• Interior Build Quality Doesn't Impress Me
• People Seem to Notice It
• Practical But Homely
• The Hidden Storage Box
• Our Favorite Caption Part Two
• Spare Tire Location
• You Write the Caption
• Nice Meters
• Snakeskin Rocker
• Good Steering — and a Good Steering Wheel
• No Manual Shifting
• Hard to (Fuel) Gauge
• Like A Bedliner, But Inside
• I Miss the Raciness
• Track Tested
• Missed Opportunity
• More, Please
• "Hot"?
• A Really Blind Spot
• Prince of Suburbia
• Better in Black
• Suspension Walkaround
• Video Walkaround
• What's the Point?
• Adding Some Oil
• Covering Miles
• Heated Seats are Hot
• 10 Things I Like About You
• You Callin' Me Ugly?
• Another Mileage Milestone
• Revelations
• ACE Body Structure & Pedestrian Injury
• Plood...Yes or No?
• Minimized Glare to the Navi Screen
• Glowing Wrench Requests Oil
• Hazardous Waste Dump
• First Service
• Gas Door Gap Not Good
• Gas Cap Holder Done Right
• All-Star Game MVP
• Cool, Even At 100
• The Prius Rear Window
• More Cargo Room Than You'd Think
• Going Dry Lakes Racing
• Separated at Birth?
• Easily Recognizable
• I Think I Want One But...
• Hot Dog!
• Steering Does Make a Difference
• Does The Hatch Matter?
• I Do Like Driving It
• Nav Screen Reflection
• Rear Seat Comfort
• Ugly Compliments
• Happy 10K
• Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
• Neat
• Seal Beach, California
• Fast Enough for Family Duty
• Luggage Space is Just OK
• Good Steering, Good Ride
• Blinded by the White
• Yes, I Dig the Handbrake
• Yay Fast Forward Button
• Definitive Proof
• Is 13 years long enough?
• Open Thread
• Tab "A" in Slot "B"
• What Does it Say?
• It's Got Pipes
• Split Personality
• Recall
• Weird Seats
• Worst. Seats. Ever.
• Easy Day & Night Navi
• V6 Goodness Standard
• Beginnings Of Brake Judder
• Confused
• Welcome to Dodger Stadium
• New Market, New Mojo
• Not Exactly A Hot Seller
• Parking Within the Lines
• Jumpin'
• Button Swap
• Rug-ged Cargo
• Don't Panic!
• Back Seat Review
• Doesn't Say Much
• Feels Good
• Better than Accord
• Cool Blue Gauges
• Didn't Chevy Already Try This?
• Sick Leave
• Something Wrong With the Brake?
• The Numbers
• Monkey in the Wrench
• Easy-Flop Seat
• Not Quite There
• Is This SEMA Car Better or Worse?
• This or That?
• Navigation Update
• Aren't You a Little Short for a USB Cable?
• The Gap Won't Leave Me Alone
• Bluetooth While Driving?
• More Frequent Sightings
• Camp Edwards or Bust
• B16 Service
• Handling a Near Miss
• Low Tire Pressure, That's All
• Here's Your Problem
• Low Tire Pressure Warning Redux
• Does It Have More Grace Than an E-Class?
• Screen Theme
• It's an All-Wheel-Drive Accord
• No, I Don't Like Blue
• Ready for 2.0
• HVAC Registers Don't Shut
• Crossover Cross-shopping
• Close, But No Cigar.
• Still in the Game?
• Warp 2, Captain
• Tree Hugger
• Apples and Kiwis?
• Does The Bike Fit?
• Holy Massive Lumbar
• Zagat Guidance
• Does This Look Warped to You?
• Stash Box
• Why So Sensitive?
• Compliance!
• Many Buttons, But We Want More
• Memory Seats
• My First Thumbs-Up
• A Typical Buyer
• Parking Lot Standout
• I Might Buy One
• Kiddie Praise
• A Small Complaint
• Easy to Use
• Not Very Diverse
• Wrap-Up

Introduction

At 20 paces, we're a little bit lost. The 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour 4WD EX-L Nav, our newest long-term test car, is sitting in a parking lot and we're pacing the pavement, looking for the one angle that will make it all make sense.

Posed alone under a streetlight, this half-wagon, half-crossover chimera is not making it easy for us. So we recall Honda's own description, some 87 pages of background material that in typical Honda fashion tells the story with lots of graphs. In this case the Accord Crosstour apparently sits at the nexus of the X and Y axes at "versatile" and "stylish"; "crossover zone" and "premium"; and, of course, "response" and "operation."

Even so, we're still not sure what this Crosstour thing is. We call it a wagon. They call it a crossover utility vehicle (CUV). We sort of want one to haul our bikes and strollers and test gear. Honda thinks it's for empty nesters with "sufficient life knowledge and driver experience." This means no kids but some lifestyle equipment (bikes), but without the need for a boxy, stigma-saddled SUV or minivan for their "couples socializing," "visits from children" and "dating." Whatever.

It doesn't matter what it is or why it's been built, because it's still based on the Accord (which is good), and it's got more usable/flexible interior space than a sedan (which is good), and for the next 12 months, we've got a 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour 4WD (which is very good).

Why We Got It
The Honda Accord — you know, the normal Accord sedan — is a big car. It's big in sales volume and big in market significance, plus it's big in its physical dimensions after its 2008 redesign. But apparently not quite big enough, because this offshoot of the Accord joins the Toyota Venza and the new Subaru Outback in an offshoot of the crossover segment where the vehicles are taller than a wagon, less boxy than a crossover and boxier than a hatchback.

While we're not members of the Boomer generation or active empty nesters, we're still a bit taken with the whole idea. Our long-term test of the 2008 Honda Accord EX-L proved it to be a capable, comfortable car for our lives, but as with all sedans, it fell short when tasked with ski trips and outings with adult-size toys, not to mention light-duty mudding.

This all-wheel-drive Crosstour, though, could be what we need. Even if looking at it is something we don't want.

What We Got
Like all Hondas, the options are set out by the trim level, and this one is an EX-L with navigation, just like our long-term Accord test car. But before you start drilling down to trim level, there are some specifications that are standard for every 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour.

First there's the 271-horsepower 3.5-liter i-VTEC V6. Then there's the five-speed automatic transmission with grade and cornering G logic, which means the transmission won't start hunting unnecessarily for ratios during climbs, descents and cornering. This particular test vehicle has Honda's optional real-time 4WD, a predictive system that lacks locking differentials (which is why we call it "all-wheel drive," and not "four-wheel drive"). In the trim level Honda calls "EX-L w/Nav," the Accord Crosstour has voice-activated navigation with a rearview camera, leather-upholstered seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 360-watt audio system with USB connectivity, dual-zone automatic climate control and a one-touch power moonroof.

But this all comes at a price, $36,930 to be specific. And for once, we opted for some dealer add-ons for this Honda. First we picked the rubber cargo mat for $138, and then we chose the parking sonar to go with the camera for $495 — hey, we do a lot of city parking and this is one option that will surely pay for itself as it minimizes our body shop bills. Along with destination and handling fees, the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour 4WD EX-L Nav came to $37,563.

The Road Ahead
It doesn't matter whether you call it a CUV, wagon, hatchback or Frankenstein's monster, because the classification is less important than the experience to come.

We've got 12 months and 20,000 miles with the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour 4WD EX-L Nav to see if this market segment, the versatile-responsive-stylish-operational-premium-crossover, makes more sense in the real world than it does in graphs.

Once we figure out what it does, we'll know what it is.

Current Odometer: 326
Best Fuel Economy: 19.4 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 19.4 mpg

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.

Follow the long-term road test blog for updates about our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour.

First Interstate Trip

I've just wheeled our minty-fresh 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour into the parking lot of a hilltop hotel in Prescott (pronounced "press kit"), a medium-sized town that sits at an elevation of 5,300 feet or so in central Arizona. Call it a mile.

The route from my California home included high-speed freeway, two-lane back roads and, near the end, a tightly-winding climb from the desert floor to my current Precott perch. Through it all I spent a solid 7 hours in the seat.

And you know what? I'd do it again. The fact that I'm obliged to do so tomorrow if I want to get back home is beside the point; this is a really nice car for long road trips.

Why? The steering is spot-on: effort and precision are good and there is nary a hint of wander or crosswind sensivity on the long, boring straight parts. Its ride is smooth and balanced in a way that our departed (and soggy) 2008 Accord sedan wasn't. And our Crosstour's leather front seats and driving position fit my frame just about perfectly. Some may be pained by looking at the thing, but the same cannot be said for the seats or the driving.

Furthermore, the 3.5-liter V6 engine makes a substantial amount of ready power and the 5-speed automatic's shift points are quite well timed, whether driving flat or climbing up the sinuous highway 89 to Prescott.

The 343.7-mile journey from home to here required 14.2 gallons of 87 octane. That works out to 24.2 mpg, just shy of the 4x4 Crosstour's 25 mpg EPA Highway rating. I usually focus on EPA combined (20 mpg here) but this WAS a pure highway tank.

Since much of my day was sub-optimal in that I spent a lot of time at either 75 mph or climbing about a mile up into the sky, I don't consider this mpg near-miss a failure. Besides, I should be able to make it up, and then some, on the downhill return trip. The round-trip average will be much more telling.

Taking The Long Way Home

My short dash to Arizona is history. Our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour is back its assigned spot in our underground garage. Better still, the Crosstour now has enough break-in miles for its initial track test next week.

Gas station to gas station, the trip from my Orange County home to Prescott, Arizona was 343.7 miles long. The return trip was somewhat longer because I first made a detour south to Glendale, Arizona before pointing the Honda west, towards home.

Yesterday's outbound leg started at a fuel station at point #1 and ended at another gas stop at point #3, where 14.179 gallons were added. The last 40 miles or so up highway 89 to Prescott represent a climb to 5,300 feet, and that trimmed the day's fuel economy to 24.2 mpg.

The return trip of course loses all of that elevation gain, and my detour to point #4 in Phoenix (Glendale, to be precise) added over a hundred miles. The day's speeds stayed more or less the same as yesterday: 70-75 on the desert freeways and 65 mph on the straight, lonely two-lane highways.

I made it all the way home, 459.6 miles in all, on a single tank of gas. At my local 76 station, it took 16.578 gallons of 87 octane to fill the Crosstour's 18.5-gallon tank. A few taps of the calculator put my return trip fuel economy at 27.7 mpg.

Looking at the entire journey, all 803.3 miles and 30.757 gallons of it, our 2010 Honda Crosstour 4x4 averaged 26.1 mpg under conditions that were not even close to hypermiling. At a constant 65 mph, there's more range and fuel economy to be had. For reference, the Crosstour 4x4's EPA highway rating is 25 mpg.

Moving on ...

Rear visibility, or perceived lack thereof, was a concern expressed by some when they first saw this design. On this trip, at least, I didn't have a huge problem with seeing cars around me.

The view is actually a little larger than this from the driver's eye point, but I'm holding the camera slightly to the left and forward to keep the camera itself out of the shot.

A couple of points: The Crosstour has the same peek-a-boo secondary window in the vertical part of the hatch that we first saw on the Honda CRX in 1988. It helps improve the view straight out the back, and it also helps you see down lower in the rear bumper area than you could in any SUV.

And that rear 3/4 window, small though it may be, does give the driver a glimpse into the blind spot with a simple head check. Could it be better? Sure. Is this what I would call "poor"? Not at all. The view out the back is good and the view into the blind spots is decent.

Finally, an interesting tidbit, and a question.

About 10 years ago I lived in the Copper State, and I used to drive between Phoenix and LA a lot. Every time I did I lost track of time as I crossed the border. Right now there's a one-hour time difference. In summer there is no difference because Zonies don't go on daylight savings time. I mean, who wants to save daylight when it's 110 degrees in the shade at 6:00pm? You want that flaming yellow orb to set as soon as possible! But the timing of said changeover always seems to escape my memory.

Being winter and all, I had that hour manually built-in to my timing during yesterday's run up to Prescott. I thought I had time to spare for side trips. But a few miles past the border it started to look like I was barely on schedule. Why? My working theory was that the Crosstour's clock, one that isn't built into the navigation screen itself, had set itself one hour ahead without me realizing it as I crossed the border. Did I imagine it or had I simply lost track of time driving across the endless desert? With respect to the clock, should I subtract the extra hour I'd manually built into my schedule or not? I decided to press on as if I really were short on time. I arrived about an hour early.

I had to wait until today's return trip to see if the Crosstour's clock had, in fact, set itself forward. If true, it should jump back an hour as I re-enter California. Above you can see the clock in the center-right of the frame, just below the navigation screen.

That's the Colorado River on the map, the border between California and Arizona and the dividing line between Pacific and Mountain time. Nothing spectacular here except time marching back one hour as I climb onto the bridge that spans The River. Don't blink or you'll miss it.

I've seen this on clocks that are programmed right into the navi screen itself, but not on clocks the SEEM to be stand-alone timepieces (or BlackBerries). I suppose this shouldn't be a surprise, seeing as how the navigation system here is spread out all over the center stack.

Does your car's seemingly stand-alone clock do this? It does? Never mind.

Our Favorite Caption

Thanks to mrryte for this week's favorite caption.

Here are the others that got us, babe:

Does this sign make my butt look big? (spin2win)
Sonny and Err (ergsum)
Both did poorly in the slalom! (ergsum)
Crossed Over meets Crossover (ergsum)
The Road and The Ride...Pro Bono. (rick8365)
Chastity wagon! (wshuff)
Honey, the Nav says to stay on this road for 7.1 miles, make a turn onto Shields & Yarnell Way, then to Captain and Tenille Avenue. (technetium99)
What do you call Sonny, Cher, and Mimi Rogers in a Crosstour? Loveboat (e90_m3)
The Beast goes on. (05mazda6hatch)
Beware of trees and tree huggers ahead. (hybris)
You came in that? You're braver than I thought. (technetium99)
Half Breed (adamb1)

What was your favorite?

You Write the Caption Part Two

Vehicle Testing Director Dan Edmunds send me this photo of our new Honda Accord Crosstour taking its first road trip.

We suggest: If I Could Turn Back Time

What is your caption?

We'll post our favorite this afternoon.

From My Eyes

Here's the view of the navigation screen through my polarized sunglasses. I see a big brown blob in the center of the map.

Rear Seats and Storage

There are two ways to drop the rear seats in the Honda Accord Crosstour. You can pull them down using a handle on the top of the seatback. Or if you're loading cargo into the hatchback and realize you need more space, you can pull the levers that are on both sides of the cargo area and the seats will drop. Very convenient. Here's a video demonstration.

Rear Visibility?

I'm a huge Honda fan so I was eager to drive the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour, particularly since a friend here at Edmunds wants one as a family hauler. I agree with Dan Edmunds' driving impressions, and I particularly like the steering feel and the firmness of the suspension.

But unlike Dan's trip through the desert, my drive was 31 miles along a freeway with four to six lanes in each direction. Cars, trucks and motorcycles are coming at you from every direction. The rear visibility is severly restricted by the divided rear window. But more noticeable is the way the tapered back end eliminates any chance of checking the right rear blind spot. Shooting a look over your right shoulder gives you no information. You are completely reliant on your mirrors.

Some drivers never turn and directly check the right blind spot before changing lanes. But I need the security that there isn't a small vehicle, or a low car like the Mazda Miata — or even a motorcycle — there before I change lanes.

Sears Pointless

It's spring, so it's time to be away to the races, even one as stupid (and wonderfully successful) as Jay Lamm's 24 Hours of LeMons. This one took place at Sears Point.

About 420 miles door-to-door, 860 for the weekend and 24.4 mpg. Orchards along Interstate 5 were blooming, white for the usual almond trees and then pink for a few groves of cherries planted next to vineyards. A great time to drive in California, except for the major insect homicides.

Turns out that the Honda Crosstour drives a lot better than expected.

It settles into its suspension on the road, so you feel like the ride motions are being controlled by the dampers, not the springs. There's a lot less of that thing that makes every other Honda or Acura feel like there's 80 psi in the tires. It gives this cut-down MDX a poise that you won't find either in a Honda Accord or an Acura TL. It's like a different ride engineer at Honda R&D did the job. Hope he gets more work.

The car part of the Crosstour works pretty well, too. The low Honda-style beltline accentuates visibility, which keeps you relaxed on a long drive. Seats are great. There are plenty of interface solutions for infotainment systems, but the button-style approach of Honda works best for me (am probably alone in this preference). Large back seat. And cargo hold is easy to access, with the right liftover height and a hatch that doesn't require an NBA-type reach to pull it down and close it.

This could quickly become a preferred cross-country device around here. Only trouble is, the Crosstour's various personalities haven't been stitched together with much style. Maybe it would be more effective if it had a giant plasic replica of a hamburger and fries attached to the roof, like one of the comedy $500 cars at the 24 Hours of LeMons (jeez, it's like Halloween night in Berkeley out there).

Our guys won in their turbocharged FrankenMiata. It was Alice in Wonderland costumes for everybody this time.

Comfortable Front Seats

One thing I remember about our long-term 2008 Honda Accord was that some editors didn't find the front seats very comfortable. So I'm pleased to see that our new Accord Crosstour has already been used for a few long-distance trips without complaint. Dan in fact commented favorably on the seats for his drive to Arizona. Comparing pictures of the long-term Accord's seats and the Crosstour's, it looks like at least the leather stitching is a little different, so perhaps Honda made some minor padding and contouring adjustments as well.

I never had a problem with our long-term Accord's driver seat, so I'm not surprised that I like our Crosstour's, too. Even after multi-hour stints, the seat has remained comfortable.

Interior Build Quality Doesn't Impress Me

I went to put something in our Honda Accord Crosstour's glove box today and noticed that it's out of alignment, with the door not fitting as tight as it should on the right side. Curious, I went poking around the rest of the cabin to see if anything else was amiss.

On our Crosstour, I also noticed a warped plastic piece on the front passenger door's window switch area, an instrument panel-to-door gap that's noticeably bigger on the driver side than the passenger side, and a slight gap where the upper and lower instrument panel pieces meet next to the gauge cluster (there's no gap in other similar places). None of these go beyond being minor interior fitment issues, but my personal take on Honda's reputation for high interior quality has dropped a bit more.

The thumbnails below are enlargable, of course.

People Seem to Notice It

I've been keeping an eye out for other motorists and their reactions, if any, to our new Honda Accord Crosstour. Judging by how many looks it's gotten from other drivers or their passengers, it does seem to garner more than its fair share of attention. Other Accord sedan drivers, in particular, seem to notice it. Of course, what they're thinking is up for debate.

Practical But Homely

Over on the Edmunds CarPool blog, we pitted the Honda Accord Crosstour against a Nissan Murano today for our weekly Face-Off poll. Based on the commentary so far (and you're welcome to add to it), the Crosstour is getting schooled. Too stylistically challenged and not practical enough, say the people.

For my part, I've been driving our long-termer for more than a week now. From a daily-use standpoint, the Crosstour has been useful; the wide-opening hatchback is nice, as is the rubberized trunk liner. But realistically, I could have managed just fine so far with a regular Accord sedan. As for the Crosstour's styling, I can't say it's grown on me. It looks fine from certain angles, but other times I'll catch a glance and think, "That's one homely looking Honda."

The Hidden Storage Box

One of the nifty utility things you get with the Accord Crosstour is the under-floor storage box. You take out the cargo floor mat and flip up the floor panel to get to it. The storage box itself is removable, as are its two dividers.

Of course, then you have to put something in it. An emergency kit seems logical, or perhaps valuables you need to out of sight. Seems to me that it'd work best for things that are wet or dirty, like gear from hiking or a day at the beach. The main panel as well as the two side panels are also reversible to give you a hard-plastic floor instead of carpet.

Our Favorite Caption Part Two

Thanks to saxdogg for this week's favorite caption.

Hear are the others that maid us chortle:

Worst advertising campaign ever! (ergsum)
Your not kidding! (zoomzoomn)
It is our Crosstour to bare. (ergsum)
Oh well; at least it's more comfy than a handbasket (mrryte)
Your beyond styling, too. (technetium99)
I said "Death Valley" not the "Valley of Death"!!!!!!( mrryte)
Yeah, but it has a good personality... (05mazda6hatch)
The sign painters just got back from Weed. (technetium99)
The Crosstour stopped for a spell. (ergsum)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (e90_m3)
Two mistaken contractions (m3shmem3)
The road to spell is paved with bad contractions. (ergsum)
Your beyond taste, to. (wshuff)
Carmageddon (ergsum)
I can haz crossburger? (themiddleroad)
Aztek was here (bluepunk82)
No Kaption Kneeded (bluepunk82)

What was you're favorite?

Spare Tire Location

A few commenters were wondering on my last Honda Accord Crosstour post where the car's spare tire is located since the normal space for a spare is taken up by the removable storage box. The answer is that it's located underneath the car. To get to it, you have to lower it down just like you have to do on trucks or SUVs with under-body spare tire mounts. Photos and details on how long it takes to get to the spare tire follow after the jump.

The first thing you need to do is remove the storage box. I zoomed in a little too much on this photo, but pictured is the well where the storage box normally resides. The jack and tools are located here. The lug wrench is needed for the next step.

You need to pry up the plastic cap that covers the lowering bolt. It's too tight to do it with a fingernail; the owner's manual shows prying it up with the key, so I did that. After this, you use the wrench to turn the lowering bolt as shown in the first photo.

Rotating the bolt starts to slowly lower this tire tray. You'll need to do about 70 bolt rotations to get the tray all the way down, so how long it takes depends on how quickly you can spin the wrench. In the photo, the tray's about three-quarters of the way down. Once it's down, you can pull the space-saver tire out.

Assuming you have a flat tire, you'll have to put it somewhere. A regular-size wheel won't fit in this tray. I don't believe it will fit in the well where the storage box is, either. The owner's manual says to place it in a large plastic bag (supplied) and put it in the cargo area. There's also a strap to secure the flat tire. Then you'll need to remember to raise the spare tire tray back up before driving off.

You Write the Caption

Vehicle Testing Director Dan Edmunds sent me this photo of our new Honda long-term vehicle parked at the edge of doom.

We suggest: The New Honda Crosstou're

Ah, yes, you can never go wrong with a little copy editing humor.

What's your caption?

We'll post our favorite this afternoon.

Nice Meters

Our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour has very nice meters. They have a clean design and are exceptionally easy to read. But what sets them apart are the blue indicators. At night, when the cluster is lit, they almost appear to float. Very nice indeed.

Snakeskin Rocker

There — on the lower part of door — do you see it? Our long-term 2010 Honda Crosstour EX-L has unusual dimple-like surfacing on the body panel rockers.

When the Honda guys dropped the car off I asked them about it. I had thought that perhaps it was to break up the aerodynamic boundary layer, so that the rockers would be kept clean. Or something else that was functional.

Not even close. It was done for styling, of course. The Honda guy said it differentiates the Crosstour from the Accord sedan and gives it a "sportier" look.

Uh...OK.

Good Steering — and a Good Steering Wheel

Precise steering makes the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour beautiful to me. It's never about road feel in this weight class, but the ratio (15.2:1) is dead-on for this type of vehicle (crossover shaped like root vegetable). Further, power assist is carefully meted out in the usual Honda fashion by the hydraulic power steering pump.

I also like the steering wheel, which feels about a half-size smaller in diameter than what I'd expect to find in a vehicle of this size. The almost dainty wheel is a pleasure to hold and perfectly in keeping with the light, but not too light, feel of the steering.

No Manual Shifting

All I want to know is why doesn't Honda offer a manually shiftable automatic like everyone else? Even the Toyota Venza lets you row the gears yourself should you choose.

Hard to (Fuel) Gauge

I want to like our long-term Honda Accord Crosstour, and if I'm driving it around in a casual manner I usually do. The premium interior, comfortable ride and stand-issue Honda steering feel are appreciated.

But I'm not a fan of the fuel gauge. It's also very Honda-like, and in this case I'd like it to give me a bit more information. Having an "F" and "E" split by one larger hash mark doesn't do it for me. I don't need to measure my fuel level by 32nds, but I'd like to at least have clear 1/4 marks. I got in it the other day and was trying to decide if it was at 1/4 tank or not. Couldn't really tell.

It looked about halfway between the half-tank hash and the "E" — but with no other visual cues in the gauge it was impossible to know for sure. Why should 1/4 tank information be so important? Because the rule around the Edmunds offices is you don't park a car with less than 1/4 tank of fuel. I'm looking at the gauge and thinking, "Well, I could decide it's got at least 1/4 tank, but the next driver might decide otherwise and there will be no easy way to prove who is right."

The other item I noticed on my recent Crosstour tour was how the transmission really doesn't want to downshift. You floor it (to pass someone, for instance) and the transmission drops one gear relatively quickly. Then it hangs there for another second, as if asking, "Do you really want full power, or is the throttle floored because of a muscle spasm in your leg?" After that additional second of mashed throttle it finally gives you the full downshift and rockets ahead.

This transmission behavior is yet another sign of a carmaker trying to game the EPA test cycle for an extra MPG or two in fuel-efficiency rating. And whether we're taking Ford Edge, Chevrolet Traverse or Honda Crosstour I hate this kind of transmission programming because you actually end up using more fuel in the real world (because you have to constantly floor it to get the lower gears you need, even when part-throttle acceleration would otherwise suffice).

I expect better of you Honda.

Like A Bedliner, But Inside

I like cargo floor mats. And here's a perfect example of why. When I was done carrying these muddy wheels around I simply wiped the dust off the floor mat. And threw away the drool-stained pillow.

Nice.

I Miss the Raciness

When I was driving the Crosstour last night, every time I eased up a little on the throttle, the Eco light came on. And it made me think about how Honda has changed. They used to be racy, sporty, feisty, scrappy. They used to be involved in motorsports. Now, they are more concerned with fuel economy. I know it's important to take care of the environment. But sometimes, you have to take care of your soul.

My personal car is a ten-year-old Integra. I still enjoy driving it. In my opinion, it has the greatest suspension ever made. In southern California, you still see old Civics, Preludes, Integras all over the place. People love them. They can't give them up. You can't buy anything like them from Honda anymore. OK, there is the Civic Si but even that is not the same.

What is this Crosstour thing? It's like it was put together by committee. Sport it up, Honda. Make it desirable.

Happy Earth Day.

Track Tested

Quick. Avert your eyes. Don't look directly at it. Just follow the jump to see the performance data (0-60, quarter mile, braking, slalom, you know) for everyone's favorite wagoney-thing, the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour!

Vehicle: 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour

Odometer: 2,827

Date: 03/16/2010

Driver: Josh Jacquot

Price: $37,563

Specifications:

Drive Type: All-wheel drive

Transmission Type: Five-speed automatic

Engine Type: V6

Displacement (cc/cu-in): 3,471 / 212

Redline (rpm): 6,800

Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 271 @ 6,200

Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 254 @ 5,000

Brake Type (front): 11.7-inch ventilated front disc with 2-piston sliding caliper

Brake Type (rear): 12.0-inch solid rear disc with single-piston sliding caliper

Steering System: Hydraulic-assist, power rack-and-pinion

Suspension Type (front): Independent, double-wishbone, coil springs, stabilizer bar

Suspension Type (rear): Independent, multilink, coil springs and stabilizer bar

Tire Size (front): P225/60R18 H

Tire Size (rear): P225/60R18 H

Tire Brand: Michelin

Tire Model: Lattitude Tour HP

Tire Type: All season

Wheel Size: 18-by-8 inches front and rear

Wheel Material (front/rear): Cast Aluminum

As Tested Curb Weight (lb): 4,035

Test Results:

0 - 30 (sec): 3.3

0 - 45 (sec): 5.2

0 - 60 (sec): 8.0

0 - 75 (sec): 11.5

1/4 Mile (sec @ mph): 15.9 @ 89.3

0 - 60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 7.6

30 - 0 (ft): 33

60 - 0 (ft): 135

Braking Rating: Average

Slalom (mph): 59.4

Skid Pad Lateral Acceleration (g): 0.78

Handling Rating: Average

Db @ Idle: 43.3

Db @ Full Throttle: 72.9

Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 65.8

Acceleration Comments: Best run with traction control on. No wheelspin. Hates brake torque. Only gets slower.

Braking Comments: Typical Honda brake performance. Best run is 1st run. Degradation of distance and pedal feel after that.

Handling Comments:

Skidpad: Stubborn, howling understeer with VDC off. With VDC on, brakes can minimize understeer effectively. Slalom: Remarkable balance for what would appear to be a tail-heavy vehicle. Some oversteer is possible, but best runs were 'less-is-more." With ESP on, the system tidys up the line so well that it went quicker.

Missed Opportunity

There's a one-way street within walking distance of our offices that turns into an international food court of gourmet lunch trucks every day. Thai food, Indian food, mini burgers (one with truffles, even) served by a pretty Paris Hilton-lookalike, frozen lemonade, sassy bbq. No standard-fare roach coaches here. It's pretty rad. That's the rump of our long-term Crosstour on Lunch Truck Street.

I had intended to write my post today about trying to cram a deconstructed baby crib in the back of the Crosstour, but my hand-me-down-crib connection flaked on me this weekend. What does that have to do with the lunch trucks? Bupkis. But a photo of the cargo area without a crib in it seemed even lamer. If my second-hand crib does present itself for pickup again soon, I'll probably not go with the Crosstour again, though I was rather curious about how much of it would have fit. In fact, I think I just changed my mind, maybe I will take the Crosstour to pick up the crib after all.

As for what it's like to live with the not-quite-a-station-wagon, I can tell you that both my husband and I hit our heads on the rear door jamb this weekend while trying to strap our 4-year-old into her car seat. I'm sure we'd stop doing that eventually if this were our personal vehicle, but I found it interesting that we both did it separately.

BTW, I had Thai yellow curry. It was pretty tasty.

More, Please

More information, that is. I like to listen to the Broadway channel on satellite radio. I sing along loudly much to the dismay of other drivers around me.

With Broadway musicals, it's important to know the name of the song and who is singing it. I want to know if the show is the original or a revival. That's essential to theatre nerds like me.

But the Honda Accord Crosstour's display only tells me the name of the show. And not even all of that. It cuts off the character count at only 16 letters. Boo.

"Hot"?

My landlord's kids (two boys, aged about 5 and 9) were in my carport as I was driving in last night. I was in the Honda Accord Crosstour, and they couldn't stop going on about it.

The younger kid even described it as being "hot." "Hot"? Really? I was kinda shocked. I could see soccer dads and housewives salivating over the Accord Crosstour for being a pleasant solution to their suburban needs, but kids seemed way beyond its demographic. And I'd certainly never considered the car in that light — for me, the words "Accord" and "hot" are pretty much mutually exclusive.

It's possible that the little ankle-biters were both just hopped up on Twinkies and didn't know what they were saying. Kids these days. Or maybe beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

A Really Blind Spot

OK, I'm in the "hated it" camp with regard to our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour's looks. But compound that with the fact that the pinched-off rear end makes it difficult to see off rear starboard when trying to switch lanes, and I TOTALLY hate it. As editor Phil Reed had noted in a previous post, looking "over your right shoulder gives you no information."

It makes me extra insecure about switching lanes, especially with distracted L.A. drivers abound. They might not see my turn signal and my bright white vehicle moving into the next lane. Someone has to be watching for these things. So I take extra time to check my mirrors, take several long looks over my right shoulder in the vicinity of that huge blind spot to make sure it's all clear, and then switch lanes. Pfew!

By the way, you may have noticed that the rear head rest is missing. At first I thought one of the editors thought it was too distracting but then realized they may have just taken it out so they could fold down that seat.

Prince of Suburbia

Obviously, vehicles like the Accord Crosstour don't succeed because they're especially sexy or especially engaging or especially easy on the eyes. They succeed because because they're easy to live with.

In that respect, our Crosstour gets the job done and then some. This weekend, the crossover was like the sort of old friend with whom you can easily have long, comfortable silences. Its suspension was accommodating, soaking up bumps without fuss or complaint — all while managing to deliver decent road feel. Its amiable front seat offered good support as I ran errands around town. And of course, a couple bags of groceries weren't a problem for its decent-sized cargo area.

My time with the Crosstour wasn't thrilling, but it was pleasant. I got the sense that the crossover could handle whatever suburban challenge I happened to toss its way.

Better in Black

Looks nicer in black, don't you agree?

Suspension Walkaround

This time it's our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour's turn to have its wheels removed so we can take a peek at its underpinnings.

I've commuted in this car, and I've taken it on a long trip to Prescott, Arizona and back. So far I've been left with the impression that this car is tuned more to my liking than the 2008 Accord sedan we once had in our long-term fleet. The Crosstour has very good straight stability on the open road, and the rear suspension is much better settled over bumps and in corners.

Let's see what's going on.

You can learn almost everything you need to know about the Crosstour's front suspension in this one shot.

It's a double wishbone setup, featuring an elongated front knuckle (green) that curves up to meet a high-mount upper arm (yellow). A coil-over front shock (orange) mounts to the lower arm and stretches up to the unibody. A generously-sized front stabilizer bar (white) curves in beneath the rear-mounted power steering rack.

The stab bar need to be somewhat large because it connects to the lower arm midway along its length at a motion ratio that looks to be about 0.45:1. The shock fork connects further outboard, giving the spring and damper a motion ratio in the neighborhood of 0.6:1.

Here's a better view of the coil-over's lower mounting fork (yellow) and how it splits in two on its way past the drive axle to the lower arm.

We also get a good look at the business end of the 2-piston (black) sliding brake calipers.

An L-shaped lower control arm is still a variety of wishbone, so the suspension's double wishbone designation still applies.

Here's the high-mount upper control arm.

As is customary with high-mount upper arms, the pivot axis is higher at the forward end to provide anti-dive under braking.

The thin yellow line indicates the somewhat reclined axis of the pinion gear. The yellow arrow shows a nut that has a spring and a long-wearing plastic (or similar) puck behind it. The spring and puck applies force to the rack's gear teeth, pressing it against the pinion to preload the rack. Such "rack preload" is carefully specified to produce enough friction to smooth out the steering, but no so much as to deaden the feel. The nut can be moved in and out to adjust it, but it's not intended to be monkeyed-with during the life of the car.

Meanwhile, the thin pipe (white) is proof that this is hydraulically-assisted power steering.

Here's another look at the 2-piston sliding brake caliper and its corresponding ventilated brake rotor.

Out back, the Accord Crosstour uses a multilink arrangement. Up top there's a one piece upper wishbone (white), and down below there are two separate lower links (green, orange) that are splayed apart to roughly approximate a lower wishbone. A toe link (yellow) sits forward of the axle centerline to keep the wheel pointed straight ahead.

Here's another view of the two lower links (green, orange) from below. The toe-link (black) is also clearly visible. And check out that crazy cast aluminum knuckle (white). That's a nice-looking piece.

Here's one more view of the lower links (green, orange) and the cast-aluminum knuckle. It's interesting to note that no spring is visible here. That's because the rear end of the Crosstour uses coil-over shocks, and the lower end of the shock mounts high on the knuckle (white) for a 1:1 motion ratio. The same can be said of the rear stabilizer bar link (yellow), which connects to the knuckle in nearly the same place.

That upper control arm bolts to a massive rubber-isolated rear subframe that mounts to the unibody in two places (green) on each side of the car. The subframe also carries the rear stabilizer bar which, if the markings on the pivot bushing are to be believed, is 15mm in diameter.

Here's a shot of the coil-over shock that keeps everything up off the ground. This setup is quite good for packaging down below, but the relative bulkiness of the coil spring does eat into the Crosstour's cargo compartment a bit.

Yes, the rear shock towers intrude into the Crosstour's hatch area, but it's not all bad news. In fact, it's probably a good thing on at least two fronts. 1) The sheet metal structure of the shock towers stiffens-up the unibody and gives it much more rigidity than it would have without them. They may be partly responsible for the way the Crosstour's body feels solid and unaffected by rough road impacts. 2) The shock towers support the rear seatbacks very effectively when they are latched in the upright position. The seats aren't going anywhere in a rear-end collision.

The rear end shoulders less of the Crosstour's braking burden, so single-piston sliding calipers and solid rotors do the job here. The hat shape of the rotor is evidence that a drum parking brake is in use.

Our Crosstour rides on 225/60R18 Michelin Latitude Tour tires. Mounted on their aluminum alloy rims, they weigh 54.5 pounds per corner.

But wait, there's more. Our Crosstour is a 4x4 model — that's Honda's term, not mine. I like to reserve that term for pickups with no center diff and a real low-range transfer case.

Instead, the Crosstour is more of an all-wheel drive machine because you never manually engage anything with a lever and the transfer case (shown here) has no low range. The t-case is more akin to a power take-off (PTO) that runs all the time.

Front/rear torque distribution all happens here, inside the forward half of the elongated rear differential housing (yellow). The main prop shaft turns all the time, but the rear wheels are only driven by it when the multi-plate clutch located within this housing is engaged.

Here's how it works. This housing also contains two hydraulic pumps; one driven by the incoming prop shaft at the speed of the front wheels, the other driven by the rear wheels and rear diff. If the front and rear wheel speeds are the same (no front slip), the pumps will spin at the same speed and develop the same pressure. With the pressure difference at zero, the multi-plate clutch pack won't engage.

But when the driven front wheels start to slip, the corresponding pump spins faster and develops more pressure than the rear one. The resulting pressure difference causes the clutch pack to engage and start sending power to the rear wheels until the pressures balance out again.

It's automatic. There are no wires, switches or levers. You're barely aware it's happening.

But the drag of the always-spinning components and the weight of the system (the 4x4 Crosstour weighs 183 pounds more than a 4x2) does take a bite out of everyday fuel economy. Our 4x4 Crosstour EX-L is rated at 17 city/25 highway/20 combined. A corresponding front-wheel drive one is rated at 18 city/27 highway/21 combined, for a bottom-line difference of 1 mpg or 5 percent.

P.S.: We've added a category for Suspension Walkarounds so you can find the other 29 I've put up. Look for the new link at the bottom of the "Vehicles" list that sits just to the right of the blog text.

Video Walkaround

I know you all think the Crosstour is ugly. But I don't think it looks that bad. So, here is a video walkaround. It looks better in video than in still pictures.

What's the Point?

While many of my colleagues have extolled the virtues of our Honda Accord Crosstour, I won't be doing the same. I actually like driving the thing — good steering, comfortable ride, agreeable control layout. But then, I like driving an Accord too.

My beef lies with everything behind the driver seat. With that funky hatchback design, you only get a measly 51 cubic feet of maximum cargo space. Compare that to the 71 cubes of a Subaru Outback or 70 cubes of a Toyota Venza. A RAV4 and CR-V are even bigger, and heck the old Mazda 6 5-door hatchback (which was awesome) had 59 cubes. Other than the Venza, all of these models have excellent rearward visibility. I can't see a damn thing out of the Crosstour when reversing into a parking spot because the C-D pillar is enormous.

I must ask then: what's the point? It has substantially less cargo space than wagons and crossovers, its back seat is no bigger than a regular Accord's, its fuel economy is no better than competitors, there's no available four-cylinder engine and to top it all off, it's pricey. Our Crosstour costs $37,563 whereas a similarly equipped Subaru Outback would be $34,685. A fully loaded, V6-powered Equinox is $35,155.

People don't like wagons or hatchbacks (presumably) for aesthetic reasons, so perhaps something with striking design can overcome practicality and value shortfalls. The thing is, the Crosstour doesn't do that. My fiancee rarely comments on the cars I drive home, but last night she felt compelled to point at the Crosstour and say "I don't like that. Looks like something sat on an SUV."

And with that I rest my case.

Adding Some Oil

Dipsticks don't lie. And yesterday our Honda Crosstour's dipstick told me to add some dead dinosaurs to the its V6. And so I did. It drank down a full quart.

Covering Miles

At some point over the past week our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour blazed through he 5,000 mile mark. Problems to report? None. Nothing. Not even so much as a loose piece of trim.

Lets hope the next 5,000 miles are as problem free.

Heated Seats are Hot

Our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour is actually a 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour 4WD EX-L Nav. That means it's the top-of-the-line model. It also means it is loaded with features. Standard features, from a sunroof to heated seats. In fact, there are no actual options available on the 4WD EX-L Nav, just doodads from Honda's line of accessories.

But today we're going to talk about the Crosstour's heated seats, which you can see have two settings, LO and HI. On a scale from 1 to 10, I give them an 8 because they heat up quickly and distribute the warmth evenly between your buttocks and lower back. I would like a little more heat on the upper part of the seatback, however. I also think most of you would find the BTU output on the weak-side of acceptable especially in the wintery areas of the country, as they feel toasty warm on a cloudy 55 degree Los Angeles morning.

10 Things I Like About You

I know, I know, you think it's ugly and silly, etc. etc. etc. But I believe there are at least 10 things to like in every car. Here's my list for the Crosstour:

1. clear, full-color rear camera view
2. clean, unencumbered gauges that are easy to read
3. precise steering
4. a steering wheel that feels good in the hand
5. smooth, balanced ride without being floppy
6. comfortable front seats
7. roomy back seat area
8. convenient levers in cargo area to drop the rear seats
9. lots of little storage cubbies and useful cupholders
10. adequately powerful 3.5-liter V6 engine

I'm sure I can come up with more. Feel free to add some of your own.

You Callin' Me Ugly?

Boy, there sure has been a bunch of Crosstour bashing, mostly to do with its less-than-svelte exterior design. Oh yeah? Well look what else I saw on my drive home: One garage-built roadster and one shop-built cruiser. The third shot is unrelated and shows the growing popularity of KDM-sourced winged badges for the Hyundai Genesis; Coupe in this case, but I've seen them on the Sedans as well. I think it's an improvement Hyundai should offer at the dealer. Don't you?

Another Mileage Milestone

Our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour 4x4 achieved another significant mileage milestone this weekend. The location was less than photogenic, so the above odo shot is all you get.

Revelations

I've had a revelation. I like the Honda Accord Crosstour. I was annoyed by the Eco light. I've complained about it not being sporty enough. I wanted a better audio display. I made it the butt of the caption contest several times.

Then I found myself defending it to you. "It's not that ugly," I said. "Here are the things I like," I said.

Then last night I realized, when the car board comes around to me, I choose the Crosstour. Over and over. It has satellite radio with really good sound. It's comfortable. It handles well. It's adult. It's a nice ride. It's a good car.

I used to hog the Nissan GT-R when it was here. I wanted to marry the Audi R8.

OMG, I like the Crosstour.

ACE Body Structure & Pedestrian Injury

Our long-term 2010 Honda Crosstour's unibody design has what they have trademarked as ACE body structure (Advanced Compatibility Engineering). Like many modern unibody structures, the Crosstour's is designed to reduce forces transferred through the passenger compartment. This is accomplished via CAD modeling, FEA (finite element analysis), and physical destructive testing.

Honda says that their ACE structure differs from others in that it "channels frontal crash energy to both upper and lower structural elements, including the floor frame rails, side sills, and A-pillars." These paths distribute the frontal impact forces through a greater percentage of the vehicle's structure, and away from the passenger compartment, limiting cabin deformation.

Also, Honda is big on reducing vehicle/pedestrian injuries, and includes these features to increase pedestrian survival in the event of vehicle contact:

• Hood is designed to deform if contact is made with either an adult or a child pedestrian
• Sufficient clearance exists between the hood and hard engine parts
• Windshield base has a unique section structure for efficient impact energy absorption
• Energy-absorbing fender mounts and supports
• Deformable windshield wiper pivots
• Deformable hood hinge

My friend who works in Honda's vehicle safety regulations department said there's a great number of pedestrian deaths that occur in emerging nations (dirt roads) and these technologies mitigate that.

But is this the best solution? Perhaps the funds would be better spent on traffic control devices such as stop signs and trafffic signals (where there are none), and marked crosswalks.

Of course this costs big money, so the burden is shifted to carmakers yet again.

Plood...Yes or No?

Our Crosstour has these trim inserts throughout its interior. Am I the only one who thinks the addition of (presumably) fake wood throughout an otherwise plastic and leather interior is out of place? It's not even that the stuff looks that bad on its own. But it certainly feels like a feeble attempt at nostalgia by paying homage to a time when wood was actually a practical material to use inside a car. Today, however, wood color and grain in a sea of grey just doesn't make sense to me.

Does it to you?

Minimized Glare to the Navi Screen

Our long-term 2010 Honda Accord has a nice Navi/Audio screen and a great interface. Of course the HMI (Human Machine Interface) of a touch panel screen is better than systems with a remote control interface like this, Idrive, and MMI.

But one of several advantages for these systems over touch panel displays is that the Navi screen can be set back in the IP (Instrument Panel, the engineering term for "dashboard") so it is shielded from glare. This isn't practical with touch panel displays as this would cause interaction interference.

You can also present larger fonts, and the focal length is better for older people with remote controlled displays.

You can still get a bit of glare on the Crosstour's Navi screen depending on the driving situation, but most of the time — no.

Glowing Wrench Requests Oil

Our 2010 Honda Crosstour has been away on special assignment, which is why there's been radio silence for the past few weeks.

When I climbed into it last night, I noticed straight away in the display the glowing orange wrench employed in all modern Hondas, plus the little code: "A" for oil change and "1" denoting tire rotation.

Will head to service in the near future. Do not taunt happy fun wrench.

Hazardous Waste Dump

The long holiday weekend gave me plenty of time to do lots of fun things like clean out the garage. I'd had enough of looking at the old cans of house paint left by the previous owner, and as I've never had much of a taste for Petal Pink walls, every inch of the interior has now finally been repainted to my own Smokey Ash preference.

I found the closest Hazardous Household Waste drop-off in Los Angeles County (conveniently open from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday) and loaded all the dusty cans into the back of our 2010 Honda Crosstour.

Worried about sullying the Crosstour's cargo floor, I grabbed a heavy-duty trash bag to put down first. Didn't realize until I popped the rear hatch that the Crosstour already has a nice, deep rubber cargo tray, a $138 option on our long-term test car.

Imagining a potential rainbow of hazardous waste flowing across the Crosstour's immaculate rear mat, I used the trash bag anyway.

First Service

As IL's Engineering Editor Jay Kavanagh reported last week, our 2010 Honda Crosstour was requesting its first regular service. Yesterday afternoon I called Honda of Santa Monica to make an appointment for this morning. The operator transferred me to the service department and the phone rang, and rang, and rang. Eventually she came back on the line and said all the service writers were with customers. She asked to take my name and number and said she'd have someone call me back.

Yeah, sure, I thought.

Five minutes later my phone rang. It was Gladys, the operator, saying she gave my message to Service Writer Karl who would be calling me shortly.

Wow, I thought. I got a call saying I would be getting a call. I immediately vowed to buy a Honda.

A few minutes later Karl himself called, and we scheduled the Crosstour's first oil change for 10:00 a.m. today.

Dropped it off in the morning without incident, and was told the Crosstour, which was filthy from a few days of drizzle, would be washed as well.

Karl called at 11:30 a.m. to say our Honda was ready. Total cost $49.30.

When I went over to pick it up, I found the glowing service wrench was gone and the oil was back at 100 percent.

Unfortunately, the Crosstour was still dirty. It's not like I expected them to wash it. But they offered.

Nearly flawless customer service. Nearly.

Gas Door Gap Not Good

Yesterday I noticed that the gap around the Crosstour's gas door isn't exactly uniform. Truth is, it isn't even close. Okay, I'm nitpicking. But our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour is a $37,000 vehicle, so... Not to mention, that this is just the kind of thing that GM, Ford and Chrysler get beat up on constantly, so why should Honda get a pass?

Gas Cap Holder Done Right

Too often we find ourselves discussing gas cap holders around the Edmunds/Edmunds.com offices. You know, which cars have good gas cap holders and which cars do not. Yes, our staff needs to get out of the office a little more often.

Heck, we've even blogged on the subject more than once. And yet the conversation continues.

Here's the latest: Our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour does gas cap holding right. Honda's system is simple and effective.

All-Star Game MVP

On Monday evening our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour hauled four big, burly baseball fans from our office in Santa Monica 65-miles southeast to Anaheim for the Home Run Derby. And back home that night of course. The Crosstour proved to be the perfect vehicle for the task, so perfect we jumped in it again last night for the same trip. This time for the All-Star Game. More hot dogs. More baseball. More praise for the Crosstour, which is fast becoming my favorite people (and things) mover in our long-term fleet.

Any complaints? Only one. In the usual Honda tradition there's a little too much road roar allowed in the Crosstour's interior out on the highway. Rear seat passengers can sometimes find it hard to converse with those riding up front.

By the way, don't tell anyone, but that was us wandering the stadium parking lot last night for more than 30 minutes looking for the Crosstour. That's right, none of us could remember where we parked. Has that ever happened to you?

Cool, Even At 100

We've been having some trouble with the air conditioning in our long-term Mitsubishi Outlander GT, but our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour has been keeping us consistently cool.

Last weekend, up in the Antelope Valley northeast of Los Angeles, the Crosstour's a/c proved its abilities in the triple digit summer swelter. Even in 100 degree desert conditions, the Crosstour's air conditioning proved capable of keeping four humans comfortable within its spacious black interior.

It wasn't exactly freezing us out. But it was doing its job. Not one sweaty back in our bunch. Cool.

The Prius Rear Window

Our long-term 2010 Honda Crosstour's bulbous and tall rear-deck hatchback styling creates a rear window that is short in height if it were projected on a vertical plane.

We've driven a BMW X6 with a similar styling setup and looking out the rear-window on that thing gives the impression of one of those gun ports on an armored car — it's a slit.

Honda rectifies this with a Prius-like lower rear window (although Dan Edmunds says the Crosstour's grandmama the CRX had it first).

It greatly improves rear visibility and doesn't make you rely on the optional back-up camera.

More Cargo Room Than You'd Think

That shelf is more than four-feet long. I was surprised how well it fit in the back of our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour. Sure the Crosstour's cargo area isn't going to win any height awards, but it's plenty wide (there was room to spare) and surprisingly deep. From the Honda's rear hatch to its rear seats is a significant amount of space.

Going Dry Lakes Racing

It's the birthplace of hot rodding and it's a 90 minute drive from our Santa Monica office. So a few Saturdays ago I loaded up the kids, fired up our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour and headed for the El Mirage Dry Lake. We even arrived in time to watch some of the land speed racing sanctioned by the legendary Southern California Timing Association or SCTA.

People have been going fast on El Mirage for more than 50 years. No, we didn't race the Crosstour, but we did marvel at its comfort levels, its roominess and its easily manipulated navigation system. Ultimately we spend the entire day inside the Honda (driving, sitting in traffic, watching the racing, etc.) and we returned home with no complaints. You know, the more I use the Crosstour, the more I'm sold on it.

Fun day.

Separated at Birth?

Honda Crosstour Meet Toyota Prius

Who thought the horizontal split back window design was a good idea?

What's your take?

Easily Recognizable

I took my daughter and her friend, Halie, out to dinner last night, and when we were finished, Halie's grandmother met us at the restaurant to pick her up.

I had never met Grandma before, and we chatted for a few minutes outside while the girls said goodbye.

"What kind of car is that?," asked Grandma, pointing to the Honda Crosstour parked across the street.

"It's a Honda Crosstour," I told her, "It's pretty new."

Grandma hadn't heard of it, so I went on explaining the Crosstour and how it relates to the Accord.

"Oh, the Accord Crosstour," Grandma said. "My husband told me all about that one. He works for an auto glass supplier, so I usually know about all the new models."

Never judge a book by its crocheted-vest cover.

I Think I Want One But...

Whenever I drive the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour I think I wouldn't mind owning one. I don't think I'd get one in white, possibly black or the Tango Red is nice. But then I think about what else I could get for approximately $36,000 or even less. And the answer is quite a bit.

All kinds of vehicles like the Ford Flex, Hyundai Genesis, Infiniti G37, Lexus IS, Mercedes C-Class, Nissan Z, Nissan Maxima, VW CC, a selection of Mazdas and Volvos and the list goes on.

Then I realized if I went used, for even less money I could get a certified pre-owned Acura RL, the 2008 version before it had the beak. That would be sweet.

So, now I'm thinking the Crosstour not so much. I really like it, but there are so many choices out there that it starts to fade in my mind.

What would you buy in that price range? Consider any type of vehicle.

To aid my search I tried the beta version of Edmunds New Car Finder. You can find it at the bottom of this page. It's nifty.

Hot Dog!

At the crack of 9:07 a.m. this morning, I met Manager of Vehicle Testing Mike Schmidt at the (semi) local Suzuki dealer in Westminster. Mike was dropping off the Kizashi for regular service and a recall repair, and he needed a ride to the office.

Heading back to the 405 freeway in the Honda Crosstour, we came across this cute little drive-thru hot dog stand, positioned out front of a Ken Crane's electronics store.

Quality Suzuki may have just become our favorite service location.

Steering Does Make a Difference

I took our Accord Crosstour home last night after spending the past couple weeks driving our Hyundai Sonata. It was an interesting switch from a steering feel perspective. The more I drove the Sonata the more I got annoyed at its over-boosted and numb steering. It's perhaps the aspect I dislike most about the car, actually.

The Crosstour's rack is hardly a paradigm of precision, but in contrast it does feel more natural than the Sonata's, with less boost at low speeds and a bit more feel as to what the front wheels are actually doing. Though it might seem like a petty issue, I'd argue that steering feel does indeed make a difference from an ownership standpoint, even with cars as workaday as the Sonata and the Crosstour.

Does The Hatch Matter?

Last week I was talking to Executive Editor Michael Jordan about our Crosstour. "Why would I buy one?" I rhetorically asked him. "Everything I'd want to do with the Crosstour I could do with just a regular Accord sedan."

"Yes, that's probably true," replied Michael. "But you're forgetting about the practicality of the hatchback. It makes it easier to get things in and out of the cargo area."

Well, fair enough. And his point was tested over the weekend when I went over at my local Home Depot to buy a few cubic feet of decorative rock. Sure enough, the wide-opening hatchback allowed me to shove some of the bags right up against the rear seat for a better weight balance within the Crosstour — it would have been harder bending over to do the same with an Accord sedan. And the Crosstour's molded cargo mat meant I didn't have to worry about any dirt, leaking water or scratches, either.

Even so, the Crosstour still strikes me as one automotive niche too far. If I really needed more practicality than an Accord and/or four-wheel drive I'd just buy a CR-V or Pilot.

I Do Like Driving It

So we're half way through our year-long test of the Honda Accord Crosstour and it's earned some diverse opinions from our staff. In general, I haven't been too fond of it, taking issue with its homely look, our test car's disappointing build quality, and an all-around dubious appeal — I can think of a lot of other vehicles I'd rather buy if I wanted car-like dynamics but still some extra versatility.

In contrast, Donna, for one, is a believer. And you know, I totally see why and respect that. When I'm just driving the Crosstour around town, I dig it. The seats are comfortable. The ride's smooth and quiet. The steering just feels right going around corners. And the V6 puts out a nice little snarl when you get on it. Donna got it spot on when she described the Crosstour as "adult." But it's not for me.

Nav Screen Reflection

A while back Al had written about our Crosstour's navigation screen, noting that its recessed location helped cut back on the chance of it being washed out by direct sunlight. It seems like a fine idea, but just in general I've never found the Crosstour's screen to be exceptionally bright or easy to see.

Part of the problem is that the recessed location has traded one issue (direct sunlight) for another (indirect). I've noticed that midday sun will reflect up onto the screen from the bottom ledge, thereby washing out part of it. We've had other test cars with recessed screens (our 750i comes to mind) but I don't remember it being as much of an issue. A brighter and crisper screen for the Crosstour would definitely help out here.

Rear Seat Comfort

Out of curiosity, I rode around in the back of our Crosstour this weekend while my wife drove us to a friend's barbeque. I was mostly interested finding out how the headroom was due to the hatchback body style. I'm 5-foot 10-inches and didn't have any problems, though perhaps those of editor Riswick size might. If you go by the specs, the Crosstour has 37.5 inches of rear headroom and includes a standard sunroof. With a sunroof, the Accord sedan has 37.2 inches of rear headroom, or 38.5 inches without a sunroof.

Just like the Accord, you get an impressive amount of legroom and shoulder room in the Crosstour. The seats don't recline, but there's suitable thigh support and nice armrests for both sides. Going for a long-distance trip while riding in the back wouldn't be any problem at all.

Ugly Compliments

Rush-hour traffic was ugly last night. Just take a look. PT Cruiser. HHR. I happened to be driving our 2010 Honda Crosstour.

This shot was snapped as the guys in the Chevy finally pulled ahead of me. They had been eyeballing the Crosstour for miles. At one point I even caught the driver craning his neck to see the Honda. When I caught his attention he gave the thumbs up.

Does his gesture still count as a compliment? Or does he lose all credibility based on the car he's driving?

Happy 10K

Our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour crossed the 10,000-mile mark this weekend, near where the 5 freeway meets CA 46.

My backseat passenger happily snapped a photo of the momentous occasion.

We exited the 5 at the 46 and headed west toward the 101 freeway. About midway along that 60-mile route, there's a "memorial" interchange.

Do you know who it's named for?

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

Look at that. Our long-term Honda Crosstour scored front-row parking at this past weekend's Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion.

Not exactly paddock parking, but certainly nice to be in an easily accessible lot and not out on the hill.

SCRAMP (Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Penninsula) puts on the Motorsports Reunion. If you missed the results from Sunday's historic races, you can find them all here.

Neat

For some reason I have a hard time getting gas caps to sit in their little holders. Don't know why. Maybe it's my reluctance to get my hands too dirty. I don't like fiddling around with things. And not every car has them.

But this set-up in the Accord Crosstour makes its easy. It fits perfectly. And keeps everything neat.

Seal Beach, California

Sometimes I like to zoom out on the nav, just to see how different areas look on the full screen. This view of Seal Beach, California, is one of my faves. The peninsula of Long Beach to the northwest, the ocean inlet, the gray area of the Naval base, all such a cool jigsaw puzzle of land and water.

Senior Automotive Editor Brent Romans recently voiced concern about the glare on the Honda Crosstour's navigation screen. Not sure I agree. Looks just fine to me.

Fast Enough for Family Duty

At just over two tons, the Accord Crosstour is no lightweight. Thankfully, Honda saw fit to install its healthy 3.5-liter V6 as standard equipment. With 271-horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque, it makes the Crosstour feel sufficiently motivated for average driving duties.

I was all over town this weekend. In the city, on the highway, in traffic, on wide open roads. Can't say that I ever really thought the Crosstour felt underpowered or sluggish. Now, keep in mind, my expectations were low. I was expecting something quite lethargic, but the Honda felt reasonably chipper when I laid into the gas. Quiet too.

Sounds a bit like faint praise, but this is about as family oriented as cars get these days. Can't imagine a customer feeling disappointed with its powerplant, although they might not appreciate the mileage. It's averaging about 20mpg so far.

Oh, and check out that strut tower brace. Sporty.

Luggage Space is Just OK

Our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour has decent luggage space. Decent, not great.

The Crosstour has a commendably low liftover height of just 28", but with the rear seat up I was able to get only one 29" international suitcase inside along with 2 mid-sized roll-on bags.

If you fold down the rear seats with the clever pull-levers in the cargo area, the situation isn't much better: the wheelwell/shock tower covers intrude on the cargo capacity big-time.

Loading long items in the cargo area with the seat down seems to be one of the few advantages of the Crosstour over the Accord sedan.

That and the awesome styling, of course.

Good Steering, Good Ride

I've looked at our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour from every possible angle, and well, I need to stop looking for flattering angles on this vehicle. But once I'm inside the thing, I couldn't care less about how it looks. As Donna and Brent have written, the Crosstour is pretty well sorted out for making runs up and down the freeway.

It's big in the way that our long-term 2008 Accord sedan was big, yet it doesn't feel as big as it is. The steering is nicely weighted and plenty accurate around neighborhood corners and freeway entrance ramps. Parallel-parking is a breeze. Further, the Crosstour doesn't have that much body roll, and it feels buttoned down on the freeway, while delivering a softer ride quality than any vehicle that has ever worn the Accord badge.

If this is what life in a family vehicle is going to be like, I'm OK with the Accord Crosstour.

Yet, I know in my heart I wouldn't end up with an Accord Crosstour, even though I like it. If I only needed seating for five, I'd get the cheaper, more fuel-efficient Honda CR-V, which is almost as comfortable and offers a lot more cargo space. If I'm going to drive around in something as large as a Crosstour, I feel like I might as well make the leap to the Odyssey — and get a third row and 2-3 times as much cargo space.

So there it is, I like driving the Accord Crosstour, but I can't make a case for it.

Blinded by the White

Stopped at a red light this morning, I noticed that every car around me was white, including of course, the Crosstour. In front of me were three white cars, to my right, white, even in my rear-view mirror, a white car.

So, I drove a few more blocks before getting another red light. I looked to my left, four white cars in the gas station.

What's going on?

Yes, I Dig the Handbrake

Call me crazy, but I like the Crosstour's handbrake. And it's not because it gives me the opportunity to easily throw it into some wicked tail slide.

No, I like the handbrake just the sheer convenience of it. Put it in park, pull the brake and you're out. Now I know that sounds slightly ridiculous since pushing a footbrake is not exactly a chore, but I noticed it nonetheless. Maybe it's the new push button parking brakes that make the lever seem so charmingly simplistic, or maybe there's something to yanking a big ol' lever and knowing the car isn't going anywhere. I really can't explain it, but I do prefer it.

Yay Fast Forward Button

I listen to the Adam Carolla Show podcast most mornings, but unfortunately, that usually means I have to listen to the two to three minutes of promos and ads that play at the beginning of each show. Now, I don't mind hearing the odd commercial for a Mangrate, but it gets tiresome when I hear it every freakin' day. Now, if I'm using a simple aux jack, I can fast forward using the iPod itself, but most cars' iPod interfaces don't include a means to fast forward something. Holding down the seek button (as you would with a CD) just skips ahead to the next podcast.

However, the Accord (Crosstour or otherwise) has a tuning toggle button, which is inferior to a tuning knob for actually tuning the radio, but it does quite nicely in its double duty as a fast forward button. Of course, there's nothing that indicates it's an iPod fast forward button; it was just my genius that figured it out after saying to myself, "hmm, I wonder if that silly tuning toggle does double duty as an iPod fast forward button?"

I then wondered, "hmm, I wonder what the category button does to my iPod?" Actually, it does nothing. Thusly, it continues to be a pointless waste of space on an otherwise cluttered dash. Who's going through XM categories with regularity anyway? "Enough with this rock channel, it's time for some World music. Bring on them pan flutes!"

Definitive Proof

I went looking for the fuel log and found definitive proof of the Crosstour's historical passenger manifest.

Is 13 years long enough?

1997 was the last year you could have bought an Accord Wagon here in the states (that's a '96 pictured above). Now that it's called a Crosstour, do you still think it's a wagon or has shaving the square bit off the roof magically transformed it into something more like an SUV? Even with the addition of all-wheel drive and more ground clearance, I still consider the Crosstour a wagon.

Funny thing, when I looked up what the luggage and cargo capacity differences might be, there wasn't much difference:

• 1996 Accord Wagon: Luggage = 25.7 cu-ft, maximum cargo = 63.0 cu-ft
• 2010 Accord Crosstour: Luggage = 25.7 cu-ft; maximum cargo = 51.0 cu-ft

Open Thread

Besides what happened to the Accord Crosstour Squirrel, what else do you want to know about our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour EX-L Navi.

Tab "A" in Slot "B"

I heard an intermittent rattle in the rear of the Crosstour and went in search of a rear seatback that might not be fully seated, or an errant bit of forgotten cargo flotsam, or ...? What I found was both sides of the rear hatch trim had been dislodged from their respective surrounds. Of course, I'm not certain how long these perches have been like this, but the fact that both of them were identically removed suggests some sort of forgotten replacement after an inspection — or an onboard gremlin.

Easy-peasy fix as it was like a snap-together model.

What Does it Say?

When you drive a lot of new cars you get a lot this: "New, huh? How do you like it?" My answers tend to vary based on the time available and the person asking. So my question to you this morning is this: What does the Crosstour say about its driver? Because I'm going to have to answer.

It's Got Pipes

I'm not sure what look Honda was going for with these dimpled rocker panels, but I know what it has achieved.

Hit the jump for the reveal.

To me they look like a side pipe heat shield.

Am I crazy?

Split Personality

As I was sitting in heavy traffic on the 405 freeway this morning, Dan, a colleague from an automotive PR agency, pulled up alongside me and my Honda Crosstour. Traffic was at an absolute stand-still, so we rolled down the windows and chatted for a minute.

As the owner of a Honda CRV, Dan asked how I liked the Crosstour. I told him that I was a little cool on it at first, but now I liked it just fine. I had gotten over all the smack about the styling, and now I just viewed it as a comfortable sedan with a better view of the road.

Dan said he didn't think he could ever come to terms with the Crosstour's look, especially the rear end.

"It's like two different cars to me," he said. "The normal front and the ugly butt don't go together."

When he put it that way, I immediately thought of a Saturday Night Live skit discussing Kate Gosselin of the dreaded Jon and Kate Plus 8 fame. A "talk show host" was describing Gosselin's hair cut, saying, "It's like the front is going to a job interview, and the back's going to a rock concert."

Well said.

Recall

Honda is recalling more than 3,000 Crosstours in the U.S. due to a possible problem with the front passenger airbag.

U.S. Federal Regulation requires that airbag deployment be tested using an unbelted six-year-old-sized child dummy in the front passenger seat. Certain airbag modules installed in a limited numbers of 2010 Honda Accord Crosstours do not meet this requirement.

Of course, in the U.S., many states do not allow children under 6 years old to ride in the front seat of a vehicle, and certainly not unbelted.

The recall starts September 22. We'll let you know if our vehicle is one of the affected.

Weird Seats

I know I just used this picture yesterday, but it illustrates what this post is about. The front seats in the Crosstour have a strangely shaped upper portion. See how they kind of scoop out the top part? The top of the seat back doesn't support around my shoulders.

Maybe it's because I'm short but I don't think so. Maybe it is overly aggressive lumbar support?

The way I like to position the seat, which is leaning slightly back but not too much, the top of the seat falls away from my shoulders. So, I have to position the seat more upright than I would naturally like to sit. If I lean back too far, it stops touching the top of my back altogether. Weird design.

Anyone have a similar experience is their Crosstour? Any of you own a Crosstour?

Worst. Seats. Ever.

( Thanks to Kurt Niebuhr for the seat shot. Turns out, taking good pictures of a cars seat is damned near impossible. At least for me, today.)

The Honda Accord, and thus, the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour has the worst seats in the world, bar none --- and I mean NONE. Elise, Ariel Atom, Grand Marquis, all better than the Crosstour. You've heard about this before, recently, but it's worth mentioning again.

The leather's nice enough and it doesn't have the fabric scrunching that plagues the CR-V and Odyssey, but they're still awful.

Sitting on the Crosstour's seat is like sitting on a pregnant lady who's had her legs removed at the knees: There's no thigh support, and something round is constantly prodding your lower back. This is some sort of orthopedic seating design that only one person I've ever met finds pleasant but that some doctor in Japan probably claims improves something by something else.

We bring up a lot of small, irritating interior details on this blog; "I like x." "I dislike x." "X in the sun hurts my eyes." but often they're things that, with time, you'd just get used to. A seat that makes you want to stab yourself in the face to stop the pain in your back? Yeah, not so much.

Too bad, too, because the Crosstour's got a nice ride and well, the fewer sedans there are on the road the better. But you won't see me with one.

Easy Day & Night Navi

Some people prefer to have a dark navigation screen at night, while others prefer to have the bright daytime screen. On many cars with navigation, you have to dig deep into the menus to find the day/night switch.

But with our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour, this task is simple. The switch is right there below the Cancel switch. It's convenient, and avoids a lot of frustration and unwanted glare at night.

Some people may complain that there are far too many switches in the Crosstour's centerstack, and I would tend to agree. But with familiarity, you can find most switches pretty easily.

V6 Goodness Standard

Our long-term 2010 Honda Crosstour 4wd EX-L Navi has a 271 hp 3.5L SOHC 24-valve i-VTEC V6 engine as standard, as do all Crosstours. That's because the Crosstour doesn't offer an I4 engine like her Accord sedan sister.

I have been driving a I4 Accord sedan around for a few days, and while it's suitable for most people with its adequate 177 hp and great 23/34 mpg, it doesn't excite and feels a bit rental car-ish — just like most I4 midsize sedans.

Not so with our Crosstour. It has a good chassis, with a suspension that feels tighter to me than the I4 Accord, great steering, and ample power mated to a flexible 5-speed auto.

There's nothing rental car about our Crosstour. I prefer driving it over most of its crossover competition.

Beginnings Of Brake Judder

During a moderately firm braking event on last night's carnival of stupidity that is Interstate 405, I detected just the slightest hint of brake judder in our longterm 2010 Honda Crosstour's pedal and the steering wheel. It was very subtle but there it was.

The judder went away after that, but at the next service we ought to have checked the thickness of the Crosstour's front brake pads and its rotors' runout.

Confused

My girl, god love her, isn't always up on the newest cars. That's fine, she doesn't need to be, but her question last night made me laugh.

When I got home, she looked out of the kitchen window and asked if I drove the "Eagle." It took me a second to register, but I realized she was talking about the AMC Eagle. I laughed for a few minutes then gave her a hug. She's kinda right, though. This does look like an Eagle of old.

Welcome to Dodger Stadium

Some strong opinions have been voiced recently about the driver-seat comfort in our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour here and here. I happen to disagree with them.

Last night, a friend and I made a last-decision to go see game 3 of the final Dodgers/Padres series of 2010. I knew it was going to be a lengthy slog through evening traffic, so I picked a vehicle with a good navigation system (to assist with rerouting on surface streets) that I knew would be comfortable and easy to drive. I picked our Accord Crosstour.

The seats in the Crosstour feel almost exactly like the seats in our long-term 2008 Accord EX-L V6. As with the Crosstour, the driver seat in that car had its detractors, but I always liked it. The shape of the Crosstour's back cushion fits my frame well, and the seat-bottom cushion is long enough to support my thighs. The seating position relative to the steering wheel and pedals also fits me to an ergonomic tee. It was indeed a long slog (we arrived after dark, as seen above), and the driver seat never got uncomfortable.

Beyond that, I find the Crosstour incredibly easy to maneuver to considering its size. Visibility is also good, except for the view to the rear corners — and at least there's a rear camera to help with that. On the way home, when we were back up to 65 mph, I enjoyed the Honda's quiet ride — it's a significant improvement over the Accord sedan.

On the walk out of the stadium, we noticed one more benefit to Accord Crosstour ownership.

You're never going to lose this car in a parking lot.

Mind you, now that the Dodgers have been mathematically eliminated and the owners are embroiled in a battle for team custody, attendance is way down and the parking lot isn't exactly full. But, we spotted that distinctive Crosstour silhouette at 500 feet.

And, oh by the way, as a result of flagging attendance, we scored some great seats for very little money. A man to our left made a very fine, bare-handed catch of a David Eckstein foul ball.

New Market, New Mojo

There's a lot of talk these days about how Honda's lost its way. How it doesn't have the swagger and street cred it used to. And, well, that's sort of right. Honda used to be this neat little engine company that happened to know how to put a chassis and wheels around it.

Think about those cool old Hondas: The CRX, Civic Si, Acura Integra Type-R, S2000...you think of that engine first. Heck, how many K20s have been dropped into things that aren't Hondas? Like Ariel Atoms for instance.

Honda can do a sweet, soulful engine with its eyes closed. You think John Mayer has trouble wooing the ladies with a guitar and a few key words? Same thing.

That skill helped Honda get big and and make money, lots of money. Turned out they were darned good at it, and while those sweet motors stuck around to some degree, Honda focused on making cars people want to buy in bulk. And buy they did.

And people said they sold out. And said they lost focus. And said that Honda got bland and didn't care about the guys who got 'em where they were. Said they weren't cool.

And then Honda built the Accord Crosstour: The coolest car in Honda's current lineup.

We're using cool in a different sense here than we would, say, in a Civic Si / Ed Hardy / spiky hair way. We're talking a relaxed cool. An L.L. Bean, comfortable-in-who-you-are cool.

Think the guy you see hiking with his toddler — impeccably dressed but still relaxed — not the dude with the bald-spot fist-pumping to Ke$ha.

Edmunds.com Editor Ed Hellwig, in his comparison of the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour and the 2009 Toyota Venza, wrote one of the sweetest lines I've read this year (You reading this, boss?), "You don't choose cars like these, you succumb to them. They creep up on you like thin hair and thick ankles." Great line, boss. Seriously, I'm envious..that's genius. I just don't agree. ('cept for that Venza. I can smell the Rogaine and Xenadrine just thinking about it.)

See, there are cars you succumb to — Odyssey, CR-V, Venza, Sienna, Rav-4, Grand Caravan. You get it.

But then there are cars that carry a different stigma. Cars like the Subaru Outback and Forester, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford Flex, etc. They're utilitarian and perfect for the family on the go without the stench of settling burned into the fabric that some other big cars endure.

Think of the guy who drives a Sienna. Now the guy who's got an Outback. See the difference?

It's here that the Accord Crosstour really strikes a chord with me. When you sign on the dotted line, you don't get a car and a kid, and 6,000 Cheerios in the seat cushions, and a suburban cookie-cutter-house with an uptight homeowner's association and a job you don't like. You just get a neat little wagoney-thing with good ground clearance that may-or-may-not haul some kids pretty well. That option is yours and yours alone. It's not a pre-requisite for ownership. The Crosstour can be driven by a 22 year old base-jumper as easily as it can an 82 year old grandma.

More grown up with broader horizons, Honda's ditched the bell-bottom Jnco Jeans for some Columbia khakis with this one. It's not a look everyone's going to love. But when was the last time Subaru had a look anyone loved?

With Saab confused and Subaru falling behind on the engineering front, the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour has this New Englander feeling a little homesick. I'll take quirky, functional and different any day.

( And besides, any time we can get another hatchback/wagon on the road instead of ANOTHER bland three-box sedan...Win! )

Not Exactly A Hot Seller

This weekend as I tooled around in the Crosstour, I was struck by the fact that during my time with vehicle, I never, not once, saw another one on the road. It begged the question, "Is anyone buying this thing?" I decided to do a little research to find out.

The super-resourceful Ivan from our crack Edmunds data team was kind enough to provide me with the most current sales numbers. Since its launch late last year, the Crosstour has sold a grand total of 20,861 units. During the same time period, the Toyota Venza — one of the Crosstour's most direct rivals — more than doubled that number, with 42,823 units sold.

Back when the Crosstour was launched, Honda mentioned that it expected to move 40,000 units in 2010. Honda's got some serious catching up to do if it hopes to meet even that very modest goal.

Parking Within the Lines

The problem with driving a different car every night (not that I'm complaining) is not really having the chance to get accustomed to its quirks, size, features, etc. For instance driving an unfamiliar car with a liftgate and thinking you got it in the perfect parking spot only to find that since you parked a bit too close to the car behind you, you now can't get into the cargo area.

With our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour, you can see just how much space you have to open the tailgate via the dotted line. Of course, if you'd rather do without the guidelines (pictured below), you can easily deactivate them by holding down the "Cancel" button in the center console for 3 seconds while you're in "Reverse."

Just for comparison's sake here are the views of other backup cameras in our fleet:

2009 Audi A4 Avant

2010 Ford Fusion

2010 GMC Terrain

2010 Volvo XC60

Which do you prefer?

Jumpin'

Last night our long-term Crosstour had to rescue freakin' new guy Edmunds Automotive editor Dan Frio when his Jeep's battery let him down after a day of powering the truck's dome light. Fortunately for the FNG, the Honda had plenty of cold-cranking amps to spare.

Button Swap

We've complained in the past about the placement of some of the buttons on the Honda Accord Crosstour's center stack, a problem Honda has acknowledged. In the 2011 Accord sedan, some functions have been moved to improve convenience and shorten the reach for the driver.

Not sure it makes enough of a difference.

Rug-ged Cargo

Last night I made a quick shopping run to buy a cheap rug for my daughter's "play" area in the garage. Although I was only in the market for a 4x6-foot rug, I figured I'd take the Honda Crosstour so there'd be plenty of room if the roll was too thick to bend.

The four-foot width of the rug fit perfectly across the Crosstour's cargo hold, so no bending was necessary.

Don't Panic!

Last week, while washing my personal car, I set off the panic alarm — twice. Both times it happened when I had the key fob in my hand and I was bending or leaning or moving something (like the driver's seat) as part of the cleaning process.

It was great fun to have my car honking it's horn in my own driveway, all while trying to get the key into the ignition and turn it to stop the madness. Yeah, holding the key while washing the car isn't ncecessarily a good idea, but if you're opening the cargo area or turning the steering wheel while cleaning a car you're likely to be holding the key. And I've had this happen with a key in my pocket, too, so there are few ways to guarantee it won't happen.

But our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour key (like most Honda keys) goes a long way toward eliminating the unintentional panic attack. See how the panic button is both small and recessed? You want to call in the Honda honking gods? Well, you're going to have to work for it a little, which is just fine by me.

Back Seat Review

Yesterday was the annual Chocolate Salon in Pasadena, California. Chocolate and women go together like bees and honey, like gin and tonic, like macaroni and cheese. So, I loaded up the Crosstour with my female friends and hopped on the 110 freeway.

It's always hotter in Pasadena than where I live by the beach, so we were grateful for the Crosstour's easy-to-use A/C unit. My front seat passenger and I got our own temperature controls. And while the rear seat passengers couldn't control their own temp, they did appreciate the adjustable vents in the back.

All complimented the Crosstour's roomy back seat area. We're all on the short side, but even so, they enjoyed the 37 inches of legroom and 37.5 inches of headroom.

One of my passengers owns the previous generation base Honda Accord and commented on how much more room the Crosstour has in the back. The other has a brother who just purchased a Crosstour in a darker color. She thought it looked much larger in white.

There was plenty of room for chocolate and nothing melted, including us.

Doesn't Say Much

Whenever I have to drive the tangle of freeways that is L.A., I like to have a navigation system along for the ride.

The system in the Crosstour is easy to use. You dial in your destination using the big multi-function button in the middle of the center stack. It allows you to use it while the vehicle is moving, so your passenger can operate it without having you pull over.

Another nice thing is that it doesn't speak to you much. You know how some nav systems keep talking to you the whole trip. "In a quarter mile, turn right, in 1/16th of a mile turn right, in 200 feet turn right, turn now, make a u-turn, blah blah blah."

With the Crosstour, you get "In a quarter mile turn right." That's it. It doesn't nag you until you turn. If you need more information, you can look at the map.

Which do you prefer?

Feels Good

In my real life I drive a ten-year-old Acura Integra. It's getting on in years now, but when I first got it, I loved to drive it on curvy roads. It felt so secure going bend to bend at higher speeds. Driving the canyon roads between Beverly Hills and the Valley was exhilarating.

Then I went back East for a visit to my family. My sister has a base Honda Accord that is about the same age as my Integra. And I mean really base with roll-up windows and stuff. Her car feels so floaty going around corners. It wasn't built for action to be fair.

But this newer generation of Accord feels much better to me. I have some curves that I look forward to on my commute home. The Accord Crosstour handles them well. It's not super tight but not all soft and squishy either. I recently drove the new base Honda Accord and it felt the same way. The front double wishbone and rear multilink suspension are a big improvement over previous generations.

I know you all think the Crosstour is an ugly duckling but it is nice to drive.

Better than Accord

I'm in the process of moving. Yesterday it came time to move one of the items I was dreading, the tool chest. I could empty it first, but who wants to do that? So I called my dad and we muscled it into the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour. Try doing that in a regular Accord.

But...

It wasn't quite big enough for everything.

The bottom portion of the toolbox just wouldn't fit in the Crosstour. Again, maybe if we spent the time to empty it out and remove the drawers it might fit on its side. We weren't about to do that. So we threw it in the truck. It was a good thing we brought the truck too, because my barbeque wasn't going to fit in the Crosstour either.

I appreciate the versatility the Crosstour offers over a standard Accord. The hatch makes it far more useful in these types of situations. But sometimes you still need a truck.

Cool Blue Gauges

Yeah-yeah, it's easy to get caught up in the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour's exterior styling. But I'd rather focus on something that's truly critical — gauge color.

I don't think I'd driven the Crosstour at night before yesterday, but with the days getting shorter my commute is stretching into darkness. No biggie in the Crosstour, as it's got bright gauges in a soothing, white-and-blue color scheme.

I'm kind of a stickler for gauges. Like steering feel, it's one of the primary interaction points between driver and vehicle. To pass mustard gauges need to be easy to read quickly, provide all vital information (no idiot-light-only temp warnings) and stay crystal clear when the sun goes down — without causing eye fatigue over many hours.

The Crosstour scores well on all points. I still wish the fuel gauge had more than just an "F" and an "E" and a halfway hashmark. Quarter marks are a bare minimum in my mind, with one-eighth marks preferred.

But otherwise I could stare at these gauges during an all-night run from L.A. to Denver, which is the true torture test.

Didn't Chevy Already Try This?

I mean, sure, the 2010 Accord is better than the 2004 Malibu, but so is the 2010 Chevy Malibu. This isn't about what's a good car or not because if you ask me, the Chevy Malibu Maxx ('04-'07) was pretty darned good. It rode well, had that functional hatch and was a good alternative between sedan and wagon. It was as much better than the sedan as this Crosstour is better than the Accord sedan. Which is to say, slightly, but enough for me.

And unfortunately, it didn't do well enough to continue to the current generation of Malibu. Maybe it was the lack of the Crosstour's ride height or all-wheel-drive, but I'm pretty sure it's simply because most Americans just don't like wagons. It's a concept that seems to confuse auto enthusiasts more than string theory, but it seems to be the truth.

So then, the question: Will we see a Crosstour for the next generation of Accord? Will they dare bring the traditional wagon? Or is the Accord relegated to coupe and sedan next time around?

Sick Leave

The 2010 Honda Crosstour has been parked in my driveway since Saturday.

Meanwhile, I've been parked in my bed.

Where was I when Edmunds was hosting its annual flu shot clinic? In Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, driving the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.

Something Wrong With the Brake?

Yesterday when I parked our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour, I couldn't help but notice how chintzy the handbrake felt in my hand, very light with none of the meatiness of typical handbrakes. It felt almost like it would break off, and it made a more-obnoxious-than-usual ratchet noise. So just to make sure I wasn't bonkers I checked out a couple of other handbrake-equipped long-termers: the Kizashi and MS3. Sure enough, neither of those felt as bad. And those cars are less expensive than the Crosstour to boot.

I know in the video it sounds like every other parking brake, but in person, its weight and feel struck me as unusually cheap. Just sayin'.

The Numbers

This isn't a comparison test, but rather a simple numbers comparison between the Honda Accord Crosstour and a vehicle I deem would be a much more sensible purchase. And given how much more discounted the Crosstour is than the Subaru Outback (according to Edmunds TMV), it would seem that consumers agree with me.

The Crosstour might be a tad more refined and have a nicer nav system, but beyond that, I can't think of a single reason to buy one instead of the Outback. I could comment further, but I think the specs below speak for themselves.

Keep in mind this is our long-termer versus a similarly equipped Outback. With a sunroof and nav, the Outback would actually be a bit more expensive than the Crosstour at $35,215, so perhaps that's a reason? (UPDATE: Someone has correctly pointed out that the above Crosstour is FWD, all-wheel drive would make it more expensive than the Outback). Also, keep in mind you can get a four cylinder with the Outback, which you can't get with the Crosstour.

Monkey in the Wrench

Driving our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour into work today I saw a yellow wrench appear in the gauge cluster, just above the tachometer, during the last 2 miles of my 50-mile commute. My first thought was, "Aw crud, what mechanical issue has arisen?" (I'm paraphrasing, of course.)

For a few seconds I just assumed I'd have to take it to the dealer to find out. Then I glanced down at the LCD display, below the two primary gauges, and saw the message, "B16 OILIFE% 15."

I should note that in the photo above I've dropped in an inset shot of the LCD readout so you could get a good look at both elements of this service message. I would have had to take a wide shot of the gauge cluster to get both images in one photo, making each of them much smaller and harder to read.

I really like these oil life monitors, as they base changes on actual oil condition, not on a set schedule that could have you getting unnecessary oil changes and wasting a non-renewable resource. The 15 percent warning is a good spot for advance notice, too. Not so early that you feel a need to rush to a dealer, but no so far ahead that you're worrying about an oil change long before you should.

Easy-Flop Seat

It's dead-simple to fold the backseats flat in our longterm 2010 Honda Crosstour. Rather than explain it, I'll let this thrill-a-minute shakycam video above do it for me.

Now, the Crosstour isn't the only car in the world with handy release handles for the seat. But handy is handy, and it was nice that I didn't have to remove the headrests first. Perhaps if the driver's seat was further back there may have been a need to remove them, but my driving position worked out here.

Not Quite There

This weekend marked the first time I brought our Honda Crosstour home. I was curious as to how it drove and if the hatch really does add utility, but I got distracted by some mildly aggravating features.

It's already been noted that the center stack has far too many buttons, and I agree. There are plenty of cars out there with the same features that don't resort to control panels that look like it was pulled out of the Apollo 11 lunar lander. My real issues with the Crosstour, however, lay elsewhere.

Issue number one: the headrests are canted too far forward. This would seriously drive me crazy on a long road trip. I felt like an old man, crouching towards the steering wheel or feigning interest in a story that someone was telling me. What a relief it was to exit the car and stand upright again.

Issue number two: the navigation gives me the runaround. I entered my destination and the nav system plotted a route that had me on a scenic tour of Los Angeles. Fortunately, I knew better than to follow those directions and headed straight for the freeway. A few hundred feet from the onramp, the navigation wanted me to drive an extra half mile around the area to enter at a different ramp. On the freeway, the system kept directing me to the least direct route, adding a good 12 miles to this trip. Stranger still, I haven't run into this problem with other Honda vehicles.

Issue number three: no hooks in the trunk. Since the Crosstour straddles the line between SUV and wagon, I think it needs some hooks to secure grocery bags. It's a big trunk and things slide around back there. In the half-mile trip from the store to my driveway, a few eggs were crushed by a refill bottle of Windex.

Otherwise, I think the Crosstour is a decent car. But honestly, if I needed some extra utility over your typical sedan, I'd probably opt for a compact SUV.

Is This SEMA Car Better or Worse?

So, is this ultra-gloss black, Honda Factory Performance bodykit and 19-inch rim equipped SEMA Crosstour a step up, or a step back from our long term one?

And...if you're like me and think, yeah, that's cool, step up absolutely...is it just because this one's black?

This or That?

At the New York Auto Show earlier this year, Acura introduced the 2011 TSX Sport Wagon.

It seems to be a close cousin to our long-term 2010 Honda Crosstour, although Acura curiously named it Wagon instead of Cross-something.

It's an interesting alternative to the Crosstour, with either a 2.4L I4, or 3.5L V6 like the Crosstour.

Which would you rather own?

Navigation Update

Yesterday, I complained that the Crosstour's navigation sent me on a needlessly circuitous route over the weekend. Our loyal and helpful commenters chimed in with some advice, so I made sure to snag the Honda's keys last night to investigate. Here's what I found...

I scrolled through the nav menus to see if it was set to "direct route," but there was no such option. Then I decided to input an address and, Voila! Just after you confirm the address, the system gives you a choice of route options, but it looks to me like it defaults to a direct route.

As I rotted in traffic last night (yes, yet another interminable commute), I was thinking back to the last Odyssey I tested and the Insight that we used to have in the fleet. The nav routing issues never seemed to pop up in those cars. I'm wondering if I just ran into a weird glitch in our Crosstour. Perhaps it was an isolated incident, because the route options it offered me last night were as direct as it gets.

Over the weekend, though, it felt like the pink route in the image below.

Aren't You a Little Short for a USB Cable?

I like to listen to On Broadway on SiriusXM, much to the chagrin of my fellow editors. When they get in a car after me, not only do they have to move the seat way back but they get greeted with showtunes. Gotta sing. Gotta dance.

Sometimes, even I can't listen to "Luck Be a Lady" for the billionth time. So, I appreciate a car that allows me to hook up my iPod. The Honda Accord Crosstour offers an aux plug and a USB cable, instead of an iPod-only connection. But you should see the comedy of errors it takes to attach my iPod to the very short USB cable in the center storage area. I just can't get my arm to hold the USB cable and plug in my iPod cable. The lid of the storage area is in the way of my elbow and the USB cable is so short that it doesn't reach out of the fairly deep storage compartment. I can't make the connection from a seating position. I have to get out of the car and approach it sideways. I'd rather just have the USB outlet without a cable so I can plug directly in with one hand.

Anybody else have trouble with this?

The Gap Won't Leave Me Alone

This weekend as I was driving the Crosstour my gaze fell upon the the gap — located on the front passenger door — shown above. I kinda wish it hadn't. Now it's all I can look at when I ride in the thing.

What's striking is that most build quality issues tend to escape my attention unless I get in the car thinking "Right now, I'm going to check this thing out for build quality issues." But the Crosstour's gap entered my experience without invitation. It's a gaping wound. I want to give it stitches.

When I got in today, I checked the blog to see if any other editors had written posts on the Crosstour's build quality shortcomings, and sure enough, our esteemed Mr. Romans provided a thorough analysis of the situation a few months ago.

Are build quality issues a big deal for you guys?

Bluetooth While Driving?

Tell me something: What's the point of a hands-free Bluetooth link which can't be paired while the vehicle is moving? This is not uncommon these days. Almost every car company out there prevents you from pairing a phone once the car is moving, including Honda.

The way I see it, the entire purpose of hands-free operation is to leave the driver's "hands free" while he drives — not while he sits in a parking lot trying to decipher the correct language to pair his phone.

Obviously if I owned our long-term Crosstour this would not be an issue. I would pair my phone once and that would be it. I still don't think that makes it right.

What do you think?

More Frequent Sightings

I used to never see the homely Honda Crosstour on the road. Now I see them nearly every day, mostly in the South Bay where my gym is located (and where nobody on our staff lives). Anyway, as I previously mentioned, you see pretty much every vehicle in SoCal. But I've seen maybe only one example of the Crosstour's prettier (and more expensive) sister, the Acura ZDX.

Here are the sales numbers that verify that: Jan-Oct 2010 for Crosstour = 23,700, while ZDX = 2850 (pitiful). For perspective, the big players in that segment, Murano and Venza, sold 44,800 and 40,000 in the same period, respectively.

I've never driven the better-looking ZDX, but the Crosstour is perfectly fine, except for the aesthetics. Perhaps that old adage is true: looks ain't everything.

Camp Edwards or Bust

My daughter's fifth-grade class is preparing to go to a week-long outdoor science camp. That means, I'm preparing to prepare myself to let her go to outdoor science camp.

Camp's not until mid-January, but to get an idea of what the place looks like before the snow falls, Emma and I drove into the San Bernardino National Forest on Saturday. Our long-term Honda Crosstour was the perfect car for the quick day trip. We whipped right along during the 60 or so freeway miles, and the smooth ride didn't induce any puking as we snaked up the mountain to 7,000 feet, where the Crosstour's nav system guided us directly to the entrance of the remote Camp Edwards.

I say the entrance of the camp, because we didn't go any farther than the sign. Emma refused to look at the grounds, didn't want to "spoil the surprise."

That kid is soooo not like her mother.

B16 Service

Our long-term 2010 Honda Crosstour has been hounding us for a B16 service. We took it in last week at just over 15K miles. The "B" indicates minor service, the "1" calls for tire rotation, and the "6" is requesting replacement of the rear differential fluid. (B16 — that sounds like some highway in Europe, or an airport runway.)

The car asked for a rear diff oil change, not the service guy. But we asked Honda Motor why the rear diff fluid needs to be replaced at only 15K, which seems to be a short interval. They responded that the first change is for the break-in period. Honda feels that metal particles from break-in wear and manufacturing residue needs to be removed on that first change. The rear diff fluid is then changed every 30K miles, thereafter.

The service was done in only a few hours without an appointment. The total bill was a bit high at $296, but not out of line for a 15K service.

Need I remind you that our office is located in lovely, but dreadfully expensive Santa Monica, CA?

Handling a Near Miss

The other day, editor JayKav and I were driving the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour to Edmunds HQ in Santa Monica. We were in the far right lane on 10 West just about to pass the exit lane for the 405 North, when all of a sudden a late-90s gray Mustang swerved directly at us from our left like he was on a mission.

The highway surface was still slick from the rainstorm the night before and we really didn't have a shoulder to swerve onto. It looked like it was going to end badly. But fortunately, Jay was able to maintain control of the Crosstour, while honking his horn at the driver to no avail. So Jay swerved deep into the shark's teeth to avoid being collided into and then fell in behind the other driver.

Apparently, before this near collision, he saw this Mustang driver start off in the far left lane (two lanes away from us) and move swiftly cross all lanes in a mad attempt to make that exit to the 405 N. Needless to say, the guy didn't make his exit so I snapped the above picture of him for posterity. Do you think he even realized that he almost caused an accident?

Thanks to the Crosstour's tires, steering, oh, and Jay's mad driving skills, we were able to avoid a really bad accident. There's no doubt this would have been a grisly two-car wreck had Jay not anticipated the trajectory of the other driver and taken evasive action. Go to driving school, kids!

Low Tire Pressure, That's All

Yesterday, after I left a friend's place and was on my way home, the "Low Tire Pressure" warning light for our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour came on. Eek!

Yeah, worrywart that I am, I feared being stuck with a flat tire on a dark street; I had at least half an hour of daylight left and 10 miles til I reached home. So I pulled in to a gas station to check on the tires, fearing the worst.

I scanned each tire and ran my hand over each one to see if I could feel air or if there were any nails. Nothing. So then I proceeded to check them with the tire gauge (those things are hard to read!) on the air wand.

According to the sticker on the driver door jamb, the recommended psi for both front and rear tires is 32. And according to the tire gauge, the front tires were just fine, but both rear tires looked to be about 28-30 psi.

I filled them up and within a minute or so after starting the car, the "Low Tire Pressure" light went out. And the good news is that the next morning, it didn't come back on, meaning no leak. Pfew!

Here's Your Problem

Twenty bucks, twenty minutes — that's all it took to fix our 2010 Honda Crosstour's leaky left-rear tire. Our local tire emporium, Stokes Tire Pros, was able to handle it this quickly because the above inch-long nail was found square in the middle of the center groove in the tread — the most easily fixable spot it could have possibly chosen to puncture. We're back on the road and don't expect another TPMS warning — unless we hit another hunk of debris, that is.

Low Tire Pressure Warning Redux

The low tire pressure warning in our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour came on again this morning in the wee hours on my way to the office. The TMPS lamp eye winked and caught my eye about a minute after I left my driveway.

I thought about turning around and heading back to my garage, where I have an industrial-grade air compressor. But with the clock reading 5:09 am, I figured my neighbors would get cross. Besides, the nearest local gas station lay only a mile ahead of me. I soldiered on.

The gas station wasn't open yet, so I couldn't ask the attendant to trigger the compressor. It was the wimpy coin-operated kind, but California law says that air for tires must be free for customers who request it. The mini-mart attendant usually has access to an override button near the cash register.

I inspected each tire to see if one was obviously low while I waited for the place to open. No such luck. All of them looked fine, but the truck-driver's "thump test" seemed to implicate the left front.

Within a few minutes the "Open" sign came on and I was able to get the compressor going. I went first to the left front, but it was OK. Same with the right front. Turns out the left rear was down to 20 psi — decidedly low, but apparently not low enough to "look" low.

I added air and started for work, and the light extinguished itself within the first minute. It's still off now, but this constitutes the Crosstour's second TPMS warning in 10 days. A single tire stood out this time. It's time to take it in to the shop to have the left rear inspected and patched.

Eyeball estimates of tire pressure don't reveal anything until the tire is arguably past the point of no return. The thump test isn't trustworthy on low-pressure, low volume passenger car tires. Tire gauges are king, but it's impractical to expect commuters to do a proper pre-flight check each and every morning before they set out.

That's where TPMS comes in. It's always on, always sampling. Here again, TPMS proves its worth. Another driver has been alerted to another slow leak well before the tire gets low enough to overheat and blow out. Since TPMS has become standard it has saved our bacon something like 20 times. More than that, I think. I've lost count.

Does It Have More Grace Than an E-Class?

I have no problem defending the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour, well, apart from the fact that it's not significantly more useful than the cheaper Accord EX-L Navi sedan we used to own. I like driving this hatchback.

And last night I realized I like driving it more than the latest generation of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Hear me out. Or move on to the next blog entry.

Our all-wheel-drive Accord Crosstour and the rear-drive E-Class I drove the night before (which happened to be an E320 Bluetec) have a similar footprint and both weigh about two tons. But the big Honda feels more awake going around a corner. There's more heft to the Crosstour's steering (hydraulic power assist on both), and the ratio feels quicker — and is quicker (15.2:1 vs 17.0:1).

When I turn a corner in the Crosstour, it feels like a smaller thing than it is. With the E-Class, I keep wondering if I've climbed into a previous-generation S-Class, as it takes its sweet, elegant time turning in.

Of course, this comparison isn't as black-and-white as maybe I'm making it sound. I've driven an E550 on plenty of back roads, and the middle-size Benz sedan holds its own there, even if it's not a bit sporty. And the reality is that I wouldn't care to drive the Crosstour on back roads, certainly not with its fade-prone stock brake hardware (which I do hope Honda will see fit to improve... soon, please).

Point is, that back in the city, where I spend most of my time, the Crosstour steers and handles in a way that I find endearing.

Screen Theme

In a recent post on our long-term Sonata, I noted that its screen was one of the best in the segment — far outpacing the ones in the Accord or Camry. Well, I made a point to snag the keys to our Accord Crosstour last night to get a real comparison. Here's what I came up with.

The Crosstour's screen is mostly held back by its lack of resolution. The coarseness of the pixels give it an outdated look, but the information is still quite legible. I'm quite pleased with the layout and the menus are intuitive. Also, I like how you can change the color scheme — as shown in the animated slides above. I'm partial to the red, but it clashes with the cool blue instrument panel.

This morning, I decided to see what a higher-resolution screen might look like in Photoshop. The before and after results are shown below.

Then it got me thinking. Before I jumped headfirst into automotive journalism, I was a graphic designer. One of my clients was in the home theater/automation business and one of the projects involved designing custom graphics for a Crestron controller. The client was a super wealthy Ferrari collector, so we wanted to give the screen a definite Ferrari vibe.

How does this apply to the Crosstour? Well, what if it were possible to upload you own personalized menus and graphics to your car? Not just the color scheme, but the typeface and menu layout. It would probably be produced via a web-based program where you could upload images, assign buttons and give it a preview test run. Perhaps you could download it to a thumb drive or CD-R then upload it to the vehicle. Maybe there would be a marketplace where users could share their designs. Imagine the possibilities!

It's an All-Wheel-Drive Accord

Like Caroline, I made a weekend trip to Buttonwillow Raceway for 24 Hours of Lemons (and big congrats are in order for Team Eyesore), and my companion was our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour.

If you drive a Crosstour for 300 miles or more, you simply have to admit it's a good road trip car. The ride is quiet — yes, legitimately quiet. Road noise is significantly reduced over our 2008 Accord EX-L V6 Navi sedan, and carrying on phone conversations over the Bluetooth connection is easy — there isn't much ambient noise for the microphone to pick up.

Ride comfort is also good, and the Crosstour offers more compliance than many other crossovers out there simply because Honda didn't feel the need to make a styling statement with the wheel/tire package.

Of course, there are lots of cars out there with quiet, comfy rides. On the way home from Buttonwillow, though, the weather turned nasty (rainbow notwithstanding), and I thought of one big reason I might want to buy an Accord Crosstour over something else.

And that reason is that the Crosstour is simply an all-wheel-drive Accord (er, four-wheel-drive since this is still a front-driver until the wheels slip). And as I was driving up the Tejon Pass amidst heavy rain, significant crosswinds and an outside temperature reading of 39 degrees (and therefore, a possibility of freezing rain), I was pretty happy to be in a car with all-wheel-drive, as the Crosstour remained sure-footed the whole way.

No, I didn't really *need* four-wheel drive here, but Accords are a part of my past. I'll never forget a night in December many years ago when my exhausted mother handed me the keys to her Accord EX, and said, "Here, you drive." It was a freak snowstorm in central Arkansas (with temperatures dropping steadily), and they don't really have a snow clearing plan there. It was a bit scary and it sure would have been nice to have 4WD back then.

So for that subsection of the population that sees Accord ownership as an end in itself, the availability of an AWD Accord with slightly raised ground clearance can't be a bad thing. However, the size of the Crosstour (196.8 inches long, +3.5 inches over the sedan) is beyond what many people consider the limits of Accordness. I think for the next generation of the Accord, there's simply going to have to be some moderation in size.

No, I Don't Like Blue

Honda revised the standard Accord gauge pack for the Crosstour, ostensibly to give the pricier hatchback-crossover a more upscale and distinctive feel. Instead of red needles, you get blue ones, and each needle base has a blue ring around it — an extraneous bit of styling you'd never find in any Accord sedan.

I've tried to like the blue-lit gauges in the Crosstour, but I just don't. After 300 miles of nighttime driving, the blue needles and rings are still distracting, and I notice them every time I look at the gauges, which is often. I never had this issue in our long-term Accord sedan — I simply read the instruments and didn't think about their design. (Ignore the distracting warning lights in the photo above; I didn't want to run the engine while shooting my photo, lest the vibration induce blurriness.)

However, Karl has written that he likes the blue Crosstour gauges, and perhaps many of you would agree. I don't really care what scientific studies say, or what fighter pilots prefer — what I want to know is for your personal car, what is your gut preference for gauge illumination? Red? Blue? Green? White? Orange? Some combination of the above?

Ready for 2.0

At night, the Crosstour dash really does feel like the bridge of a starship. It's kinda cool and tech, but a little overwhelming. We've written before about Honda's button enthusiasm in the CT. Hopefully they dial it back in the next iteration. Granted, all automakers face a tough task trying to package climate, defrost, audio - controls we demand to be simple - in a coherent manner with the other tethers of our connected age: navigation, Bluetooth, voice-activation.

But I don't get the thin display strip above the vents, below and in front of the monitor. It displays temperature, mode, and usually truncated audio metadata. Seems like a redundancy. Give climate control its own submenu in the multimedia unit and two methods to open it: onscreen via the joystick knob, and a single hard button for direct access.

Was also curious why Honda recessed the display so far deep into the dash.

Hard to see in the photo above, but it's set back towards the windshield. A Honda spokesman offered couple of reasons. It helps reduce glare, and it's closer to the driver's line of sight, reducing eye travel. Makes sense. But that's also why it doesn't feel right. When I want to speed up the fan, I look for the center stack, not the middle of the windshield. Maybe I just need re-training.

Honda's design, along with BMW's and others, is already several years old, and feels even older next to interfaces like Ford's MyTouch (above), which divides common commands between the dashboard and center stack. Honda has a smart vendor in ALPS Electronics, parent company of Alpine. I'd figure their collective brainpan capable of delivering something like MyTouch, judging from the quality of their aftermarket products - minus a few buttons or 10.

One thing Honda and Alpine got dead-right in the Crosstour is the audio. Good bass and separation, if only slightly mid-range biased, and plenty of level.

HVAC Registers Don't Shut

Our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour has many switches on its centerstack, but with a little familiarity, almost any function can be found quickly.

There's one small thing that is missing, though. And that is a switch to shut the center HVAC vents. I like using Auto HVAC control, although I don't like the direct airflow from those center registers. Most new car models have the ability to shut them completely by either a switch or having the flaps fold flat.

Not a big deal, but an improvement point for the next generation Honda Crosstour.

Crossover Cross-shopping

I drove the Crosstour for the first extended time this past weekend. Not just a lunch time errand or a commute home late night and back early in the morning. But all weekend, holiday shopping running out to dinner and the movies kind of weekend driving.

Ok, I'm going to say it right out: I think this thing is hideously butt-ugly. Now that we're past that, I think this is a pretty solid choice vehicle. Here's why:

My primary interest in the Crosstour is that I've been thinking of a vehicle like this for my future. I love trucks, but seeing how gas prices are climbing back up, I'm hesitant to drop a good amount of money on a vehicle that chugs gas at $4 a gallon (future forecast price for arguments sake and yes, Southern California gas prices are just that ridiculous). For most of the outdoorsy stuff I do, it would require a above average clearance, a capable AWD system, and flexible cargo capacity. That means my choices boil down to that fact I'd want the light truck capability but in a more reasonable gas efficient vehicle. Simply put, a crossover.

Most of the cute-ute crossovers don't do much for me. That puts the wagon-like crossover options front and center for my considerations. Keeping all this in mind, I closely paid attention to what the Crosstour had to offer this past weekend.

First off, I thought that the 271-horsepower 3.5-liter i-VTEC V6 was pretty awesome. Tons of power when you needed it, not a lot of lag when you stab the gas pedal, and the G-logic transmission management system kept the engine power right in the sweet spot for active driving without hunting for another gear.

With all the rain dumping on LA these last few days, the pot holes were opening up all over the place. The Crosstours ride was compliant enough to manage all the bumps and bangs with a great amount of comfort. I'd agree with Erin Riches that the interior is incredibly quite. I was very surprised by the Crosstours level of ride refinement.

While the button waterfall center console was a bit much for me, the overall interior is really quite nice in my opinion. I know many of the Editors had issues with the build quality, but maybe those pieces were snapped/glued back into place before I got there because I didn't notice them. Contrary to many of the other Editors on staff, I found the seats very comfortable. As added bonuses there were plenty of thoughtful touches throughout, like the automatic activation of the rear wiper when putting the car into reverse (when your windshield wipers are on). Overall I felt the Crosstour is a solid, comfortable and city capable vehicle.

I say city capable because of the optional real-time 4WD is a simple mechanical system that lacks locking differentials, computer optimization, and front/rear torque vectoring. This kind of system would work for inclement weather, but I worry about it's effectiveness for off-roading. It seems the Crosstour has focused me onto the Subaru line with it's capable asymmetrical AWD system.

Would I buy the Crosstour? Honestly, probably not. The price point, the simple AWD system and the overall exterior styling are probably deal killers for me. Is it a bad car? No. I think it's a good car. Just not a great car for me.

Close, But No Cigar.

It's that time again — time to pick a set of wheels for our 2,000-mile Christmas trip to see Mom and Dad in Oregon. WIth four-wheel drive and a decent amount of space, our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour seems the perfect choice, especially with a very wet forecast ahead.

But it turns out "a decent amount of space" isn't quite enough when four are aboard and no seats can be folded, what with all the packages and presents we need to haul up. The Crosstour is the perfect size for our summer trip, but not this one.

So we're going to have to take something else — something with more cargo space. The Ford Flex is gone, the Chevrolet Traverse is spoken for and the GMC Terrain isn't much more spacious than this.

Methinks the new 2011 Toyota Sienna SE might just get the nod.

Still in the Game?

Given that Honda recently announced plans to pull the plug on the boxy and rugged little Element, some folks may be wondering about the fate of the Accord Crosstour.

After all, the Crosstour has been a sales disappointment. Honda moved just 25,927 Crosstours year-to-date through the end of November, which means the manufacturer is unlikely to meet its 2010 sales goal of 30,000 units. (Keep in mind that this goal was revised down from an original goal of 35,000 units.)

So what's the story?

Well, the Crosstour's sticking around. I got this statement from a Honda spokesperson:

"The Accord Crosstour is doing a good job for us. Admittedly, the world is a different place than it was during Accord Crosstour launch planning — as is the case for many vehicles that went through planning stages in 2006-2008. The customer need, however, remains — despite industry-wide lower new vehicle sales. In light of everything, and the fact that it outsells key competitors' V6 models, Honda is very happy with Accord Crosstour. We're going to continue to invest in it and grow our Accord Crosstour business."

Nice to see Honda approaching things with a long-term perspective. The more time I spend in the Crosstour, the more I appreciate it — it's definitely an easy car to live with.

Do you think the Crosstour's audience will grow in the months and years ahead?

Warp 2, Captain

Our Crosstour's brake rotors seem to be warping ever so slightly. At first, I thought the telltale steering wheel wobble may have been caused by our choppy road surfaces. A smooth stretch of road proved otherwise. With my hands off the wheel, I let the Crosstour coast a bit. No wobble. Then I eased into the brakes and the wheel started to shimmy. It's a quick, but small wobble — low amplitude, high frequency. Nothing like my old Mustang cobra regularly had, which was a big slow shake.

Tree Hugger

A number of people on my street have left their Christmas trees on the curb, hoping that the city will pick them up. However, the city of Los Angeles doesn't seem to be in a rush to get them, as many have been lying on the street for more than five days. I wasn't going to contribute to this mess and I wanted to make sure that my old tree would be properly disposed of, so I took it to a nearby fire station, one of the locations where the city's Bureau of Sanitation has placed large bins to collect and recycle discarded Christmas trees. The Honda Accord Crosstour was more than up to the task of tree recycling.

The two levers in the trunk made it easy to flip the seats back without having to reach too far inside. Once I removed the cargo cover, my 5-foot tree fit inside with room to spare. Maximum cargo capacity with the seats down on this car is 51.3 cubic feet. Our Crosstour was equipped with a rubber cargo tray, which caught most of the pine needles that fell off the tree. But I covered the exposed part of the seats with a towel just to be safe.

It was a short drive to the fire station, but I enjoyed my first time driving the Crosstour. It made a great impression.

Apples and Kiwis?

Driving the Crosstour got me to thinking: when was the last real Accord wagon? Turns out that was the 1997 model year. And thus began the comparison of dissimilar fruits. That '97 with its extended, squared-off (i.e. wagon) roofline offered the same seats-up cargo space (26 cubic feet) and likely quite a bit more maximum capacity than the Crosstour's 51 cubes.

Furthermore, the Crosstour still only seats 5, is nine inches longer and weighs 700 pounds more (front-wheel-drive version) In fairness, the Crosstour provides an inch more rear headroom and three inches more rear legroom.has a 271-hp V6 to the '97s 145-hp I4, has more safety and luxury features and gets nearly the same average (combined) fuel fuel mileage estimate — 21 mpg versus 22 mpg.

In some ways (performance with fuel efficiency) Honda has made considerable strides in its Accord "wagon", while in others (space efficiency for its size) it has taken a few steps back. Although I agree with other staffers that the Crosstour is comfortable and pleasant to drive, the logical side of me (and yes, the aesthetic side as well) prevents me from giving it full endorsement.

What do you think? Should Honda ditch the crossover/hatchback idea and bring out a more conventional (and space efficient) wagon? Something like the new TSX Sport Wagon perhaps?

Does The Bike Fit?

You bet it does. There's something to be said for the ease with which tall wagon/crossover-type vehicles such as the Honda Crosstour swallow all kinds of cargo, including bicycles. Definitely makes it less daunting when you're loading up the car to meet the guys for that chilly, 77-degree January mountain bike ride.

Holy Massive Lumbar

I'm a fan of lumbar support, but seriously, the Honda Crosstour's front seats are extreme to the point that they're uncomfortable. Having the ability to adjust lumbar support to a massive amount is one thing (and for many out there, a good thing), but being stuck with a level that jabs into your back, forcing you into a continual arch, is another. Even with the driver's seat turned to its minimum level, I find it excessive. And the front passenger seat can't be adjusted at all. So if you don't like a ton of lumbar, tough luck.

Zagat Guidance

As a person who tends to frequent restaurants more than her own kitchen, I can appreciate the Zagat function of our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour's nav.

Kudos that it can still be accessed even when the car is in motion so the passenger can play concierge while the driver is busy.

Props should also be given for its easy instructions:

1) Choose "Places" category in the nav.
2) Click on "Zagat 2009."
3) Pick a metro area.

4) Next a neighborhood.

5) Type of food.

6) Choose a sorting method.

7) And select a place.

If you click the knob over to the right you can access the review of the place.

After you select a place, you can have the nav guide you over there. Nifty, huh?

The only thing that would make this feature extra cool is if, along with the neighborhoods, it gave you the option to search for Zagat-rated restaurants in the immediate area, you know like in the iPhone app for Yelp. That way those who aren't familiar with their surroundings won't have to figure out which neighborhoods are closest.

As it is, those iPhone apps like Yelp and Google Maps are more convenient than this Zagat feature, but at least it's a start. Can't wait to see how they'll update it.

Does This Look Warped to You?

I felt the same wobbly steering wheel that Takahashi noted a couple weeks ago. It's not bad by any means, but I figured it was worth investigating a little further. Pulled the front wheel and found nothing but this pristine-looking rotor. If I were a betting man I would say the other side is probably just as smooth.

Someone in the office suggested that maybe it's the rear brakes? Or maybe it's not the discs at all, but the pads instead? Looks like we'll have to take it in for a proper inspection to get to the bottom of it. We'll keep you posted.

Stash Box

Our long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour has a small storage box at the bottom of the center stack, below the CD player. It's easy to miss or forget. That's why I hid my garage door opener in there a while back when I had to valet park. I was pretty sure the valets wouldn't find it.

Perhaps other (somewhat famous) people could hide things in there they wouldn't want discovered. For example, Chris Brown, Tony Parker, or Tiger Woods could place their mobile phones in that stash box so Rihanna, Eva, or Elin, respectively, wouldn't find it.

I suppose you could hide your "medical marijuana" in there too...but that police K9 will probably discover it.

So you'd better limit that stash box to your cheating mobile phone or garage door opener.

Why So Sensitive?

See that on the center screen? Of course you don't, because it's too freaking dark! It seems like the light sensor that determines if it's day or night is too sensitive. In the slightest shade, it makes the nav screen go into night mode. If I were in an unfamiliar city, this could be aggravating, since night mode is pretty much blacked out if there's any ambient light.

Compliance!

It rained yesterday in L.A. That means, besides drivers losing their minds, the roads develop more potholes and ruts. I use a stretch of Wilshire Boulevard between Santa Monica Boulevard and Beverly Glen to see how cars hope with the worst road conditions. The right-hand lane is pockmarked like the moon and, ironically, is in one of the most expensive sections of the city.

How did the Crosstour fare?

The Crosstour handled it well. No, I take that back — it was excellent. Really. Let's hear it for compliance, sensibly-sized wheel and tire combinations and suspension travel.

Normally, other cars' steering wheels dance about like a paint shaker at the Home Depot on this road — the car squirming to and fro. Not the Crosstour — it glided over the chunked-up asphalt. I had a very light grip on the wheel and it tracked true and straight. Inside, the fury under the contact patches was abated to a dull thud. Color me impressed.

Many Buttons, But We Want More

My neighbor took a walk-around of the Crosstour this morning. He works for a large Japanese automaker and likes to inspect whatever long- or short-term car ends up in the driveway. As he walked around the back to check out the rear cargo volume, reserving judgment on the car's design, I looked for the tailgate release around the driver's seat. Except, it wasn't there.

Looked around the dash. Nope. Scanned the center stack, steering column. Inside the center console; nope, just a USB cable and AUX input in there. I did find the traction control button next to an empty cubbie where you might stash a garage door opener or pack of smokes.

Really? A big old button and a spot for your American Spirits, but no hatch release?

So I Read The Fine Manual, but it only offered helpful instructions on how to get out and lift it yourself, pal. A minor quibble, I admit. But come on. There's no available power option, either. I await a fiery response from the IL reader who knows the secret location of the hatch release. If it does exist, my meager cognitive skills were strained to failure trying to find it.

I hadn't driven the Crosstour recently, but I recognized the ease of its steering effort instantly. And going through some of the old posts, it's one of the features the editors almost unanimously praise. It points nicely into crowded left-hand turn lanes, eases into U-turns and threads crowded parking lots. At speed, it offers good resistance.

It's still got the brake shakes - not an encouraging sign at still under 20,000 miles. Whatever the Crosstour's future in Honda's portfolio, I'm guessing it will remain popular on the used market. Its polarizing design will matter less as the cost to entry drops. If I was shopping a used car for a college-bound kid, I'd seriously consider it. Likewise if I just wanted a car for active weekend pursuits. Sure the sloping roof cuts down cargo room, as do the rear shock towers, barging their way into the rear hold. So what? It's still a good Accord, but now it's an Accord you can pile a bunch of stuff into.

And hey, what's this? Our twin!

Memory Seats

Our Accord Crosstour has memory seats; they're standard in EX-L models like ours and in certain respects, Honda has done a good job with the execution. The memory-seat controls are located exactly where you're expect to find them - high on the door, within ready eyeshot. They're also easy to use - adjust the seat, press "Set," hit "1" or "2" and you're good to go. I had to reprogram the settings and it took me all of three seconds.

But there's one thing I'd change about the way the memory seats operate, if I could.

The photo above shows how the driver seat was set when I got the car - the seat was adjusted for a driver with a shorter inseam. The fact that the seat was so close to the steering wheel made it hard to enter the car - naturally, it was difficult for me since the seat was set to accommodate a shorter driver, but I imagine that even the driver who set the seat would have trouble with ingress and egress, since you generally need a bit more legroom for entry and exit than you do for driving.

Some models address this by having the seat slide back to give wide berth for entry and exit; once the key is inserted into the ignition (or you press the "Engine Start" button), the seat then assumes the preset position. Would be nice if Honda had taken this step.

Am I asking too much here? How do your car's memory seats work, if it has them?

My First Thumbs-Up

On Friday night I was in the Crosstour on my way to meet friends at the Arclight for a showing of "True Grit." Stopped at a red light and felt like I was being watched. Turns out it was the Crosstour that was being watched - the woman in the lane next to me (seemed to be in her mid-30s, driving a BMW Z3 convertible) was giving the car the once-over and she seemed to like what she was seeing.

She saw me watching her watching the Crosstour and smiled, then gave the car a thumbs-up. Now it's obviously not the first time an onlooker has responded favorably to a car I was driving - I've gotten admiring smiles and even a couple of appreciative nods. But this is the first time I've been on the receiving end of such an explicit gesture of approval. A thumbs-up! My very first one. What a special moment. I'm sure the Crosstour felt validated.

And the Crosstour lovefest didn't end there. Later that night I was headed to the car on my way from a restaurant when I noticed a group of teenagers clustered around it - I'm guessing they were no older than 17 or so. They were gazing at the Crosstour with the sort of reverence and admiration usually reserved for, well, cars that aren't Honda Accord Crosstours. Didn't get a chance to quiz them since they were gone by the time I made it to the car.

So there you have it - the Crosstour turned heads twice in one day. The Crosstour! Twice! Who knew she was such an attention grabber?

What's the most attention-grabbing car you've ever driven?

A Typical Buyer

Ever been curious as to what kind of buyer purchases a whitish (or, more accurately, Alabaster Silver Metallic, I'm guessing) Honda Accord Crosstour? I know I was, so when I saw one cruising down a trendy stretch of 3rd Street while driving our own white Crosstour, I tailed the car like my name was Jake Gittes or Easy Rollins, just so I could check out the person behind the wheel.

Since I see the Crosstour as a family vehicle for parents (of small families) unwilling to trek into station-wagon or minivan territory, I was expecting our car's doppelganger to be piloted by a harried housewife with crayon stains on her blouse and a wailing toddler in the back seat. Or maybe a spent hockey dad, gazing wearily at the long road ahead.

But this Crosstour driver defied all my preconceived notions.

She appeared to be in her late 20s and judging by her spotless car and meticulous appearance, I'm guessing she's childless. She looked moderately hip and wore a pair of huge, trendy sunglasses that seemed sized to fit one of those gigantic heads on Easter Island. I was worried that she'd see me taking photos of her car and peg me as a stalker but she was too deep in a very animated cell-phone conversation to notice. Felt weird about taking snaps of the lady herself, so my pics show only the car.

A couple days later I saw another Crosstour driver at the gas station. His model was Polished Metal Metallic; gotta say, the Crosstour looks pretty assertive in that color. He also appeared to be childless, kinda stylish and in his late 20s.

So based on this incredibly broad, hugely scientific sample, the typical Angeleno Crosstour buyer appears to be youngish, childless and kinda hip. Not what I would have guessed.

What do Crosstour drivers look like in your neck of the woods?

Parking Lot Standout

Plenty has been said about the Honda Crosstour's exterior design. We admit that it's polarizing, to say the least.

But if Honda was going for a standout car, they certainly didn't miss with the Crosstour. Sure, it's probably the newest car in this parking lot, but it's not just its newness that makes it stand out from the crowd.

I Might Buy One

In about a year the lease is up on my wife's Mazda CX-9. And well, it turns out she didn't need all that cargo space and the third row seating she had to have last time around. What to get next?

After a year and nearly 20,000 miles with our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour, I'm thinking there might be a Crosstour in my family's future. After all, our long-termer has been dead reliable, it packs more room then my family really needs, it's quick, comfortable and it drives more like a sedan than any crossover I can think of.

In fact, I just spent a full week driving our white Crosstour and I have no complaints. Not one. It served me and my family perfectly, which is of course the point.

Kiddie Praise

We were expecting some friends to drop by anytime, so my daughter decided to stalk them from our front yard.

"What kind of car do they have?" she asked.

"A Honda," I replied. "Accord Crosstour, white, like the one I sometimes drive."

"I can't think of a Crosstour," she began when the spunky little neighbor girl piped in.

"I know the Crosstour!" she yelled. "It looks like a rabbit!"

I raised my eyebrows, giving her an admonishing sidelong glance.

"I'm not being mean," she replied earnestly. "Everyone thinks bunnies are cute."

Hard to argue with the logic of a seven-year-old car enthusiast.

A Small Complaint

Honda has made a strange ergonomic choice on the Accord Crosstour. One I don't agree with, but one that is, I admit, not much to worry about.

To check your fuel range on most cars, included the Acura MDX and the Honda Odyssey I've driven this week, the number can be found somewhere on the instrument panel directly ahead of the driver. And it can left there indefinitely instead of the odometer reading or some other info the driver may not need very often.

But this ins't the case in the Honda Crosstour. In the Crosstour "Range" is buried over on the nav screen behind two promps. First you push the "info" button and then you have to select Trip Computer. Not a big deal, but now I don't have my audio info or my nav screen.

Again, this isn't a deal breaker for me, but Honda got it right on the MDX and the Odyssey. Hmmmmmm...

Easy to Use

I rolled in our soon to be departed long-term 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour the other night and was reminded of something. When I worked at Big Motor Car Corp, we worked a lot on JD Power Initial Quality Survey (IQS). A lot.

Of course you know IQS surveys tens of thousands of new-vehicle owners to provide feedback on quality during the first 90 days of new-vehicle ownership. For complaints where our customers had difficulty with operation of any type, we used the term DTU, for difficult to use.

Well I doubt that Honda R&D Americas has had to deal with too many DTU complaints with the Accord Crosstour. That's because everything is easy to use — the navi, the radio, the HVAC, the center stack switches (even if there are a billion of them), the cruse control, setting the trip odo. Everything.

Everything, except the horrible interactive voice response Bluetooth phone pairing (I hate this in all vehicles so equipped.)

Next time, Honda should put it in the navi screen with a visual-manual interface — like Nissan.

Not Very Diverse

Our Crosstour is in a scintillating shade I like to call Appliance White. And every Crosstour that I've run into on the streets of Los Angeles has been silver or gray, like the model shown above — a safe sea of neutrals, with not a red, green or blue in sight. Turns out the Crosstour only comes in seven colors and four of them are neutrals — black, silver, gray and white.

A company named DuPont Automotive takes a look each year at the most popular car colors in North America. White was the most popular shade in 2010, followed by — you guessed it — black, silver and gray. Perhaps Honda and other manufacturers are paying attention to consumer preferences and adjusting their color palettes accordingly. In any case, it's a shame there's not more color on the streets.

Does the model that you drive come in a wide or narrow range of shades?

Wrap-Up

"You don't choose cars like this; you succumb to them. They creep up on you like thin hair and thick ankles."

"The Honda Crosstour's various personalities haven't been stitched together with much style. Maybe it would be more effective if it had a giant plastic replica of a hamburger and fries attached to the roof."

When it entered our fleet 12 months ago, the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour had the odds stacked against it. We all know it's what's on the inside that counts, but a pretty face makes a good first impression. And the Accord Crosstour had one that only a mother could love. We needed time to get to know this new Crosstour. After all, it was a Honda. In the world of cars, being a Honda is a good thing. That was a good place to start.

Why We Got It
Bigger is better. That is what Honda told us with the all-new Accord Crosstour. It redesigned the Accord sedan in 2008, increasing most of the dimensions. That wasn't enough. Honda went even further with the 2010 Accord Crosstour, casting it into a giant wagon crossover thing, but not quite an SUV. Into which category the Crosstour best fit was somewhat vague. Its role in this segment-straddling niche, which included the Subaru Outback and Toyota Venza, was what appealed to us. We wanted one.

On another level, the Honda Accord is a massively successful seller in sedan form. It remains a benchmark in the highly competitive midsize sedan league. Honda ventured outside its comfort zone with the Crosstour and we followed. Maybe Honda knows something we don't. When Honda offered us a Crosstour for the long-term blog, we accepted. An Accord with all-wheel drive and room for skis was right up our alley. This should be a popular car.

Durability
We spent more time on the highway driving our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour than in any other situation. Executive Editor Michael Jordan reflected following 800 miles along Interstate 5 in California, "It settles into its suspension on the road, so you feel like the ride motions are being controlled by the dampers, not the springs. There's a lot less of that thing that makes every other Honda and Acura feel like there's 80 psi in the tires. It gives this cut-down MDX a poise that you won't find either in a Honda Accord or an Acura TL. It's like a different ride engineer at Honda R&D did the job. Hope he gets more work." He continued, "The car part works pretty well, too. The low Honda-style beltline accentuates visibility, which keeps you relaxed on a long drive. Seats are great."

Inside the cabin, Director of Vehicle Testing Dan Edmunds addressed the perceived lack of rear visibility. Edmunds blogged after an 800-mile interstate trip of his own, "Visibility was a concern expressed by some when they first saw this design. On this trip, at least, I didn't have a huge problem with seeing cars around me. The Crosstour has the same peek-a-boo secondary window in the vertical part of the hatch that we saw on the Honda CRX back in 1988. It helps improve the view straight out the back, and it also helps you see down lower in the rear bumper area than you could in any SUV. And that rear three-quarter window, small though it may be, does give the driver a glimpse into the blind spot with a simple head check. Could it be better? Sure. Is this what I would call poor? Not at all. The view out of the back is good and into the blind spots is decent."

Honda built electronic maintenance reminders into the Crosstour. When the light came on we went to the dealer: pretty simple. Along the way we still checked the fluids, though. It asked for an oil top-off at about 5,000 miles. Just 2,500 miles later the Crosstour required its first formal service. It cost a mere $50.

Near the 15,000-mile mark the dash illuminated B16 service due; cough up $300. The oil and filter change (B) was expected, as was the tire rotation (1), but the differential fluid change (6) came as a surprise to our wallet. Honda recommended this interval as a break-in period. From this point forward, diff fluid is changed every 30,000 miles.

We've come to expect a brake job due on Hondas around the 20,000-mile mark. It happened to our 2008 Accord, our 2005 Accord Hybrid and the Crosstour, too. One difference was that we returned the Crosstour to Honda before completing the work ourselves. A passenger airbag recall was issued during our test but it did not apply to our vehicle. Our maintenance experience was quite positive overall.

Total Body Repair Costs: None
Total Routine Maintenance Costs (over 12 months): $345.19
Additional Maintenance Costs: None
Warranty Repairs: None
Non-Warranty Repairs: $20 to repair a flat tire
Scheduled Dealer Visits: 2
Unscheduled Dealer Visits: None
Days Out of Service: None
Breakdowns Stranding Driver: None

Performance and Fuel Economy
We track tested our 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour when its long-term test began and we repeated the process at its conclusion one year later. After a year the Honda showed improvement in general performance at the track. Only acceleration tests reflected a change for the worse.

From a dynamic perspective, the Crosstour got better. Slalom speed increased by almost 3 mph to 62.2 mph. Around the skid pad the Honda generated 0.80g of lateral force, which was a negligible improvement. Both tests benefited from the stability control system remaining on. Not all straight-line tests reflected progress, however. Chief Road Test Editor Chris Walton wrote following a 60-0-mph stop of 132 feet, "Yikes! Steering wheel vibration and shuddering is pronounced after the second stop. There is adequate fade resistance, and the stopping distance is slightly better than its first test, but these rotors are way warped. The tires still feel rock hard and gravelly." Acceleration from zero to 60 mph fell 0.4 second to 8.0 seconds (with 1 foot of rollout), and the quarter-mile time fell to 16.2 seconds at 86.8 mph. We cannot explain the reason for this decrease.

EPA fuel-economy estimates ranked the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour at 17 city and 25 highway mpg, an average of 20 mpg. After 19,000 miles of service our fuel consumption rate matched that figure exactly. That didn't seem too bad for a 4,035-pound car.

Best Fuel Economy: 27.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 12.3 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 20.2 mpg

Retained Value
Twelve months ago Honda suggested a $36,930 retail value for our 2010 Crosstour. At the time of this story, Edmunds' TMV^® Calculator gauged its private-party resale value at $27,347. This equates to roughly 26 percent depreciation from its original MSRP.

According to the same calculator, a 2010 Accord sedan depreciated about 24 percent under similar conditions. So the market doesn't seem to mind whether the Honda has a hatch or a trunk in the back. Honda maintains a reputation of reliability, and that makes a big difference on the used car lot.

True Market Value at service end: $27,347
Depreciation: $9,583 or 26% of original MSRP
Final Odometer Reading: 19,400

Summing Up
Our long-term test of the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour began on a superficial level. But we soon discovered what it offered beneath the surface. Edmunds.com Editor Ed Hellwig owns the quote, "You don't choose cars like this, you succumb to them. They creep up on you like thin hair and thick ankles." Hellwig added, "One minute you're rolling a 3 Series coupe, the next your wife needs room to haul her gardening stuff and the kids want rear doors and a DVD player. It's about that time when wagon-style things like the Crosstour start to look attractive. OK, plausible maybe."

You don't get a Crosstour to impress friends with its looks. You aren't drawn to it for the engaging drive either. A Crosstour sits in your driveway because an Accord sedan isn't large enough to manage your life. You need the extra cargo space, sometimes you need all-wheel drive and you don't want the financial liability attached to fueling a V8 SUV. For the past 12 months and nearly 20,000 miles we drove it in the situations for which this car was intended. We found some snow, dusted around on a dry lake bed and spent the rest of our days tooling down the highway.

By the conclusion of our test the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour was like new. Interior and exterior wear were virtually nonexistent. Resale value was decent. The Crosstour was ready for a set of brake pads and rotors when we returned it but otherwise mechanically sound. Say what you will about the styling. There are undeniable functional benefits to the tall wagon design. But is that enough to outweigh aesthetic tastes? That depends. As Hellwig concluded, "Your friends may wince, but your family will love you."

The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.