crosstour Archives

How to make the Honda Accord Crosstour even more disturbing

Filed under: Etc., Crossover, Honda, Humor

2011 Honda Accord Crosstour badge overkill – Click above for high-res image gallery

The 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour is arguably one of the ugliest beasts to beat up the streets in a long time. From its too-high stance to its odd, bulbous profile and protruding grille, the look is wrong on many levels.

For one Massachusetts driver, though, Honda’s own design wasn’t quite wrong enough. No, this misguided owner took his Crosstour from pretty ugly to downright terrifying, all with the simple application of badges and decals. Starting with an ill-advised Type R badge up front, the madness didn’t stop until there were matching Apple decals adorning the rear deck.

In between, the front and rear got red Type R-style Honda emblems, red pinstriping and, as if all that weren’t enough, what appears to be a “V6” badge on the grille – you know, to flaunt the 3.5-liter underhood. Hit the gallery and see what else you can decode from this parts-store lettering extravaganza. Thanks for the tip, Frank!

Gallery: 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour with badge overload

2011 Honda Accord Crosstour badge overkill

[Source: Imgur]

How to make the Honda Accord Crosstour even more disturbing originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda Accord Crosstour Cabriolet coming to take on Nissan’s topless Murano

Filed under: Convertible, Honda, Design/Style

Honda Accord Crosstour Cabriolet

Honda Accord Crosstour Cabriolet – Click above for high-res image

Are unconventional droptops becoming the darling of the automotive industry? Honda is evidently paying close attention to the new Murano CrossCabriolet from Nissan, and apparently it likes what it sees. Historically averse to convertibles (small-volume jobs like the S2000 excluded), the Japanese automaker now plans to offer a soft-top CUV of its own, and the unlikely choice for a roofectomy is the slow-selling Honda Accord Crosstour.

Unimaginatively dubbed the Accord Crosstour Cabriolet, this convertible features a two-plus-two interior seating arrangement and unlimited headroom. Under the hood sits the familiar 3.5-liter V6 engine, which produces 271 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque. Like the fixed-roof Crosstour, the Cabriolet will be offered with front- and all-wheel drive, giving it more configurablility than the AWD-only Murano. Like the Nissan, the cabrio conversion has resulted in two fewer doors and the merciful exclusion of a basket-handle structural support. Oddly, to our eyes, the Crosstour Cabriolet almost looks more attractive than the hunchbacked hardtop – at least with the top down.

When it goes on sale this summer, the Honda Accord Crosstour Cabriolet will sit atop the Crosstour’s pricing structure. The fully-loaded Crosstour we reviewed in 2010 had a sticker price of $36,930, so expect the convertible to come in right at a stitch over the $40K mark. That’s a bit less than the $47,190 Nissan wants for its Murano CrossCab.

Continue reading Honda Accord Crosstour Cabriolet coming to take on Nissan’s topless Murano

Honda Accord Crosstour Cabriolet coming to take on Nissan’s topless Murano originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Honda Accord Crosstour to get four-cylinder option

Filed under: Crossover, Honda, Rumormill

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour – Click above for high-res image gallery

When Honda originally launched the odd duck Accord Crosstour in late 2009, we were told that the only available powertrain would be a V6, but that plans for a four-cylinder hadn’t been completely ruled out. Now, Honda fansite Temple of VTEC reports that a memo sent to dealerships states that a four-cylinder Crosstour is on the way, arriving at some point later this year.

Details about the four-cylinder Crosstour were not divulged, but we would assume that it’s the same 2.4-liter engine currently found in the Accord sedan. Temple of VTEC reports that a larger four-cylinder unit for the CR-V crossover is currently in the works, so we won’t rule out the possibility of that new mill finding its way under the Crosstour’s hood, as well. Expect the four-cylinder engine to only be available on lower-trim Crosstours, likely without an all-wheel drive option.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour

[Source: Temple of VTEC]

Report: Honda Accord Crosstour to get four-cylinder option originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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CR-Z, Crosstour, Insight sales hurting – Odyssey lone bright spot among new Honda models

Filed under: Car Buying, Honda, Earnings/Financials

2011 Honda CR-Z

2011 Honda CR-Z – Click above for high-res image gallery

Honda has hit rough water with sales of its new CR-Z, Accord Crosstour and Insight models According to Automotive News, the three models are underperforming in a big way.

Take the Insight hybrid, which is falling 40,000 units short of even the most conservative estimates inside the company. Outsold 8-to-1 by its Toyota Prius rival, Honda has only managed to shift 19,325 units through November – the company originally targeted sales of 60,000 to 80,000.

Likewise, thus far this year, Honda has sold nearly 20,000 fewer Crosstour models than its biggest competitor – the Toyota Venza, selling just 25,927 units compared to the Toyota’s 43,325. Need we remind you, Honda’s original sales goal for the Crosstour was 40,000 units per year, a number we were deeply skeptical of after first driving the vehicle at its launch last November.

Although it hasn’t been on the market that long, early sales for Honda’s new CR-Z hybrid coupe aren’t any more encouraging. Automotive News reports that Honda had conservatively intended to sell around 15,000 of the two-seat hybrids per year, but so far, only 4,373 have made their way off of dealer lots and another 3,000 are currently sitting in inventory. Thankfully, there is one bright spot in the Honda stable – the 2011 Odyssey. The minivan bowed in September, and it’s performing well against a minivan segment that has heated up with a range of new competitors.

Automotive News suggests that the problem boils down to a change in Honda’s image from a company with compelling products to one that plays it safe. Throw in styling that isn’t for everyone and aging (but still selling) models like the CR-V and Accord, and you’ve got a recipe for decreased market share.

Honda, meanwhile, says that it doesn’t focus on market share because that leads to bad habits (read: incentives), instead opting to focus on percentage-increases in vehicles sold. That’s a fair strategy, but slow sales of key new models suggest that Honda needs to do some soul-searching. Might we suggest getting back to its roots as an engineering-driven car company?

Gallery: 2011 Honda CR-Z: Review

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

CR-Z, Crosstour, Insight sales hurting – Odyssey lone bright spot among new Honda models originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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