Is The 2010 Honda Crosstour A Disaster In The Making?

Finally, now that it is September, we have received a look at Honda’s latest and greatest – but I am not sure it is the latter. Yesterday, Honda’s all-new Accord Crosstour made an appearance, and the more I look at it, I wonder if it is a flop in the making.

Taking it from the top, the car is based on the Accord. Although it is a perennial favorite amongst many, the Accord is not a particularly striking vehicle. If it were my money, I would rather invest in a Civic sedan and squeeze a little tighter. Now this Crosstour-jobby is aiming to compete in the growing and competitive crossover area.

Source: HondaNews

In a press release issued yesterday, Erik Berkman, vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. said "Our concept is to broaden the appeal of the Accord line-up by leveraging traditional Accord strengths of fun-to-drive performance and handling while also adapting to dramatic shifts in the light truck marketplace.”

The reasoning behind the Accord Crosstour makes a lot of sense, in fact, it is brilliant. With Subaru’s Forrester absolutely killing its target market, with a 76 percent increase year-over-year in August 2009, it seems sensible to try to get a piece of their market share. Yet the main problem that can be foreseen, lies within Honda’s styling.

Looking at the latest imagery shown yesterday, it appears rather unsightly. An angular front clip and enormous grille seem to take over the front of the vehicle’s overall design. As the design transcends backwards, it seems to become more curvaceous and free-flowing – thus creating a clash that has not been seen since the Greeks and the Turks.

Source: HondaNews

Even Acura’s ZDX looks better than this. Beak and all.

The reason is that Acura kept the theme similar throughout the entire design. The Crosstour looks as though two separate teams worked on the front and rear of the design.

Hopefully its interior and powerplant choices can make up for the exterior’s faults. If not, I am sure that there are some Honda loyalists that will step up to the plate and pick up one of these “hunchbacks,” as I saw someone nickname it.

I mean, they do sell the Element and Ridgeline, right?

The saving grace for this vehicle will be how much utility it has. People will buy nearly anything, as long as it has a significant amount of utility. Case in point: Scion xB. However, with a sloping roofline, it does not appear as though it will have a cavernous rear hatch. Granted, the studio photos are not exactly providing the best angles for judgment.

Stay tuned for more details on the Accord Crosstour.

~nz

rp

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Source: rp

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Read more here.

rp