It took me almost a full week to say this, but I don't completely hate the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour. I just mostly hate it.
For the first four days, I felt like Goldie Locks trying to find a comfortable driving position. The driver's seat ranged from too low to too much lumbar support. I couldn't get the seatback positioned properly. Then I sat too close to the steering wheel. And then too far from the pedals. I couldn't quite get the right ratio between pedals, seatback and steering wheel, so every day began with a series of adjustments. Which was rather annoying.
Though, at the end at least, I kind of settled in, and my driving position didn't completely suck. It just mostly sucked.
Lest you think it's just me and my petite frame, I should reveal that one of my tweet buddies who sells Hondas mentioned that he had a tall customer who couldn't quite fit either. His exact reply was: "I got a big guy who doesnt fit in one here right now! LOL WHO IS THIS CAR FOR!! all those pesky average people... geez."
Average indeed.
But really, when I sat down to think about it, there's nothing average about the all-new Crosstour. It's the kind of vehicle that demands attention, whether it's good or bad. And during the test week, I found that people either love or hate the Crosstour, with not much leeway in between.
My boyfriend hated it. The guy who chased me down on the highway who wanted to have a conversation across traffic while driving 40 mph loved it.
I have to admit that it wasn't until this guy was interested enough to follow me that I actually considered the redeeming values of the Crosstour. Up to that point, I completely hated it. But when I started the pro/con spreadsheet, I actually saw the pro side tally up pretty well.
First off, the interior is really well done. I'm particularly fond of the electric blue gauge lights that light up behind the steering wheel at night. The center stack is well organized and easy to reach. But I do have to say I'd prefer a dial for the radio station tuning rather than a button.
Second, even though the the seat wasn't made for a petite person, the rear hatch sure was. It opens wide to fit large cargo items, but the hatch curves so that the hand grip to close the hatch is easy to reach.
I also liked the large number of functional features on the car from the lever that releases the rear seats located in the cargo area to the multiple cubby holes to hold wallets, cell phones, iPasses and charger cords.
Then you have the polarizing exterior design. Other than the comfort factor, this is the other love-it-or-hate-it feature. It, quite simply, looks like an egg. At the beginning of the test week, my reaction every time I looked at the Crosstour was "Ewwwww." But as the week wore on, it kind of grew on me.
The Crosstour comes equipped with a 271-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 engine. This is some nice power for the small crossover, and it is exactly what you need to get around in cities and suburbs alike. It doesn't offer a lot of extra oomph, but it gives you plenty of go to merge with traffic or beat out that creep who's trying to cut you off at a stoplight.
The test vehicle was a 4-wheel-drive model, which is great for places like Chicago that have a solid 4 months of snow and ice. But the downside for the other 8 months is bad gas mileage. The city/highway fuel estimates are 17/25 mpg. But I have to admit, I didn't do that well during my test week with primarily city driving.
Thus, the Crosstour is distinctive if not attractive. It's functional if not comfortable. And it's capable if not speedy.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you need to seat 5 and store some stuff in the back, this might be worth a test drive. If you're not too tall or too short. And if you can get over the whole egg-shape thing.
The base price of the Crosstour is $29,670, which I think is a bit steep for a Honda. As a point of reference, the Honda Accord Sedan starts at $21,055, and the CR-V starts at $21,545. The test vehicle was a top-of-the-line EX-L model with navigation and 4WD, which means the price went up almost $10K. Eek! The as-tested price was $37,000, and I definitely wouldn't pay that for this car.
While I only mostly hate the Crosstour, I completely hate the pricing. But if you're looking for something novel, and you have some extra change to spare, I suppose this could be an option. But if you do have that extra change, why not upgrade to the Acura ZDX at $45,495? That makes more sense to me than a $37K Honda.
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