Community News for Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Northeast Phoenix, Carefree, Cave Creek and surrounding areas.

CITYSunTimes Web Exclusives October 2010 | Read the full SECTION

CITYLife

2010 Honda Crosstour 4WD EX-L

By Bill Zervakos and Cathy Droz, tworfortheroadusa.com

The 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour is an all-new five-door hatchback from Honda based on the Accord platform. It’s definitely a change from the rather staid history of the Accord and its usual pursuit of function, as the Crosstour sports a bold, muscular appearance highlighted by a higher beltline that sweeps upward towards the rear hatch.
The Crosstour shares the same V6 engine and 110-inch-wheelbase as the Accord, however the Crosstour EX, and more luxurious EX-L, are five-door, five-passenger vehicles. The base Crosstour EX is equipped dual-zone climate control, a moon roof, a seven-speaker 360-watt sound system and niceties to give the appearance of luxury.
The test car was the 4WD EX-L with the NavSystem, leather seating and leather wrapped steering, and Bluetooth, which are just some of the added features that are standard on the EX-L. The pricing range on the Crosstour is $36,220 up to around $39,670and the test car was $36,930 with the $710 destination charge.
Both the EX and EX-L interiors are similar inside, with a touch of wood trim highlighting the curving dash and soft materials on the armrests. Legroom is especially generous in the large cabin for both front- and rear seat passengers, but the sloping rear roofline makes headroom in the rear seats a bit tight for over six-footers.
The rear hatch opening allows easy access to the carpeted cargo area. It offers a good 25.7 cubic feet of storage with the rear seats up and 51.3 cubic feet with the seats folded. The rear section of the floor flips up in three pieces, reversing to an easy-to-clean plastic deck for muddy paws and boots. Under the floor, a cargo hold features a large, lift-out tray for easy toting or cleaning. At the sides, nicely detailed handles release the rear 60/40 split-folding seatbacks, which then automatically flip forward to make a large, flat loading floor. Four tie-down points and a 12-volt outlet complete this large, adaptable cargo space.
The Crosstour is powered by a 24-valve 3.5-liter V6 engine with 271 horsepower and 254 lb-ft of torque. The Single-Overhead-Cam engine benefits from Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management system, which allows the V6 to operate on six, four or three cylinders as appropriate for increased fuel economy. The Crosstour gets an EPA estimate of 18 mpg city/27 mpg highway in FWD trim and 17/25 mpg as an AWD vehicle.
The Accord Crosstour’s five-speed automatic transmission has several features engineered specifically to match its performance requirements, including extra-wide gear ratios for good low-end response and comfortable highway cruising. The transmission also features Honda’s Grade Logic Control technology, which is designed to hold the vehicle in a lower gear when climbing or descending a steep grade for improved performance and for manual gear operation using the gear selector; the Accord Crosstour exclusively features automatic RPM rev-matching when downshifting. The system uses the Drive-by-Wire throttle control’s ability to “blip” the throttle and more closely match the engine’s RPM to the transmission.
Honda’s Crosstour tries to be a lot of things to a lot of people. It’s practical in town and has a touch of élan, and it offers comfort with the option of exploring dirt roads while carrying more than an average carload of gear. I am intrigued by the fact that Accord is intended to be the flagship of the Honda line, so it will be interesting to see how that works out with the Crosstour.

CITYLife Web Exclusive | CITYSunTimes October 2010