Honda releases more pics of Accord Crosstour in red. Does it help? [w/POLL]
2010 Honda Accord Crosstour - Click above for image gallery
Honda is now in full-on damage control mode over the Accord Crosstour Facebook fiasco, a PR catastrophe that will likely be discussed in college marketing courses for years to come. As you probably know by now, the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour quickly became a bubble-butted piñata after its global unveiling via Facebook, where social media users get to vent their spleens have their say, and what they had to say, in a nutshell, was "Ugly!"
The situation became more embarrassing when Honda got snagged deleting select comments from the stream, including one from a pro-Crosstour individual who wound up actually being a Honda product planner. Unfortunately, he neglected to identify himself as such before posting. Honda finally saw fit to respond to the awkwardness with several paragraphs of PR boilerplate that included, among other things, an explanation that the car's really not all that ugly, you see. It simply doesn't look good in the pictures that were posted initially, and new shots would be forthcoming to "clear things up" on the matter of the car's apparently regrettable styling.
Well, those new Honda Accord Crosstour shots are up on Facebook now. Do they help? Frankly, we don't think so. Sure, the car's more red, but it's no less the homely hatchwagon. We've added a new poll after the jump, so let us know if your minds have changed as a result of the new images.
Gallery: 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour
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[Source: Facebook]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 10)
Nathan 9:09AM (9/05/2009)
Not the prettiest car in the world, but the hatred is a little over-the-top. It's not targeted at the demographic who reads Autoblog or follows Honda on Facebook, so i think it will sell decently when all is said and done.
Reply
g00fba11 9:18AM (9/05/2009)
I hope it doesn't. Was it over the top reaction? Probably? Did it need to be over the top? Yes. We are talking about a purveyor of elegant NSX, S2000, Civic, and yes...even Odyssey...taking radically ridiculous product directions, against the wishes the most loyal customer base in the business by far. I hope sales sucks so bad that Honda goes back to its roots of balanced, elegant automotive products.
g00fba11 9:23AM (9/05/2009)
If they have any brain, they should be thankful to their predecessors for creating such loyal fan base willing to express their opinions. Nobody cared enough about Pontiac, thus with the Asstek, it almost seems like people expected Pontiac to come up with fugly machineries. Nobody expect Honda to take directions its taken lately, so hopefully this will still save some of its previous soul. This coming from a guy who has not lived without at least a couple of Hondas since mid 80's, and still have 3 of them (not counting non-automotive Hondas).
Accazda3 hatch 9:33AM (9/05/2009)
The car is also going to get canned in a year just like every other quasi wagon...
Because the design is horrible, and because its usefulness is completely and totally NEGATED, i.e they reduced the amount of the hatch / wagon to just a slit in the sedan's C pillar.
Tourian 9:36AM (9/05/2009)
It needs to be over the top, or else they just won't get it. I'm not a Honda fan, but I appreciate the design of their simple, now legendary vehicles that they used to make. And suprsingly, it isn't about just the sports cars. I'll leave out the low volume high performance cars that everybody always mentions and just mention the cars that made Honda lots of money that have great (though very understated) looks.
1. 1990-1994 Accord
2. DA and DC Integra
3. '90's Civic hatch and coupe
4. 2nd gen Odyssey
5. CRX
I know you can't stay "old school" forever, but there has to be away to recapture the clean crisp functional lines of these cars in a modern shape without being weird and ungainly.
dumblikeyou2 10:16AM (9/05/2009)
Lesbians will like it. They love ugly cars that offer lots of utility. Too bad for them that Honda is not a gay-friendly company. http://www.gaywheels.com/gff/nongayfriendly.htm
Brex 9:38AM (9/05/2009)
I think Nathan is right on with this. Autoblog readers are nuts for cars and the Crosstour is not a car for car nuts. The poll should have included a category somewhere in the middle: Not attractive but not an Aztek. I think it's a homely, limited utility waste of an effort but I think it'll still sell... a few.
Rene Curry 9:51AM (9/05/2009)
Nathan,
Totally agree.
I think the BMW X6 falls into the same catagory. Ugly versus BMW clout.
If the X6 is popular with the image crowd, this Honda can ride on it's coat tails at a lower price point.
Heck, I would believe that if the Aztek was an import it would have been labeled as segment breaker success.
Every vehicle that I like doesn't sell, and every vehicle I dislike sells!
I don't like the Honda design.
So my on my sellometer I give it a 8 of 10. It will be a huge success!
Iwa 9:58AM (9/05/2009)
g00fba11, I'm not a fan of the cross tour or even the current styling of the Accord, but it's really not a ridiculous product direction. The Accord started out as a hatchback and was produced as one until the middle of the third generation in 1987. I see the Crosstour as Honda bringing back the Accord somewhat to it's roots, albeit in a five door instead of a three door.
David 10:36AM (9/05/2009)
Accazda3 hatch:
Exactly! Those elongated hatches are highly impractical. Might as well have a trunk. Only "vertical" hatches provide the "hatch advantage", not to mention the fact that they always look much better. This is where the "weirdness" comes in, nearly every time. It's why Saabs looked so strange, and why cars like the Tiburon or Eclipse don't have a lot of useful interior space, despite being very large cars.
Chazz 10:42AM (9/05/2009)
Ah for the love of Peter, there goes my breakfast!
Silly Pickle 11:24AM (9/05/2009)
Ya know...I showed this thing (in the initial pics) to a few co-workers, and they all thought it looked great. My boss, who I thought was a car guy, drives a brand new Maxima...liked it. As for this line..."Lesbians will like it. They love ugly cars that offer lots of utility." maybe it's true. I showed it to a female co-worker who recently split with her husband (her female business partner did too so there's rumour that they "switched sides" so to speak)...and she loved it. I showed her the original Crosstour wagon
http://www.2010hondaaccordcrosstour.com/crosstour-photos/2010-Honda-Accord-Crosstour.jpg
- the good looking one, and she said it was the ugliest thing she ever saw. She must be gay. This...this thing is still ugly.
That being said, if you hold your hand up to your screen and block off everything from the B pillar back, it aint so bad! LOL
Plech...
chineyz954 11:34AM (9/05/2009)
Make it Hybrid-Only and no one will care about the style(note Prius and Insight)
Noidor 11:46AM (9/05/2009)
It looks like a dog which has that little poo back attached to its butt. Rest of the car is a complete mismatch. I don't know what's worse this or the Acura X6 challenger...forget the name of it.
mrsmooth17 11:45AM (9/05/2009)
First off:
Nathan you are very correct. It's not the prettiest car on the road but the hatred it has gotten was a little extreme. People said that all the hatred was going to make them change it or something. It's coming out in like two months, so we should've known that wasn't gonna happen. People became friends of the Facebook page just to bash the car. That's a childish move. Very childish IMO. And in red, it's not bad looking. Some cars from certain angles just don't look that good. People interested in the car will like it when it comes out probably so it will do well in the sells department.
I, personally, think that if there was an aftermarket or Honda accessory grille for the front that was of a different design or smaller, the front of the vehicle would look nice. I would also like to see it in black
Tyler 11:54AM (9/05/2009)
Red does help but it's still pretty bad.
Tool 12:28PM (9/05/2009)
This new picture absolutely helps . . .
. . . helps show how ugly this vehicle is in every color and at every angle.
Jim 12:40PM (9/05/2009)
The new design is very different for Honda, and most people are against change at first until they have time to really digest it. When I first saw this vehicle I wasn't all that fond of it, but it really isn't that bad. It has a bit of BMW X6 in it, more sporty then the traditional wagon, and doesn't look like every SUV or CUV on the street. What really matters is will people buy it. I've always bought cars that looked good (at least to me) - a long line of BMWs (including the Z4), the Infiniti FX SUV, and most recently a Lexus RX350. Just 3 months ago I bought my current vehicle - a 09 Subaru Forester 2.5 XT Limited. I needed room and security for all types of weather (I know live up in Seattle). If this vehicle would have been available, it would have been on my consideration list. With Honda's reputation for quality and reliability, it would have ranked up high.
So there are people out there for this vehicle - people like me who are now at the age who are buying cars for their functionality, features, quality and safety. Honda did fumble the ball handling the launch of this and the reaction on facebook - but hopefully they'll cool down and just let the vehicle launch. Consumers will buy it and the appearance will quickly move from the top issue to a preference of consumers. Believe me, I'd much rather be driving this then the Element....but then again I'm not the targeted buyer for the Element.
cFoo 12:48PM (9/05/2009)
If you look at the bigger picture I think everyone is taking their frustrations with Honda on the Crosstour. It's not the ugliest thing Honda has put out thus far. Come on, this has got to be slightly better than the new TL. Since 2000, they've gone on and slowly destroy what people have come to love about Honda. Elegant designs that hold its place over time.
I guess when Soichiro Honda died he took the soul of the company with him. The 90s were their glory days. I thought they would go back after they released the S2000. But boy am I ever wrong.
We've bought nothing but Honda and Acura in the family since 79. I'm counting at least 15 cars since. It's going to be sad when I shop for the next car. It will not be at a Honda or Acura dealer. My wife got an RDX the last round and god I still can't stand that thing. It will be the last Honda product we'll have in the family tree.
James 1:05PM (9/05/2009)
No matter what Honda says on Facebook to appease folks on the Crosstour, it just elicit migraines to most who see it (ditto).