Autoblog

2013 Honda Crosstour tiptoes onto the floor

Seyth Miersma — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Crossover, Honda, Design/Style

Honda has pulled the sheet on the redesigned Crosstour here in LA, showing a car that is more refined, perhaps, than the outgoing model, but still not exactly what we'd call "a looker."

The usual suspects have been addressed in this refresh: the Crosstour's front fascia, fenders and side skirts have all been tweaked. The 2013 Crosstour will be available with both a 2.4-liter, 192-horsepower four-cylinder engine, and a more powerful, 278-hp 3.5L V6. Both engines are from Honda's new Earth Dreams family of powerplants and deliver better fuel economy - 22/31 city/highway miles per gallon for the four-banger - than last year's offerings.

Whether or not you care for the Crosstour's new mug (take a look at it on Honda's LA show stand in our attached gallery) you have to give it up to the company for making it easier than ever to buy, thanks to a lower MSRP. The Crosstour now starts at $27,230, which is $525 less than last year's model. Scroll down for a press release.

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2013 Honda Crosstour tiptoes onto the floor originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda yanks sheet off 2013 Crosstour, adds lower base price [w/video]

George Kennedy — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Wagon, Videos, Crossover, Honda

The Honda Crosstour has been something of an automotive whatcha-ma-call-it. Buyers have found it hard to identify what the high-riding wagon is all about, and so have we. Honda even started out by calling it the Accord Crosstour, and then changed its name to help give it more of its own identity. But with other popular crossovers already in Honda's stables, trying to carve out a niche for the Crosstour has been no easy task.

To help strengthen the identity of the crossover-wagon, Honda has updated the Crosstour with more "refined styling," a number of content improvements and a lower base price. The first thing you will notice is the more utilitarian, "rugged" styling, with a pronounced front clip, fender flares and side skirts.

Under the hood lies one of Honda's new Earth Dreams family of engines. The base 2.4-liter inline-four makes 192 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque, while returning 22 miles per gallon city and 31 miles per gallon highway. The available 3.5-liter V6 produces 278 horsepower, up seven from the outgoing V6, making it the most powerful engine in the Earth Dreams family. The V6 returns 20/29 for front-wheel-drive models, and 18/28 for V6 models equipped with Real Time 4WD.

The Crosstour is also available with a suite of safety technologies, including a backup camera, forward collision warning and lane departure warning. A set of less-technical safety improvements have been applied as well, including reshaped headrests for improved visibility and an expanded view driver's mirror.

The 2013 Honda Crosstour comes with a $27,230 base price - $525 less than the outgoing model - and goes on sale November 30, 2012. Only time will tell if these changes are effective enough to sway more buyers, but if you may be interested, check out the press release and video below.

Continue reading Honda yanks sheet off 2013 Crosstour, adds lower base price [w/video]

Honda yanks sheet off 2013 Crosstour, adds lower base price [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Nov 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda butching up Crosstour for 2013 because 'people weren't exactly sure what it was'

Chris Paukert — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, Crossover, Hatchback, Honda, Design/Style

When the Honda Accord Crosstour launched back in 2009 as a 2010 model, we didn't quite know what to make of it. We weren't exactly taken with its styling and we didn't get its value equation, either. It drove well enough, but fell behind the segment's fierce competition in terms of space, amenities, visibility and pricing. The market seemed to agree, and the model never got near Honda's (traditionally conservative) sales projections of 40,000 units per year.

Since that time, Honda has tried to build momentum with the model by deleting its Accord appellation (it's now just "Crosstour") and adding a four-cylinder model, but sales haven't budged. Through August, Ward's Auto reports that Honda has managed to shift just 12,857 units, and its best-ever year, 2010, it only managed 28,851 units.

For 2013, the Crosstour is getting its biggest push since launch with its first major rework, and the logic behind the facelift is interesting. According to Ward's Auto, Honda believes that a major reason why the Crosstour has failed to find buyers is because people didn't know what to call it (or presumably, what to cross-shop it against). Honda marketed the model as a crossover, but as Vicki Poponi, assistant vice president-product planning opines, "people weren't exactly sure what it was (because) it was a tweener." So Honda responded by showing the thinly disguised 'concept' seen above at the New York Auto Show in April, and the showcar is expected to match the as-yet-unseen 2013 production model almost exactly. If that's the case, Honda will clearly butch up the five-door's lines for the new model year, with a squared-off jaw, bolder grille, contrasting lower cladding, and so on.

What's more, Honda is also addressing our criticism about a lack of amenities by giving the cabin a new eight-inch information display, revamped trim, keyless start and paddle shifters on the V6. In addition, the V6 model will receive a new six-speed auto in place of the 2012 model's five-speed unit. To combat the Crosstour's inherently poor visibility, Honda is fitting all models with a standard backup camera and its trick LaneWatch blind-spot system will be offered as an option.

Will these changes be enough to jumpstart the Crosstour's fortunes in the marketplace? Have your say in Comments.

Honda butching up Crosstour for 2013 because 'people weren't exactly sure what it was' originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Honda to reveal Crosstour concept in New York

Zach Bowman — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:43:00 EST

Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Crossover, Honda, Design/Style

Honda has announced it will debut a concept version of the 2013 Crosstour at the New York Auto Show next month. Details are scarce at the moment, but we wouldn't be surprised if the vehicle turns out to be a thinly veiled look at the next version of the funky crossover. Honda has a long and storied history of rolling out concepts with more than a passing resemblance to its production models. Given that the Crosstour has only been on the market for a couple of years, we aren't anticipating an all-new model, or perhaps even a heavy redesign.

Back in December, Honda President and CEO Tetsuo Iwamura told Autoblog that he was "really disappointed" with sales of the Crosstour, which he maintained has "very beautiful styling." Even so, Iwamura acknowledged that Honda would further refine the vehicle's styling and performance. As to the latter, Honda now offers buyers the ability to outfit their Crosstour with a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder. The move was largely thought to be in response to the fact that competitors like the Toyota Venza are available with four-pot motivation.

Still, all the engine options in the world won't save the Crosstour from its inherent design issues. Specifically, the Crosstour offers compromised rear visibility and cargo area, not to mention its highly controversial appearance. Will the concept headed to New York address those ails? We certainly hope so. Hit the jump for the brief press release.

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Honda to reveal Crosstour concept in New York originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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