2011 Honda Accord Crosstour Review and Prices

By Chuck Giametta

Table of Contents
2011 Honda Accord Crosstour Review and Pricing
2010 Honda Accord Crosstour Review and Pricing
2010 Honda Accord Crosstour Quote

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour is the best car for you if you know that when Honda says “crossover utility vehicle” it means “family station wagon.”

• The 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour is the sophomore edition of a radial Honda that inflates the Accord sedan into a high-riding hatchback. Priced in the $31,000-$38,000 range, Crosstour seats five and is available with all-wheel drive. Honda bravely casts it as the flagship of the Accord line and aims it at taste-makers who have a family and don’t want a three-row SUV.

• Should you wait for the 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour or buy a 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour? Wait for the 2011 Crosstour. Don’t worry about first-year bugs – that’s rarely an issue for Honda. But Crosstour’s unusual styling and atypical appeal does not insure immediate sales success. How Crosstour does in its inaugural season will ultimately determine the kind of deal you’ll be able to swing in its second. You may fall in love the moment you see the 2010 model, but why waste an opportunity to bargain from a position of strength?  

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR CHANGES

• Styling: The 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour’s styling almost certainly will be a carbon copy of the 2010 model’s – unless a rattled Honda discovers it needs a quick tweak to rescue it from marketplace apathy … or ridicule. Crosstour is a four-door hatchback with a trendy coupe-like roofline. It’s based on the underbody structure of the midsize Accord sedan and wheelbase – the distance between the front and rear axles – is virtually identical. Styling bears an Accord-family resemblance but is designed to convey a more powerful presence. A bit bulbous in places, Crosstour’s body is slightly wider and longer than the sedan’s, and nearly 8 inches taller, for much more interior volume. It also rides higher for a more commanding seating position. The hatch lifts to reveal 25.7 cubic feet of cargo space (double Accord’s trunk) and 51.3 cubic feet with the rear seatbacks folded. Still, similarly sized competitors such as the Toyota Venza, Nissan Murano, even the Subaru Outback, have more than 60 cubic feet of cargo space. Crosstour shares its basic dashboard design and cabin décor with the Accord. Honda launched Crosstour with a simple two-model lineup: EX and upscale EX-L. The only exterior styling differentiation was 17-inch alloy wheels on the EX and fancier 18s on the EX-L. Honda isn’t expected to add or subtract models for the 2011 Accord Crosstour – unless it pushes the panic button.

• Mechanical: Crosstour borrows Accord’s most powerful engine and fortifies its suspension to support its additional300 pounds of curb weight (500 with AWD). A four-cylinder engine isn’t consistent with Honda’s initial positioning of the Crosstour, so expect the 2011 model to return with a 3.5-liter V-6 as its sole engine. Rated at 271 horsepower for model-year 2010, it automatically deactivates three or four of its cylinders to save gas in low-stress situations. Expect Honda to reserve six-speed automatic transmissions for its premium Acura division, leaving the 2011 Crosstour to repeat with a five-speed automatic. This transmission lacks manual-shift control via steering wheel paddles or a separate gate, but the 2010 Crosstour did introduce to the Honda brand new shift logic for better engine-speed management, particularly during cornering. Like the Accord, Crosstour has front-wheel drive, but unlike the car, it’s available with all-wheel drive. The system defaults to front-wheel drive but can automatically shuffle power between front and rear wheels to sustain traction. Crosstour has an SUV-credible 8.1 inches of ground clearance (not counting a couple of aero-enhancing plastic tabs below the front bumper), but it isn’t designed for off-road use. AWD was available for model-year 2010 only on the EX-L model, and there’s little reason to expect that’ll change for the 2011 Crosstour. Towing capacity should remain a modest 1,500 pounds.

• Features: The 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour is expected to continue with a nice array of standard features while again reserving perks like leather upholstery and a navigation system for the uplevel EX-L model. Among features standard on both models: dual-zone automatic climate control, heated mirrors, power moonroof, iPod auxiliary jack, power front seats, and manual tilt/telescope steering wheel with audio and cruise buttons. Antilock four-wheel disc brakes, traction and antiskid control, torso-protecting front side airbags, and head-protecting curtain side airbags also are standard. EX-L models add Bluetooth cell-phone linking. EX-L models with navigation get a USB iPod interface. The navigation system includes voice activation and a rearview backup camera. Don’t expect the 2011 Accord Crosstour to veer from this model strategy or add major new features such as a panoramic sunroof. However, Honda could narrow the gap between Crosstour and some of its rivals by, say, making Bluetooth, USB linking, heated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and a cargo cover available on the EX model, not just the EX-L. And an increasing number of crossovers less expensive than Crosstour are available with the safety advantage of a low-cost rearview camera system that displays on a portion of the inside rearview mirror.      

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR PRICES

• Honda won’t release 2011 Accord Crosstour pricing until shortly before the vehicle goes on sale. But barring the unexpected addition of a lower-cost trim line, 2011 Crosstour prices shouldn’t be far afield from the 2010 model’s. (Prices in this review include the manufactuer’s destination fee; Honda’s fee for the 2010 Crosstour was $710.)

• That would suggest 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour prices starting around $31,000 for the base model, which was called EX for 2010 and was available only with front-wheel drive. Expect the 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour EX-L to start around $34,000 with front-wheel drive and around $35,500 with AWD. The navigation system should again add some $2,200 to the EX-L.  

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR FUEL ECONOMY

• EPA gas-mileage estimates for 2011 models were not released in time for this review, but 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour fuel economy ratings are unlikely to change.

• That would mean the 2011 Crosstour would rate 18/27 mpg (city/highway) with front-wheel drive and 17/25 with AWD. The Crosstour runs on regular-octane gas.  

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR RELEASE DATE

• Expect the 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour to go on sale in autumn 2010. It’ll continue to be assembled alongside the Accord sedan at Honda’s plant in Ohio.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE ACCORD CROSSTOUR

• Honda hopes it hasn’t painted itself into a corner with the Accord Crosstour. No manufacturer has enjoyed broad success with this sort of station-wagon/crossover blend. The graveyard includes the Chrysler Pacifica and first-generation Cadillac SRX. The jury’s still out on the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo hatchback. Even Midas-touch Toyota has moved to widen the appeal of its Camry-based Venza by making available four- and six-cylinder models and instituting a more liberal options policy than Honda has for the Crosstour.

• Honda’s strategy paints Crosstour as the ultimate Accord. Decontented versions with a four-cylinder engine or even lower trim lines with a V-6 aren’t part of the product plan. At least they weren’t for the 2010 Crosstour. If that model falls short of sales expectations, Honda may be compelled to rethink Crosstour’s styling, pricing, or market positioning.

• In the longer term, Crosstour seems a fine candidate for a hybrid model, especially if Honda decides to promote gas-electric propulsion systems as premium powertrains.

2011 HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR COMPETITION

• Toyota Venza: Perhaps the most stylish crossbreed crossover – to a fault, in one sense, because the large wheels and tires that help it look cool also stiffen ride quality. Nonetheless, this is an appealing take on the genre, with plenty of passenger and cargo room. For 2011, expect four-cylinder models to be priced from around $27,000 and rate a best 21/29 mpg while V-6 versions start just under $30,000 and rate a best 19/26. Venza won’t get major changes before model-year 2013.

• Subaru Outback: Redesigned for model-year 2010 and given vitally needed rear-seat room, Outback is more the conventional station wagon than Venza or Crosstour but surprisingly close in size and capability. AWD is standard on every model. Prices for 2011 should start around $25,000 for the four-cylinder model (22/29 mpg) and around $29,000 for the six-cylinder (18/25). Outback won’t be altered again for several years.

• Nissan Murano: Honda pegs this five-seater as a Crosstour competitor even though it leans toward the traditional-SUV end of the crossover spectrum. Still, Murano is roomy, sporty, and attractively styled. It only with a V-6 and is rated 18/23 mpg with both front- and all-wheel drive. Expect 2011 Murano prices to start around $29,000. Redesigned for model-year 2009, Murano is based on the Nissan Altima car and won’t change again for several years.