ALT-1 Honda Crosstour
It may be big. It may be ugly. But can it still be up to par with the Toyota Venza as far as performance and fuel economy? The answer: Yes. I mean, after all, it is still a Honda. The 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour is an all-new model for 2010 which is based the same chassis as a [regular] Honda Accord; hence, the model name, “Accord” Crosstour. It may be more fuel-efficient than the current Honda Pilot, but the Crosstour is not a CR-V. The 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour combines luxury, style, technology, performance, as well as fuel-efficiency in one package.
Unlike the regular Honda Accord sedan which comes with both a four-cylinder and a V6 engine, the Accord Crosstour only comes with the 271-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 derived from the Accord EX V6 sedan. The Crosstour also comes with the same VCM engine technology as the Accord EX V6 sedan. “What is VCM?” a non-Honda owner may wonder or ask0. VCM is an acronym which stands for Variable Cylinder Management. Honda had put this type of engine technology in all of its V6-powered vehicles which allows the engine to shut down three cylinders to maximize fuel efficiency while driving at slower speeds.
Also, unlike the regular Accord sedan, the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour has 60/40 split rear seats, whereas the Accord sedan only has the split-folding bench seat (like my Civic LX). With this in mind, you can now load a huge amount of cargo such as camping equipment, golf clubs, or music gear such as drums, two guitars, and maybe a couple of amplifiers. The rear cargo area also has a reversible carpet/plastic mat which can prevent your carpet from getting dirty from dirt or snow from skiing or hiking up in the mountains. The floor panels as well as the removable utility box for your ice chests and coolers are water-resistant so cleaning is a breeze. If you fold down both the rear seats, you will get a total of more than 50 cubic feet of space! So, come on…get out of that clumsy bedroom of yours, and get out your sleeping bags.
The Crosstour comes in two different trim levels. There is the base EX model and the EX-L, which adds leather seats, obviously, as well as an array of other options such as an available satellite-linked navigation system, Bluetooth, a USB adapter in the center console, and 18-inch alloy wheels (the regular EX version only comes with 17-inch wheels). As mentioned earlier, both Crosstour models come with the same Accord sedan EX’s 3.5-liter V6 with 271 horsepower, which provides pretty good gas mileage for a car this size. 18 miles per gallon in the city, and 27 miles per gallon on the highway is descent for a 2WD Accord Crosstour with the 4WD model just a mile per gallon or two below.
With a smooth-shifting 5-speed automatic transmission and Drive-by-Wire throttle technology, performance and handling for a crossover is stupendous thanks to a double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension as well as a 0-60 sprint in just 7 seconds flat and a ¼ mile time of 15.3 seconds at 95.3 mph. Could it beat the Mazda CX-7 Grand Touring with the RX-8’s turbocharged engine or even the Crosstour’s closest competitor, the Toyota Venza? Maybe. Maybe not.
The Accord Crosstour has a lot of safety features for a crossover. Even though it has standard ABS and Electronic Brake Distribution to all four wheels with four-wheel disc brakes, the Crosstour cannot do any better than 130 feet from 60 mph. TPMS (Tire pressure monitoring system) is also standard on the Crosstour EX-L as it lets the driver know when the tires are low on air pressure. In an event of a traffic collision, the front seats have active head restraints to help prevent whiplash to the driver and passengers. The seat-belt for all five passengers have an automatic tensioning which lets the seat-belt tighten in an event of a frontal impact.
Technology. Who does not love it, especially on a car like the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour? Hands-free Bluetooth is standard on the EX-L but optional on the EX. Unlike the Accord sedan, you can still get the hands-free Bluetooth even if you do not get the satellite navigation system. A USB port for your iPod or iPhone is standard (although a USB cord is required); when you get the navigation system, a backup camera is included since the blind spots are pretty big on this car.
I am not really used to driving such a big car such as the Crosstour or the Honda Pilot as much as my little Civic (R.I.P.), but I am kind of tired of driving little small cars, such as my Civic and the Toyota Corolla, not because that they do not have enough space to put a lot of passengers and cargo in, but the insulation is not that great as far as wind or road noise are concerned. Of course, the Crosstour does have a bit of a problem with fuel efficiency, but like I said, thanks to the VCM, three of the six cylinders would shut down during slow speeds to maximize fuel efficiency.
