May 25, 2018

Ahh yes, the Crosstour. The spiritual successor the Element, the ugly duckling, one of Honda’s more controversially-designed cars. And, one of my favorites.

 

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The Crosstour started off production in 2010 as the “Accord Crosstour,” built on the Accord platform and slotted just below the Pilot in Honda’s lineup. It was classified as a hatchback/wagon, was available with a 3.5-liter V6 engine and all-wheel drive. In the two-wheel drive models, it came with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. It was originally marketed as a more off-road and outdoors based car, competing with the likes of the cladded wagons of the time; i.e., Volvo’s and Subaru’s. Unfortunately, it never really caught on with the camping crowded, and thus was killed off in 2016 due to a lack of sales.

 

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For me, it’s hard to see why it was discontinued. Sure, it’s styling was a bit of an acquired taste, but with the V6 engine (which nearly every Honda owner complained about missing when the 2018 Accord was released) and all-wheel drive, it made for a fun drive that was different than every other crossover of that era. Had the trend of camping and outdoorsmanship been more prevalent in the early 2010’s, the Crosstour would’ve been out there on the trails and campgrounds.

 

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And that’s what I love about it. Not to sound like a hipster, but the Crosstour was before it’s time, in my opinion. It had the soul of an off-roader, but the ride of a luxury wagon, but never got the chance to really prove itself. With the market moving to the great outdoors, shouldn’t we have cars to emulate that?

 

If you have any ideas of what Honda Misfit I should spotlight next, or if you have one you’d like to see featured, let me know!

 

By Christian Olsson, Honda Genius