Move aside Toyota Venza, Honda has unveiled its latest offering: the Honda Accord Crosstour. And this time it’s official. The Accord CUV - not station wagon - will go on sale this fall as a 2010 model.

While the press release is brief to say the least, the Accord Crosstour will probably be based off the Acura ZDX and current Honda Accord. Honda’s official website now lists the Accord Crosstour as a future model and features a timer counting down to September 1. At which point Honda will tell us what exactly it is that they’ve put together.

It is yet to be seen if my previous prediction about the Crosstour deriving power from the Acura RDX’s 2.3-Liter turbo fourbanger is true. It was also predicted that an AWD setup might be in the works. Conveniently enough, the press release confirms/debunks absolutely nothing:

HONDA PRESS RELEASE
An all-new crossover vehicle based on the award-winning Honda Accord will go on-sale in the fall of 2009 as the “Accord Crosstour,” American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. This new addition to the Honda lineup will be sold as a 2010 model. Additional information will be announced later in the year.

Personally, I’d much rather have Honda of America skip this whole CUV bullshit. The European Accord Tourer (pictured below) is a very fine car and it’s absolutely stunning to look at. Skip the drama and just give us the Accord Tourer.
(I agree)

Source; http://japancarblog.com/honda-confirms-accord-crosstour-coming-fall-2009/

2010 Honda "Crosstour"?!?

Found some more information on the upcoming Honda Accord Wagon from Japancarblog.com....
It looks like Honda’s readying a new model to challenge Toyota’s all-new Venza. Spy shots of the station wagon (what it really is) show a slighty enlarged blend of the American Accord and the European Accord Tourer. The test car reportedly carried a “Latitude” badge but trademark records from December 16, 2008 hint the Honda might name it the “Crosstour” instead.

Jalopnik is predicting power will be derived from the Acura MDX’s 2.3-Liter turbo fourbanger. They also predict the rear differential is a sign that an AWD setup might be in the works.

If the wagon makes it to production, which rumors are suggesting is likely, it’ll be the first U.S. market Honda wagon in more than a decade.

Source;
http://japancarblog.com/spotted-honda-accord-station-wagon-in-america/#more-313

Temple of VTEC; New Spy Shots of the Accord-based CUV

Nice find from www.vtec.net ....
For the second time in several months, we've caught a development vehicle for an ALL-NEW Honda Accord-based crossover! This vehicle program has been rumored for quite a while now and these pics are the first proof the project has finally been green-lighted.

At first glance, this vehicle may look like nothing more than the European Honda Accord Tourer. Closer inspection reveals that is not the case. For starters, the U.S. market Honda Accord front end has been grafted onto the body. While most of the body on this mule is non-production, this front end may actually be close to the final design of the nose we see on the production CUV.

We can also see fender flares that have been tacked onto the body and covered with tape that matches the color of the paint. These flares indicate that the wheel track has been widened slightly. Looking directly behind the rear doors, it quickly becomes apparent that a few extra inches of sheet metal and glass have been added to the body, suggesting the final product will be a few inches longer than the current European Accord Tourer. This development vehicle is also riding higher than a standard Accord Tourer and actually resembles and Audi allroad in person.

Based on the Honda Accord chassis, this all-new crossover vehicle will start production in the 4th quarter of 2009 at the Marysville or East Liberty factory. The Accord CUV will slot in-between CR-V and Pilot and will look to do battle with Toyota's new Venza CUV.

For more on the Priddy article, follow the link;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=810703

Here is a link to my previous posts on the subject;
http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2009/01/hondas-next-crossover-vehicle-expected.html

http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2008/11/car-driver-2010-accord-cuv-pics-from.html

Honda's Next Crossover Vehicle Expected to Land in Showrooms of North America Late September 2009

Just a short while ago Brenda Priddy & Co. caught the above car being tested in the 'wild' with some enough camo (see tape over the fenders and what not) to disguise the cosmetic appearance but not enough camo to disguise the fact that Honda is working on a new crossover, this one looking a lot like a station wagon.

I can confirm that as of now Honda Canada is brining this vehicle to Canada's (and I would imagine USA's) showrooms for purchase.

Not much else is known about the vehicle, although there is heavy speculation that the CUV would come with either Honda's Realtime 4WD or VTM-4X4. I imagine that there could be 2X engine choices as well, 4 and 6 cylinders.

This vehicle does make sense in the fact that Toyota has brought about their own 'wagon' to be released in the North American market called the Venza, pictured below.

Here are a couple of links from previous posts on the matter;

http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2008/11/car-driver-2010-accord-cuv-pics-from.html

http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2008/11/tov-brenda-priddy-new-honda-accord.html

Source;

Honda Canada

Car & Driver: 2010 Accord CUV Pic's from Brenda Priddy & Co.

This mule could be Honda's answer to the Toyota Venza.

A gap exists in the Honda lineup between the mid-size Pilot and compact CR-V SUVs, and the company might be filling that hole with an Accord-based crossover. Caught here wearing no camouflage, this bash-up mule could turn into a vehicle that would do battle with the new Toyota Venza.

Possibly based on the European-only Accord Tourer wagon, this CUV prototype wears the familiar U.S.-market Accord front end grafted to a Tourer body. There are fender flares pinned to the body sides, indicating a wider track, and masking around the C-pillar hides a stretched wheelbase. From the back, a rear differential makes it evident the CUV will get power to the rear wheels as well as those in the front, likely via Honda’s VTM-4 all-wheel-drive system. Power could come from the same 2.4-liter four-cylinder and 3.5-liter V-6 engines offered on the current Accord; the dual exhaust on this mule likely means it carries the V-6.

When asked to comment on the spy photos and its possible reponse to the Ford Flex and Toyota Venza, Honda stated simply that "it is always evaluating the needs of its customers." However unconfirmed, we’d expect that a mid-size crossover is all but guaranteed from a company known for being as forward-thinking as Honda.

Prancing around with no camo and combining currently produced sheetmetal, this is likely a mule that would look markedly different in production. Watch for an announcement at an upcoming auto show. We'll keep you posted.

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/honda_acura_central/2010_honda_accord_cuv_spied

Here's a link to my previous post on the subject;
http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2008/11/tov-brenda-priddy-new-honda-accord.html

TOV & Brenda Priddy; New Honda Accord based Crossover Spy Pic

Wow, this came right out of left field for me and I'm not sure what to think of this. Alot of people have been clamouring for the return of the Accord wagon and Toyota is coming out with the new Venza, I just feel that this segment is already saturated. If this is a 'disguised' Latitude that turns out to be a smaller van with AWD, then I am sold.
From Temple of Vtec;
"This just in from Brenda Priddy & Co:"
Michigan's first snow has also brought the first look at this development vehicle for an ALL-NEW Honda crossover vehicle! An Accord-based crossover vehicle has been rumored for quite a while now and these pics are the first proof the project has finally been green-lighted.

At first glance, this vehicle may look like nothing more than the European Honda Accord Tourer. Closer inspection reveals that is not the case. For starters, the U.S. market Honda Accord front end has been grafted onto the body. While most of the body on this mule is non-production, this front end may actually be close to the final design of the nose we see on the production CUV.

We can also see fender flares that have been tacked onto the body and covered with tape that matches the color of the paint. These flares indicate that the wheel track has been widened slightly. Looking directly behind the rear doors, it quickly becomes apparent that a few extra inches of sheet metal and glass have been added to the body, suggesting the final product will be a few inches longer than the current European Accord Tourer. This development vehicle is also riding higher than a standard Accord Tourer and actually resembles and Audi allroad in person.

Based on the Honda Accord chassis, this all-new crossover vehicle will start production in the 4th quarter of 2009 at the Marysville or East Liberty factory. We've been told to expect a concept vehicle that foreshadows this new Accord CUV at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The Accord CUV will slot in-between CR-V and Pilot and will look to do battle with Toyota's new Venza CUV.

Powertrains are not yet known, but the motors currently found in the USDM Accord seem like a likely bet. We observed this mule testing alongside an Acura RDX. We also noted this mule accelerated rather briskly, so the 2.3L, four-cylinder turbo motor from the RDX may have a chance of making it into the Accord CUV.

One thing we CAN say for sure about this vehicle is that AWD will be an option. A close look at photo #5 reveals that this prototype has a rear differential. More than likely, this means the car has Honda's VTM-4 AWD system.

"Latitude" is one name rumored for the badge on the back of this new CUV. Though that now seems less likely as Honda allowed that trademark to expire many months ago.

Look for more details to surface as we near NAIAS 2009.

Photo Credit: Chris Doane/Brenda Priddy & Co.

Source;
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=801271

Here's a link to the Car and Driver article with more photo's;
http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2008/11/car-driver-2010-accord-cuv-pics-from.html