2010 Honda Accord CrossTour Micro Site

Here's a link to the CrossTours Micro Site with lots of info....
http://www.crosstour.ca/home.php?lang=en

2010 Honda Accord CrossTour Canadian Pricing

Well, here we have it....Official sales date will be Nov 24, 2009, although we are said to recieve our first ones Nov. 20, 2009.
2010 Honda Accord CrossTour EX-L V6 2WD Automatic
$34,900 plus freight and pdi ($1,550 here in Manitoba), plus taxes

2010 Honda Accord CrossTour EX-L V6 4WD Automatic
$36,900 plus freight and pdi ($1,550 here in Manitoba), plus taxes

2010 Honda Accord CrossTour EX-L V6 4WD Navigation Automatic
$38,900 plus freight and pdi ($1,550 here in Manitoba), plus taxes

Source;
Honda Canada

Honda arrives fashionably late

With the Accord Crosstour, Honda finally has a five-passenger mid-size crossover in this important market segment. The car maker may have taken its time – but it’s got it right

Ford has the Edge. Subaru has the Outback. Toyota has the Venza. Nissan the Murano. Mazda the CX-7. Hyundai the Santa Fe. And now, coming later this month, Honda has the 2010 Accord Crosstour.

Yes, Honda is late to this game. Very late. And even at that, Honda really is only dipping its big toe into a segment where so many others have found success and won fans.

In fact, Honda has exceedingly modest expectations for the Crosstour: annual sales of about 3,000 for a car that amounts to a tall station wagon with a long list of standard upscale features.

Toyota has been selling more than 1,000 Venzas a month lately and Subaru's sales have exploded with the introduction of the newly updated Outback.

Officially, the Crosstour – with an estimated price of about $35,000 – is a crossover, which means it's a car sort of pretending to be an SUV. Pretending, indeed. In standard trim, the Crosstour is a front-driver, just like the Accord sedan on which it is based.

In reality, though, the Crosstour is a Honda Accord with a big hatchback at the rear and optional all-wheel-drive, leather seats, power everything, an excellent sound system, a lovely carpeted cargo area with nifty little hatches and cubbies all over, all powered by a strong and fuel efficient 3.5-litre V-6 (271 horsepower).

You read that right. Honda is only offering the Crosstour with a V-6. That's not entirely unusual. The Edge is a V-6-only ride, as is the Murano and the Santa Fe. On the other hand, Subaru has a four-cylinder Outback and Toyota can barely meet demand for its four-banger Venza.

Caution, thy name is Honda. But that's been the whole story of Honda for this past year.

More than a year ago, Honda began making radical moves to cut costs and align production with the falling demand of a global recession. To save money, Honda jettisoned its Formula One racing effort, offered buyouts to scores of workers, negotiated pay cuts with others, carefully revisited its new model development program and moved quickly to do its best at aligning production to falling demand. Honda's problems have been compounded by a strong yen that makes exports from Japan expensive in Canada and the United States.

The result of all Honda's diligence: a profit last year and Honda is predicting a profit for the fiscal year that ends next March 31.

“This was a really tough year,” Honda Motor president Takanobu Ito recently told trade journal Automotive News. “We are barely making a profit. This is something we had anticipated from the very beginning, and our projection turned out to be true.

“Especially in the United States, our biggest market, the recovery, for us at least, is slow. And Europe's recovery is even slower. This is having a major negative impact on our corporate performance.”

But not as bad as Ito might lead you to believe. Honda is predicting an annual profit of $2.1-billion (U.S.) for the current fiscal year. Jerry Chenkin, Honda Canada executive vice-president, says Honda is obsessive about earnings; without profits, there is no money for new-model development. And without new models and new technologies, Honda will fall behind the competition.

Yet while Honda does have leadership in many areas, including having Canada's best-selling car for nine straight years in the Civic, the Crosstour is an example of Honda chasing the competition.

This may be because Honda has been reluctant to tamper with its current lineup. In Honda's world, the Crosstour fits in between the Honda CR-V compact crossover and the Honda Pilot SUV. Honda apparently did not feel it needed something to fill that gap – until now.

It's possible Honda is not offering the Crosstour with a four-banger in order to avoid competing against the CR-V and hurting sales of the latter. Honda isn't saying. But the body language of company types suggests Honda Canada would rather have a four-cylinder Crosstour and let the CR-V – given a facelift for 2010, by the way – fend for itself.

The Crosstour, in fact, is a perfectly sensible Honda Accord hatchback. Moreover, it looks much better in person than any of the pictures might suggest. The newest Honda isn't quite as large and heavy as the Pilot or the Odyssey minivan. Yet it has roomier passenger quarters than the CR-V.

In terms of dimensions, well, the Crosstour is similar in width and height to the likes of the Venza, Murano and Outback, though the Honda has less ground clearance than these three rivals. Nonetheless, the Honda sits higher off the ground than a normal Accord sedan.

The whole point of the ride height here is twofold: It makes entry and exit easier for the targeted baby boomer buyers; and when equipped with the Real Time four-wheel-drive system from the CR-V, the tall-ish Crosstour gives you a shot at escaping your driveway after a snowstorm.

As a family ride – or an empty-nester baby boomer utility wagon – the Crosstour is just excellent. With 2,871 litres of cargo space when the 60/40-split rear seats are folded, the Crosstour has more space than a Venza and Outback. The rear seats fold completely flat, too – with an easy pull of handles that are an easy reach in the cargo hold.

On the other hand, with the rears up, the Crosstour‘s cargo hold is 728 litres, versus 869 and 972 respectively in the Toyota and Subaru. That means if you load up four sets of golf clubs, you'll need to pull out the drivers and tuck them here and there, creatively. Honda has included tie-down hooks, which are useful, indeed.

Moreover, Honda put the spare tire under the car and it has a plastic cover down there to keep it clean. With the spare out of the way, there is additional storage space below the rear floor in the cargo hold. A deep and hidden removable utility box provides storage, while on each side there are two recessed areas providing some hidden space, also.

Up front, ahead of the back seats, everything is essentially an Accord. That's good. The design here is clean and completely sensible, the materials durable looking and nicely put together. You will not find yourself looking for a knob or a control.

The cabin's soft-touch plastic material looks and feels fairly expensive and the steering wheel is meaty, fitting nicely into your hands. The dials are big and thoroughly legible. The dash has a simple flow across it. With Honda, function trumps art.

Not only is the Crosstour functional, it is a fine car to drive. Ride quality is almost identical to the Accord, which should not be a surprise; these Hondas share basic suspension components. Honda says minor revisions to the chassis have yielded a 20-per-cent increase in bending rigidity, along with a 3-per-cent increase in torsional or twisting rigidity.

The V-6 is plenty powerful and has Honda's fuel-saving cylinder-deactivation feature (Honda's Variable Cylinder Management). Mated to a standard five-speed automatic transmission – the only downside to this tranny is a hesitance to downshift – the Crosstour boasts pretty decent fuel economy using regular fuel: 11.5 litres per 100 km city/7.2 highway for the front-driver and 12.3 city/8.0 highway for the AWD version. The Honda is slightly more efficient than the six-cylinder Venza and Outback.

Honda expects the Crosstour to have all the best scores in crash tests and it certainly comes with the full range of active and passive safety features – from airbags all over to an anti-skid system. So it really is the full package.

Honda is late with the Crosstour and still lacking a four-banger, too. Nonetheless, the competition should be taking notice. In its niche, this new crossover is a standout.
2010 Accord Crosstour

Type: Five-door, mid-size cross-over wagon
Price: $35,000 (estimated)
Engine: 3.5-litre V-6, SOHC
Horsepower/torque: 271 hp/254 lb-ft
Transmission: Five-speed auto
Drive: Front-wheel-drive
Fuel economy (litres/100 km):
11.5 city/7.2 highway for FWD;
12.3 city/8.0 highway for AWD; regular gas
Alternatives: Ford Edge, Subaru Outback, Toyota Venza, Nissan Murano, Mazda CX-7, Hyundai Santa Fe

Like
Good fuel economy for this class
Functional hatchback design with a clean and useful interior
Creative storage space
Honda’s history for high quality and excellent safety scores

Don’t like
Sloping roof compromises rear-seat headroom
Cargo area design means you’ll need to be creative when loading four sets of golf clubs
Transmission is a bit reluctant to downshift

Source;

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/new-cars/auto-news/honda-arrives-fashionably-late/article1368531/

Various Bit's of Information about the 2010 Honda Accord CrossTour

Here's some more of what might be considered 'little known facts' of the 2010 Honda Accord CrossTour....

Source;

Honda Canada

Honda Shows Off Accord CrossTour Accessorized with Factory Parts at SEMA

Even though the 2009 SEMA Show is still under way, we can't wait for next year's event to see how the tuning industry and Honda will react to the new 2010 Accord CrossTour. But for now, we'll have to do with this factory accessorized version of the Japanese automakers much criticized for its looks, crossover model. Among other parts, the SEMA show car features a ground effects package with a front apron and side skirts finished in a different shade, chromed alloy wheels and roof bars.

Source;
http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/11/honda-shows-off-accord-crosstour.html

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour Interior Revealed

Here's the 2010 Honda Accord CrossTour interior shots that Honda posted on their facebook page....
The car is expected to come with the same powertrains as the existing Accords, 3.5L V6 i-Vtec engine w/271hp and a 2.4L 4cyl i-Vtec engine w/190hp. It will come equiped with the VTM-4 lock 4x4 system found in the Pilots/MDX's/Ridgelines.

The Accord Crosstour is itself a member of a rapidly burgeoning segment of the industry, seeking to split the difference between crossover, wagon, hatchback and sedan to come out with something arguably all-new.

As these interior photos reveal, there are lots of possibilities for cargo and passenger configurations, much like a typical crossover, while the front seats are all sedan. The familiar Honda styling and orientation of controls mates with a premium material selection including wood trim and leather upholstery to show the Crosstour's up-market aspirations, though the Acura ZDX is the company's true entry into the luxury range of the new vehicle segment.

The top-down cutaway view gives perhaps the best indication of the space inside the Crosstour, revealing a layout hatchback fans will instantly recognize. Two up front, up to three across the rear bench and enough room in the back for luggage, shopping or sports equipment. Lay the rear seats down and you can fit larger objects including lumber, bikes and more.

The rear suspension towers do impinge on the available cargo space fairly significantly, however, and the sloping, narrow roof means large cubic objects won't fit easily into the rear of the Crosstour, potentially limiting its utility.

An under-floor storage area in the cargo deck adds some space, even offering a pull-out tray to make it easy to access the recessed gear. The rear seats can also be laid flat with by pulling levers accessible from the rear cargo area, making it easy to maximize cargo space.

Source;
http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1036228_2010-honda-accord-crosstour-interior-revealed

More 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour Pic's

Honda says....What about now?!? I stand by my previous statement, this is a nice looking car, I can't wait to demo one. That facebook marketing strategy though....not such a good idea.
Source;
Honda

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour Models and Colours

Hmm. This is interesting, all 3X models are EX-L, which usually means 4cylinder and leather. Maybe there are more models to come, b/c it would make sense that they came out with a cloth model and a V6 as reported.

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour 2WD EX-L Automatic Transmission
Model Code: TF1H5AJN
Colours Available:
White diamond pearl NH-603P w/Black Interior
Alabaster silver metallic NH-700M w/Black Interior
Polished metal metallic NH-737M w/Black Interior
Crystal black pearl NH-731P w/Black Interior

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour 4WD EX-L Automatic Transmission
Model Code: TF2H5AJN
Colours Available:
White diamond pearl NH-603P w/Black Interior
White diamond pearl NH-603PX w/Ivory Interior
Alabaster silver metallic NH-700M w/Black Interior
Polished metal metallic NH-737M w/Black Interior
Crystal black pearl NH-731P w/Black Interior
Crystal black pearl NH-731PX w/Ivory Interior
Opal sage Metallic G-532M w/Black Interior
Tango red pearl R-525P w/Black Interior

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour 4WD EX-L Navi Automatic Transmission
Same colours as EX-L 4WD.

Source;
Honda Canada

Honda Accord Crosstour Teaser #4

Well, here's teaser no.4, below that are the pieces to the puzzel that are already there.
Honda is supposed to release some official pic's on the Crosstour today, so stay posted.

2010 Honda Product Launch for Canada

Okay, so here we have the release dates for when the 2010 Honda's go on sale;

2010 Honda FIT - December 20, 2009 (expect zero changes)

2010 Honda Civic 2+4 Door - September 15, 2009

2010 Honda Civic Hybid - February 15, 2010

2010 Honda Insight - Already available

2010 Honda Accord 2+4 Door - September 15, 2009 (same car, minor changes)

2010 Honda CRV - September 21, 2009 (same car, really minor changes)

2010 Honda Element - October 15, 2009 (same SUV, add of Pet Friendly model?)

2010 Honda Odyssey - September 15, 2009 (same van, add of special edition cloth model)

2010 Honda Pilot - Already available

2010 Honda Ridgeline - August 31, 2010

2010 Accord Crosstour - Fall 2009 (expect this sometime in Sept.)

Source;
Honda Canada

Another Official Honda CrossTour Teaser

Above is the latest, below are the two previous.

Source;

Honda

New Teaser Released For 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour

Its been official since early July that the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour will arrive in showrooms this fall. But now Honda is running a teaser and countdown on its Future Cars site for the upcoming crossover/tourer previewing a September 1 'sneak preview' date, and it has also released a second teaser - a close crop of the headlight - via its Facebook page. The previous teaser showed part of the grille.

In July's brief press release, Honda said the new vehicle will go on sale later this year. No other details were released, but spy shots show the new crossover has much in common with that other Japanese sedan-wagon combo, the 2009 Toyota Venza.

The most likely powertrain options will be the current 2.4-liter four-cylinder and 3.5-liter V-6 engines from the Accord, although the 2.3-liter turbocharged unit from the Acura RDX may also make a showing. A rear differential seen on prototypes confirm that the Crosstour will be equipped with an AWD system, at least as an option.

Unlike its Acura cousin the ZDX, however, the Crosstour appears to be shunning the four-door 'activity coupe' profile for a more conventional 'tall wagon' look.

The new crossover will fit neatly in the Honda lineup above the CR-V and Element, and beneath the big Pilot SUV. There's no word on pricing nor any official photos, but TheCarConnection will drive the new Crosstour later this year.

Below is the previous teaser....

Source;

http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1021598_new-teaser-released-for-2010-honda-accord-crosstour