The 2012 Honda Accord Crosstour arrives with a big surprise for the model year 2012. For the past two years since its inception Honda has used its 3.5 liter V-6 271 horsepower engine to power this new crossover vehicle. This has been the standard and only engine available to the Crosstour.
The Crosstour has been a mystery to most people that view it. Honda calls this a crossover SUV but to most people it looks like a hatchback. The hatchback back looks like it wants to be a wagon. Of course the Crosstour has far more storage space than its sister the Honda Accord sedan.
2012 Honda Accord Crosstour Featured Review
Honda doesn’t offer options, per se, instead equipping each model in a lineup with a sharply defined hierarchy of features. That strategy won’t change with the 2012 Accord Crosstour. But adding a third trim level to the Crosstour lineup could allow Honda to migrate some desirable features it has thus far reserved for the top-of-the-line EX-L model. These include heated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, Bluetooth mobile-phone connectivity, USB iPod interface, and a cargo cover. Leather upholstery and a navigation system also have been exclusive to the EX-L model.
Even if it doesn’t redistribute features with an expanded lineup, Honda should explore adding to the 2012 Crosstour roster such upscale items as a double-pane panoramic sunroof. It also could enhance safety with the simple addition of a low-cost rearview camera system that displays on a portion of the inside rearview mirror. Rivals have one – so does the Pilot. Otherwise, Crosstour buyers will continue to be compelled to spring for an EX-L with navigation to get a rearview camera. Crosstour’s navigation system also includes the USB iPod link and voice activation.
Barring introduction of a relatively stripped entry-level model, expect every 2012 Honda Accord Crosstour to continue with standard features in tune with this crossover’s upscale aspirations. Power front seats, power moonroof, dual-zone automatic climate control, iPod auxiliary jack, heated mirrors, and manual tilt/telescope steering wheel with audio and cruise buttons have been standard from Crosstour’s inception. So have antilock four-wheel disc brakes, traction and antiskid control, torso-protecting front side airbags, and head-protecting curtain side airbags.
2012 Honda Accord Crosstour Engine Review
In keeping with its flagship mission, the 2012 Accord Crosstour will return with Accord’s top engine, a 3.5-liter V-6 likely to remain at 271 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque. This smooth-running, entirely capable V-6 is equipped with Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management system that automatically deactivates two or three cylinders to conserve fuel in low-demand driving. Crosstour’s sole transmission has thus far been a five-speed automatic. It delivers power with crisp-enough shifts, but most top rivals employ a six-speed automatic. The extra gear is designed to provide better throttle response and improved fuel economy. Honda has been slow to make the transition to six-speed automatics, but putting one in the 2012 Crosstour would help it feel more contemporary in the showroom and on the road. Crosstour is some 300 pounds heavier than the V-6 Accord sedan (500 pounds heavier in AWD form). That mass could tax performance with a four-cylinder. But if Honda determines a four-cylinder is compatible with Crosstour’s mission, it would likely use the more powerful of the two available in the Accord: a 2.4-liter rated at 190 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. The four-cylinder would be offered only with automatic transmission.
2012 Honda Accord Crosstour Price
The 2012 Honda Accord Crosstour pricing will be announced shortly before it goes on sale. Addition of a lower-cost trim line would of course drop the price of entry. Absent that, expect a 2012 Accord Crosstour price range of roughly $32,000-$39,000. (Prices in this review include the manufacturer’s destination fee; Honda’s fee for the 2010 Crosstour was $710.)
Estimated price for the 2012 Honda Accord Crosstour EX is $32,000; it’s so far come only with front-wheel drive. Estimated price for the 2012 Honda Accord Crosstour EX-L is $35,000 with front-wheel drive and $36,500 with AWD. Figure the 2012 Honda Accord Crosstour EX-L with navigation at $37,200 with front-wheel drive and $38,700 with AWD.
