musicmanvin wrote: hahaha.. it doesnt matter what the Honda looks like people will bombard it, there's hate groups for all companies but one for Honda is rather large lol
but besides all the negative comments about the car, i don't think it looks that bad, but it's not that attractive. and why couldn't they just sell the Eruo Accord Tourer here?!? i know it looks a lot like the TSX but just a head light and grill change and no one would ever know!
i just hate how Honda along with a few other companies create uglier and fatter cars specifically for North America, thinking that we desire uglier and fatter cars, when in fact the European or Asian design of the car would do MUCH better
I wonder who was the guy saying first that : "there is not such thing as bad publicity".
Who knows, in a way the whole facebook story may have helped for the CT to reach way more people than it would have without it. In a way, people really hating it wouldn't have bought it anyway, but thanks to all the media coverage about it many others may simply have got to heard about the car, and they may end up buying one.
The facebook responses mirror TOV. Every new Honda/Acura product receives nothing but negative filled hate even at this site. Clearly the buying public doesn't visit sites like this.
siegen wrote: I wanted to see what the Crosstour would look like with a smaller grille.
Excuse the horrible quality. I accidentally saved it at "7" quality instead of "75" and didn't keep the PSD file. Oops!
I don't really mind the grille on the CT although I like the smaller grille in your photo even better! I think from a styling perspective what bothers me the most is the way the bottom of the rear quarter window (c/d pillar) rises up away from the body line. I think a straight line with a thicker D pillar would have given the design a more consistent look and might have reduced the thick and heavy look of the rear of the car. I have no photo shop ability but if anyone would like to take a stab at it I would love to see the result...
Got my hands on the Crosstour. Here are my thoughts:
As is often the case with with Honda products these days, the Crosstour will never be accused of being beautiful, but it is FAR easier on the eyes in person. The grille is taller than i'd like, but the front lines are crisp, the headlights are a nice improvement over the sedan, and I actually like the way the greenhouse tapers in towards the rear, giving the car some serious hips. The tail end is not ugly per se, but it doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the car proportionally. The result is almost Kate Moss from some angles, yet thoroughly J-Lo from others. The quarter windows look like an afterthought and the rear overhang is ludicrous in this day and age, but none of these gripes are what I'd call deal-breakers.
I'll qualify that by saying I've always been attracted to the ugly ducklings. I liked the Element after all, though the buying public clearly thinks i'm off my tree.
Dynamically, for my short drive at least, it screams Accord. Which is a very good thing. I've driven every Honda since about 1983 and, quite frankly, the current Accord is the best of the bunch. It's quiet, roomy, luxurious, comfortable, safe, relatively practical and it's endowed with plenty of power and surprisingly agile handling. What more could anyone want?
Cargo flexibility, of course. Here's where the Crosstour starts to make sense. Large, wide, flat cargo area, ridiculously easy-to-fold seats, lots of nooks and crannies to store stuff. Sadly, the Powers That Be chose fastback styling that eats up a large chunk of potential utility, giving the Crosstour shopper yet one more reason to look elsewhere.
My definition of the "crossover" buyer is, well, me. Pushing 40, with a squaw and 2 rug-rats, looking for a reduced carbon footprint while owning something that carries stuff yet is still worth driving. The MDX we currently have is competent enough but just a touch too large and ponderous for my taste, so that definitely rules out the schoolbus-sized Pilot. The CRV is probably the right size, but it's noisy, underpowered, uncomfortable, noisy, stiff-riding, ill-handling and noisy. Did I mention how noisy it is?
The Accord sedan would be a shoo-in, but I like a ride that can take a load up the arse once in awhile. The Crosstour, with its massive hips, almost fits the bill.
But what will the average crossover buyer think? Well, nobody asked for a stylistically challenged AMC Eagle with compromised utility, I can guarantee you that. Yet here it is. Let's see what the consumer does with it.
Unfortunately for Honda salespeople, the Acura store around the corner will soon have the ultimate weapon against the Crosstour. The unpretentious TSX station wagon will deliver all the practicality of the Crosstour and then some, trading the saccharine AWD system and pretend ground clearance for uncompromised chassis dynamics and some seriously sexy lines. At the end of the day, it might be a more palatable choice for Yours Truly than the Crosstour.
Cargo flexibility? I think that is a WEAKNESS. Those suspension towers in the cargo area are really limiting for larger stuff. Sure, not an issue if you are just filling it with duffel bags, but I would not call it flexible.
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