Motor Trend: The Blogs got it All Wrong with the Honda Accord Crosstour's Design

One of our readers brought to our attention a rather intriguing review of the new Honda Accord Crosstour from Motor Trend magazine - and which, for one reason or another, escaped our radar. To put it briefly, the author of the article, Kim Reynolds, says that "we blogs" and "you internet users" got it all wrong about the Accord Crosstour, which according to him, is -ahem, cough, cough- "a pleasant visual adventure".


And there's more from where that came from. Here's what Reynolds wrote on Motor Trend:

"Guess what, automotive blogosphere, Honda's Accord Crosstour is not the design catastrophe you so deliriously predicted."

"Prior to the new Crosstour's traditional introduction, Honda, rather innocently, released early images of the Crosstour on Facebook. However, these social networks can often be less than sociable gatherings."

"Snap a finger, and a bunch of collegial car-loving "friends" can transform into a pack of frenzied piranhas. And on their menu last September was the complicated-looking Crosstour, which was spilling blood in the water even before it was properly introduced to the mainstream press."

And for all of you "collegial car-loving friends" and "frenzied piranhas" that dared to express your opinion and are now seeking answers, fear not, because pastor Reynolds will lead you to the path of understanding.

Reyonold writes: "In my humble opinion, the miscalculation with the Crosstour's Facebook moment was that its shape is so complex, so unusual, it's almost impossible to accurately convey to a 2D audience (even here in this story)".

"The car almost refuses to be photographed; it needs to be physically pondered on two moving feet, watching the surfaces blend and emerge as you change perspective."

And Motor Trend lived happily ever after....

You, our readers on the other hand, are invited to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

2010 Honda Accord CrossTour: Prices and Mega Gallery with 140 High-Res Photos

Few will disagree with us when we say that the Accord CrossTour is one of the, if not the most, talked about new cars of the year here in the States, but not for the reason(s) that Honda hoped for. In any case, the Japanese automaker released detailed pricing on its liftback-crossover version of the NA Accord that will hit U.S. dealerships on November 20 with prices ranging between $29,670 and $36,220 - not including a $710 destination and handling charge.

The Accord Crosstour is available in two model choices, the EX and EX-L, both of which are powered by a 3.5-liter i-VTEC V-6 engine delivering 271 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 254 lb-ft. of torque at 5,000 rpm while achieving an EPA-rated city/highway fuel economy of 18/27 mpg on the front-wheel drive models.

The V6 is linked to a standard 5-speed automatic transmission while optionally, the EX-L is offered with Honda's all-wheel drive system.

In terms of standard equipment, the EX's features include dual-zone automatic air conditioning with second row ventilation, 360-Watt AM/FM 6-disc audio system with seven speakers, easy fold-down 60-40 split rear seat back, 17-inch aluminum wheels with 225/65 R17 all-season tires, hidden removable utility box, cruise control, moonroof, auto up/down driver and front passenger side windows, rear privacy glass, steering wheel-integrated audio controls, compass and outside temperature indicator, projector beam headlights with auto-off, fog lights, chrome door handles, body-colored power side mirrors with defrost, and more.

The top-of-the line Accord Crosstour EX-L adds leather-trimmed seating surfaces with heated front seats, leather steering wheel, leather gear shift knob, auto day/night dimming rearview mirror, 18-inch aluminum wheels with 225/60 R18 all-season tires, auto on/off headlights, memory driver-side seats, memory side mirrors with reverse tilting capability, cargo privacy cover, HomeLink transmitter, cargo privacy cover, Kevlar cone speakers, aluminum dome-type front tweeter speakers and a USB audio interface.