The concept of a crossover is often open to interpretation, leaving carmakers scrambling to determine whether to make their new introductions look like bold SUVs or stretched sedans. Honda and Toyota, builders of the top-selling Accord and Camry sedans, have this time chosen opposite paths.
Honda’s new 2010 Accord Crosstour is a restyled version of the company’s top-selling Accord sedan, a perennial best seller, which was redesigned in 2008 and moved from being a midsize car to full-size. Toyota’s new-for-2009 Venza is proportioned halfway between its Camry sedan and its spacious Highlander, which is a sport utility vehicle built on a car platform.
The Honda is more sedan-like, and the Toyota is more SUV-like. The Honda is slightly larger at just about 195 inches long, compared to the Venza’s Camry-like 189 inches in length. Both weigh just about 4,000 pounds each.
The standard powerplant for the Crosstour will be Honda’s 3.5-iter i-VTEC V6 engine generating 268 hp. Venza’s standard mill is a 182-hp 2.7-liter four-cylinder. Honda’s drivetrain delivers more hp. An additional advantage is its cylinder shut-off system, called Variable Cylinder Management, which allows the engine to run on either three or four cylinders instead of six, and that reduces fuel consumption during low-load conditions.
The Accord sedan is newly spacious inside, and therefore the Crosstour benefits from its larger dimensions. For example, the front seats are spaced farther apart than the previous Accord’s. Where the Crosstour deviates most from the Accord is in the space added behind the rear seats. The Crosstour gets a unique storage “trunk” hidden under the normal cargo floor. Inside this trunk space, under a cover, is an eight-inch deep cargo box, called the Hidden Removable Utility Box that can be lifted out of the car. When the four-cubic-foot box is dropped in its place, the cover folds down and more cargo can be placed on top. Compared to the Accord sedan, the Crosstour rides higher on its suspension and is available with the added assurance of four-wheel drive for slippery roads.
By comparison, the Venza does not have as large an underfloor storage area. The Venza does have an avant garde style instrument panel with the gear selector protruding from the center of the instrument panel instead of the conventional location on the center console, like in the Camry.
The Accord Crosstour is available in EX, EX-L (additional luxury equipment) and EX-Ls (four-wheel drive) models, and all are equipped with a five-speed automatic transmission. Underway, this gearbox is smooth and sure when it shifts. The Accord Crosstour is a bit easier to maneuver in a parking lot with a turning circle of 36 feet compared to the Venza’s 39 feet.
Honda has always done well designing vehicles that maximize interior space and the Crosstour will carry on that tradition.
Overall, the Accord Crosstour rides smoothly on a variety of smooth and rough roads with the standard power of the V6 at the ready. With optional four-wheel drive, you’ll also have plenty of traction.
The biggest style difference puts the conventional SUV crossover styling of the 2010 Toyota Venza versus the slanted hatchback, forward-looking style of the new 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour.
Driving the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour will let you sample the exciting new vehicle’s benefits. Call us to arrange a test drive soon!
