California Autos Examiner

Friday, May 29, 2009

Honda CrossTour gets snapped by shutterbug


Recent spy shot of the forthcoming Honda crossover, supposedly called CrossTour

When we first started talking about a new Honda crossover, a lot was made of spyshots showing a European market Accord Tourer mule.


European Accord Tourer

Here is the European market Accord Tourer. A very sharp looking wagon!


Purported Honda CrossTour image shown on Burlapp cars

However, there were those who disagreed that what would be known as the CrossTour would look like the Euro wagon and posted alternate images. Many ridiculed this opinion. Those who posted on Honda fan sites said that the image on Burlapp cars wasn't close, that it was a case of mistaken identitiy with the forthcoming Acura ZDX


Acura ZDX prototype

Now that the cat is out of the bag, it would appear that we have a near doppelganger with the Acura model. Which begs the question, "Are they twins?" Not so fast say some experts. While the cars may be extremely similar in outward appearance, the Honda may use a double wishbone suspension setup whereas the ZDX will use McPherson struts.

One question that has to be asked in general is, "Why the sudden confidence in the hatchback?" History has been unkind to the hatch here in the United States with only a few models getting any traction. Americans seem to like their hatches to be on the back of SUVs and truck-ish looking crossovers and not sedans with a rounded backside. BMW, Acura and Honda seem to be bucking this trend and are launching vehicles that would have been unthinkable in the U.S. market just a few years ago.

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