2011 Honda Accord Crosstour Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour, and includes 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

Honda introduced the Accord Crosstour hatchback last year, so the 2011 model year sees only nominal changes, namely a small modification to the center stack and a 1 mpg fuel economy increase for the EX-L model with Real Time 4WD. Don’t laugh, it can mean an extra 18.5 miles of range per tankful.

The 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour comes in two different trim levels, the EX and the EX-L. Standard on the EX are 17-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, the usual array of power accessories, a power sunroof, a power driver’s seat, and a seven-speaker audio system with an auxiliary input jack. The EX-L adds leather upholstery with heated front seats, Bluetooth, a better audio system with satellite radio, automatic headlights, and 18-inch alloys. A voice-activated navigation system with a rearview camera is optional on the EX-L model, along with Honda’s Real Time four-wheel-drive system.

A 271-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 powers the 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour, matched to a five-speed automatic. The Crosstour is normally a front-wheel-drive vehicle, but if you get the EX-L trim level you can opt for Real Time 4WD that sends power to the rear wheels when wheel slippage is detected and you need additional traction. When traction is regained, it reverts back to front-drive mode. The EPA estimates that you’ll get 18 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway with the front-wheel-drive model, and 18 city/26 highway with Real Time 4WD.

Every 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour comes standard with ABS with electronic brake-force distribution, stability control, and six airbags including side curtain airbags. A rearview camera should also be standard, in our opinion, as rearward visibility is hampered by the thick, rearmost roof pillars, but you can only get this feature if you pony up the cash for the EX-L trim level and then pay even more for a navigation system. Real Time 4WD is also reserved only for the EX-L model.

Since the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA) has updated its crash test standards this year, it has not yet re-tested the 2011 Honda Crosstour as this review is written. Therefore, our guide to crashworthiness is provided by data sourced from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which finds that the Crosstour earns the Institute’s highest rating of Good in the offset frontal test, the side impact test, and for rear crash protection. The Crosstour does not receive a Top Safety Pick award due to a Marginal performance in the roof crush strength test.

Consumer Reports predicts that the Accord Crosstour’s reliability will be better than average, while J.D. Power and Associates predicts that dependability will prove among the best in the midsize crossover segment.

We’re big fans of the Honda Accord. Even though the car is often used as a metaphor for the bland banality of suburban family life, it’s popular for a reason: it’s a tightly constructed, practical vehicle with a near-bulletproof reliability history. So it’s just frosting on the cake that the Accord also happens to be pretty enjoyable to drive.

Thankfully, the 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour doesn’t lose too much in translation, what with the additional weight of a hatchback. Throttle response from the 271-horsepower V6 is hearty and is complemented by an agreeable transmission that shifts at just the right sweet spots on the tachometer. The suspension soaks up jouncing caused by bad pavement, providing a comfortable ride without losing much in the way of road feel, and the steering is precise and direct, adding up to a vehicle that’s a lot more fun to drive than its vanilla-flavored family sedan connotations suggest. We even took it off-road, but the car’s jutting, exposed chin quickly reminded us that the Crosstour is designed more for battling snowstorms than exploring off the pavement.

Our big complaint about the Crosstour has to do with its reason for being; its hatchback-ness is not hatchbacky enough. While its cargo capacity of 25.7 cubic-feet with the rear seats in use is more spacious than any sedan, the shape of the area, which is narrow and long and concealed by a two-piece cargo cover that just gets in the way, somewhat hinders true practicality. We had trouble shoehorning a full-size stroller into the cargo area with the rear seats up, for instance, a task more easily completed in the more compact but superior space-managed Honda Fit. With the rear seats down the Crosstour provides 51.3 cu-ft of space. Again, that’s impressive compared to a sedan, but it pales in comparison to box-shaped mid-sized crossovers, which usually offer at least 20 additional cu-ft. Even traditional station wagons are more versatile, thanks to their boxier cargo areas.

When you need a little more cargo space when you want to ride a little higher than your fellow commuters, or when you just want to stand out a bit, the 2011 Honda Accord Crosstour is one good answer. Just be advised that traditional crossover SUVs will offer much more utility than this hatchback in term of cargo carrying capability.

By Liz Kim