Honda Cancels the Crosstour
Cue the headshake and J.K. Simmons pursed grin, because we told you so. The Honda Crosstour wagon, one of 10 cars we predicted wouldn’t see 2016, is heading out to pasture.
Related: 2013 Honda Crosstour: Family Review Checklist
“The Crosstour, introduced in 2010, served a positive role,” John Mendel, Honda’s top U.S. executive, said in a statement. “However, the crossover segment has evolved and we believe the all-new 2016 Honda HR-V launching later this spring will create new value for crossover shoppers and play a more significant role as a gateway model for the Honda brand to drive light truck sales growth.”
Thus far, that makes us correct in four of our 10 predictions — the Toyota Venza, Scion iQ and Volkswagen Eos are also done — though some cars were carryovers from our list a year earlier. Either way, we’re batting .400 this year. Mickey Mantle never batted .400. Just sayin’.
The Crosstour has a checkered history. In September 2009, Honda took the wraps off the car, calling it the Accord Crosstour at the time. It was based on the 2008-2012 Accord. Internet audiences torched the grille-heavy design, which Honda didn’t refresh until late 2012. Still, it didn’t alter the car’s ungainly shape and massive schnozzle. We called the whole of it, refresh notwithstanding, one of the 10 ugliest cars from the past 30 years.
Annual sales topped out at 20,848 cars in 2012, according to Automotive News, but that was still a flyspeck compared to wagonish-SUV competitors like the Subaru Outback and Ford Edge. Even the Toyota Venza, arguably the Crosstour’s most direct competitor, regularly outsold it by a wide margin.
Want a new Crosstour before it’s too late? As of April 9, there were still around 3,800 in Cars.com new-car inventory, so you should be able to find one.
