2012's The Bad 8 - Honda Crosstour

HONDA CROSSTOUR

On April 1, 2011, BMW revealed the M3 Pickup Concept. Though strangely cool, the M3 Pickup was a joke. Uniquely distinguished in an ugly way, the M3 was an intentionally silly way of showcasing the talent of BMW's engineers. 

19 months earlier we hoped Honda was teasing us with a September Fools' "engineering exercise", but alas, we've learned from hindsight that Honda was actually serious. They wanted you to pay money, real money, for this obese, obtuse, overpriced hatchback. They still think you might be interested in forking over cash for this unfortunately-packaged behemoth. Underneath, there's a thoroughly-refined Accord, a car which, in base form, is a mite boring but is by no means bad. 

For the most part, cars are judged based on the expectations consumers have at a specific price point. The new Kia Rio 5-door is a great little car, but it would make for a terrible $40,000 BMW 3-Series competitor, for example. The EcoBoost-powered Ford F-150 wouldn't seem so eco if Ford charged a $10,000 premium, right? 

The Accord Crosstour, or Crosstour as they like to call it now, is bad regardless of price. Honda has definitely priced the Crosstour too high, thus severely limiting sales. But while Honda would certainly attract more customers if they'd just drop the V6's price by $6000, the Crosstour would still be a bad car. It is one of those cars that does not need to be judged based on the expectations consumers have at a specific price point. No matter the dollar figure, the Honda Crosstour sucks.

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Alternatives: Running away like the scared kitten you'll be once you get up close and personal with the Crosstour's rear end. Burying your head in the sand so you'll never see a Crosstour again. Buying a Mazda CX-9 or Toyota Venza.

Base USD/CAD Price: $30,340 / $34,900

It Sucks, But... nah, it just sucks.

Sales Stats: Crosstour sales weren't high last year. Yet not in any of 2011's first eleven months has American Honda managed to sell as many Crosstours as they did in the same period a year earlier. Monthly and yearly sales figures for the Honda Crosstour can be viewed here.

The Good 12

BMW 3-Series - Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon - Chevrolet Suburban
Ford F-150 EcoBoost 4x4 - Ford Focus Titanium Hatchback - Jeep Wrangler
Kia Rio 5-Door - Land Rover LR4 - Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

Nissan Juke - Porsche Boxster Spyder - Volkswagen GTI

The Bad 8

Acura RL - Chrysler 200 Convertible - Ford Explorer EcoBoost
Honda Crosstour - Lincoln MKS - Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
Nissan Versa Sedan - Toyota Corolla CE

The Bad 8 Rules