2013 Honda Accord Crosstour Gets New V6

Things finally seem to be falling into place for the 2013 Honda Crosstour. With customers continuing to right-size their purchases and becoming comfortable with more car-like crossovers, the current Crosstour has seen a bit of a renaissance lately. Sales were up 19.3 percent in October, and have increased 7.7 percent so far this year, and now the automaker is ready to debut a more powerful, more fuel-efficient 2013 Honda Crosstour, with enhanced styling, for the 2013 model year.

The result is a more finished and upscale appearance from all angles, signaling a similarly premium interior, but the fact of the matter is that the automaker also has reduced the starting price for the 2013 Honda Crosstour by a not-insignificant $525.

With the automaker already announcing that the Crosstour’s corporate sibling—the Acura ZDX—is now in its final year on the market, you have to wonder if the Honda version is entering a make-or-break season, too. So, let’s take a quick gander at how Honda has goosed the Crosstour for 2013 to see which is more likely.

2013 Honda Accord Crosstour: A Visit to the Engine Room

Even as more traditional-looking crossover/SUV rivals began topping the 30-mpg mark, the 2012 Crosstour—despite debuting an I4 engine—topped out just shy of that mark. And while the same is true for the 2013 Honda Crosstour, the big difference is that it’s now the V6 model that garners 29 mpg on the highway, with the four-cylinder version reaching 31 mpg in that measure. In fact, tweaking the powertrain for the high-efficiency model—packing 192 hp, 162 lb.-ft. of torque and a standard five-speed automatic transmission—resulted in fuel-economy increases of 1 mpg/2 mpg/1 mpg and an overall EPA line of 22/31/25.

For those who prefer the joy of six, engineers are introducing the all-new Earth Dreams 3.5-liter V6 engine to the 2013 Honda Crosstour. It’s the same powerplant that’s available in the all-new 2013 Honda Accord, and its advanced technologies deliver 278 hp, 252 lb-ft. of torque, and EPA marks of up to 20 mpg city/29 mpg highway/23 mpg combined; those numbers represent gains of 7 hp and 2 mpg in all driving scenarios. And while torque has slipped by a negligible 2 lb.-ft., much more of it is now available across a much wider power band. The standard gearbox: A six-speed, paddle-shifting automatic.

The brand’s real-time all-wheel-drive system can be selected in the V6 as well, and it rings up an EPA line of 18/28/22—advantages of 2 mpg highway/1 mpg combined as compared to the 2012 model.

2013 Honda Accord Crosstour: Style Guide

Designers have done a fair amount of fine-tuning to both the front and rear of the 2013 Honda Crosstour, with an emphasis on delivering both more detail and a more rugged look. At the back end, for example, where the current Crosstour looks a little unfinished, Honda has thrown a few more wrinkles into the sheet metal, and also integrated the exhaust outlets into a rear diffuser-type piece. The short mast antenna also has been swapped for a more up-to-date shark-fin unit.

There’s a bit of lower cladding at the rear as well, and that SUV cue continues forward along the rockers of the car, where a complementary chrome accent molding has been deployed for an extra dash of upscale style.

Of course, most of the new design work went into the front of the 2013 Honda Crosstour, highlighted by a revised grille with thicker crossbars and a thicker frame; the same sort of heavy-metal accents also have been integrated into the front light treatment for a cleaner, less-cluttered appearance. Then, in a bid to buff up the Crosstour even further, the front bumper has become more prominent, while a front skid plate and more dramatically styled foglights are also in store for owners.

2013 Honda Crosstour: The Rest of the Story

The 2013 Honda Crosstour also had a fair amount of catching up to do in other areas, ranging from technology to safety, and it does seem as if the automaker has rectified the more glaring problems—like car's omission from the 2012 list of Top Safety Picks from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Though it’s not the end-all, be-all of third-party safety ratings, the IIHS Top Safety Pick program is closely watched by consumers, and Honda has enhanced the Crosstour’s passenger-protection measures to “help it earn top IIHS roof-crush safety scores, as well as a 5-Star NCAP rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Also debuting on the Crosstour for the 2013 model year:

• Next-gen keyless entry with push-button start
• Honda’s “Lane Watch” blind-spot alert system
• Lane-departure warning technology
• A standard rearview camera
• Forward collision warning
• Two new exterior colors—Kona Coffee Metallic and Mountain Air Metallic
• Redesigned rear headrests that noticeably improve visibility for the driver
• Extensive cabin enhancements, “with upgraded interior design and materials,” according to Honda

Naturally, that’s all in addition to a particularly robust list of returning standard and available equipment that includes Bluetooth technology, the HondaLink connectivity system with built-in interfaces for Aha and Pandora Internet radio, navigation, a multi-view camera setup, a 360-watt sound system with seven speakers, heated front seats and the ability to swallow up to 51.3 cubic feet of cargo.

The 2013 Honda Crosstour—with a starting price of $27,230—is scheduled to go on sale Nov. 20, 2012.