Cars
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.
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.
- 2012's The Bad 8 - Nissan Versa Sedan
NISSAN VERSA SEDAN It worked fairly well the first time around, so Nissan stayed true to practice with the second-generation Versa sedan by making it as ugly as possible. Where the first Versa sedan was devoid of styling, as though Nissan...
- 2012's The Bad 8 - Lincoln Mks
LINCOLN MKS There are faces only a mother could love, and then there are faces even a mother couldn't love. The Lincoln MKS's face fits into the latter category. Oddly, Lincoln has chosen to make their big sedan's nose even more offensive...
- 2012's The Bad 8 - Ford Explorer Ecoboost
FORD EXPLORER ECOBOOST The Ford Explorer is not, at its core, a bad vehicle. But that doesn't mean you can't make a bad choice when it comes time to select an Explorer. Ford's heralded EcoBoost branding has done wondrous things...
- 2012's The Bad 8 - Chrysler 200 Convertible
CHRYSLER 200 CONVERTIBLE It should be hard to hate a convertible. The very idea of dropping the top and basking in sunshine, while driving, is accepted as a possible definition of the word "fun." But it's easy to hate the Chrysler 200 Convertible....
- The Bad 8 V4.0 Part 4 - Honda Accord Crosstour
HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR There are very few automakers in existence which haven't produced at least one jaw-droppingly impressive design. Consider the Toyota 2000GT, Chrysler Airflow, and Honda S600 as examples of greatness by companies which have...
Cars
2012's The Bad 8 - Honda Crosstour
HONDA CROSSTOUR
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
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
The Bad 8
Acura RL - Chrysler 200 Convertible - Ford Explorer EcoBoost
Honda Crosstour - Lincoln MKS - Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
Nissan Versa Sedan - Toyota Corolla CE
Honda Crosstour - Lincoln MKS - Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet
Nissan Versa Sedan - Toyota Corolla CE
The Bad 8 Rules
- 2012's The Bad 8 - Nissan Versa Sedan
NISSAN VERSA SEDAN It worked fairly well the first time around, so Nissan stayed true to practice with the second-generation Versa sedan by making it as ugly as possible. Where the first Versa sedan was devoid of styling, as though Nissan...
- 2012's The Bad 8 - Lincoln Mks
LINCOLN MKS There are faces only a mother could love, and then there are faces even a mother couldn't love. The Lincoln MKS's face fits into the latter category. Oddly, Lincoln has chosen to make their big sedan's nose even more offensive...
- 2012's The Bad 8 - Ford Explorer Ecoboost
FORD EXPLORER ECOBOOST The Ford Explorer is not, at its core, a bad vehicle. But that doesn't mean you can't make a bad choice when it comes time to select an Explorer. Ford's heralded EcoBoost branding has done wondrous things...
- 2012's The Bad 8 - Chrysler 200 Convertible
CHRYSLER 200 CONVERTIBLE It should be hard to hate a convertible. The very idea of dropping the top and basking in sunshine, while driving, is accepted as a possible definition of the word "fun." But it's easy to hate the Chrysler 200 Convertible....
- The Bad 8 V4.0 Part 4 - Honda Accord Crosstour
HONDA ACCORD CROSSTOUR There are very few automakers in existence which haven't produced at least one jaw-droppingly impressive design. Consider the Toyota 2000GT, Chrysler Airflow, and Honda S600 as examples of greatness by companies which have...