2011 Honda Odyssey Touring Elite photos
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Honda Accord model designed with sloping roofline for trendy coupe profile.
Everybody’s trying to look like a coupe these days. Sedans, hatchbacks and wagons, many of them are being dolled up with dramatically sloping rooflines to look more like sporty hardtops despite their four-door configurations.
Even crossovers are getting into the act, sacrificing their stated purpose as practical alternatives to truck-based SUVs to become styling baubles designed to impress with attractive shapes rather than carrying capacities. The tradeoff is reduced comfort for rear-seat denizens as well as axing the cargo space by half.
Crosstour's styling is less evocative than that of its similar upscale sibling, Acura ZDX. (Photo: Honda)
Essentially the downstream version of the Acura ZDX from Honda’s luxury division, Crosstour establishes a less-extravagant look than its fancy cousin, similar to the difference between an Acura MDX and a Honda Pilot. Same SUV, different package.
Crosstour got some heat from critics when it arrived last year for what was perceived as awkward styling. Not quite Pontiac Aztek awkward, but with a bulbous front that clashes with the abbreviated rear.
2010 Honda Accord Crosstour
The 2010 Honda Crosstour is an unusual beast—so unusual that the first time you see one you'll likely stand back, size it up, and scratch your head a bit.Then you're probably going to say
2010 Honda Accord Crosstour
something along the lines of, "I love it!" or "I don't see the point." Yes, it's that polarizing.
Once you're over the visual warm-up phase--and we like it after a long warming-to period--you'll find that the 2010 Crosstour drives somewhat like the Accord sedan but with a heavier, more deliberate feel that's a step in the opposite direction of the nimble feel we've praised the Accord sedan for in the past. The 271-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 moves the Crosstour plenty quick, but you're going to feel that weight in stop-and-go traffic. The transmission hesitates to downshift when coming out of a corner, yet it holds lower gears for longer than needed during light acceleration. It steers well and has reasonably good body control on a curvy road, but there's quite a bit more fore-aft motion during hard braking or strong acceleration than we remember from the Accord.
But that's not to say it's not a useful alternative to the trunked Accord: to find out more of our driving impressions and our overall take on the Accord lineup, read our Bottom Line on the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour and get a full review of the 2010 Honda Accord lineup.
2010 Honda Accord Crosstour
something along the lines of, "I love it!" or "I don't see the point." Yes, it's that polarizing.
Once you're over the visual warm-up phase--and we like it after a long warming-to period--you'll find that the 2010 Crosstour drives somewhat like the Accord sedan but with a heavier, more deliberate feel that's a step in the opposite direction of the nimble feel we've praised the Accord sedan for in the past. The 271-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 moves the Crosstour plenty quick, but you're going to feel that weight in stop-and-go traffic. The transmission hesitates to downshift when coming out of a corner, yet it holds lower gears for longer than needed during light acceleration. It steers well and has reasonably good body control on a curvy road, but there's quite a bit more fore-aft motion during hard braking or strong acceleration than we remember from the Accord.
But that's not to say it's not a useful alternative to the trunked Accord: to find out more of our driving impressions and our overall take on the Accord lineup, read our Bottom Line on the 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour and get a full review of the 2010 Honda Accord lineup.
Honda Restarts Production at China Plants
Honda Motor Co. said production at two of its auto-assembly plants in China will be back to normal Friday after a two-day suspension was prompted by labor strikes.
Honda plans to resume production at its plants in Guangzhou after a strike was resolved at a parts factory that produces exhaust systems for the auto maker. The company continues to deal with a separate strike, which started Wednesday, at its Honda Lock (Guangdong) Co. unit.
The recent work stoppages are an ill-timed setback for the company as it struggles to keep up with demand in the world's biggest auto market. Honda is trying to bring its overall production capacity in the country to 830,000 vehicles from 650,000 by 2012.
But the Japanese car maker was able restart production at the two plants more quickly than during a previous stoppage, which took about two weeks to resolve. The auto maker aims to make up for lost time through overtime and holiday shifts to meet its sales target of more than 630,000 vehicles in China for this year, a Honda spokesman said.
The two auto plants run by Guangqi Honda Automobile Co. halted operations for two days from Wednesday after workers at Foshan Fengfu Autoparts—a joint venture run by Honda's 70%-held Yutaka Giken Co. and its partner—walked off the job Monday.
Honda plans to resume production at its plants in Guangzhou after a strike was resolved at a parts factory that produces exhaust systems for the auto maker. The company continues to deal with a separate strike, which started Wednesday, at its Honda Lock (Guangdong) Co. unit.
The recent work stoppages are an ill-timed setback for the company as it struggles to keep up with demand in the world's biggest auto market. Honda is trying to bring its overall production capacity in the country to 830,000 vehicles from 650,000 by 2012.
But the Japanese car maker was able restart production at the two plants more quickly than during a previous stoppage, which took about two weeks to resolve. The auto maker aims to make up for lost time through overtime and holiday shifts to meet its sales target of more than 630,000 vehicles in China for this year, a Honda spokesman said.
The two auto plants run by Guangqi Honda Automobile Co. halted operations for two days from Wednesday after workers at Foshan Fengfu Autoparts—a joint venture run by Honda's 70%-held Yutaka Giken Co. and its partner—walked off the job Monday.
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