You'd never know it from their US lineup, but Honda has been making awesome Accord Tourer wagons for years. YEARS. Including some with ultra-quiet, ultra-low emission diesel engines that get like 10,000 miles/gallon. And for most of those years, Honda has bought into the "Americans don't like wagons, so we'll keep our cool wagons off the market" spiral of wagon deprivation.
Now, though Car & Driver has spy-photographed an undisguised Accord Tourer-looking wagon--d'oh! Sorry, if it's in the US, it can't be a wagon. It has to be a "crossover." Or as C&D puts it in their speculative reacharound, "However unconfirmed, we'd expect that a mid-size crossover is all but guaranteed from a company known for being as forward-thinking as Honda."
See the photos and speculative reacharound:2010 Honda Accord CUV - Spied [caranddriver.com via dt wagonmaster jj daddy-o]
Forgive my relative ignorance on the subject, but where does this leave the CR-V? Is it a replacement for it or is is an older cousin?
If it stays around, I'd guess it's the fatter sister.
I'll be cross-shopping the Honda and the Venza this winter.
I seriously doubt we'll see this car as a Honda. It's the wagon version of the Euro/JDM Accord, which is sold in North America as the Acura TSX... I can totally see this thing with some subtle matte plastic cladding and SH-AWD being positioned as an Audi Allroad / Volvo X-Country competitor though.
This would be a Venza, Murano, Edge competitor with better mileage than the three row pilot. Honda's never done it in the US before but youd think it would be a no brainer. I still haven't heard even speculative word on this though. They've really been focusing on hybrid Insight, CR-Z and Fit for the most part.
Honda was also supposed to be bringing the Stream MPV to the US in 2009, though only with a 2-row configuration, not the JDM 3-row. whatever happened to that?
I saw the Venza at the LA Auto Show over the weekend. I really do not see the point. It has a worthless rear storage area akin to the departed IS Sportback models a few years ago. And the front end looks like a bulldozer. They had an opportunity to make a wagon on the order of the poorman's Audi A6, but decided to punt instead.
Considering the Venza, the Sienna, the Highlander, and the Camry are pretty much the same underpinnings, I am going to declare the Sienna the winner.
Just saw this over at Auto123 with the full front shots in a larger pic -- they've grafted the USDM Accord front onto it so maybe I'm wrong about the Acura thing...
Im glad you guys are all paying attention to the actuall facts. That even though Honda has the CR-V out it's still going to sell. Take it from a Honda sales consultant, now we have something to compete with Subaru with now. I understand the CR-V was a competiter but, customers still wanted a wagon, and the Accord will take over that market.(Possibly because of the AWD/4WD system that might be put in.