Sadly, the Accord-derived dashboard suffers from a cluttered, ill-organized center stack. Precisely locating and identifying the multiple controls and switches is pretty hard by day. Now, imagine when the dark settles in — a nightmare!
On a positive note, despite the limiting shape of the rear bodywork, the flexible cargo area shows great attention to detail. The long hatch opens and closes effortlessly, revealing a distinctly-contoured trunk whose bumper-level floor makes loading heavy items easier.
A removable/reversible section of said floor (with carpet on one side and washable plastic on the other) covers a 54-litre molded plastic tray with folding handles. You can store any small items or your dirty boots following a trek in the forest, or you can fill it up with ice to keep a champagne bottle cool on your way to a romantic picnic.
Now, riddle me this: how is it that the 5-meter long Crosstour offers 30-percent less cargo room (with the rear seats folded) than the 22-centimetre shorter Outback? It doesn’t make any sense! Well, there’s your confirmation: the former is more suited for fun, albeit trivial, downtown runs than serious, gear-packed journeys.
Going blind
Other irritants kept bugging me. For instance, the upswept rear beltline, massive D-pillars and nearly-horizontal rear window make visibility extremely limited when backing up. You just blindly roll back and pray that nothing gets in your way. I’m sure body repair shops will love the Crosstour!
The narrow vertical glass at the bottom of the rear hatch (reminiscent of the old CR-X) miserably fails to make up for this shortcoming. Even worse, the rearview camera becomes virtually useless once Mother Nature starts acting up. Rain or snow quickly obstructs the tiny objective and prevents you from relying on the camera. And to think this gadget costs an extra $2,000 (as part of the NAVI package)!
My all-black tester made me feel like a hearse driver. So, if you’re claustrophobic, stay away! Ivory leather upholstery is available at no cost to help inject some life into this confessional, er, I mean cabin. Unfortunately, it’s exclusive to Crystal Black Pearl and White Diamond Pearl models.
If you ask me, choosing between a Crosstour and a Subaru Outback is easy. The former is about pumping your ego, while the latter serves a rational purpose.
photo:Matthieu Lambert
On a positive note, despite the limiting shape of the rear bodywork, the flexible cargo area shows great attention to detail. The long hatch opens and closes effortlessly, revealing a distinctly-contoured trunk whose bumper-level floor makes loading heavy items easier.
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| The cargo area is ridiculously smaller than it looks and pales in comparison with the Subaru Outback’s. (Photo: Matthieu lambert/Auto123.com) |
A removable/reversible section of said floor (with carpet on one side and washable plastic on the other) covers a 54-litre molded plastic tray with folding handles. You can store any small items or your dirty boots following a trek in the forest, or you can fill it up with ice to keep a champagne bottle cool on your way to a romantic picnic.
Now, riddle me this: how is it that the 5-meter long Crosstour offers 30-percent less cargo room (with the rear seats folded) than the 22-centimetre shorter Outback? It doesn’t make any sense! Well, there’s your confirmation: the former is more suited for fun, albeit trivial, downtown runs than serious, gear-packed journeys.
Going blind
Other irritants kept bugging me. For instance, the upswept rear beltline, massive D-pillars and nearly-horizontal rear window make visibility extremely limited when backing up. You just blindly roll back and pray that nothing gets in your way. I’m sure body repair shops will love the Crosstour!
The narrow vertical glass at the bottom of the rear hatch (reminiscent of the old CR-X) miserably fails to make up for this shortcoming. Even worse, the rearview camera becomes virtually useless once Mother Nature starts acting up. Rain or snow quickly obstructs the tiny objective and prevents you from relying on the camera. And to think this gadget costs an extra $2,000 (as part of the NAVI package)!
My all-black tester made me feel like a hearse driver. So, if you’re claustrophobic, stay away! Ivory leather upholstery is available at no cost to help inject some life into this confessional, er, I mean cabin. Unfortunately, it’s exclusive to Crystal Black Pearl and White Diamond Pearl models.
If you ask me, choosing between a Crosstour and a Subaru Outback is easy. The former is about pumping your ego, while the latter serves a rational purpose.
photo:Matthieu Lambert
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