Honda Accord Crosstour

Honda Accord Crosstour

Consider the new Honda Accord Crosstour, which joins a nascent group of vehicles trying to carve out a niche between conventional sedans and crossover utility vehicles, which are themselves supposed to be more carlike than truck-based, body-on-frame S.U.V.’s. The Crosstour slides into Honda’s lineup between the Accord sedan and the Pilot utility vehicle. Other similar new entries are the Toyota Venza, Acura ZDX and BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo. All have a sloping fastback on a slightly oversize crossover body. Any could play the lead if Pixar followed up its movie “Cars” with “The Hatchback of Notre Dame.”

The problem is, fastbacks look good only on small cars, a lesson that carmakers relearn every decade or so. In the 1960s, the Rambler Marlin was the teacher. In the ’70s, it was the A.M.C. Matador coupe. At the end of that decade, Buick and Oldsmobile saddled their Century and Cutlass Salon models with sloping rear ends before quickly reversing course amid public revulsion. More recently? Well, need we mention the Pontiac Aztek?

In pictures, the Honda Accord Crosstour looks like a four-door Accord onto which a big, sloping rear end has been grafted. Seen in person, it’s clear that the Crosstour is a bigger — longer, taller — car. Indeed, the two share no exterior body panels.

What’s surprising is that the bigger Crosstour has no more passenger room. (The difference is less than 1 percent, as measured by the Environmental Protection Agency.) In the Crosstour, the driver and passengers sit about two inches higher, and the car easily accommodates a six-foot passenger behind a six-foot driver. There’s also no crouching down — or climbing up — to get in.

Inside, you see a dashboard lifted from the Accord. The Crosstour doesn’t bother with the regular Accord’s lower trim levels. It starts as an EX for $30,380 — that’s $2,865 more than an EX sedan. The EX-L, at $33,280, adds leather and a few minor niceties. EX-L buyers are invited to spend even more on a navigation system with backup camera ($2,200) and all-wheel drive ($1,450).

Ford Escape Hybrid, 2010

Inclement weather or and off-road treks are always good ways test an SUV. I didn’t do either in my week with the Escape. But a solid week of mixed city and freeway driving also gives a good idea of a vehicle’s versatility. In parking lots, vision is fine for what seems to be all-too-tight conditions in modern-day malls. On the freeway, the Escape handled itself with confidence. In the SUV segment, the Escape is quiet on the open road.

Ford Escape Hybrid Interior

There’s ample comfort for front and rear-seat passengers and everything is designed cleanly, if conservatively. The look is square, not curved. Functionality rules over any semblance of plushness. Still, the look is handsome considering the segment. Black plastic dominates the console, and it’s attractive. It’s also likely prone to easy scratching.

Dials, knobs, door handles, the glovebox and cupholders are easy to use, with the illuminated cupholders a clever idea not found in many luxury vehicles. Leather seats are optional and the beige seats matched against the black console works like a pair of saddle shoes.

Ford Escape Hybrid Exterior

Manufacturers are keen on trying different color shades. Green was once the most popular color choice for cars, but it was long ago replaced by white. The exterior paint color of my weekly test drive Escape was Kiwi Green Metallic. It’s not a neutral color choice by any definition. It’s an all-or-none color. I thought the color looked classy; Plenty of friends disliked the color. The boxy body style has remained unchanged since 2008.

Ford Escape Hybrid Performance

When braking or decelerating, the Escape’s hybrid system uses regenerative braking, where the electric drive motor becomes a generator, converting the vehicle’s momentum back to electricity for storage in the batteries.

With 155 hp (116 kW), the Hybrid Escape has nearly the same acceleration performance as the conventional 200 hp (150 kW) V6 Escape.

As a result, the hybrid’s acceleration in my experiences during the past few years, remains the same as the non-hybrid — with one exception. On step inclines or long, steady grades, the hybrid is underpowered.

Likes:

Illuminated entry.

Illuminated (bright blue) cupholders.

Handsome coordination of blue and red back-lighting on instrument panel.

Crisp digital radio and rear view camera screen.

Comfortable seats.

Dislikes:

Black plastic on console. Looks clean, scratches easily.

Must release foot brake by hand. It’s not an easy reach.

2010 Ford Escape Hybrid LTD: Facts & Figures

Acceleration: 0-60 mph (8.9 seconds, gas engine); hybrid untested.
Airbags: Front, front side and side curtain airbags.
Antilock brakes: Standard
First aid kit: N/A
Fuel economy (EPA estimates) 34 mpg (city), 31 mpg (highway)
Government Safety Ratings: Front driver/passenger (five stars); Side crash frojt (five stars), rear seat (five stars); Rollover (three stars).
Horsepower: 155.
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price: $32,260.00
Price As tested: $35,775.00
Warranty: Bumper to bumper, 3 years/36,000 miles; Powertrain, 5 years/unlimited miles; Corrosion, 6 years/100,000 miles; Roadside Assistance, 5 years/60,000 miles.
Web site: www.fordvehicles.com.

What Others Say:

“The Escape is a hybrid SUV with solid moves at an affordable price for which no excuses need be made.” —- Car and Drive.

“The Escape Hybrid is also a very functional mini-SUV that’s enjoyable to drive and quite dependable.” —- CNN Money.

“The Escape Hybrid delivers a unique combination of hybrid fuel efficiency, SUV utility and a sort of rugged and refined style that’s appropriate for both downtowns and campgrounds.” —- Kelley Blue Book.

2010 Kia Soul

Designed in California and manufactured in South Korea for a global market, the Kia Soul joins the expanding and economical box-style segment manufacturers prefer to call mini MPVs (multi passenger vehicles). The Scion xB and the Nissan Cube are competitors.

The Soul debuted at the Paris Motor Show in 2008, it was first available in February 2009 in Europe and a month later debuted in North American dealerships.

With its varied trims, engines, colors and accessory options, Kia proudly declares the 2010 Soul is available in more than 10,000 combinations.

The Weekly Driver Test Drive

By coincidence, I drove in consecutive weekly test drives, the Nissan Cube followed by the Kia Soul. Both vehicles are innovative and in some ways, they’re a lot of alike — versatile, Utilitarian Hatchback Vehicles or UHVs (I made up the term.)

I primarily drove the Soul in city jaunts, the grocery store and other routine life tasks. Like the Nissan Cube and Scion xB, it’s nimble and a lot of fun while scooting around town. Parking lots, parallel parking, U-turns — all easily handled.

I’m about as far removed from being a soccer mom as possible. And nor am I a youth baseball coach. The trio of box cars leaders won’t car the whole team and the supplies. But the Soul is a good, economical alternative for transporting about half the team.

Kia Soul Interior

The Soul is the first Kia that breaks the manufacturer’s traditional simple equation: economy means boring. The instrumentation panel and console features are still straight-forward, but they’re now curved and come in color patterns, matched with an interior decorator’s closest of upholstery offerings, including two-tone and sometimes non-matching seats and console.

One oddity: There’s plenty of leg and head room. But that means Kia has opted for the comfort of the passengers (a good thing), and not a lot of room for passengers’ stuff.

Kia Soul Exterior

While grouped in the box-and-wheels segment, Kia Soul designers have taken the best features of other models, like the Sonata, and incorporated those curves and refinement into the Soul. It’s the most stylish of the three major players in the class.

Kia Soul Performance

I like manual-drive cars, and it’s a treat to shift gears in a vehicle one might expect to be offered only as an automatic. The five-speed manual shifts smoothly and the zero to 60 mph standard test rating of 8.8 seconds seems soft. The Soul seems surprisingly quick for its segment and its 2.0-liter, 142-horsepower numbers. Neither the Cube nor Soul are quiet on the highway, but the Soul ride gets more bumpy at higher speeds. The 18-inch wheels help the cause.

Likes:

Like all Kia models, the good-value pricing and industry-leading warranty are hard to ignore.

What’s your favorite color or three? The Soul has a near unlimited supply of color schemes.

Great head and leg rooms for front and rear seat passengers.