Return of the Crosstour? Honda Might Be Ready For Another Accord SUV

Cast your mind back a decade and a half, and recall the Honda Accord Crosstour, basically a long-tail Accord hatchback on stilts, introduced when the fastback-SUV thing was still being figured out. Honda’s Facebook-post introduction of the Crosstour met with immediate jeers, largely for its awkward, butt-heavy styling.

Beyond its questionable looks, the Accord Crosstour had flaws. Its long Euro-style hatchback body was great for cargo, but the swoopy roofline compromised the rear-seat headroom that so many SUV buyers sought. They stayed away from it in droves, and even Honda’s very modest sales goal of 40,000 per year (10% of the Accord sedan’s estimate) proved overly optimistic. Honda moved just shy of 29,000 Accord Crosstours in 2010, and sales dropped dramatically in each successive year. Honda killed the Crosstour in 2015.

If you recall that wheeled experiment, the new Honda Hybrid Sedan Prototype announced earlier this spring might look familiar. Raise it up a couple of inches, throw on some knobby tires (an accessory the Crosstour lacked), and you’d have a convincing fastback SUV, wouldn’t you? Well, according to a report in Automotive News, that’s exactly what might be about to happen.

AN reported on the presence of an “Accord SUV” in a Honda planning document, and according to the description, it sounds a lot like the old Crosstour: “More utility, a higher driving position, and a sedan-like price.” The vehicle would be based on the upcoming next-gen Accord, with a rear hatch in place of the sedan’s backlight and trunklid. It would be built alongside the Accord in Marysville, Ohio.

Such a vehicle could appeal to buyers who want the versatility and visibility of a higher-riding crossover, but aren’t ready to go full-on SUV. Perhaps more important, it would give Honda a product comparable to the Subaru Outback, a common purchase among Honda defectors. Basing the new SUV closely on the Accord would reduce development costs and thus the break-even point.

Could such a vehicle succeed? Seems to us that it could. Styling was a major sticking point with the Crosstour, and the New Hybrid Sedan Prototype—which already has the fastback roof—is a much better proportioned and more attractive vehicle than the old Crosstour.

We know from Honda practice that vehicles labeled “Prototype” are often very close to production-intent models. Note that this one has side mirrors and U.S.-spec side lighting; its presence would also give Honda some hedging against the transition from sedans to SUVs, and help keep the Accord sedan viable.

It won’t be long before we find out. The new Accord is reportedly due next year as a 2028 model, and the SUV variant would likely follow soon after. Whether Honda resurrects the Crosstour name remains to be seen, but we think this could be a much more viable vehicle than it was back in 2010.