It's the positive lifestyle statement of the summer: the new Volkswagen CrossTouran! Following the CrossPolo and CrossGolf launched earlier in the year, the VW CrossTouran now fills the gap in the Cross lifestyle family. Volkswagen's 'more extrovert' compact MPV is now available to order from a starting price of €27,700. The Touran already follows the new Volkswagen design DNA and impresses externally with a dynamic character line, a new, powerful rear-end design and two-part taillight clusters. However, the Volkswagen CrossTouran traditionally 'goes one better' and with its modified bad road kit complete with longer suspension springs it gets 20 millimetres more ground clearance than the standard model. On top of that comes the mix of 215 tyres at the front and 235s at the back, both on 17-inch alloy wheels. Thanks to its striking exterior elements the new CrossTouran is also instantly perceived as an autonomous model. The widened wheel arches form a unit with the side sills, which are drawn right up into the doors. It is also given a sporty character by the differentiated front and rear bumpers and the black grained protective strips on the doors.
In addition to a specific design the autonomous 'Cross' brand also stands - like 'GTI' and 'R' - for a specially designed set of features. Through the sum of its special features the VW CrossTouran glistens with Wolfsburg virtues: interior comfort and convenience (40 storage bins and optional third seating row), driving fun and environmental awareness. For instance, as well as with the familiar TSI and TDI engines the new Volkswagen CrossTouran is now also available with the particularly efficient and environmentally friendly 'EcoFuel' natural gas engine. Fuel consumption when driving on natural gas is 4.8 kilograms per 100 kilometres, which equates to CO2 emissions per kilometre of 133 grams. The additional natural gas tanks are located beneath the floor, so that the vehicle's cargo capacity of up to 1,989 litres is not affected. In total Volkswagen CrossTouran customers have a wide array of TSI, TDI and natural gas engines to choose from, ranging in power from 77 kW to 125 kW (105 to 170 PS). This lifestyle-oriented all-rounder - complete with all visual and technical refinements - can now be ordered in Germany from a starting price of €27,700.
Not in the Accord. This car does whatever you ask of it. Want a comfortable cruise down the highway? Done. Take a detour to some curvier roads and lean in? The Accord is right there with you. Its sharp steering and just-firm-enough suspension make the car feel poised when pushed well past the point where its competition starts to stumble. Honda didn't have to make the Accord this good. The ninth-generation model was already leagues better than its competition, and as American automakers pull out of the sedan segment, there's more pie for the Japanese and Korean companies to split. Toyota was in the midst of redesigning the Camry, set to launch around the same time as the Accord, and so you might argue that's why Honda worked to make this car so superlative. But we don't buy that. Making the Accord this good is just what Honda does. There's a reason it made the 10Best Cars list again this year, for the 33rd time. Confident handling and off-the-line quickness are enough to win an enthusiast's heart, but the Accord's interior is icing on the cake.
The cabin is just as well sorted as the chassis, with materials that compare favorably with those found in entry-level luxury cars (though our white-leather seats were showing signs of wear by the end of our test). And you'll find more passenger space in the back of the Accord than you will in almost any other mid-size sedan. It won't inspire badge envy, but our Accord cost thousands less than an entry-level BMW 3-series despite being nearly as quick and providing a plusher and more spacious interior. It's all substance, no gimmick. For people who love driving but need a reasonably priced car that can easily fit four passengers and their suitcases, the Accord is the best choice out there. And we're not just saying that. When our test was over, one staffer took VanderWerp's advice and purchased the Accord to add to her personal fleet. It's rare for the word "perfect" to appear in the logbooks of one of our long-term vehicles, let alone as frequently as it does in our current Honda Accord's.
Yet since our last update at nearly 22,000 miles, that descriptor has appeared three times. We've also called the Honda "phenomenal" and "the best." If you've been keeping up with our Accord's journey and this is all starting to sound very familiar, well, sorry. Excellence is often uninteresting. But our frustrations with the Accord's hyperactive warning systems haven't stopped us from taking it on long trips, where the comfortable seats and good fuel economy at (and slightly above) highway speeds make it a favorite travel companion. Its stellar reliability is a factor, too. Not only has the Accord never left us stranded, but it hasn't required any unscheduled service since a rock splintered its windshield last summer. Unworried by potential electrical or mechanical gremlins that could interrupt our vacations, we've recently pedaled the Accord to and from Pennsylvania, Chicago, Wisconsin, and New England, as well as to our usual haunts in western and northern Michigan. On one of those trips, a staffer fit the contents of his childhood bedroom (plus some luggage) in the back for the drive home, proving that compact crossovers aren't the only useful vehicles in this price range.
