Extended-Suffering Honda Crosstour Given Sweet Release, Killed for 2016

Very first, the practical but dorky Mercedes R-class was discontinued for the U.S. in 2012. Then final month, the Toyota Venza died. Now, the Honda Crosstour will shuffle off this automotive coil at the finish of its 2015 model cycle. Funky wagon-posing-as-crossover factors, we hardly knew ye.

The Crosstour discontinuation tends to make sense, of course, provided that sales have been never ever all that strong. In its 1st complete year on sale in 2010, the Crosstour—originally called Accord Crosstour just before Honda scraped its most venerated nameplate off the back of —moved 28,851 units. But that was the high-water mark: Sales fell to 17,974 in 2011 and couldn’t prime 21,000 in 2012 despite introducing a mild refresh that year. The Crosstour also launched on the wrong foot, its maker getting revealed it by means of Facebook to scathing comments and not a tiny controversy, and its compromised practicality and tepid dynamics were the largest takeaways in our tests of the car.

In a statement attributed to John “I Don’t Give a Damn About Nissan” Mendel, the company’s U.S. executive vice president, the “crossover segment has evolved” and Honda will use the Crosstour’s capacity at the East Liberty, Ohio, plant to develop a lot more CR-Vs and Acura RDXs. (The plant will also bring on the Acura MDX in early 2017.) Mendel also says he expects the new HR-V to do heavy lifting in the crossover arena, and announced that it will move Accord hybrid production from its Marysville, Ohio, facility—which also assembles the regular Accords and the Acura TLX and ILX—to Japan.

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Certainly, the Crosstour will go out with a whimper. Honda sold fewer than 12,000 examples last year and just 2046 in the initial quarter of 2015, when Toyota pushed out a lot more than 3 times as many Venzas. We’d say that we wished Honda had sold an actual Accord wagon alternatively of this thing, but it probably wouldn’t have sold any greater. Which is an even bigger shame than the Crosstour itself.

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Extended-Suffering Honda Crosstour Given Sweet Release, Killed for 2016

Lengthy-Suffering Honda Crosstour Offered Sweet Release, Killed for 2016

Very first, the practical but dorky Mercedes R-class was discontinued for the U.S. in 2012. Then last month, the Toyota Venza died. Now, the Honda Crosstour will shuffle off this automotive coil at the finish of its 2015 model cycle. Funky wagon-posing-as-crossover things, we hardly knew ye.

The Crosstour discontinuation tends to make sense, of course, offered that sales had been never ever all that sturdy. In its first complete year on sale in 2010, the Crosstour—originally called Accord Crosstour before Honda scraped its most venerated nameplate off the back of —moved 28,851 units. But that was the high-water mark: Sales fell to 17,974 in 2011 and couldn’t best 21,000 in 2012 despite introducing a mild refresh that year. The Crosstour also launched on the incorrect foot, its maker having revealed it via Facebook to scathing comments and not a tiny controversy, and its compromised practicality and tepid dynamics were the largest takeaways in our tests of the automobile.

In a statement attributed to John “I Do not Give a Damn About Nissan” Mendel, the company’s U.S. executive vice president, the “crossover segment has evolved” and Honda will use the Crosstour’s capacity at the East Liberty, Ohio, plant to develop more CR-Vs and Acura RDXs. (The plant will also bring on the Acura MDX in early 2017.) Mendel also says he expects the new HR-V to do heavy lifting in the crossover arena, and announced that it will move Accord hybrid production from its Marysville, Ohio, facility—which also assembles the normal Accords and the Acura TLX and ILX—to Japan.

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Certainly, the Crosstour will go out with a whimper. Honda sold fewer than 12,000 examples last year and just 2046 in the 1st quarter of 2015, when Toyota pushed out much more than 3 times as many Venzas. We’d say that we wished Honda had sold an actual Accord wagon instead of this thing, but it likely wouldn’t have sold any greater. Which is an even bigger shame than the Crosstour itself.

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Lengthy-Suffering Honda Crosstour Offered Sweet Release, Killed for 2016

Sweet Soul music?

If you’re searching for a compact loved ones motor which won’t break the bank, the Kia Soul could be worth thinking about.

The 2014 Kia Soul’s boxy exterior, roomy cabin and a decent-sized boot, which has been improved by 14 litres to 354 litres compared to its predecessor, will all appeal to families seeking for a vehicle which fits a lot of space into a small footprint.

Glove boxes and door bins are also generous, and there’s plenty of leg room for anybody sitting in the back – best for parents searching to minimise that pesky back-of-seat kicking on lengthy journeys.

Starter’s orders

There are 9 Kia Soul models offered, ranging from the Hatchback 1.6GDi Start off 5 door which charges £12,600 up to the Hatchback 1.6 CRDi Maxx 5 door costing £21,550.

The Start comes with a petrol engine only, a DAB radio and air-conditioning, as nicely as 16-inch steel wheels, but the trim isn’t as slick as those offered by its pricier counterparts.

The a lot more you spend, the more gadgets your Kia Soul will come with. The Connect Plus model, for instance, which expenses £17,500, comes with a sat-nav, touchscreen and climate control, as properly as a reversing camera.

If you’re going for one of the less expensive models, then you will only have the option of a 6-speed manual gearbox, but from Connect Plus upwards you will also have the choice of a 6-speed automatic gearbox if you favor.

Protected and safe

From a safety viewpoint, the camera and other measures makes the Kia Soul are challenging to beat.

Models come with 6 airbags and tyre stress monitors fitted as common, and earlier models of this automobile accomplished a 5-star security rating in Euro NCAP crash tests. The latest model has however to be tested but is anticipated to execute to an equally high common.

Nonetheless, there are downsides. The engine is not really economical or effective, and some have criticised its lack of a smooth ride and noticeable engine and wind noise.

Inside story

The familiar Kia use of a lot of black plastic in the cabin comes in for a bit of criticism also, even though contrast stitching on the seats does enhance the look of the interior. The much more you are prepared to invest, the far more desirable the interiors turn out to be, with the leading-priced Maxx coming comprehensive with leather upholstery and panoramic sunroof.

These concerns aside, the Kia Soul is properly worth a look for families on a budget. It also comes with a generous 6-year/ 25,000 mile warranty, offering peace of thoughts that you’ll be covered if one thing goes incorrect – not to be sniffed at given steep garage repair bills.

Rough and prepared?

One particular reviewer complained that you can feel road roughness even when the road looks even, though the automobile is praised for its stiff suspension, which gives excellent cornering capability.

Despite the fact that the Kia Soul is competitively priced, comparable models such as the Renault Captur SUV are less expensive to personal. If you are seeking for a green drive, this won’t be the automobile for you either, as even with begin-quit technologies, which turns the engine off automatically when the automobile sops, the 1.6-litre diesel engine has an 132g/km CO2 output, which is higher relative to rival models.

For example, the Nissan Juke can do 64.4mpg compared to the Soul’s 56/5mpg and emits just 104g/km of CO2.

Taxing occasions

The petrol 1.6-litre engine, meanwhile, has an even significantly less economical CO2 output of 158g/km and will do 41.5mpg if you are driving either the Begin, Connect or Connect Plus models.

As a outcome, road tax is a hefty £180, but is even steeper for the Mixx and Maxx petrol models, which do 38.7mpg and have CO2 emissions of 170g/km. Even so, Kia plans to bring an all-electric version of the Soul to the UK later this year, which could effectively be worth waiting for if low running costs and zero emissions are a priority.

Sweet Soul music?