Why do I feel guilty about liking the Accord Crosstour?

Lets face it, the wagon is cool again. Some of us need the practicality, combined with the versatility that only a wagon can offer, yet do not want the footprint or gas guzzling-ness of an SUV. Need more convincing? Suby Outback Turbo, Audi S4 Avant, Stagea, and the Hemi powered Magnum. OK, the latter is debatable, but you catch my drift. Even though there was about 20 years there between 1980 and 2000 where the wagon had no love, automakers and buyers alike are now beginning to discover what they were missing. It got so bad for a time, automakers even came up with new names. Who would buy a Toyota Matrix if it was badged a "Corolla Wagon"? And then a funny thing happened to the segment - The crossover.
The term crossover is used very loosely, from everything to CRV's, to the Crosstour, which is basically an Accord thats a hatchback and jacked up. But the bottom line is, I'm diggin' this thing. First the styling - It screams form and function, but in a good way. The front says aggressive, but the rear says utility, with a little bit of attitude. Keep in mind though; I am totally judging all of this from the photos. The lines on the car are aggressive, and thoughtfully arranged. This car was not just throwing a hatch on the back of a sedan, which was a plan that worked well for so many years for Japanese automakers. The wheels are aggressive, but aren’t big enough to dampen ride quality, and the black trimmed projector headlights let you know that this is a modern car. The ass is nicely done with dual exhaust pipes, but I think some LED tails will be a nice touch. The interior is also the epitome of ergonomics in typical Honda fashion. Reviewers complain of too many buttons in the Accord sedan. Screw you, I like buttons.
But now let’s talk about the motor. I was surprised to see thing thing equipped with a peppy V6, which is a great move on Honda’s behalf. This move keeps the CR-V relevant while appealing to a new crowd. The marketing materials claim enhanced suspension, which I am sure, is a bit tighter than a stock Accord. The 3.5 V6 sounds good on paper - 271 horsepower, but bolted only to a 5 speed slush box. Not even a CVT option. This is still very commendable performance, and should be well suited to the daily driver enthusiast no doubt. But with available AWD, it becomes a lot more utility and foul-weather friendly.
Pricing is between $27K and 37K depending on how you load it up. EPA #’s are 17/25, making this a decent commuter car that gets typical gas mileage, good performance and excellent utility.
But we do know one thing about this car – its success will certainly be a measure of many things to come. For example, if successful, we will certainly see the return of the Camry wagon, and perhaps an Altima variant of a different namesake. We could also expect to see a hybrid option for this car in the near future if sales are good, because hippies love them some wagon. There are also talksof a TSX wagon variant, which we all know as the Euro Accord.
Check out some pictures. All from Honda. I eagerly await the review from
[gallery]