Drive On: Honda gives odd Crosstour a second try

Honda is making an Etch-A-Sketch move when it comes to trying to reboot sales of the Crosstour, a vehicle that could never quite decide whether it's a car or a crossover.

The new version of the Crosstour goes on sale Tuesday with "more purposeful" exterior styling, a more powerful engine, fancier inside touches and a cheaper price. It gets sleeker looks to go with a name that was slimmed-down for the 2012 model, when the former Accord Crosstour became just the Crosstour.

We imagine the changes are the result of watching sales never attain cruising altitude. Honda sold 16,748 Crosstours through October this year, up 7.7% from the same time last year, Autodata reports. That doesn't sound too bad until you consider that the Honda division as a whole is up 22% over the same period.

The Crosstour, introduced as an Accord model in 2010, just looks odd. It's an Accord from the front but has a big, bulky, ungainly rear end, not unlike some people. Since our cars are basically projections of ourselves, it is an image that we suspect most drivers don't want to project.

The new one will lure buyers with the lower price, starting at $27,230, down $525. Besides a pair of four-cylinder engines, the Crosstour will also have an available 278-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6 engine that has seven more horsepower yet gets up to 25 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving. It is paired to a six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. It will have a standard moon roof and premium features such as Honda's LaneWatch system that gives drivers a rear-camera view of the right side of the car as soon as the right turn signal is activated.

If you want to get back on the right foot, it sounds like a smart way to start.