The Earth Dreams V-6 engine receives a 7-horsepower boost and its base four-cylinder engine gets a boost to 31 mpg highway – up from 27 mpg in 2012. There are now two new exterior colors to choose from: Kona Coffee Metallic and Mountain Air Metallic. Honda also worked on the Crosstour’s visibility by adding in a standard rearview camera and expanding the rearview mirror. Lastly, Honda added in a slew of available features that were not available in 2012, including: six-speed transmission with paddle shifters, Honda LaneWatch, HondaLink with Aha, Smart Entry with remote start, Forward Collision Warning and Lane Departure Warning.
The 2013 Crosstour comes in four main trim levels: EX, EX V-6, EX-L and EX-L V-6. The EX is the base level, but it contains a wide range of standard features to help it better compete with higher-end crossovers. The EX V-6 takes in a stouter driveline, adding relatively decent performance to the mix. The EX-L offers top-notch fuel economy and loads of premium features. Finally, the EX-L V-6 adds V-6 power and performance to the wide array of premium features offered up by the EX-L.
The crossover market is stuffed to the seams with competition, and the Crosstour takes on the less rugged of the group. The first competitor for the Crosstour is the 2013 Toyota Venza, which features a recently restyled body, a base 2.7-liter four-cylinder with 181 horsepower and plenty of standard features for its price. Next up is the 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek, which comes standard with a 2.0-liter engine with 148 horsepower, five-person cloth seating and a six-speaker audio system. The 2013 Volkswagen Jetta TDI SportWagen is another key competitor, and it comes standard with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine with 140 horsepower and 236 foot-pounds of torque, five-person leatherette seating and standard 16-inch alloy wheels.