Honda Cuv

The Age

Saturday December 27, 2008

Steve Colquhoun

FANS of jacked-up, beefed-up wagons such as the Subaru Outback (based on the Liberty), the Audi Allroad (A6 Avant) and even the Skoda Octavia Scout (Octavia) might recognise this picture as a bulked-up version of Honda's Accord Euro wagon, with a nose grafted on from the Accord V6 that has just won Drive's Car of the Year.

Spied on the road in the US state of Michigan, it appears to be the widely rumoured Honda large crossover vehicle. Closer examination reveals this is more than simply grafting one nose onto the body of another model. Wheel arch flares have been taped to the car, pointing to a widened wheel track; additional length appears to have been added behind the rear doors; and the car carries more ground clearance than the standard Accord Euro. A rear differential visible in some photos points to an all-wheel-drive system in operation.

Although the details of what engine will power the new Honda aren't known, our spy noted the car accelerated briskly, raising the possibility of the 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo mill used in the mid-sized Acura RDX soft-roader available in the US.

Disappointingly, given the Subaru Outback's popularity here, Honda Australia says it has no plans to import the as-yet unnamed crossover. -- STEVE COLQUHOUN

© 2008 The Age

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