The appeal of the crossover IMO is the better visibility in traffic and ease of entry/egress over a normal car, without compromising mpg very much. I think it's possible to do that with some added practicality, but they'd rather just put big shiny wheels on it and lane change alerts instead of a little more room in the cargo area and rear windows you can see out of.
I just wish I could buy an actual wagon from honda/toyota these days. I just got nailed in my '17 4 door civic hatch commuter/daily (and I think it will be totaled) and although it was a great car, I always wished it was an actual wagon. I refused to get a small SUV (partially because of manhood, and also because they cost a little more and you lose some fuel economy), but I wanted the highest quality brand that would get me 30-40mpg @ $20k buy in, with the ability to fit a roughly 2'x2'x3' gear box in the back with the seats up and hatch closed, which it did, but just barely. I don't want to buy a shitbox quality american made wagon, an overpriced luxury wagon, or a euro that I can't easily work on in the future.
A compact quadcab pickup turbo diesel would be the shit, but I just don't see how they'd ever figure they'd sell enough of them to make them in the first place.
