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2) Fusion
3) Aura
4) Malibu
5) Accord
6) Sonata
7) Altima
8) Passat
9) Camry
1)Altima 2)Mazda6 3)Aura 4)Sonata 5)Accord 6)Camry 7)Passat 8)Fusion 9)Malibu
2) Passat
3) Aura
4) Fusion
5) Altima
6) Malibu
7) Accord
8) Sonata
9) Camry
2) Altima
3) Passat
4) Sonata
5) Aura
6) Malibu
7) Milan
8) Galant
9) Optima
10) Accord
11) Fusion
12) Camry
Not a real dog in the bunch, though--unless Honda puts a grille like that on the 2009 Pilot on the Accord. :P
Edit: I forgot the Avenger and Sebring! How could I forget them?? I was wrong about there being no dogs in the bunch. They are the only two cars in the class I would not buy based on looks alone.
Yes, in the family-car class, looks are hardly the main driver of sales. In fact, over time "boring" has sold better than "daring" in this class.
1) Fusion / Milan
2) Mazda6
3) Accord, Sonata (tie)
4) Aura
5) Altima
6) Optima
7) Passat
8) Malibu
9) Camry
OVERALL:
1) Accord
2) Sonata
3) Altima
4) Mazda6
5) Fusion / Milan
6) Aura
7) Malibu
8) Optima
9) Camry
10) Passat
The only 2 that stand out to me, of those pics that are posted, are the Malibu and the 6. Personally I think the 6 makes the rest look cheap and boring. They are all too similar in profile.
Wow - I actually thought the Malibu was a Fusion. I thought the headlights looked different, but the antenna at the back of the roof convinced me otherwise.
Just shows that I don't look at my car in side profile very often.
2.) Passat
3.) Camry (SE only)
4.) Altima
5.) Accord
6.) Sonata
7.) Aura
8.) Malibu
9.) Fusion
The driving dynamics were pretty amazing for how big a car it really is. The V6 felt very powerful and gave me a lot of confidence (perhaps too much) when merging and passing. I found the "ECO" cylinder deactivation very similar in feeling to the lock-up torque converter feeling, it wasn't intrusive but I noticed it. It seemed odd that it didn't have the video game paddles or psuedo-stick thing for the transmission, but given the age of their market, and the fact that those are silly to begin with, I can understand why they don't have it. I thought the steering wheel felt very good in my hands (its relatively small diameter is what I think leads to its sporty feel), although I didn't care for the styling at all. I also found the steering to be well weighted with a good level of effort. I found the seats perfectly comfortable, but I am not a giant by any means.
The gagetry was a mixed bag. I had to call the 1-800 phone number to get my phone to work with bluetooth, and it said I still couldn't upload my phonebook because of some limitation on my phone (although it works fine with SYNC). There are 4 buttons to control voice activation. If its voice activated, why do I need 4 buttons? There is still no support for an iPod, and the control of MP3 CDs was cumbersome. The nav system let you manually control everything while you are driving, which is surprising given the rules/laws that went into effect for 2008.
I found the ride quality to be fine over all surfaces, and it felt less limp than my 2007 (as an aside, my 1993 was the last year in the run as was my 2007, and neither of them have been at the level of Honda's reputation, maybe there is a lesson there). A nice ride to be sure, but at 30k, there are a lot of nice rides. I am guessing transaction prices are closer to invoice, and at 27k the car has a much stronger value point. It did everything more than acceptably and was easy to drive.
I was surprised, too. My GM units always shut down command at about 5mph. All 3 I've recently test-driven (Camry, Accord and Sonata) all allow control. I wonder if some law changed. :confuse:
Edmunds
C&D
MT
The new GM systems are a little bit more mellow, the '07 STS wouldn't let me scratch my butt while the car was above 5 mpg, but the new '08 CTS (a totally fantastic ride, IMO) let me pick what song I wanted off my iPod or USB stick, or select a POI while rollin' down the road.
Given the demands of low coefficient of friction, interior space, fuel economy, safety features, etc. there aren't too many different engineering or design solutions. They are the generic current American sedan. This homogeneity is likely to continue as the price of fuel rises.
If cost is of minor significance, then you can be artistic and creative and different as many of the much higher priced vehicles can afford to be..
It does not have to be all or nothing. My back seat is only used occassionally, on those occassions all I want is for it to be adequate. I don't need it to be a limosinesque experience for those in the back seat, but I also don't want it to be a torture chamber and I certainly do not want the inconvenience of a coupe.
The supposed "tight" back seat of this:
is adequate for my needs/wants.
Funny, I have just the opposite opinion. That's why I bought one last September.
I guess that's why Baskin Robins offers more than just one flavor.
It's a good reminder that a car's styling is entirely subjective. That's why I can never figure out why most of the automotive press makes such a big deal about it, and actually awards "points" for it, in their reviews.
I was leaning more towards the opposite of your negative opinion of the Sebring/Avenger.
Here at work the links for the pics in the exterior car ranking poll are blocked by my company's firewall, so I cannot see them all side-by-side.
I did get a close-up look at a Fusion before the Sebring decision. Way too much chrome on that front end and the ho-hum Ford interior was the deciding factor.
The '10 facelift will be much much more significant.
It will offer updated drivetrains including a Hybrid and a new interior in addition to the exterior tweaks.
i think the styling around the rear doors on the chyslers, is just wrong.
one of our friends just got a new sonata. it looks pretty good from the side and back. wheels look good, but i would hate to clean them(too many spokes). haven't seen the front, yet.
Thanks,
Brian
There's a lot of info in the forum regarding negotiations. Have you done a search?
Still, since there's a $3000 general rebate on the 2008s right now, I'd expect there's still room to bargain on $5000 off list.