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Altima coupe v. Accord coupe
artificial
Member Posts: 1
in Honda
Hello everybody!! First post 
I'm looking into purchasing a pre-owned car and have narrowed it down to a 2012 Altima coupe 3.5 SR or a 2011 Accord coupe EX-L. I would love some input on my dilemma, especially from those who have driven both cars.
My dilemma is this: every review I read puts the Accord first in performance. But I have driven both cars, and IMO the Altima smokes the Accord in power, excitement, fun.
I'm not talking about reliability (+Honda?), refinement (what exactly does that mean?), styling (to each their own), or build quality (how can you tell?) I'm talking only about the sheer pleasure of driving it. To me it was close, but it really wasn't. If I think about it, the Altima was fun and the Accord wasn't.
My caveat: before this, I was driving a 1998 Camry which just died, so I'm not used to ANY kind of performance Having said that I was definitely buzzed after driving the Altima, while merely pleased about the Accord.
So let me have it! What am I missing? Also, please be sure to mention if you have actually driven both cars in v6. Doesn't have to be same model year, but close would be helpful!
Thanks!!
I'm looking into purchasing a pre-owned car and have narrowed it down to a 2012 Altima coupe 3.5 SR or a 2011 Accord coupe EX-L. I would love some input on my dilemma, especially from those who have driven both cars.
My dilemma is this: every review I read puts the Accord first in performance. But I have driven both cars, and IMO the Altima smokes the Accord in power, excitement, fun.
I'm not talking about reliability (+Honda?), refinement (what exactly does that mean?), styling (to each their own), or build quality (how can you tell?) I'm talking only about the sheer pleasure of driving it. To me it was close, but it really wasn't. If I think about it, the Altima was fun and the Accord wasn't.
My caveat: before this, I was driving a 1998 Camry which just died, so I'm not used to ANY kind of performance
Having said that I was definitely buzzed after driving the Altima, while merely pleased about the Accord.So let me have it! What am I missing? Also, please be sure to mention if you have actually driven both cars in v6. Doesn't have to be same model year, but close would be helpful!
Thanks!!
0
Comments
First, the Altima SR edition is a sportier special edition than the normal Altima V6. The only comparable Accord would be one with dealer installed after-market springs and struts (I saw it on the Honda catalog "HPS suspension option").
Honda's are very reliable.
Refinement is this:
When driving over a bumpy road, does the car feel like 1,000 pieces held together by Elmer's glue, or a precision single piece of solid engineering flying down that road (no rattles, squeaks, noises).
Interior materials and quality. Seat comfort, tactile feel of doors, buttons, and dash. How coarse and loud is the engine at high RPM? Honda's are known to be smooth at any RPM.
Build Quality: Look at panel gaps, are they even? can you fit a whole finger in between them? Do interior trim pieces align evenly, symmetrically, and such? The Accord is a year older than the Altima your looking at, have a look at other 1 year older Nissan's on the lot to see how they hold up in comparison.