Midsize Sedans Comparison Thread

bobad

It's a good thing we have multiple cars to choose from - that way we all can find what suits our own tastes and preferences the best.

Not to mention not being able to find our own cars in the parking lot.

bobad

I know what you mean scape2. I REALLY like the body style of the Fusion. I studied up on the Sonata for about a year before buying it, and knew every knob on it before I even bought it. I got in a rush before I had time to thoroughly study up on the Fusion. If the circumstances were a little different, I could easily be driving a Fusion right now. I'm totally satisfied with my Sonata, but would probably been just as satisfied with the Fusion. I can't imagine anyone bashing any car in this group. The criticism I am hearing just doesn't match reality. At least not MY version of reality.

njerald

link title

w9cw

Re. the Pontiac G6 . . . it may be a "looker," but after having lived with one for four days last week as a rental, I would not own one. Ergonomically, it could be much, much better. First of all, the when attempting to close the driver's door in the 4-door sedan, you practically have to fall out of the car to reach the door to be able to close it. And, I'm not a short person, and have rather long arms. Secondly, the storage cubby in front of the console mounted shifter is useless when you have the shifter in Park. Unless you have a hand the size of a child's, forget being able to use it. These are only two examples of ergonomic oversights.

The model I rented was a high-line model and it certainly did look nice, but it's not something I could live with for the long-term. Another vehicle that is style over substance . . .

joe97

I am pretty sure the only car in the picture the other poster meant to show was the Sonata. The IS is just posted next to the Sonata

joe97

Let the battle begins

joblow

"How can you say the Altima will be an 2008 Accord beater? You know nothing about the 2008 Accord. Sounds like a definite case of Honda hating here. Have you even seen a picture of one?"

Now thats funny,I think this is a case of the Pot calling the Kettle Black ! There has been nobody in here bashing or hating nearly as bad as you bash or hate the Sonata.Think its time you had a reality check!

bhmr59

Yeah, right. That's why he took the time to block out the license palte numbers but didn't bother to block out the Lexus.

Maybe, just maybe, the picture was designed to show that the styling of many mid-size cars is similar.

scape2

"So if Hyundai styling (or lack of) isn't what people want, they aren't gonna buy it no matter how better they build them from yesteryear"
Styling.. Hate to break the news to you but the Accord and Camry aren't doing much better in the styling arena. In my opinion the Camry has now edged the Accord in styling. Still not really used ot the hood portion of the Camry, but at least Toyota took a chance.. After having seen a Fusion parked side by side to both an Accord and a Camry.. Styling goes to Fusion.. once again.. my opinion...

bobad

There has been nobody in here bashing or hating nearly as bad as you bash or hate the Sonata. Think its time you had a reality check!

Some can dish it out fine, but can't take it!

When is the 2008 Accord debut? Halloween? I can't wait to see it, because Honda always seems to come up with clean, crisp styling.

autoboy16

So would you own a saturn aura? It has far better ergonomics than a g6.

Do you agree? It has more of the 2006 Impala's interior than the g6.

Its rear is on par with the 2007 camry and ford fusion and mercury milan. Its the best gm exterior i've seen in a while imo!

thegraduate

of course it's an opinion, but when 9 out of 10 people think M3 is better looking than let's say crossfire or GTO, then M3 is better looking car.

Pat already addressed that statement, but I'll just step into say we disagree here. It's the better looking car to those 9, but not me if I'm the 10th.

elroy5

All the other car companies are afraid of the 2008 Accord. As they should be. If you are planning to buy a new car soon, I would wait for the new Accord to come out. If it's going to be even better than the present Accord, it will be worth waiting for. IMO

joe97

Both cars have their license plates blocked, actually.

m1miata

AURA
It's another Altima, which was a knock of the Passat. Yes, nice interior. BTW, the Altima gets a new interior for 2007. For Saturns sake, I hope the Aura does better than the Catera. How reliable are the latest Opels? I guess this is the car which gets a 3.6 V6. That can't hurt. If they keep the price down, it may make the G6 history. Is Pontiac history? The coupe looks sort of interesting, but if priced the same as an Accord Coupe, I imagine most will just buy the most reliable one, with the greater resale value. Aura looks like Aurora. Bad omen, as you know Olds. is gone. And Buick got a Lucerne car based on a Cadillac chassis, which is another bad omen, as the Aurora was a Caddy originally.
- Loren

joe97

"All the other car companies are afraid of the 2008 Accord."

Maybe I haven't kept myself up-to-date but could you link me to the story where this is stated? Or is this your opinion?

As I mentioned previously, every car in this field is more than competitive; while one car gains in one area, the other gains in another. To say one is superior, or even better, every car company is afraid of one car is nothing short of ignorance.

I am sure the 08 Accord will be top-notch, and I expect it to be. I will continue to praise the Accord but not before the car is released. Automatically placing the 08 Accord as a superior car in the class, even before its release is wishful thinking.

joe97

I was hoping for an I4 as the base model but it gets two V6s in the trim models. I think the I4 would defn. keep the price down around high teens. As it stands now, the base Aura starts in the 20s.

elroy5

Like I said, they should be afraid of the 2008 Accord. The present Accord beat all the competition in all the comparison tests in 2003, when the 7th gen came out. And the 08 Accord will beat them all again. The Camry will come in second, and the rest will fight it out for third place.

ctalk

And the 08 Accord will beat them all again. The Camry will come in second, and the rest will fight it out for third place.

I wasn't aware that you've seen and driven the 2008 Honda Accord.

You seem to be contradicting yourself.
Remember this post?
#4297 of 4335
How can you say the Altima will be an 2008 Accord beater? You know nothing about the 2008 Accord. Sounds like a definite case of Honda hating here. Have you even seen a picture of one?

choe13

lets give it a test drive before hyping it up elroy5

the civic was the best eco car and even after 2 years they had time to observe the mazda 3, its new civic that just came out could not beat it

that could be the case with the accord which should be good as usual but it may not be the leader anymore.

Plus accord is pricey, lack of value, worst lease and finance rates

m1miata

[ Aura ]
Heard something like $25K, which means it is right in there with the Japan makes. But wait, we know they have good resale, and reliability -- people will just buy them for the same price. And in that range, Hyundai has the Azera luxury auto.
-Loren

elroy5

Considering that it has taken three years for the competition to catch up with the current Accord. The 08 Accord doesn't have to improve very much, to get the edge on them again. Honda is always improving. That's how they stay on top.

joe97

No one is saying Honda is not improving, no one is saying Honda is not one of the top crops in the midsize category, but to conclude 08 Accord the king and everyone else should just bow down from this point on, BEOFRE few has even seen or driven the car is pre-mature and has no credibility whatsoever.

Let's stay away from the igornance. Honda isn't the only automaker improving on this planet.

maxamillion1

The current Accord is usually rated at the top of its class in comparison test (heck even the new Camry barely beat it in Edmunds.com's test) and since that is the case, why wouldn't Honda take it to the next level with the next Accord? The current Accord's main drawbacks IMO are its styling and its brake performance. It does everything else as good, if not better than the competition.

So in Honda fashion, I've come to expect the Accord to be a class leader (like alwayz)but I'm sure not gonna call it the best when I haven't test driven it, yet alone seen it. I'm sure Honda will do a fine job redesigning the car again and a good way to put it is to say that I believe the next Accord will probably continue to be a class leader. No factual info is available, but Honda rarely fails twice...hopefully this time they'll get the styling together for this next generation.
Why do I think so? Well, the current model is considered one of the best if not the best...and Honda's got buying time to get all the little details right.

That's why we'll probably never see the Accord and Camry redesigned in the same year...Honda always waits a year later on the Accord then the Camry it seems lately because of the 5 year cycle (which used to be four for Honda)

bobad

Honda is always improving. That's how they stay on top.

All the midsize care are constantly improving, not just Honda. All the midsize cars are already very good, and very hard to improve upon. This group is so refined that about all the improvement we will see will be styling and semi-useless gizmos. Until we get such useful things as 100K mile tires, 50mpg engines, scratch proof paint, tubular frames, improved owner maintenance, I will not be impressed with any "new" model of any make.

maxamillion1

...all cars are improving...I think what he meant is that by the time the new Accord hits, all the latest cars will already be out and that will give Honda the "one up" that it always has when it comes to redesigning the Accord. That's one of the reasons it usually is the benchmark.

Further, the Accord gets a little more elbow room for features compared to say the Camry and Altima because the Accord is Honda's flagship and the Camtima aren't.

w9cw

Looks good . . . I will have to drive an Aura.

thegraduate

All the midsize care are constantly improving, not just Honda. All the midsize cars are already very good, and very hard to improve upon. This group is so refined that about all the improvement we will see will be styling and semi-useless gizmos.

Hey, my only disappointment with my Honda Accord is the lack of a split-folding rear seat - the whole unit folds down like my 1996 model, seems like they could've implemented a split folder by now. Now THAT'S not semi-useless, but the keyless start found on Acura RL, Camry, new Altima, is pointless IMO.

elroy5

Things Honda could do to jump ahead of the pack in 08:

1. Use the 3.2L engine from the Acura TL (with cylinder de activation) which would improve power, and fuel mileage.

2. More road noise insulation.

3. More rear seat room. (slightly wider)

4. Improve braking power.

5. New exterior design.

These few things are easy for Honda to accomplish (no new technology required) and would make them the class leader again. They could add other things such as adjustable pedals, split folding rear seat, etc. Honda can accomplish these things with ease.

bobad

Agree on the Accra engine. That's truly useful technology. Road noise insulation is always good. Declining infrastructure will make extra insulation more desirable in coming years. More rear seat room is always useful, but not easy to acheive. The tires get in the way. Better braking is always good. Some day a better material will replace warp-prone cast iron rotors at an affordable price. A body style change is useful to me only to differentiate between models. As long as the body style is not ugly, it's acceptable to me. None of the mid-sized cars are even close to ugly. When people say they are, they lose their credibility.