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2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
1. Accord Sport
2. Camry SE
3. Legacy Premium
They are all around $24-25k MSRP. However, from doing a little net research it appears the Camrys are being discounted about $3-$4k, the Honda $2-$3k and the Legacy maybe $2k. So it appears the street price would be around $21-22K on each.
Now it's up to the wife to test drive each and make a decision.
Why the Malibu got struck. Dealer experience sucked, the transmission constantly hunted for the right gear, didn't like the start-stop feature, lots of bells and whistles were only available if you signed up for On-Star subscription which my wife would never go for. Heavy steering had no feel for the road and car was a little floaty as well.
Why the Jetta got struck. I liked it a lot. The 1.8T in that car is plenty quick and the car handles nicely but it was a lttile tighter than desired on the inside. Basically it was the price to get what she wants was a little high and she's hesitant on the reliability front after being spoiled by the Mazda. She plans on keeping the car for probably 6-8 years.
Why the Sonata got struck. The Sonata almost made the list. It was a much better drive than the one I tested several years ago when we bought the Mazda. Interior on the 2015 is very nice and seems to be pretty much on par with Accord. Still a little floaty and the transmission hunted for the right gear sometimes. Dealership just as disorganized it was several years ago. The dealership is nothing against the car but I have to feel at least somewhat confident that they know what they are doing as I always service at the dealership during warranty periods and obviously recalls.
2017 Cadillac ATS Performance Premium 3.6
The Accord Sport is going to win this 3 legged race..
Laying odds 3 to 1............................. with legacy being the dark horse............ Any takers.
Shuffling my line up soon and need some cash.
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
The salesman just kept showing me all this internet, 4G LTE stuff, guide by voice stuff after I kept telling him my wife really cares nothing about "connectivity" either through an MP3 player, USB port or through moving internet. Everything seemed to only be available if you have a "monthly plan". Not interested.
I forgot. Another thing on the Malibu was the trunk. It was very narrow(narrower than the others) because on one side there was a compartment that appeared to have a battery in it and I don't know what was on the other side but it intruded about the same amount. In affect all the other cars I could have laid my golf clubs and cart lengthwise right across at the front(by rear bumper) of the trunk as that was the widest spot. The Malibu was too narrow to do that.
If what you say is true about looks of Accord, wheel size, dual pipes etc make the best deal out of the 3 choices.
A great deal can be had with either 3 vehicles right before Dec, 31st.
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
all fine choices you have. Actually, Accord, Camry and Legacy were my other finalists. Probably should have saved $ and gone with the leftover 2014 Camry. Oh well!
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Wait till Dec I'm sure Toyota will have something going on for the Camry.
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
I know there are a few other extras, but those are the big ones off the top of my head.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
And just why would you say that without knowing anything about my wife? She picked the Mazda6 because of the way it handled and still likes it but doesn't like how much road noise makes it's way into the cabin. The newest Camry does drive better than they used to and from what I've read the SE model would handle a little better than the LE I tested the other day. I didn't test the SE the other day because I didn't realize then that certain things that are in the SE package were important to her. So, no, she is not just looking for the cheapest thing out there.
By the way, the Malibu would probably be the cheapest as they seem to be going for $5-$6k off MSRP around Chicago area.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
With both incentives from Honda you could very well nail a Accord Sport for 1k plus below dealers invoice on a 2015 model. There have been several buyers I know that got to 1k below already on a 2015. Your area with supply and demand will be a factor. With your incentives buying at 1k below gives dealer there 2% holdback and doc fee charge. You get a great price in return.
Just something to consider.
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
She's used to driving the Mazda6 which has a pretty firm suspension. I said she is looking for a quieter ride, not necessarily a "softer" ride. She likes to drive fairly hard(evidenced by several speeding tickets). If Mazda would have chosen to put a little more soundproofing into their car versus trying to take every bit of extra weight out.....skyactiv......it would probably be at the top of the list. The Camry SE is only about $900 more and for what you get including the alloys it's not bad. It will be interesting to drive the SE and see how it really compares with the ride of the LE. On a test drive it may be difficult to really feel the difference unless I try to scare the sh** out of the salesperson.
If you are looking at 2015s (likely at this point), road tests indicate that all models have a bit sharper handling, and better body/suspension control (grounded to the ground better?)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Well, then on the Accord EX vs the Sport you lose one exhaust pipe, 1" smaller and 3/4 inch thinner rims and tires, and about 3 horsepower. However...you gain Pandora, Sat radio, GPS, etc etc. Just to make a point though...I never use Pandora, I let my Sirius become less so, and my Garmin from 2008 works fine. Gosh what a hard decision. I wonder if the dealer would pop in the Infotainment system from abd Accord EX with Sirius and all that...just to make the seal happen. Go in Friday the 28 or Saturday the 29th of December. Wearing a Santa hat will disarm them....and distract them.I wrote my own deal.....like I filled out the buyers order and gave it to the sales manager. He added $100 to my $195 processing fee and said OK.... IF I bought the 10/100 B2B FOR $900. Deal! So $900 plus $300 = $1200 plus 21,000 plus and tags. It came out to $24,000. Total amount financed at 3.9% and $450 a month. I put NOTHING down.
The rear of the Camry now looks just like the Sonata, like they rolled one into the body shop and said "make it look like this...but not enough to get sued!"
Legacy and Sonata are a tie in my mind, but my mind was one of the one that was a terrible thing to waste. Actually the ad was about me and my friend who listened to NWA, Slayer, Pantera, Motorhead, and anything else hard core; all at a level of volume that would have killed most rodents.
The Accord's 4 cyl motor idles smooth and super quiet. If you didn't know better, you'd think there was a V6 under the hood. Stark contrast to my Legacy's Flat 4 which sounds thrashy when I 1st fire it up and eventually calms down.
The Accord's Backup Camera Lines move with the steering wheel. My Legacy's lines stay straight. My Legacy has a much better resolution backup camera.
The Accord's steering seemed to have a better slow speed feel than my Legacy.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
I noticed those same exact things during my test drives. In fact, the Accord was the quietest both at idle and on heavy acceleration of all the vehicles I test drove last week. The Legacy also was very abrupt at take off which one can get used to but was a bit of a start at the time. How's your Legacy on the expressway regarding road noise and noise from surrounding traffic?
Re: the Accord Sport vs. Legacy. You mentioned you lose one tailpipe and 3/4" of tire tread on the Legacy. That's true. But it's only missed if one cares about it in the first place. Here are some things the Legacy Premium(which is cheaper MSRP) has that the Accord Sport doesn't have.
1. Better MPG
2. More interior room
3. AWD
4. Heated Seats
5. Push button start
6. 6 speaker vs. 4 for Accord
7. Sliding center armrest
8. LED brake lights
9. Heated side mirrors
10. Lighted glove box
11. Leather gearshift knob
12. Voice recognition
13. Larger gas tank (more range is always nice to have)
14. Cargo tie downs
15. HD Radio
16. Driver and passenger auto up/down vs. just the driver's in the Accord
17. Aluminum spare vs. steel
Granted, some of these items are of negligible importance and to be fair the Accord also has a few(very few and minor) things that the Legacy doesn't have. But taken in totality the Subaru is quite the value. It's not quite as refined as the Accord IMO but all those pluses are hard to ignore especially for a lower MSRP. I have a feeling between dealer cash, military rebate and dealer concessions the Accord would most likely have a lower street price. I'm the pros and cons person and she is "oh I like the color and how it drives, I like this one" type. We both know it so that is why she has me do the recon and she does the sniping when it comes to something she will drive 98% of the time.
I think @cski was comparing the Accord Sport to the Accord EX.
I can certainly give it a shot to answer your questions objectively:
I don't think the Legacy takes off abruptly at all. Part of that has to do with the AWD system transferring power to the rear wheels during "take off." I don't feel that "lurch" that I normally do with traditional FWD cars. I think the other part has to to with the H4 engine sitting lower than a tradition I4. More weight lower over the front wheels. I'm not sure about the other cars in the segment, but the Legacy also has liquid filled motor mounts.
My Legacy drives great on the highway. Very smooth and compliant. They use double wishbones up front (like my Prelude) and a multi-link rear set up that most everyone else uses. It soaks up road imperfections nicely.
Mid range passing power is average. It is far from sluggish, but isn't a road rocket by any means. You definitely hear the motor working when you stab the gas pedal. It sounds very mechanical, not unrefined though. I like engine noise though.
There is a hint of wind noise. Road noise is minimal. The tires are quiet. The only other vehicles you hear are tractor trailers and lifted Wranglers with 31" Mud Tires.
Just looking at a few things on your list, I can tell you that the Legacy Premium DOES NOT have push button start. I can also comment on a few of the others:
3. AWD - This was the MAJOR selling point for me living in New England. I work for a family business and absolutely MUST open up at 7:30 AM, 6 days per week, especially in the cold weather. While I haven't gotten a chance to test out how well it drives in the snow yet, I can tell you the AWD gives the Legacy a much more neutral feel than a traditional front driver. I noticed on the test drive I was going a bit faster than I realized on a "clover leaf" exit ramp. The car didn't "push." The chassis stayed composed and neutral. I just kept on the gas pedal instead of braking late like I would in a front driver.
4. Heated Seats - They are fantastic.
12. Voice Recognition - It works really well. Light years ahead of my wife's 2011 Pilot (which in its defense is probably 2009 ish technology).
I can't say that my Legacy will get THAT much better or worse gas mileage than an Accord. Nor can I say with absolute certainty that my car has a tremendous range advantage over an Accord.
Obviously price is a factor, but when you plan on keeping a car long term you should get what you (or in this case, your wife) like. Even if it costs a little bit more up front.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
I definitely felt a lurch. I had to be very careful parking it as just a touch and it wanted to take off. I was watching a video review on youtube yesterday and the reviewer mentioned it as well and I said to myself I know exactly what he is talking about. Maybe your last car had a touchy gas pedal as well so it's not noticeable or maybe the tester I drove had a little "programming" fault. But it was there for me. I'll try and get a different car when my wife test drives one and see if it's the same. I had an Infiniti that had a touchy pedal and I got used to it pretty quickly and actually liked it after time.
I noticed also what you said about the heated seats. The three levels were nice......only have two levels on my Acura.
My comments about MPG and range were just that. According to EPA the Legacy gets better MPG and it does have a larger gas tank so range should be better. YMMV of course. I didn't say a lot or "tremendous" better.....just better.
Thanks again.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2025 Camry SE AWD
Thanks for all of your valuable information.....because of which I could get the below quotes
Can anyone of say which one is best value for money and features wise among the below 3 and which one to choose and why ?
2014 Honda Accord LX for $19000 or 2014.5 Toyota Camry LE for 18200 or 2015 Nissan Altima S for $17500
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
All 3 vehicles are good choices. The Accord will hold the best resale value out of the lot..
The Altima has a slight edge over Accords 27/36 mpg. with a ................... 27/38 mpg rating.
The Camry has a softer ride than a Accord. The Altima has the most legroom at....... 45'
Both Altima and Accord have a Continuously variable-speed automatic ( CVT transmissions). The Camry has 6-speed shiftable automatic.
If you click on the Car Research tab on the top page here - go to compare cars. you could see all 3 vehicles side by side. This will give you a clear picture of all 3 vehicles and help you make a well educated decision after you test drive all three.
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
I agree that in the final analysis styling and how if "feels" is important. Price really depends on your personal situation. My wife could easily buy a $40k or more car but just wants fairly basic transportation with some style and a few bells and whistles. She just thinks anything more than about $25k is more than wants to spend. She would rather spend on travel. I traveled extensively in both my corporate and military careers and have no desire for that. So I buy the $40k car and play golf......she can travel the world.
He man,,,,, it was Accord Sport VS Accord EX. I said in my oat I had zero objections with the Legacy at all. It would have been handy yesterday in the slush.
But then, the TLX didn't make Finalist either, and I wouldn't mind having one of those in my garage.
But for those shopping for minivans... the new Sedona was a Finalist.
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
Actually, I'll bet a relatively small percentage of the total USA population couldn't fit into a Golf, at least in the front seats. Way less than 50%. For those people, there's the new Sedona!
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
saamlee92 Posts: 0
November 12 edited November 12 in Hyundai
Hi. It's my very first post here
Number two on my list is the Mazda 3 which has more mpg but I didnt get a good offer yet. Thanks
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
23 Telluride SX-P X-Line, 23 Camry XSE