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Midsize Sedans Comparison Thread
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Comments
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hondamatic
OK, I read the entry in Wikipedia but could someone explain the difference between the Hondamatic and a "normal" automatic transmission in plain English?
Well, the CVT was about the only reason that I even test drove the Altima. I like the idea of CVT and in my short drive it seemed fine to me. Too many other things I do not like about the car, though.
I too think cars will continue to fall in two categories, refrigerators/ranges, and stuff thats fun.
That's not how I see it. This is strictly personal, but I love my manual in traffic. Anticipation and coasting make it a breeze. I realize I'm in the minority on this though.
For me, a manual transmission is the only way to go no matter what the traffic is like. :shades:
I am sure most people feel this way (if incorrectly) about stock components and I think this is why mass market cars in this category will not offer a real sport package.
I wanted to hit on few misconceptions about tires in this post. The sidewall height is a ratio of the width. Hence a 60 series tire would be about 60% as tall as it is wide, a 50 series 50% as tall and so on. New tires (unless accompanied by larger rims) wouldn't decrease the sidewall height. It may decrease the ratio but not the actual height (since the tire is wider, the height stays the same, preserving speedometer readings)...this is a "Plus 0" fitment. Wider tire + better tire characteristics=better performance, usually with the same rim. Road noise is a function of a particular tire and has no relationship to tire size (excepting mud bog type tires or similar, which aren't being discussed).
A Plus 1 fitment is when the wheels get a little bigger. Going from a 15" inch wheel in a 195/60 to a 16" wheel in a 205/55 or 215/50 gets a lot more rubber on the road. Again, outside rolling circumference stays the same so there is no difference in speedometer readings.
A Plus 2 would be going from that 195/60 15 to a 205/50 17 or similar. This is where things get critical. Choosing a heavy rim at this point can affect vehicle handling, and going with too small of an aspect ratio (that width to height thing) can affect ride quality. Choosing too aggressive a tire can lead to tramlining.
Its possible to keep going and get 18 or even 20" wheels but those are pretty much purely for "bling" and weight more than the car. :sick:
Honda's engineers don't chose the tire size, the marketing and purchasing people do. Purchasing chooses the smallest, cheapest size marketing will allow. Very rarely to engineers get final say in any of these decisions. If you are that stoked about it, the marketing group did their job Every component on a car is a compromise so that it works for everyone but is optimized for no-one. Tires, even in the same exact size, are easy to upgrade for performance or snow traction, or what not.
Couldn't have said it better myself!
In my area, Pittsburgh, you really don't see too many Maximas you see way more 6 cyl. Accords and TLs. The current Maxima hasn't sold well.
How 'bout I don't even think about buying one and wait for the 08 Accord? The Fusion will look so Fordy then. They're gonna have to address the funky, thrown together dash and controls. Now even the Altima looks sweet inside.
Just one day and you called it quits? Geez, I’ve been stuck in stop and go traffic for hours on end, day after day after day. I started driving a stick shift when I lived in San Diego in the late 1970s, a car with an unassisted mechanical clutch linkage and a 3,500 pound pressure plate no less. From there I moved to Los Angeles, followed by Atlanta, Detroit, San Jose, Chicago, New York and now the Boston area. In addition to commuting daily in the rush-hour traffic in those cities, I've also worked long term contracts where I either had my own car or a stick shift rental in Dallas, Washington DC, Denver, London, Paris, Stuttgart, Rome, Taipei, and Auckland. Nobody can say I haven't experience the worst traffic the world has to offer in stick shift equipped cars, and yet, I still prefer having three pedals under my dash, and by a huge margin too.
No matter the road conditions, no matter the traffic conditions, no matter the weather conditions, I cannot think of a single scenario where I'd prefer an automatic. The only time I admit to it being a bit of a chore was when I was in my first RHD car (a Fiat of some sort) while stuck in London on a day where all mass transit was on strike. The combination of driving on the wrong side of the road, shifting with the wrong hand (but the correct foot), and looking up and left for the middle rear-view-mirror was just about to my limit of new experiences to deal with at one time.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Where did you see this? I wonder what Ford did differently in the past year?? :confuse:
And then I guess when the 09 Fusion makes its refreshened debut the 08 Accord will look like its "Fordy"??
Interior on the Fusion has won awards.. get out and visit Stratigic Visions for one. When I park my Fusion SEL V6 next to an 06 Accord it makes the Accord look plain frumpy.
Just face the music, the Fusion just plain out styles the Accord. Read any review on the Fusion and it get very high marks for styling.
The Fusion is better than the Chrysler if that means much, but still short of what for example GM is doing in the Aura. Exterior styling - always subjective
The Fusion is better than the Chrysler if that means much, but still short of what for example GM is doing in the Aura. Exterior styling - always subjective
Last I checked, interior design was subjective too, but I certainly agree on the ease-of-use and tactile quality - Honda has the Ford beat there out of the vehicles I have been in (Loaded Fusion V6 and 4-cylinder Accord).
Driving a stick in Taipei while trying to avoid hitting those dang scooters and not-so-friendly buses...
That's gotta to be FUN!!!
PS, will be there in 5 days.
Impressions (Disclaimer - All opinions are IMHO)
Exterior: Evolutionary styling, I preferred the 2006 looks but this one is quite similar, so no issues there. Paint quality was good, as was external plastics/lense quality. Trunk was very spacious, with a beautiful carpet on the trunk floor, well finished. Looks from the front nice, rear lights a bit too elongated for my tastes.
Interior: The interior layout is nice with good instrumentation as well as an ergonomic armrest. Seats are quite comfortable, interior feels quite large and roomy. My major gripe with the interior is the execution, especially the plastic parts as well as the cheap cloth material used on the seats. The plastics on the doors are epecially pathetic, there were mold lines as well as sharp un-intended edges, looks like interior fit and finish has fallen well below the midsize average. The car had keyless start and it worked pretty well, you can just have the keyring in your pocket and the car will start. Cupholder finish was another issue, just not upto Nissan standards.
Engine/ride/CVT: The engine sound was good, ride and handling fairly sporty, keeping tradition and in general handling was good without being exceptional (I think size has a lot to do with the handling). The CVT was a major concern and a definite deal breaker for me. Guys, if you haven't driven a CVT, please do so before you decide, it is a very very different feeling. The car felt really slow (I am sure its not, in fact in instrumented tests its right up there) as soon as you give it gas, all that happens is the engine noise increases and not much happpens with regards to motion (feel wise). Its like a clutch slipping till the CVT catches on, a very disconcerting feel for me. I drove the car about 250 miles in 2 days, could never warm up to the CVT, IMO Nissan has screwed up this otherwise nice car with this abomination.
Overall, a decent effort, however I think in today's competitive market, the Altima will lose a lot of sales to the other contenders; I would pick a Sonata or a Fusion in a blink over this, leave alone the Accord.
All the time... that was my point. However, I agree that it is simply preference.
And I can't imagine my left leg going to sleep since I would be using it all the time.
LINK
It's buried in the Edge/MKX press release (both got top safety picks). I read somewhere else that they modified the floor pan.
You're probably the only one on the planet that thinks the Fusion outclasses an Accord.
Whatever.
Check out the new Altima's interior. Its pushing Accord quality. Leaves the Fusion looking very old.
-Loren
-Loren
I'll take the Mustang's clutch in rush hour traffic any day over that of a Mazda6. Wait a minute, I already do! :P
Seriously though, the Mustang's clutch is stiffer than that of our old Civic or ZX2 but it's not as stiff as the Mazda6 V6 I had either. The clutch in the Mustang has a lot more feel and is much more accurate than the one in the 6 too. I would be the 6 has the stiffest clutch out of any car compared in this thread too.
Back in 2003 I was there twice while I had a badly broken leg and was non-weight bearing on crutches. I've gotta tell ya, Taipei ain't crutch friendly. :sick:
Best Regards,
Shipo
http://cars.ign.com/articles/760/760710p1.html
The only point I am trying to make here is the Fusion/Milan can and do compete in the mid-size sedan dog eat dog markets.. :shades:
I know what you mean about the work ethic, the Taiwanese have it too. WOW.
My first trip to Taiwan was shortly after the 11-Sep-2001 WTC incident, and it was amazing just how popular Americans were over then at the time. Geez, I almost didn't want to come home. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Here is is again folks for those that missed it.. Fusion/Milan now have good crash scores..
http://media.ford.com/products/press_article_display.cfm?article_id=25367&vehicl- e_id=1369&make_id=trust&CFID=7077254&CFTOKEN=1b31e5b692eaa913-87FACA1A-1185-6933- -5D5229830C252DE6&jsessionid=58308ab1b648$F0$E9D$
How many times do you have to say this, before you believe it?
Sure, the Fusion/Milan compete in this segment. Do they have any chance of winning a comparison test (that's not paid for by Ford)? NO!
don't know about you Ford guys, yahoo, yippee? For something that should've/could've been done 3 years ago? What happens when the car gets a VSC option (if you are into safety stuff), or possibly even some real engines? THAT might be cause for the earth to reverse rotation!
Question, correct me if I am mistaken but did IIHS only tested Ford vehicles? Don't they usually test a group of vehicles in the same class? Maybe this was an exception
I have to say that I have a visceral negative reaction to the silver trim around the Fusion tail lights. I don't know why I find it to be so disturbing, but I do. It totally ruins an otherwise fairly attractive car.
I'm not sure that was your REAL point...