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Tires are the single biggest component on the vehicle that affects handling. Replacing bread-and-butter highway tires with a performance tire (something those of us with 4-cyl Accords can't do) will yield substancial increase in handling performance. Also, for your central coast climate, there is no earthly reason you need all season tires. A good summer tire is designed to handle wet and dry roads, and handle the down-poors the rest of the country sees in summer.
You might look at the BFG Comp T/A KDW. Those were pretty phenomenal on the Contour, second to the Comp T/A R1s, which were soft compound dedicated racing tires with a treadwear rating of zero. I have also had good luck with the Kumho Ecsta ASX (their psuedo-all season) but would probably recommend one of their "summer" oriented tires for your needs.
There is a whole Accord Tires/Wheels form discussion that might also be of interest to you.
The Accord isnt cheap but its still cheaper than its main rivals. Its obvious that Toyota priced the camry so it could be heavily discounted because the MSRPs on them are ridiculous.
The Accord Tourer is a Euro only version. It's the Euro Accord with a wagon body. You won't see it here.
The Accord is pricey compared to the Hyundai but not the Camry. Hyundai does not define this class.
With Honda and Toyota being far and away the highest volume movers, it makes more sense to price compare the Accord and the Camry. Accord is not trying to be the best price in class, just the best value (features + performance + resale + reliability + reputation - initial cost).
For example, with 07 models:
EX-L 4-cyl 5MT - $24,250
EX-L 4-cyl 5AT - $25,050
EX-" V6 5AT/6MT - $27,400
A minimum difference of $2,350 - over $3k if you want a manual.
The question for each buyer is, are the features/performance/resale/reliability/reputation differences in the Accord and Camry worth the price premium? Given the huge discounts available on the 2007 Accord and the Camry, it appears the general answer is "no". Honda and Toyota have been forced to put large incentives on their mid-sizers and dealers have had to discount them in order to compete with the lower-priced alternatives. (If Accord and Camry were worth their price premium, there would be no need for discounting, right?) I expect to see big discounts on the 2008 Accord too once the usual "new model" fascination fades.
Eh, to be fair, the Accord was at the very end of a 5 year run and lacks some of the options and features available on other, more contemporary models.
I expect to see big discounts on the 2008 Accord too once the usual "new model" fascination fades.
There is getting to be less and less to differentiate the field of competitors. Mid-size sedans are starting to become a commodity market and unless you stand out, no one gets a premium.
That would be a fairly expensive proposition and I'm not so sure what it would prove. If the Accord got the same mileage, 14.8, I guess I would feel better. But if it got say 17-20 mpg in city driving I would be depressed. Besides, Accords are not available with AWD, not even the 2008s. In order to do a fair comparison the cars would need to have very similar drive trains.
Also, while the fuel economy is poor, given the number of miles traveled, it sounds like the financial impact is negligible.
Yup, we put very few miles on the car, 4,600 in nine months, so the pain is somewhat subdued, thankfully. To be honest I thought the car would deliver its EPA estimate. The original one was 19 mpg city/26 highway. The revised one is 17 mpg city/24 highway.
On the only trip we have taken with it, a 360-mile jaunt, the Fusion did deliver 26 mpg going and 24 mpg returning with speeds of 60-70 mph.
People on the four forums I visit report generally good mileage for the 3.0-liter V6 but very few report good mileage with the AWD option.
As I've said repeatedly, our Fusion is a really nice car except for the gasoline mileage dealio. I would recommend one, without the AWD, to anyone and everyone.
It's a personal preference thing, but I think the Fusion is the hands-down style winner in the mid-size segment but not everyone agrees, of course.
North America
There will be a dedicated new Mazda6 for the North American market, designed and engineered specifically for North America. More information will be provided during Summer 2008, closer to the launch of the North American model.
booooooo!!!! :mad: :mad:
Let me guess... dollars to doughnuts...
Larger, heavier, and slightly softer than the current model...
Okay, let's calm down. I am pretty sure the exterior will remain pretty much align with the Euro Mazda6 since the Euro model looks pretty much like all those spy shots we saw earlier. Since there are no new Mazda6 spy shots I am willing to bet that what we saw in Frankfurt is pretty much what we are getting here. It probably will come with a different headlight, grille and backlight, that's about it.
Engine is what worries me. I hope we will be getting the same 3.8L V6 like the Euro 6 does instead of the Ford DT 3.5. I wouldn't be surprised to see that the US spec Mazda6 will receive a different 4-banger as well.
Why won't I be able to put better handling tires on my 2007 Accord when the Turanzas wear out?
Huh? There is no V6 for the European Mazda6. What are you talking about? Maybe a Buick.... :P
Yes you are right. I meant the 3.8L V6 as in rumor.
But it wouldn't make any sense for the second best selling sedan to benchmark the prices of the 4th, 5th and 6th best sellers.
I agree 100%. The difference between Camry MSRP and TMV is pretty substantial which means Toyota has to grantnice discounts to keep volume up. Its funny because people will say "the impala is largely successful because of fleet sales" but to me thats no different from Toyota selling Camrys for $4k under sticker to keep volume up. Accord sales were way up last month due to discounting on the 2007 model to clear it out. The bottom line is Toyota (moreso than Honda) is bringing the transaction price of the camry down closer to the "inferior" competition to keep sales high. This is one reason why the Camry will remain the #1 car in American indefinitely.
The Zoom-Zoom factor is likely to be enhanced even further.
It would if you are trying to gain share as opposed to just tread water. Remember, total sales of one brand is one thing, but overall segment sales are another. Chevy sells more midsize cars than Honda (if we count impala) and GM sells more midsize cars than Toyota (including all brands for both). If Gm consolidated all its brands and named all midsize non luxury sedans "malibu" it would outsell camry. The sales race for a particular brand is really about bragging rights and little else. F150 is best selling pickup and I'm not sure what that proves other than Ford has huge capacity to build them and they are willing to offer huge rebates to move them.
It's not just Toyota, every manufacture offers substantial discounts to the end of the year models in order to clear the lot for the new year models.
It's not just Toyota, every manufacture offers substantial discounts to the end of the year models in order to clear the lot for the new year models.
Undercut in price what a new comer will do in order to gain share in a quick way. The best examples are Sonata and Fusion. Toyota is also doing the same thing for its new Tundra.
I hope the quote marks around "inferior" was meant as sarcasm because I don't consider the other mid-sizers to be inferior to a Camry.
This is one reason why the Camry will remain the #1 car in American indefinitely.
Unless there is another engine sludge episode.
Not according to this:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=122554
Honda said on Monday that its 2008 Accord sedan will carry a starting price of $20,995, including a $635 destination charge. That reflects a $1,775 increase over the outgoing 2007 model.
actually Tundra is more expensive than most competitors.
I dont know that we can call the Accord a benchmark when it really isnt offering anything not offered on the competition and is not offering quite a few things offered on the competition. What we can say is that the 2008 model is adding a lot of features it should've had a while ago and has essentially caught up to the competition.
Accord's sales have dropped for the lastr 3 years or so, I'm not sure why you are saying they dont need to increase share. The sales gap between accord and camry has only gotten larger in recent years.
Why won't I be able to put better handling tires on my 2007 Accord when the Turanzas wear out?
Oh, you will, as long as you don't mind replacing your wheels with 17" ones or having the speedometer be off the whole time. There are no performance tires in a 205/60/16, in fact, I can't think of another car that uses that size.
What they should've done is used 205/55R16s like everyone else on the face of the earth where a plethora of tires in all categories are available in all price ranges. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
I remember when Honda used to make a sports sedan
Oh well, it will be worth something in 3 years and if I drive nicely, it might not need tires and I will be able to get something more performance oriented.
Most base models in the midsize segment come with "cheap" tires, Aura is no exception. Just because they are Hankook doesnt mean they are any cheaper than lower end continentals or goodyears.
That the 2008 has added features that it 'should've had a while ago' seems like an odd statement. They added features because it is a new model. They did not add them a 'while ago' because they haven't brought out an all-new Accord since 2003.
MSRP for my '07 LX manual was over $20k, so the difference between the '07 LX and the '08 is not so much. The LX and EX were by far the volume sellers anyway, it is very rare to see a DX or VP.
The only way that dropping the DX/VP may hurt Honda is in "bait and switch" style comparisons, where a competitor is able to advertise a midsize sedan for much less than $20k. Of course, their ad car would be stripped out, and to compare it to a base Accord wouldn't be apples-to-apples, but that is wait the bait and switch is all about, right?
That's funny - tirerack.com shows 14 high performance or ultra high performance all season tires in that size including Yokohama, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Firestone and Goodyear.
You need to drive the Accord and [almost] every other midsizer in this segment before making that statement.
I can only tell from my personal experience. My family owns an Accord, a Camry and I drove the Mazda6, Fusion, Altima and Impala before. Without reading all the car mags I concluded myself that Accord has the best combination of comfort and performance.
That's funny - tirerack.com shows 14 high performance or ultra high performance all season tires in that size including Yokohama, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Dunlop, Firestone and Goodyear.
Actually, it shows 8, the RE92 (which dates back to the 80s and not exactly the pinnacle of high performance then either) and the Yokahama AVID(which is a speed rated touring tire on other websites), the Firestone Firerock, and Pirelli are each listed twice at H-speed rating and V.
Of those 8, only the Summitomo is listed as an "ultra" anything, and it gets raped in the reviews.
In comparison, the Mazda6 actually lists Ultra-high-performance and high-performance summer tires like the Pirelli P-zero, BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW,Kumho Ecsta SPT, Michelin Pilot, which are unavailable for the Honda, as well as all season tires like the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 Symmetrical (a personal favorite of mine, great tires on the Contour in Michigan), Kumho Ecsta ASX (another favorite and an incredible bargain to boot), etc.
I guess I bought an old people's car. :mad:
Just get the 225/55R16 instead of the 205/60R16. The difference in sidewall height is less than 1mm (123.0 vs. 123.75) and should work just fine. The Kumho Ecsta SPT is only $82 in that size.
Loren