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Honda Accord vs Toyota Camry vs Nissan Altima (V6 Models)
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Comments
My March issue arrived in today's mail. It probably won't be on the news stands until a couple of weeks from now. It will then show up on Car and Driver's website a week or so later. They don't want to cannibalize magazine sales by having articles online too soon.
None of them are with a lot of options. ie, no power seating, blue tooth capability, sunroof or alloy wheels. Other than power seating I do not care about the rest.
KBB value for trade is $15.8K and suggested retail is over $20K. I think I should not pay more than $16.5k (plus tax, tags etc)
Feel free to aadvice.
Honda certified used cars are outreageously price. Good for us new every 3 year buyers because it keeps residuals high.
Interior -
Not as bad as I had first felt. It was an LE with limited options, but the quality overall was above average, if not stellar. All the stalks and buttons moved fluidly. The grey on grey scheme inside was quite dreary though.
Steering/Handling -
The steering felt electric. The weighting was a bit light for my tastes but definitely liveable, but the overall crispness that I've gotten accustomed to in my Accords was just not there. On the highway I found myself making little corrections at 70 MPH because the path I thought I was on, I actually wasn't. The brake pedal made me panic at first because it took so much travel (easily twice as much as the Accord) The handling was marginally better than the previous gen, but I think I'd have to take an SE to be sold on the Camry's handling.
Ride -
This car is the opposite of the Honda. If you say the Honda is a tradeoff for 75% sport/25% ride, the Camry is the other way around, 25%/75%. It's spongy, but not completely floaty. Good for driving in the bumpy subdivision we left from, but not so great for the highway, since directional control suffered somewhat.
Engine -
Above 3000 RPM, this thing is a monster. TONS of usable power, and highway speed has no effect on it seemingly - it pulls as hard at 20 MPH as it does at 70 when you give enough throttle for a downshift or two. Interestingly though, around town the Camry felt slower than my 4-cylinder Accord, and I'm sure this is due to the lazy throttle response programming on the Toyota, and the sharper programming in the Honda. The quiet in this car is serene, but I'd rather hear a little more of the 2GR!
Overall -
I think the Camry is the Rodney Dangerfield of these boards; it gets no respect. Being the frontrunner in sales makes it seem like the Patriots, the bogey that other people love to hate. It's actually a great car for people looking for a luxury feel at a mainstream price.
For the record, I have a 2006 Accord EX, 2.4L, Automatic.
I hope readers find this review helpful and unbiased; I have nothing against Toyota, and I'm not a Honda loyalist - I've looked long and hard at the new Altima for my next car, and haven't ruled out an SE Camry.
Happy motoring!
TheGrad
You actually would consider something other than Honda? Are you feeling OK?
I really want some good seat time in an Altima!
are you at on your 06? I have 31,600 on my 06 accord.... I am over my mileage, and the dealer, which they correct, told me that I will have about $700 in negative equity when I trade because I am over, I should be at around 24kmiles. They did say, I am in good shape, If I were to drive another model like a few other products, I would be in the hole real bad.... so, I will soon have to trade my 06 or go further into negative equity. But, I don't want to trade in the bitter cold, and nasty weather...
I looked on KBB, and they are right, my pay off is about $700 short of trade value,
Oh well, it could be worse...
later
Caaz
My mother has thought the same thing with her lease, she's like well I am keeping it, and then she says she might want a new car, its back and forth, its crazy.
If I were to sell my 06, apparently word on the street is, that I might have to pay double tax? Anyone sell their car? Is this true? Wouldn't I just get the payoff, and the buyer would be responsible for it? I really do not want to mess around with selling it.
I'm not sure who told you about a 30,000 miles warranty, but they were mistaken. Hondas I know (and I think Toyota as well) have 5 year, 60,000 mile powertrain warranties, with 3 year, 36,000 miles for the bumper to bumper.
I'm guessing the warranty you got at the Nissan dealer is aftermarket, and not what comes standard with the car? Honda and Toyota offer these as well.
You might try working with your leasing company to extend your lease for several months and then drive the vehicle sparingly. That way you might be even before having to return it.
Anyone else notice this?
Most I've driven have a slight vibration at highways speeds also
In the Accord I've notice vibrations from VCM on almost all V6's I have test driven at 58-65 on the highway. I find the interior very comfortable though.
Haven't tried the Camry's yet.
I would be carefull with that warranty and read the fine print. Some other poster did an analysis on a similar warranty and decided not to take "advantage?" of it. His warranty required excessive trips to the dealer for balance/rotation, etc. (for a fee, of course) that at the end of the tire life he would have paid 3 fold for the tires through other "required" services to maintain the warranty. I think it was either a Pilot or Accord forum if you want to locate the older post.
I'll give you "refined", as the Camry has always tended to be (not to say that the Honda and Altima aren't also). But the LE/XLE Camry sedans are anything but crisp relative to an Accord or Altima. They are flabby handlers with a mushy brake pedal and slow throttle response. I drove an 08 LE-V6, and it didn't come close to the handling crispness of my 06 Accord EX 4-cyl, whose brakes are always ready with a firm, short-travel pedal, quick turn-in, and steering with something the Camry in regular form lacks - FEEL. Also, the throttle response was so slow that my Accord felt faster around town, despite being down 102 horses and one gear to the Camry.
The difference is that the Camry LE/XLE does ride more smoothly. It's all a matter of taste. Someone wanting a serene ride that won't slosh the latte and care little about the "fun-to-drive" factor (people like my 50 y.o. mom fit this example) the Camry is a fine choice. For me, it just made me yawn and yearn for my cheaper, less powerful (mine is a 4-cyl) Honda. The Camry V6 engine is terrific though, even though I couldn't really hear it.
DISCLAIMER: The above comments about the Camry's handling are LE/XLE only, they do not apply to the SE which I have yet to drive.
That being said, I can see you tend to go for comfy vehicles, and the Camry is a good choice as far as those go.
Now the Accord 4 cyl puts out 190 HP, 25 more than my V6 of 1988...
Now the Accord 4 cyl puts out 190 HP, 25 more than my V6 of 1988...
Shoot, the Honda Accord in 1997 had 170 horses, and that was before the new stricter SAE standards (so probably around 165). That's basically the same as my 2006 Accord with 166 (under the correct, new SAE standards) horses. What a difference 10 years makes, eh?
If I had my pick, I'd probably buy a Nissan, just because I don't like the Accord tail end treatment. The Koreans are now designing Hondas??? It looks like a Hyundai. Otherwise, give me the Accord for all-around driving pleasure and feel.
I just picked up a 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6 with Navi a week ago, and I am loving it. Before my purchase, the comparison was between the highest trim levels of the Accord, Altima 3.5 SE, Camry SE V6, and Subaru Legacy GT Limited. Therefore, keep in mind that my comments are focused toward someone looking for a powerful and well-equipped vehicle.
The Legacy is a very fun car to drive and has the added benefit of AWD, but it was quickly eliminated because of its smaller size and poor fuel economy (on a 4-cylinder Turbo no less!). If I were in a different life situation, I would highly consider this car, along with the fact that there are great deals to be had based on its low demand.
In my opinion, the fully-loaded Camry SE V6 was the comparable trim level instead of the XLE V6 because of its sporty quality. When equipped as it was, the 2008 model had a similar MSRP to the Accord but in reality ran about $2k less based on the deals available at the time, since 2009 models were out. In terms of bang for your buck, I would say that the Camry comes out on top based on ridiculous markdowns, but obviously I went in a different direction for a reason. The reason being that the Camry SE V6, even as loaded as you could get it, did not satisfy enough of my luxury desires for a car in its class. If you compare simply to the XLE V6, you automatically lose out on dual zone auto HVAC, rear vents, smart-key, rear sunshade (both have no folding rear seat?!?). Of course the Accord isn't able to accomodate with all of these features, but it shines in many other ways. Overall, I also felt the Camry had a cheap "plasticky" feel to it, not to mention the turquoise back lighting (very embarrassing, IMHO). Had Toyota been able to create a vehicle that drives as well as the sportier SE V6 (6-speed AT with sport-shift also great), equipped it with the luxury features it deserves, and improved build quality to rival the Accord, I would probably be sitting in a different car right now. But alas, such a car does not exist, so on we go to the next candidate.
The Altima 3.5 SE equipped with the Technology Package is probably the most complete rival to the Accord EX-L V6 with Navi, and I found that the OTD prices were about the same as the Accord. It is more powerful, more sporty, and ultimately more feature-laden than the Accord. However, that power and sportiness comes in the form of a CVT engine which tickles the delight of others, but simply frustrates me as someone who would prefer to be driving a manual tranny had I been in a different life situation. Additionally, the features may be there on paper, but I found that the Altima does not hold long-lasting appeal over its projected 10-12 year life. Sure, there is the birds-eye view (which does nothing for me, btw), XM NavTraffic, and a rear-view monitor with the Nav system, but it comes in a smaller 6.5" screen that looks like it was an added slide-in accessory to the center console. Besides, the Accord can be easily equipped with a genuine Honda-brand rear-view camera kit that is well-situated above the license plate (under cover from weather). To top it off, I test drove a demo car that belonged to one of the dealer's finance managers, having about 3,000 miles on it. As soon as I sat in the car, I was quite shocked to find that the car had aged in such a way that was very unflattering for the luxury level that it was supposed to have maintained. The wood grain looked much cheaper than it already did on a new car, and the fit and finish simply looked severely aged.
In response to all the competition laid out above, I find that the Accord has sufficiently addressed most of the shortfalls found in the other vehicles. The build quality is excellent, and is unsurpassed by any of the competitors by far. The Navi, while the visual interface hasn't been updated in a few years, is still state-of-the-art, and its ease-of-use, functionality, and accessibility make it rise to the top yet again. As far as getting all the desired features, it is somewhat sad to say, but they are attainable pretty much just at the highest trim level. For example, the bluetooth and trip computers are terrific, but they will only accompany the Navi. I will admit that the V6 engine is not as well-rounded as its competitors in terms of capability and sportiness, but it still provides a very satisfying growl and can hold its own on the track when complimented by its excellent handling. On paper, I would say that the fuel economy is a wash, and obviously I have no ability to test all the vehicles with my specific driving situation. However, when compared to my previous car (1997 Audi A4 1.8T), I now am getting 18.5 MPG for about 250 miles driven in the Accord, as compared to 23-24 MPG in the A4. This should be expected, though, as my current commute is only 2.5 miles stop-and-go one way, and we're talking the difference between a small 4-cylinder engine and the larger Accord V6 in a situation where VCM cannot really provide its benefits. Speaking of VCM, I find no bothersome traits about this feature as has been documented by other reviewers, but I wouldn't mind if it was a casualty for improving to a 6-speed auto tranny with manual sport-shift. As far as aesthetics go, my opinion is that the re-designed car looks great now and will continue to look great years from now, and that my initial dissatisfaction with the rear was well satisfied by the addition of a subtle yet distinctive deck lid spoiler.
So there's my detailed opinion in terms of what mattered to me. All in all, if I didn't have the extra $2k to spend, I would've gone for a fully-loaded Camry SE V6 and would have been satisfied with the value. But since my budget was accomodating, I decided to spend the extra $2k to get the Accord that more completely satisfied what I was looking for, and I was able to still keep it at $29k OTD (without accessories).
if you want performance and great handling it's:
1) honda. I would safely say they make the best front wheel drive handling cars over all. (prelude, civic, accord).
2)nissans. 1993-2001 altima models were super cheap. great value. handled superb compare to toyota camry or corolla.
3) Camry or corolla is basically a japanese equivalent for grand moms and other elderly people who never drove anything besides oldsmobiles. I would never ever even think about buying a toyota unless it's a supra or MR2.
I am done with family sedans and now own honda prelude, BMW m3 and audi A4. I would say if you want comfort and performance go with Nissan Altima. it's the best value you can get among all 3. everything starting from interior is by far better than Toyota Camry. hondas are great but a little expensive. altima's V6 vq3.5 engine was on wards 10 best engines list for 10 years. latest 4 cylinder 2.5L engine still needs some time to gain confidence and respect.
Thanks.