YEH

Motor Trend's...

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...son/index.html

And the winner is...


the Camry.

Accord places 4th (how is the Accord "aging" and not the Camry, which is older?)

Edmunds' take...

http://www.insideline.com/hyundai/so...ison-test.html

Sonata places 1st; Accord 3rd.

Wouldn't have an argument w/ any of the Mazda6, Sonata, Fusion or Accord placing first, but c'mon, the Camry?

Costco

I've driven both the new Camry and Accord, both in 4-cyl form extensively. I've been a passenger in both, and I've been a passenger in the Malibu and sat in the Altima several times.

I still can't believe people are still making a big deal about the Accord's buttons. After test driving it and taking delivery, I was changing radio stations and adjusting the volume without looking (I tried changing it with the center stack buttons). It's not that many buttons, you idiots. I do agree with their comments on the Malibu (very quiet inside, low wind noise but power steering makes noises) and the Altima. And the Accord is louder than the Camry on the inside.

The Camry is boring as shit, and people love to hate on Toyota. The whole pedal fiasco is just fuel to the fire. But after spending 5 combined hours on a trip to the casino and back, I liked being a passenger in the Camry. But I preferred driving the Accord. IIRC they also beefed up the 4-cyl in the Camry a bit and gave it a 6AT.... something Honda can't say they've done yet for even the most upscale Acura. I am surprised that they didn't mention the Camry's ugly lighting in the center stack.... a translucent light green that makes it very cheap and tacky looking - but to each his own.

Really, almost none of these cars look good IMO. They all look decent, but there's at least one or two annoyances in regards to the styling. Sonata has those ginormous headlights with the weird line along the fender, the Fusion has the funky grill overlap into the headlights, Accord is just plain ugly, and I have never liked the Camry's nose. So if you take styling out of it, the only real bad thing about the Camry is that driving it is a dull, emotionless state.

F23A4

Rental car comparison. I wouldnt think twice if Enterprise handed me the keys to a Camry over an available Accord or Altima 4 cylinder....despite my Honda/Nissan bias.

Legend2TL

I had a 2009 Hyundai Sonata LX as a rental for a week while on vacation in Hawaii. Overall it was a great mid-size and a real threat to Toyota and Honda. Rode well, decent drivetrain for a four cylinder, smooth shifting 5AT, the brakes withstood the 10K decent from Haleakalā, steering had decent feel and feedback, quiet ride. It also had little features that aren't necessary huge but nice to have one was that the radio station frequencies were on the display directly above each radio preset so you know which station is on each preset.

My next door neighbor bought a 2009 Sonata with the cash for clunkers (replacing a A6 wagon), so far it's had no problems what so ever and typical low maintenance. In the early 90's I worked on a friend of a friend's Hyundai Excel, which was quite a POS. I looked over the 2009 Sonata, Hyundai have come a long way their latest models are very close with Toyota and Honda for quality of materials, and fit and finish.

SSFTSX

Honda Accord has best fuel economy beating Sonat by 1 mpg in the test.
Honda Accord is full size car at 195 inch. it is just too big for many people now

Honda Civic is 175 inch. Honda needs to introduce 185 inch car that will be mid size. A clothed 2.0L Honda Euro Accord should be starting point. Rear seat leg room and head room of new Sonata is not much better.

Honda also needs to introduce Honda City sedan (which i consider the best design small sedan) at 165 inch (it is very spacious with flat floor).
There is no competition to Chevo Aveo, Scions and smaller Hyundais. there is so much Honda can do even with current line up.

JediMindTricks

they're are all fine cars.

charliemike

Seems like they're all so even that we have to split hairs to find advantages.

Infamous425

me thinks toyota paid the most in ad fees that month

charliemike

MT has a long-standing and notorious reputation for being able to be bought.

mrmako

No Subaru invite? Hmmm, they didn't send a check to Fuji Heavy Industries.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

meh i don't care about this segment..

teranfon

I think so too. I'm thinking however that the Accord seems to be getting progressively larger with each generation. Something I hope won't continue.


Terry

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

2011 Sonata interior > * The biggest gripes they had about it was the handling. Sorry, but most people buying in this segment will take ride comfort over handling any day.

Hyundai is hitting them out of the park Genesis...Sonata...



And yes, they have stolen every design cue from Infiniti, MB, Volvo, etc. etc. etc.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

I just found out the redline of the Sonata is 6250rpm...and it makes it peak hp at 6300rpm...interesting....

Also interesting to see the Accord getting the best observed mpg despite having the lowest EPA rating and 5-speed auto.

Costco

I forgot the Sonata interior looked like that!

JediMindTricks

seems to be the trend with all cars now, doesn't it?



same here. it's gorgeous.

RyanCHICL

iTrader: (1)

I do not agree with the Camry ranking first place. I don't really like Toyota's current styling. I do respect how they ranked the Ford Fusion and Hyundai Sonata. Anyone notice the interior of the Malibu?

mrmako

The HVAC and shifter = Volvo

Navi controls under the screen = Nissan, and very blatant at that.

Vents on the sides of the Navi = Cadillac

What a mash of stuff that looks alright, but having seen the others just looks copied.

YVR_TLS

did the Camry win in the "Acceleration" category? hehe

Type34

In case you don't have the time to check out the whole article, here are the final results (Motor Trends ranking):

1) Camry
2) Fusion
3) Sonata
4) Accord
5) Legacy
6) Malibu
7) Altima

Due to travel, friends, and colleagues, I've spent substantial time in most of these vehicles (my colleague owns a 2009 Sonata, not a 2010, and I haven't been in a 2010 Legacy).

My first impression is that Hyundai is bringing it. Hard. Toyota could not be going through a reputation debacle at a worse time as Hyundai is prime to take over key market share. And because of this I call on the Camry finishing first. I'm normally when people suggest such things about car magazines, but this one is questionable.

MT repeatedly calls the Camry an appliance and with its unknown reliability/quality of late (a trait every Toyota usually gets a bump up for in rankings), it wins because of price and "breathtakingly simple cockpit ergonomics". Huh? This is the line that got me, "A driving enthusiast might want a more involving and athletic machine, but for 99% of buyers shopping in this category, the Camry simply nails the mission profile." In other words, boring drivers want a boring car.

IMO, the Fusion, Sonata, and Accord are all better cars and should have ranked higher. The Fusion is a blast to drive and its quality ranking is quite high, the Sonata is a styling tour-de-force and a breath of fresh air in this category, and the Accord still is the interior benchmark has remarkable engine prowess.

MT blew this one

Acuraluvr

iTrader: (2)

^^ agreed. Camry does NOT deserve this one. Fusion got the Car of The Year nod, but couldnt win against a what, 5 year old design?

even with the copied interior... i must say, for that price point, it is breath taking compared to the competition. it simply... flows. who knew cadillac, volvo, and infiniti interior points would look so good together.

only thing i wonder is the engine in the sonata. prob not the most thrilling car.

PortlandRL

I wonder how much MT charged Toyota for that 1st Place position?

mcflyguy24

Exactly the same things I noticed. Yet it doesn't seem to bother me one bit. Looks very nice! However, I hate the new exterior redesign. The should of kept it more like the last gen. And we can all thank our gov't for cars with these new nasty bulbous looking front ends due to pedestrian safety standards...

mrmako

You know, it's not that they did a bad job of integrating 3 different styles, but to be so blatant about it.

I also didn't like the bottom rung Subaru they chose. Then festoon it with a navigation system? How about they not do that and get the GT and they would have a totally different ballgame, where the car can compare with a TSX or A4 BMW 3 series? Not that it is a better car than the ones I mention, but for really negligible coin, they would have had a car that would have not finished 5th.

jangkai

^yeah but the GT only comes in a manual right now

mrmako

isn't that the natural order of things?

YEH

Hyundai has been using the "reclining guy" HVAC control in their KDM models for over a decade.

The center stack "shelf" that people keep harping about originated from BMW during the 1980s - before Infiniti was in existence (seems like the Hofmeister kink is not the only design cue Infiniti lifted from BMW).

The vents on the side of the navi can be found on numerous models.



The design of the center stack on the 2010 Legacy looks eerily similar to the center stack on the 2007 Sonata.

mrmako

I agree on styling cues. Everyone uses some.

However, it is the shape and color of those vents that makes me immediately think CTS. The Legacy vents are the same shape as the CTS, but the overall look does not scream I'm ripped off from the CTS. The HVAC, only Volvo did the "person as buttons" (now Hyundai).

And for the Legacy to Hyndai Comparison? Um, where's the resemblance? And the "Reclining Guy"?

2007 Sonata



I don't see it.

YEH

Oops - I meant the 2008-9 Sonata (the refreshed interior was designed in 2007).

[/QUOTE]

As I stated, the "reclining guy" has been used in several KDM (Korean Domestic Market) Hyundai models.

mrmako

As I stated, the "reclining guy" has been used in several KDM (Korean Domestic Market) Hyundai models.[/QUOTE]

I see what you mean now. There is similarity, but Subaru put an additional area above the dash, looks like a crease, but I think it has a clock or something in it. Not sure. At least the buttons are laid out differently.

I'm getting off of the topic: The Accord is a better vehicle than the Camry. I've had the Camry as a rental, and it just feels so cheap. Everything inside, and absolutely no power. But if you dig "moving forward, whether you like it or not", then that is the car to buy.

Eoanou

I had the Accord for over a year (2009 model), to be honest the center stack wasn't an issue, I actually thought the interior wasn't to bad accept it had weird lines where the passenger airbag is.

I also didn't mind the exterior of the new Accord either. It doesn't look all that bad, the only thing I disliked while having my Accord is that I found it lacked any substantial go power. I'm sure I would have felt differently had I leased the 6 cylinder.

I also would like to point out that the Malibu exterior looks awful, I find that the front end doesn't match the rear.

Eoanou

Oh and the Accord 4 cylinder gas mileage wasn't all that great, my style of driving tended to yield better fuel economy in my '06 Acura TL than in the '09 4 cylinder Accord.

The lack of torque hinders gas mileage on the 4 cylinder models.

darmok

Popular Mechanics comparison

mrmako

I think that is the best endorsement for a car. If you could own one, which one?

F23A4

I've not driven the new 6 so, I guess I should give it a shot to see if I can justify the endorsement. That said, the new 6 is def the best looking car in the segment.....at least it was prior to the new Sonata.

While I respect PM (and not to sound too much like a brand whore), having a Honda vehicle in the garage still carries a brand value that others in this segment just dont have regardless of whether or not the competition produces a more compelling product. (I find the Mazda CX9 totally on par with my 09 MDX but, the 'Acura' brand -- styling notwithstanding -- 'seduced' me.) <---- just my .

charliemike

My mom is looking for a new sedan ($20-24k) and I'm going to have her drive:

2010 VW Jetta
2011 Hyundai Sonata
2010 Honda Civic
2010 Mazda6
2010 Toyota Corolla
2010 Subaru Legacy

She refuses to even consider a Fusion, unfortunately.

I showed her a CC and she couldn't distinguish it from a Jetta (she's that type of person) so waiting for the new Jetta wouldn't appeal to her.

And because she won't consider a Fusion she wouldn't even discuss waiting to see if she liked the Focus.

She likes my Sportwagen so maybe she'll look at a Jetta. I'm somewhat against it just because of the problems the DSG has historically.

Anyway, the point is that I'll be riding in most of these cars and will put my thoughts up at that point.

dallison

i saw a new sonata on the road today, it really looks like a future car. It reminds me of a ufo. But i was driving past so that was my initial impression.

chiawei

I disagree.

Each car has its purpose. I have tons of car that i can choose to drive to work every day. But most of time I am pre-occupied with email, con-call... etc. So driving a fun car is not a good thing for me during commute.

For a commuter car, camry is a much easier car to live with. In addition, my significant other is pregnant. During commute in the morning, the camry is the smoothest sedan. It's a simple appliance that gets job done day in and day out.

If i want to have fun car, then i wouldn't be picking a family sedan as a fun car. Period.

calgary2800

I am not liking the new Sonata. That sloping roofline is so sloped that it feels smaller than the outgoing Sonata. I know numbers say its bigger but does not feel bigger. Its made me feel claustophic.

I would get a 5 speed stick shift accord or stick shift fusion.