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Midsize Sedans Comparison Thread - READ ONLY

12297 messages,  Last post on Apr 13, 2007 at 12:55 PM

You are in the Sedans Forum.

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Volkswagen Passat, Mazda MAZDA6, Ford Fusion, Subaru Legacy, Saturn Aura, Sedan

Messages Page 1137 of 1231

#11353 of 12297 Re: NIssan Altima Tops Consumer Reports [thegraduate] by gasmizr

Feb 02, 2007 (10:32 pm)

Replying to: thegraduate (Feb 02, 2007 10:01 pm)
I have driven Honda's since my '83.5 prelude. Very fun and lots of leg room. The first kid came along in '89 so got the last year of the pop up light accord. Finally got rid on that in 2000 and bought a friends '96 civic. Once again decent legroom and headroom, I'm 6'3" so all sedans with sunroof pretty much are out. I really wanted a new civic when they came out but leg room was less then my old civic and the parking brake dug into my leg. So, next up was the accord with the new tail end, but bad leg and headroom. Honda's are like fridges, they just run. Style is very conservative in my opinion. I saw the new '07 altima and though i would give it a try. Plenty of leg and headroom and lots of get up and go with the 6 speed. Looking at both the accord and altima it was no comparison for me even though I love honda dynamics. I bought the altima, it may not be as bulletproof as the accord but I will find out over time. Based on honda's past the accord will be an updated more refined version of the present model. You can see the progression in the lines for each model change. I do not believe they will make major change like they did on the civic because of moders; toyota with scion and the small mitsu's. Honda will be honda and they have lost me unless the reliability on the nissan is bad and the car does not hold up over time in the small things.

#11354 of 12297 Re: NIssan Altima Tops Consumer Reports [gasmizr] by thegraduate

Feb 02, 2007 (10:42 pm)

Replying to: gasmizr (Feb 02, 2007 10:32 pm)
Interesting, at 6'4", I've got plenty of room in both my dad's 2007 Civic Sedan and my 2006 Accord Sedan (moreso in the Accord of course) - both with sunroofs.
 
Enjoy your new Altima, I'll bet its a hoot to drive!

#11355 of 12297 Re: NIssan Altima Tops Consumer Reports [m1miata] by mhattrup

Feb 02, 2007 (10:59 pm)

Replying to: m1miata (Feb 02, 2007 10:27 pm)
I hope Mitsu rallies! Some of the specs on the Lancer GTS that C&D tested don't appear to be THAT different from the "much heavier" Altima. Wheelbase is 103.7 vs 109.3
Length 179.9 vs 189.8, Width 69.3 vs 70.7, Height 58.7 vs 57.9, Curbweight 3050 vs 3268. 21/29 vs 21/27. I like the looks of the new Lancer but will withold judgement until I see them at the dealerships.
 
The Leg GT sedans seem to be in short supply in my area as well. I think that might be because the dealerships are waiting for the revised body 2008's to start coming out?
 
Lots of good options out there now and when the new Accord rolls out and the Altima Coupe I think there will be a lot of nice looking (and reliable) iron out on the market in the next year or so.

#11356 of 12297 Re: NIssan Altima Tops Consumer Reports [mhattrup] by kyrpto

Feb 03, 2007 (5:53 am)

Replying to: mhattrup (Feb 02, 2007 9:43 pm)
Research the Subie's stability control options. CR was not impressed with Subaru's system

#11357 of 12297 Re: NIssan Altima Tops Consumer Reports [gasmizr] by ggesq

Feb 03, 2007 (6:46 am)

Replying to: gasmizr (Feb 02, 2007 10:32 pm)
Congrats on the new ride
 
"Based on honda's past the accord will be an updated more refined version of the present model. You can see the progression in the lines for each model change. I do not believe they will make major change like they did on the civic because of moders; toyota with scion and the small mitsu's."
 
Have you seen the concept coupe? The fact that this segment is so competitive alone will force Honda to bang the next Accord out of the park. I'm pretty confident they will.
 
Enjoy the Altima

#11358 of 12297 Re: NIssan Altima Tops Consumer Reports [thegraduate] by jeffyscott

Feb 03, 2007 (7:59 am)

Replying to: thegraduate (Feb 02, 2007 9:30 pm)
I would have considered the accord, if it looked like that 11 year old model. Could not get past the looks of the current one...then there was the price, too. Got my 4 cyl Mazda6 (version comparable to Accord SE) for $16K...I think that would put me in Civic territory, rather than Accord.
 
I actually like the even older, pre-1995 Taurus looks better than the one you posted.

#11359 of 12297 Re: Comparing average slalom speeds (V6) [stevehecht] by mz6greyghost

Feb 03, 2007 (9:30 am)

Replying to: stevehecht (Feb 02, 2007 5:11 pm)
If I did a lot of twisty back road driving I'd prefer the Mazda, but with the mix of high speed highway driving I tend to do, I'll take the bigger ZOOM-ZOOM of the Accord.
 
I have to disagree. This is obviously all my opinion, but when I bought my Mazda6 in '04, I tested the Accord more than once, and despite the more grunt that the Accord had with the V6, I felt that the Mazda6 was much more balanced, not only in the twisties, but on the highway as well.
 
My commute is about 20 miles one-way, on 70-75 MPH highways, and I tend to be the passer, rather than the passee, so to speak. The Mazda6 was always ready and willing to get up and pass at a moments notice. Drop a gear on the manual transmission, flick the steering wheel, and you've gone around slower traffic before they even realize that they're hogging the left lane (my BIGGEST pet peeve, BTW!) The road-hugging was excellent, the car felt sure-footed, and the ride was excellent. The Accord obviously had the go, but it felt uncomfortable at how it leaned too heavily during lane changes. The ride was smooth, but it felt too disconnected from the road. Not quite like a Buick, but not close to a BMW either.
 
Power is nice, but I'd rather have more control with it as well, and that's what I thought the Mazda6 excelled in

#11360 of 12297 Re: NIssan Altima Tops Consumer Reports [ggesq] by mz6greyghost

Feb 03, 2007 (9:41 am)

Replying to: ggesq (Feb 03, 2007 6:46 am)
Have you seen the concept coupe? The fact that this segment is so competitive alone will force Honda to bang the next Accord out of the park. I'm pretty confident they will.
 
Simply put, they have to. I've read more than one interview with Honda executives, all saying that their biggest complaint from consumers is their styling. This goes for the whole line, not just the Accord. As a result, they are planning on doing a little more to step out of the crowd. The new CR-V is proof. Although I'm not a fan of the front end, the lines overall are striking, and not nearly as "vanilla" as the RAV-4.
 
The coupe concept is a good start, but Honda should do a little more to differentiate itself, while staying classy and true to it's heritage. Styling is subjective, but IMO it's also a deal-breaker between two cars that are about the same in every other way, according to a consumers eyes.

#11361 of 12297 Mazda6 vs. Accord by benderofbows

Feb 03, 2007 (12:03 pm)

When deciding which sedan was right for me, my search came down to the final two being the Mazda6 "Sport Value Edition" versus the Accord LX (both manual transmissions).
 
From the start I favored the Mazda because I have previously owned a 1991 Mazda 626 DX manual and a 1998 Mazda 626 ES-V6 manual, excellent cars in every regard. I still miss them both.
 

 

 
The Mazda6 (in my opinion) has a more eye-catching exterior, handles better at the limit, and has a lower initial cost.
 
The Accord wasn't too far behind in the above. I also liked the interior better, and (in my opinion) the Accord rides better, accelerates stronger, and has a more refined powertrain (engine, manual transmission and overall noise/vibration/harshness).
 
It was a tough call, but for me the deciding factors were reliability and resale value. There is a little too much Ford in the new Mazdas for me; CR rates Mazda6 reliability as only "Average." Too bad, as the older Mazdas lasted forever... Also, the projected resale value in 5 years is much higher for an Accord.

#11362 of 12297 Re: NIssan Altima Tops Consumer Reports [mz6greyghost] by gasmizr

Feb 03, 2007 (12:48 pm)

Replying to: mz6greyghost (Feb 03, 2007 9:41 am)
I have seen the new concept accord coupe. IF, honda actually does follow those lines and designs an eye catcher for the accord then i may take a second look. I like honda, fit/ finish and NVH are amongst the best. So are the ergonomics. The specs are the same for leg and head room but the altima just sits better for me. For some reason in the accord to get the headroom i need i had to tilt the seat back to far and the gas pedal just seemed to close. I like to sit with my legs pretty much straight with just a slight bend and like to sit straight up in the seat. Being less then an inch from the headliner just does not cut it and it makes it hard to see stoplights when you are first in line.
 
Anyway picked up the altima, whooohooooo...the 4 banger is smooth and likes to go. Had to watch my speed on the way home. 80MPH at about 2800 rpm in 6th.
 
As an aside the kids, mid to late teens, love the altima think it looks really cool but the wife thinks its ugly. Each to their own; at least she does not want to drive it.

Messages Page 1137 of 1231

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