Ask the Car People.SM


Midsize Sedans 2.0

18170 messages,  Last post on May 19, 2013 at 2:52 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, Chevrolet Malibu, Kia Optima, Car Comparisons, Sedan

Messages Page 1406 of 1817

#14051 of 18170 Re: If You Had To Buy A Mid-Size Tomorrow, What Would You Buy??? [deltheking] by smarty666

Feb 28, 2010 (12:21 pm)

Replying to: deltheking (Feb 28, 2010 11:13 am)
well first off, I disagree completely with you about the altima, as you probably would have known from my ranks
 
the reason being is this, Nissan is not a overrated company, if anything in the last 10 year Nissan and Hyundai have made the most amount of progress in regards to increasing sales, gaining market share despite never being #1 specifically in any one single category, improving reliability and quality drastically across the board!
 
I would agree that pre-2007 and especially in the early 2000s, Nissan had very cheap, plastic interior but since 2007 that no longer holds true, at least with their five bread and butter models (Sentra, Altima, Maxima, Rogue, and Murano); since 2007 they have gotten many compliments and positive reviews on how nice their interiors have become, compared to 10 years ago and how they are now competitive with their competition
 
 I wanted to get a Nissan for years but did feel the interior lacked so I waited, since I saw that each new model was getting better and better, hence why I got my current 2010 Max, the interior in that and the Murano are the nicest Nissan's has ever had and some parts of my Max have Infiniti quality to it; now that is not to say there interiors are absolutely 100% perfect, there are 1 or 2 cheaper pieces of plastics that I would like to see gone, but I felt the same way with the Fusion, Camry, Mazda-6 and especially Malibu! they all had a couple of cheap pieces of plastic and some parts that were really nice so the altima is no stranger than the rest of them
 
if you read edmundsline review of the 2010 altima you'll see how many compliments they gave to the interior material quality and fit and finish; the Altima has come along way from the first and second generation models in interior quality! I have read only a relatively few professional reviews with one or two minor complaints about the Altima's interior, the majority have been positive complement the quality, ergonomics, and fit and finish!
 
the Altima's interior is not class leading but I would say Nissan is tied for second place with Ford for interior quality, ergonomics, fit/finish etc; Honda still leads the pack with excellent material quality and fit/finish! Nissan definitely has past Toyota in regards to interior quality because I've read more complaints from professional reviewers of the current Camry's build quality, interior quality, fit/finish, then I ever have for the Altima! plus, on two separate test drives of two different Camry models, I was able to detach a piece of the center console and the salesman said,
"oops, guess will have to bond that back on there" - not something you want to see during a test drive
 
also, rattles are not prone to just the altima, I heard rattles in the Legacy, Mazda, Malibu, and especially Camry when I drove them and if you check these vehicles forum on edmunds you'll see that they all have squeak/rattle categories and complaints, even the Sonata has one! I personally didn't hear any squeaks or rattles in the Altima when I test drove it but there is a forum for that on edmunds so I guess you have to take that with a grain of salt; the only one that seems to be rattle free so far is the Fusion; the Fusion and Altima were the only two cars of the bunch that didn't hear rattles when I test drove them, but that doesn't mean they don't have any, just means I didn't hear them on the road tests I took them on - rattles also have a lot to do with what time of the day and what facility you get your car from I have found in the past!
 
In regards to the brakes, the 2007 Altima, just like any first model year was prone to brake problems; the 2008 models still had some brake/rotor issues but not as many as 2007 and so far the 2009 models have had relatively few problems so it seems Nissan has corrected most of it, though it took a tiny bit longer than I would have liked. but anyway, the Honda Accord has tremendous amount more brake/rotor problems than the Altima does; just go over to that forum and you can read some of the horror stories people are having with this problem and getting Honda to do anything about it; even people with 2009 and 2010 have posted problems already!!
 
I think like Hyundai, Nissan isn't given the benefit of the doubt or is overlooked a lot because they are the 3rd Japanese ranked company and they had a long history of cheap interiors, and some so-so reliabilities, WITH CERTAIN MODELS, which has only changed in the past 4-5 years!
 
Nissan would be ranked much higher than what they are as a brand if they got rid of some of their problem models, such as the Versa, Armada, Titan, and Quest which reduce their overall reliability as a brand; Most of Nissan's bread and butter models, I think for 2010 got above avg reliability, I know my Maxima did, and the altima, sentra, maxima, rogue, and murano have always been on the recommended list!

#14052 of 18170 Re: If You Had To Buy A Mid-Size Tomorrow, What Would You Buy??? [deltheking] by m6user

Feb 28, 2010 (12:21 pm)

Replying to: deltheking (Feb 28, 2010 11:13 am)
Have owned several Nissans and a good friend owned an Altima. I currently own an 8 yr. old Infiniti and have had none of the problems you describe. In fact they have all been very good vehicles.

#14053 of 18170 Re: If You Had To Buy A Mid-Size Tomorrow, What Would You Buy??? [m6user] by smarty666

Feb 28, 2010 (12:28 pm)

Replying to: m6user (Feb 28, 2010 12:21 pm)
I have a 6yr old Infiniti that has had no problems, and so far my 2010 Max has run and performed flawlessly!
 
I have two good friends, one has a 2003 Altima, another a 2006 and neither have had any problems, other than normal maintenance on their Altimas!
 
My Uncle has a 1995 Maxima, with 190k miles on it currently and still has not needed any major repairs!

#14054 of 18170 Re: If You Had To Buy A Mid-Size Tomorrow, What Would You Buy??? [m6user] by m6user

Feb 28, 2010 (12:30 pm)

Replying to: m6user (Feb 28, 2010 12:21 pm)
I wonder if the original poster is totally confused now that everyone has answered about a dozen questions he didn't even ask. From what's the way to buy cars to adding tons of other cars to the list. We should have asked him if he wanted 4 or 6 cyl and about what he wanted to spend. Then the choices could have been a lot closer to the 4 or 5 he was asking for. He didn't ask what was more reliable, best resale or any other crap like that. His overall want is a smooth comfortable ride. Jeesh.
 
My picks:
 
1 2010 Camry
2. 2010 Sonata
3. 2010 Malibu
4. 2010 Passat
5. 2010 Fusion/Milan
 
Oh, by the way, somebody mentioned that the Milan was the same car as the Fusion, just a higher fancy price. NOT. There is a few hundred dollars diffence and it shows up in a slightly nicer interior and sound deadening materials. I actually think the Milan is better looking but that is very subjective. Pretty much get what you pay for.

#14055 of 18170 Re: Midsize car for highway driving [neile457] by andyfromva

Feb 28, 2010 (1:59 pm)

Replying to: neile457 (Feb 28, 2010 8:30 am)
Thanks to everyone for your advice. It's clear that I have to move the Fusion higher up on my list. I'm looking for a 4 cylinder engine, if that helps.
 
At this point I'm going to test drive:
1. Camry
2. Fusion
3. Sonata 2010
4. Sonata 2011
5.????
 
I'm concerned about the Camry's acceleration issue so I don't know if I'll buy one but it's worth testing out.
 
Andy

#14056 of 18170 Re: If You Had To Buy A Mid-Size Tomorrow, What Would You Buy??? [smarty666] by gooddeal2

Feb 28, 2010 (2:28 pm)

Replying to: smarty666 (Feb 28, 2010 12:21 pm)
I would rate the interior quality as Accord > Altima > Camry. BTW, I cannot believe Camry still has backlit display instead of illuminated display in places like the CD display.

#14057 of 18170 Re: Midsize car for highway driving [andyfromva] by acdii

Feb 28, 2010 (2:25 pm)

Replying to: andyfromva (Feb 28, 2010 1:59 pm)
I have owned a 2009 Camry Hybrid, I now own a 2010 Fusion Sport. The Ford is much quieter overall than the Camry could possibly be. On the highway, the road and wind noise is a whisper compared to how the Camry was, and this is even with the 18" low profile tires on the Fusion. Between the two, the fusion does not have a long enough track record, but so far it is looking good for reliability, but the Camry does have a long standing reliability record, but that is about as much good I can say for it. The ride is too soft for good handling, but with the proper tires and rims on a Fusion, the ride can be very comparable without loosing too much in the way of handling. The I4 Fusions are also showing better fuel economy, but hands down interior wise, the Fusion has better quality than Toyota does, they really slipped badly in that department. Put them side by side and really look and you begin to see the difference. I put 34K mile on the Camry, other than the sudden surge while slowing down, it was trouble free, engine wise. The sunroof would stick, and sometimes not close, it had horrible wind noise on the drivers side, the seating material was really thin, you could feel the springs in the seat cushion if you pressed your hand into them. The car developed rattles and squeaks within a couple months of driving, and handling on curves, or emergency swerves was horrible, it would wallow like a row boat. I now have nearly 12K on the fusion in 6 months, and I have not had a single complaint about any part of the car, well except for when my wife uses it and leaves junk in it.
 
The one thing that I can say without a doubt that puts the Fusion well above the Camry is handling. I live out in the country where our roads are wishy washy, undulating pieces of crap. The Camry would be all over the road, and you couldn't let yourself be distracted for more than a moment or you would be in a ditch. I don't have this problem with the Ford, I can ease back and not worry that the car will start to wander all around, and when I have my wife and kids with me, like I do every day, that is a very important issue. As far as noise, even with the big 3.5 V6, this car is quiet, you get the low growling tone from the engine when you accelerate, but when at speed, you barely hear it, unless the radio is on, then you don't hear anything but the music. If you like your own music, and have a good library, the SYNC just cannot be beat, a $15 flash drive holds 16 Gig of music, and you can search, or have it play an artist or song just by saying the name, without taking your hands off the wheel. Just these few little things mentioned puts the Fusion above all else in my book.

#14059 of 18170 Re: If You Had To Buy A Mid-Size Tomorrow, What Would You Buy??? [m6user] by backy

Feb 28, 2010 (2:45 pm)

Replying to: m6user (Feb 28, 2010 12:30 pm)
Yes, I prefer the Milan's interior to the Fusion's especially pre-2010. The 2007 base Milan I looked at had a very tasteful black/camel interior with niceties like an analog clock in the dash, and just looked richer than the base Fusion (or even the Fusion SE). Also in pricing the two cars, I've found little difference between them when comparably equipped. For example, I think a power seat comes standard on the base Milan, but not the base Fusion. When I looked at new Fulans 18 months ago, the Milan had a package with alloys and some other stuff basically for free, and I didn't really see a significant difference in price compared to the Fusion, at least in the relatively basic I4 trim I was interested in.
 
I too like the looks of the Milan better than the Fusion; the Fusion's snout has too much chrome for my taste, although I could live with it.

#14060 of 18170 Re: If You Had To Buy A Mid-Size Tomorrow, What Would You Buy??? [gooddeal2 by ctal1234

Feb 28, 2010 (3:07 pm)

Replying to: gooddeal2 (Feb 28, 2010 2:28 pm)
I was in the market and drove a few cars over the past several weeks. Here's my rundown:
 
1) Honda Accord EX-L (not "mid-size," but it competes with mid-size cars. It's what I bought. I thought the interior was head and shoulders above the other cars I drove and since that's where I'll be spending my time, that counts twice. The "sea of buttons" the car magazines complain about doesn't bother me at all. I could get a better deal on this than on the others too.)
 
2) Subary Legacy 2.5 Premium (I liked the ride a lot and, despite some reviews, I like the look. I'm very tall and found it fairly cramped. I could barely drive one with a sunroof at all--I could feel my hair touching the ceiling.)
 
3) Nissan Altima 2.5 S (I liked the exterior, but not the interior. I could have lived with it, but after a 10 minute drive my back started to ache. If not for the seat comfort, this might have been my no. 1 pick because I could get a better deal than on the Honda.)
 
4) Toyota Camry LE (I have driven a Hybrid several times, but it was out of my price range. The LE was nothing special and a little short on headroom.)
 
I didn't drive any domestic cars, mostly because where I live that's all you see and I'm not much of a joiner. Plus, I had a 1999 olds intrigue that was not nearly as durable as the competition. I want to wait and see how the domestic brands do for a while. I might have driven a 2011 Sonata, but I didn't know about them yet. There isn't a VW dealer within a hundred miles, or I might have driven a Passat, though I probably couldn't afford one.

Messages Page 1406 of 1817

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement