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Midsize Sedans 2.0

18175 messages,  Last post on May 20, 2013 at 4:45 AM

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 1683 of 1818

#16817 of 18175 Re: Altima's attraction? [backy] by pod

Aug 01, 2012 (7:42 am)

Replying to: backy (Jul 31, 2012 7:33 pm)
Thanks for the reply Backy. I think you are right on with the Camry and Accord, they both ride in on a long history of reliability and relative affordability. I wasn't aware that Nissan had such a reputation but have never looked up the numbers. I have a 2010 Milan(Fusion) which is an excellent car in every respect but doesn't come near the Altima in sales despite a very significant refresh in 2010. The Altima has had consistent high sales numbers through the 6 years or so that it hasn't changed at all.
I guess that is a better way to state my puzzlement. The unchanged Altima outsold many of its substantially improved competitors over the past 5 years. That is impressive and puzzling. It certainly has demonstrated consistent appeal and very impressive sales numbers. I'll bet if you asked the man in the street which were the top three mid sized cars in sales numbers they would get Honda and Toyota correct but I doubt more than 25% would guess tha Nissan was consistently riding in third place and about a lap ahead of its other competitors in sales. Impressive. I'll have to drive one.

#16818 of 18175 Re: Altima's attraction? [pod] by backy

Aug 01, 2012 (5:27 pm)

Replying to: pod (Aug 01, 2012 7:42 am)
Another reason for strong Altima sales in the previous generation... they were pretty popular in rental fleets. Which is OK by me as they make good rentals, when I can get one. I usually have to get smaller rental cars--corporate policy. My last rental was a creaky Aveo.

#16819 of 18175 compare 2012 accord and 2012 camry by hp2009

Aug 02, 2012 (9:13 am)

we test drove camry se ....too tight seats for big people and less interior space...little bigger than corrolla....
 
we test drove accord ex,exl.....pretty roomy....captain seats...for big people...more roomy feels than camry.....
 
selected accord exl....

#16820 of 18175 Re: Altima's attraction? [pod] by smarty666

Aug 03, 2012 (7:48 pm)

Replying to: pod (Aug 01, 2012 7:42 am)
There is no puzzlement. The reason why the Altima sells so well, is that it is a great car of the money in the mid-size sedan segment, and consistently has a slightly more standout design then half the mid-size sedans in this segment.
 
I've recently test drove the 2013 Altima, 2013 Camry, 2013 Malibu, and 2012 Passat. I have to say, both the Passat and Altima would be my choice to get a mid-size sedan. The Passat had the usual German ride that lets you know your driving, but doesn't punish you. I actually found the ride in the new Altima to match the Camry's ride quality now. The Altima comes with so much technology, remote start, heated steering wheel, lane departure warning, cleaning rear camera, tire fill alert, etc. Most of this you can't even get on other cars in this class and Nissan went along way to refine the noise of the engine, amount of noise that comes into the cabin, etc.
 
Also, the CVT is not a monster people make it out to be. This is not meant to be a sports car. It is meant to be a sporty family sedan that gets good fuel economy. The CVT is smooth and not feeling shift shock all the time gets nice after awhile.

#16821 of 18175 Re: Altima's attraction? [smarty666] by backy

Aug 04, 2012 (9:42 am)

Replying to: smarty666 (Aug 03, 2012 7:48 pm)
How was the handling on the new Altima? Was it at least as good as on the previous Altima? I am hoping that in improving the ride smoothness they didn't take the crisp handling out. Also did you check FE on your test drives? I am wondering if the new Altima can actually achieve those high EPA numbers.

#16822 of 18175 Re: Altima's attraction? [backy] by smarty666

Aug 04, 2012 (2:32 pm)

Replying to: backy (Aug 04, 2012 9:42 am)
Not bad. I tested both the 2.5 and 3.5. Both has better handling than the outgoing model, not Infiniti, BMW, or Audi crisp obviously but probably the best handling of any mid size sedan I've test driven. The Passat came a close second in handling department though. Camry's handling has improved but still sloppier than Altima, Passat, or Mazda 6.
 
FE is hard to say, it is unGodly hot and humid in the northeast right now and the air was blasting, plus I was using a demo car that is just being short tripped around the block for test drives. I would expect it to meet or exceed those EPA numbers as with my 2010 Maxima right now, I'm getting 25-26 mpg averages per tank, when it was EPA rated 19/26mpg with an avg of 21 or 22 mpg per tank.

#16823 of 18175 Re: Altima's attraction? [smarty666] by cski

Aug 06, 2012 (7:52 am)

Replying to: smarty666 (Aug 04, 2012 2:32 pm)
I think it is a good looking car, vastly improved interior, and 40% less friction in the transmission (CVT) vs last model.
 
Also, it beats all of its competitors to 60mph. (7.7 seconds July Car & Driver issue). C/D tested 6 mid-size sedans in the May issue and the Altima would have been faster than the Sonata by .1 second.
 
I have the 2012 Kia Optima EX, and I am very happy with it. I think the Altima will be a very strong competitor in the mid-size sedan segment.

#16824 of 18175 Re: Altima's attraction? [pod] by cski

Aug 08, 2012 (12:15 pm)

Replying to: pod (Aug 01, 2012 7:42 am)
The Altima sells well because it's Nissan's Big Mac's Value meal. They sell a ton of them and they are eager to deal.
 
Keep in mind that newer, nicer, feature and safety packed designs came out from Hyundai and Kia and now Toyota's redesigned Camry.
 
Really, they are all very, very good and safe cars. I liked the style of the Optima, which rolls on the Hyundai Sonata chassis, the quality interior, AND the 100k warranty.
 
Also, I bought my 2012 EX Optima on the last day of the year (2011) and they dropped 4k from the sticker!
 
Furthermore I didn't like the CVT transmission or the cheap interior in the Altima. The new Altima also has only a CVT for a transmission. No 6 speed manual OR automatic is offered. However, the new CVT has 40% less friction than the last one.
 
The new Altima was not out when I bought the Kia....but I stll think the Optima is a very attractive car. So, in this segment it comes down to "whatever floats your boat"!

#16825 of 18175 Re: Altima's attraction? [pod] by cski

Aug 08, 2012 (12:16 pm)

Replying to: pod (Aug 01, 2012 7:42 am)
The Altima sells well because it's Nissan's Big Mac's Value meal. They sell a ton of them and they are eager to deal.
 
Keep in mind that newer, nicer, feature and safety packed designs came out from Hyundai and Kia and now Toyota's redesigned Camry.
 
Really, they are all very, very good and safe cars. I liked the style of the Optima, which rolls on the Hyundai Sonata chassis, the quality interior, AND the 100k warranty.
 
Also, I bought my 2012 EX Optima on the last day of the year (2011) and they dropped 4k from the sticker!
 
Furthermore I didn't like the CVT transmission or the cheap interior in the Altima. The new Altima also has only a CVT for a transmission. No 6 speed manual OR automatic is offered. However, the new CVT has 40% less friction than the last one.
 
The new Altima was not out when I bought the Kia....but I stll think the Optima is a very attractive car. So, in this segment it comes down to "whatever floats your boat"!

#16826 of 18175 midsize shoppers by steve_ HOST

Aug 16, 2012 (9:57 am)

A reporter is looking to talk with anyone in the market right now for a new midsize car. If you fit this description and you’d like to talk with the reporter, please reach out to PRedmunds.com with your preferred daytime contact info by the end of the day Friday, August 17, 2012.

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