Topic: Still King: Camry wins MTs latest family sedan comparo...

[rrocket]

So Rrocket, when you getting the new Camry?

No need for a family sedan for me....

[rrocket]

And you prefer stats > feel...which explains the love for the GT-R.

Hmmm...I also like the Porsche GT3 too, and we all know that car has zero feel, right?   

[safristi]

.... ...   is there not an ECHO in here OR am i too Inshightfulloffit...........   Hello...HELLO...HELLNO.....,

[Erik]

So Rrocket, when you getting the new Camry?

No need for a family sedan for me....

I thought you were driving one now....

[TopGun]

I don't understand why the fact that a car is "best selling" makes it more desirable to some consumers? To me that makes it less desirable, I'd rather drive something rarer. As such, I would not buy any car on that list.

Best selling = Best...only allowed to be used by the Artic crew...if it's used by anyone else it's silly.

Hmmm...I also like the Porsche GT3 too, and we all know that car has zero feel, right?  

Another example of situational arguments...OK...here goes...

Hmmm...I'm sure Mitlov likes the GT3 too...all we all know that car has zero performance numbers, right?  How does your example show that preferring feel > stats is not valid?

[DrJay]

    ya just had to go there........

[DriverJeff]

So Rrocket, when you getting the new Camry?

No need for a family sedan for me....

I thought you were driving one now....

No, no, it's a "sport sedan" without any sort of sport transmission.    

[DriverJeff]

Would imagine they're talking sales of mid-sized family sedans.

I'm NOT a sedan shopper, but my choices in this segment would be:
- Passat (lovely in every respect except could use more appealing seats, available with high content and MT... and a wagon  )
- Sonata (exceptional combination of style, size, value, power/fuel economy, features, and standout pricing. Really think it the leader in segment)
- Regal (more expensive because base car is highly contented, but high quality and solid... would have to drive to see if base engine performance is satisfactory, the Turbo puts it into TSX pricing but that's probably the only way I'd buy one)
- Legacy (AWD, doesn't disappoint in many areas)
- TSX (it's something I'd consider stretching for)
- Mazda6 (great balance of style, size, value)

None of the others appeal to me.

  That's the list I'd support. 

[Flinter]

The timing of this article is quite fitting as my parents just leased a car in this segment. They live in a more remote area in Northern NL and for various reasons releated to proximity to dealers, or unproven longterm reliability, or uncompetitive leasing, they narrowed down the list to the 2 top dogs commonly thought of in this segment... Camry and Accord.

It was interesting to hear their perspective on their test drives, given that I would have probably picked the best drivers car of the bunch if I was shopping in this segment. They both preferred the driving dymanics of the Accord but they had 2 major beefs with the car:

1) Seats were too hard. To quote my mother, "The seats were like sitting on a pile of rocks."
2) They found the car to be excessively noisey compared to the Camry. Interesting to see that MT mentions this in the article too.

In the end, they leased a 4 cylinder Camry SE. Probably not the car I would have choosen but I think MT hits the nail on the head with this quote:

Seemingly excels at nothing, yet it really excels at everything. A driving enthusiast might want a more involving and athletic machine, but for 99 percent of buyers shopping in this category, the Camry simply nails the mission profile

[Sival]

1) Seats were too hard. To quote my mother, "The seats were like sitting on a pile of rocks."
2) They found the car to be excessively noisey compared to the Camry. Interesting to see that MT mentions this in the article too.

The complaint about Honda's poor noise isolation in its small and midsize cars is not unheard of amongst car buyers or the more objective reviewers like CAA-Québec's reviews, but it is rare that it be mentioned in mainstream publications. Honda does seem to get a pass on this where other brands would be blasted, the Saturn S-series and the Neon both were blasted for being supposedly noisy, but measurements in comparisons made by CarAndDriver tended to indicate that they weren't really louder than the Civic of the time. Maybe the car reviewers tend to enjoy the sound of the engine to the point of not caring how loud it actually gets, of course one could point out that cruising on the highway the engine shouldn't be making a lot of noise, but that's being a bit naive about how those testers drive their cars.

[safristi]

The timing of this article is quite fitting as my parents just leased a car in this segment. They live in a more remote area in Northern NL and for various reasons releated to proximity to dealers, or unproven longterm reliability, or uncompetitive leasing, they narrowed down the list to the 2 top dogs commonly thought of in this segment... Camry and Accord.

It was interesting to hear their perspective on their test drives, given that I would have probably picked the best drivers car of the bunch if I was shopping in this segment. They both preferred the driving dymanics of the Accord but they had 2 major beefs with the car:

1) Seats were too hard. To quote my mother, "The seats were like sitting on a pile of rocks." ......................


 direct from tha ROCK..................."From Cod's Tongues to Olde Buns"............screeeech......woz that an uninteded whatsyamacallit boyo.....
2) They found the car to be excessively noisey compared to the Camry. Interesting to see that MT mentions this in the article too.

In the end, they leased a 4 cylinder Camry SE. Probably not the car I would have choosen but I think MT hits the nail on the head with this quote:

Seemingly excels at nothing, yet it really excels at everything. A driving enthusiast might want a more involving and athletic machine, but for 99 percent of buyers shopping in this category, the Camry simply nails the mission profile

[rrocket]

So Rrocket, when you getting the new Camry?

No need for a family sedan for me....

I thought you were driving one now....

No, no, it's a "sport sedan" without any sort of sport transmission.    

Heh...I could say the same about your car...sporty transmission without a sporty engine to match it with....

Oh...and you seemed to have plenty of fun in the Supra despite the tranny....

[dougjp]

Using the word "King" to describe a car in the same sentence as Motor Trend is sacrilege. And embarrassing. Don't forget this is the magazine that made the Chrysler PT Cruiser "Car of the Year". And in 1997, the Chevrolet Malibu!! Or how 'bout the Chrysler Cirrus in 1995!!   

Their "awards for advertising dollars" reputation is legendary. Makes C & D look like neophytes at this con game. Far too much attention awarded to M & T here!

A Camry is a Camry! There have been far too many last place finishes for the Camry in numerous comparo tests over the years, and for good reason. Nobody here to be deluded by just this one! C'mon people!   

[Benhaze]

1) Seats were too hard. To quote my mother, "The seats were like sitting on a pile of rocks."
2) They found the car to be excessively noisey compared to the Camry. Interesting to see that MT mentions this in the article too.

The complaint about Honda's poor noise isolation in its small and midsize cars is not unheard of amongst car buyers or the more objective reviewers like CAA-Québec's reviews, but it is rare that it be mentioned in mainstream publications. Honda does seem to get a pass on this where other brands would be blasted, the Saturn S-series and the Neon both were blasted for being supposedly noisy, but measurements in comparisons made by CarAndDriver tended to indicate that they weren't really louder than the Civic of the time. Maybe the car reviewers tend to enjoy the sound of the engine to the point of not caring how loud it actually gets, of course one could point out that cruising on the highway the engine shouldn't be making a lot of noise, but that's being a bit naive about how those testers drive their cars.

We do a lot of highway driving and road noise in Honda vehicles is one of the reasons why they were ruled out a few times very early in the new car selection process.