Originally Posted by mmarshall

I agree styling is subjective and varies with personal taste....and maybe my tastes are probably a little more conservative than yours.

But if you get a chance to (and right now they might be hard to find......I had to really scrounge for the one I reviewed), drive a new Accord coupe, preferably the V6, and see what you think of it. I was astounded with its refinement, performance, and BMW-like steering manners and road feel.....about as close as a FWD layout can get.

Originally Posted by rfx45

^^^ I started seeing the new Accord, both sedan and coupe and I must say they are a huge disappointment. They maybe as "handsome" as a Hyundai Sonata, but that maybe where the problem lies. You don't copy Hyundai, Hyuandai copies you.

This is all personal preference but the sedan is almost unexplainable at how horrible it looks. The coupe reminds me too much of a Saturn Ion from just a bit more stretched out. Performance-wise, I have no doubt that it would be the top of it's class but when competing with the Altima (sedan & coupe) and the Camry's look, the Accord would have to be last on my list.

Originally Posted by mmarshall

A real puzzler is why the Camry, with its ever-cheapening interior and the recent V6 transmission issues, continues to do so well, year after year. I suspect (and this is one thing I've noticed in showrooms) is that many people don't really LOOK at what they are getting....they come in and buy on image, reputation, or past experience, not on what is actually in the vehicle before them. So, because they had a bullet-proof Camry 10 or 15 years ago (when Camrys were like Swiss watches and perhaps the best mid-sized sedan in production) they just come in and automatically pick out a new one, without really looking at it.

Originally Posted by mmarshall

And with all the talk about how popular SUV's are.......not a single one in the top 9 spots. And #10, the Honda CR-V, is a small, 4-cylinder, crossover, car-based SUV, not a real one.

A real puzzler is why the Camry, with its ever-cheapening interior and the recent V6 transmission issues, continues to do so well, year after year. I suspect (and this is one thing I've noticed in showrooms) is that many people don't really LOOK at what they are getting....they come in and buy on image, reputation, or past experience, not on what is actually in the vehicle before them. So, because they had a bullet-proof Camry 10 or 15 years ago (when Camrys were like Swiss watches and perhaps the best mid-sized sedan in production) they just come in and automatically pick out a new one, without really looking at it.

Originally Posted by rfx45

It's also about brand loyalty. Most Filipino families are so loyal to Toyota that they don't even bother to look at other brands. If they want a sedan, they get a Camry, they want a truck, they get a Tundra, they want an SUV, they get a Highlander or Sequoia. Most of them doesn't look for alternatives. Toyota has done such a great job in the past that it follows them in the present and future. It's a standard they set themselves that people pretty much see a Toyota and see reliability right away.

Originally Posted by ST430

Funny, I had a Camry about 15 years ago (a 93 model in fact) and have driven the new Camry extensively.....the 2 are light years apart and i prefer this newer generation on all fronts: interior, exterior, spaciousness, nvh, etc.

Originally Posted by TRDRAV4

I have to agree...I know that Asians (I'm one of them) will only buy a Camry (or Accord) based on that rationale and not look at other makes (I pick Toyota for not those reasons). I wonder if it's a cultural thing, as I see plenty of the new Camrys (and old) at the local Chinese plazas (there's one in my parents' driveway too, but it's the Hybrid).