also, i can't believe the low 0-60 numbers on all cars. Edmunds had it 7.7 for sonata and edmunds is notriously slow on 0-60.

and a new sonata owner recently posted 7.2 0-60 with a timer.

 

my ranking

1. sonata & fusion
2. accord & altima
3. malibu & camry

i have not driven new legacy yet, so i don't know. but i could careless about new legacy's design.

 

no that would be Kia sorento. 59 decibel compared to 68-69 on these midsize 4 bangers.

sonata limited do have 2nd quietest official decibel numbers, but they tested SE which is noticeably more noisy. i think having a 18 inch wheel is a big factor in a road noise too.

 

I found, when I reviewed it, that the new Sonata's 4-cylinder was spunky but, under acceleraton, had a lot of exhaust noise. It idled quietly, though.


That's JUST what I said about the old and new Sonatas....the superiority of the old model's interior, and how the droop-rear roofline affects entry/exit for taller people on the new one. I was roundly criticized by several CL posters when I did.

 

Where's the Mazda6 in this comparo? The Malibu beat the Altima? Hmm I'll take the Ford

 

no that would be Kia sorento. 59 decibel compared to 68-69 on these midsize 4 bangers.

sonata limited do have 2nd quietest official decibel numbers, but they tested SE which is noticeably more noisy. i think having a 18 inch wheel is a big factor in a road noise too.

 

About the Camry:

Absolutely. I agree 100% that this is the way that dash controls SHOULD be designed.....here we can learn from the past. Sometimes newer and more complex is not always better.

I disagree, however, that the Camry's interior has nice materials and fit/finish. The climate-control ***** are too wobbly, and the silver-trim plastics are a joke.

 

This is just my opinion, but the Camry won because M/T think midsize buying American will like it the most - quiet, smooth ride, easy to drive, simple controls meaning overall just the epitome of a basic, nothing too fancy. just a decent unoffensive sedan.

and if that's a case, why did they have to chose SE over limited on sonata? why did they go for more performance oriented one than the one that was supposed to be more camry like?

and whatever happened to mazda6? that's not fair for mazda. i can understand optima not being there because it's severely dated. is mazda6 too sporty for this segment? i would be very angry if i was a mazda6 owner. if they are going to compare midsize sedan they should've included mazda6. i know kizashi is a new kid in town and it's not 'best selling', but mazda6 should've been there IMO.

obviously camry being #1 basically means they really didn't put too much emphasis on:

Fun to drive - this is just my opinion, but camry has absolutely zero fun to drive factor just like my wife's elantra. I'm not hating, but that's what camry is. you get no fun out of camry.

style- maybe it's just me but, i find sonata, fusion, malibu much more visually appealing than camry

features - don't quote me on this, but sonata they tested should have much more features than camry. that's why the price is alot more. it also has NAV. basically 26k SE is the loaded one with everything on it.


camry to me is just a decent car with the one of the best reliability(until the recall). but it's hard for me to understand camry winning a comparison test just like it's very hard to imagine my wife's hyundai elantra beating civic or mazda3.

 

Well, for that matter, where is the Dodge Stratus? You and I can both agree that it is a poorly-built, low-quality, rental-grade car, but, technically, it was left out too.

 

well, those are pretty much irrelevant cars.. but mazda 6? what did mazda do to M/T?

is mazda6 positioned to be more higher end? i don't know. but many mazda6 owners from other board is absolutely mad that their cars were not included.

i can understand passat not being there because it's more pricey..

 

Motoir Trend is very very confused. One month they're bashing Japanese cars, the next they're lauding them.

 

they are very very confused.


http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...n/results.html

last year they had Passat #1, sonata #2, and camry #3.


1ST PLACE VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT
Despite a high sticker and thirst for premium, wins by a nose due to driving fun.



so if mazda6 and passat were included, we might see a different results.

utter crap if you ask me.

 

Basically what they are saying is that the last year sonata would've been #1 in this comparison test if they did add the 2010 sonata.

i totally disagree with that. I really do think current gen sonata is much better than the last gen. last year's sonata is just like camry. reliable, roomy, unoffensive, but kinda boring over all car. yes, it's a great family car, but is it better than stylish 2011 sonata? No friggin way. last gen sonata was as bland as a baked potato with no salt. it gets job done, but what's fun in that? new sonata looks like a luxury car compared to last gen sonata. people pass by hundreds of last gen sonatas everyday, but people probably won't even notice them.

 

+1, where is the mazda6 in this one

way to go toyota! way to go ford!

 

MT did a good job with this comparo.
The Camry is dull, boring and plain, but highly functional, refined, and high quality.