ydooby

The I-5 is quieter and smoother than the I-4 though, which is probably what matters more in a family sedan.

I agree with the sentiment that the Camry SE likely would've won this, however, seeing how much these editors value handling.

spwolf

huh? I would think 10% better mpg and considerably faster ride is way more important for family car.

I mean it is 7.8s vs 9.0s.

ydooby

I can understand better mpg, but why is "faster" important for a family car? And more important than smoothness and quietness? I don't think so.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Don't disagree. I think the Camry is superior to the Passat in about every dimension outside of styling.

mmarshall

The figures for 2011, of course, are not in yet, but, according to cars.com, one of the better sources on the subject, the Accord still handily outsold both the Altima and Fusion last year....as it has for some time.

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2...s-of-2010.html

.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Really liking the new Camry Interior

84Cressida

How hilarious that the Camry had the best fuel economy, safety features, acceleration numbers and braking and still lost due to some subjective "handling" BS. It's like they needed reasons for Toyota not to win.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Interior of the Camry is very slick...I'd like to see one in person.

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Most Sonata, Camry, nor Passat buyers won't choose based on this test anyways.

LexBob2

Good point. Most consumers in the market for a family sedan, if they were doing any research, would probably look in a more consumer oriented mag like Consumer Reports, Consumers Guide etc.

RaceSC300

Accident avoidance in both acceleration and stopping distance. Also, they commedned it on its ride smoothness. Also, if how fast a family car is wasn't important, why would they test it? Has to be more important than "people just like seeing numbers". If it weren't an important factor in a family car we would all be driving 1L non-turbo diesel Yaris sedans.

ydooby

I don't believe 0-60 in 9 secs is dangerous at all. It's more than enough to avoid accidents. Heck the Prius owners are happy with their cars and that car does 0-60 in over 10 secs. Handling plays a far more important role than acceleration in crash avoidance (only in very rare cases do we accelerate instead of slowing down to avoid crashes). Anyway my point is that I disagree with the above notion that faster acceleration is more important than quietness and smoothness in a family sedan. Thought it's pretty obvious but then again this is an enthusiast forum.

spwolf

is Passat actually quieter and smoother than Camry?
I am not so sure.

Difference in acceleration is quite big. It also means that you will rev higher on Passat to pass or merge on the highway, which means it will also be louder.

People test acceleration when they test cars... I am not talking about 0-60 in 3 seconds. But 9. It is something people will notice and they will say passat is slow. It is one of the basic tests that everyone notices when they drive car - pressing gas pedal and seeing the results.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

Agree, 9 sec. is slow for most people. Sub 7 sec. is acceptable decent acceleration for a mainstream family sedan.

ydooby

Quoting what the reviewers say about the Passat in that article: "That said, the I-5 is smooth, quieter than the I-4, and seems at home in the 3271-pound SE."

It means despite the stats the car is actually adequately fast and does not feel strained in normal driving, and is quieter and smoother in doing so. I've driven plenty of cars that did 0-60 in over 9 secs from car rentals and never once did I feel that these cars were slow to the point of being dangerous as long as I stuck to the speed limits/traffic flow.

Family sedans are about transporting people from point A to point B comfortably, not enthusiastically, so once again I disagree with your notion that faster acceleration is more important than quietness and smoothness here.Fixed it for ya.