Car pundits often decry the rate at which things in the auto world change. They say car buyers are a fickle lot, and a case is easily made to support this. Twenty years ago Americans fled in droves from their wagons to the blatant utility of the minivan. Some time later the vans were abandoned for the style and image of SUVs. Now the SUV has lost favor, being traded in for less-bulky, more efficient, wagon-like "crossovers".
But, as they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Despite this apparent market volatility, an old standard still quietly meets the needs of nearly a quarter of all new vehicle buyers: the humble midsize sedan.
The Benchmarks
What of sedans? In 1987 if you asked an auto writer to recommend a practical sedan, there's an excellent chance they would have suggested a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry. Twenty years later...well some things haven't changed very much after all.
 Consumer Guide's team of automotive editors drove each vehicle back to back throughout suburban Chicago. |
Sure, Accord and Camry have evolved since 1987. Both have grown from compact to midsize. Both have shed wagon body styles, and both now offer an optional V6 engine.
But where it matters most, these two automotive soldiers remain steadfastly the same: they are practical, efficient sedans, and excellent buys for drivers who need space for up to four people.
The inherent goodness of the Accord/Camry duo has not been lost on the public. Shoppers snapped up a combined 800,000 Accords and Camrys in 2005--that's nearly 5 percent of the total U.S. market, from just two cars.
The Upstarts
Twenty years ago Hyundai entered the U.S. market. Initially, its only product, the $4995 compact Excel, sold well but its mediocre quality and bargain pricing made Hyundai a second-tier brand in the public's eye. It took the South Korean automaker the better part of two decades to improve its image.
In 1999, Hyundai introduced the third generation of its midsize Sonata. A massive improvement on its predecessor, the new Sonata was finally recognized as a viable, if still compromised, alternative to the stalwart Accord and Camry. Suddenly auto writers were forced to concede, if you can't afford an Accord or Camry, you might want to look at the Sonata.
For 2006 Hyundai introduced a redesigned Sonata. Bigger, more powerful, and better equipped than the car it replaced, the new Sonata makes the most compelling case yet for taking a new look at Hyundai.
 Editors evaluated each midsize sedan during side by side comparisons of the four test vehicles. |
And from Kia comes the Optima. Redesigned as a 2006.5 model, the Optima took an enormous step forward in terms of content and design. Owned by Hyundai, Kia based the Optima on Sonata mechanicals, but tuned the car to its own character, eschewing the Sonata's luxury bias for a sportier, younger attitude.
Certainly other cars merit consideration in this class. Nissan's Altima has always impressed us as strong value, and Ford's successful new Fusion is worthy of note. But no other vehicles are as clearly focused on emulating the overall Accord/Camry experience as Sonata and Optima, nor are they as aggressively priced. Note that Kia even lifts Accord's LX and EX trim designations for Optima.
The Cars
As luck would have it, we achieved near-perfect equipment parity across our test cars. All had a V6, an automatic transmission, and leather interior.
For comparison purposes, the prices listed by each are for like-equipped models. The M.S.R.P. provided is for a top-line model with the aforementioned equipment plus passenger-side power seat, sunroof, traction/antiskid control system, antilock brakes, and a 6-CD changer. Essentially, fully loaded.
The Showdown
Eight of our editors gave up a day in the office for the opportunity to drive these four combatants literally back to back to back to back.
Conducted on the mean streets and highways around our suburban Chicago headquarters, our evaluation included stop and go traffic and highway sprints, and all that falls in between.
We drove, acted as passengers, popped the trunks, sat in the back seats, and adjusted the radios and climate systems. Four cars, sixteen eyes, and countless pages of notes later, this is what we found:
'06 Honda Accord EX
V6 |
| Comparison Price: $27,858 |
| Pros: Sporty, athletic nature, useful power |
| Cons: Aging interior |
Accord proved to be the sports car of our evaluation, drawing praise for its sharp, accurate steering and overall handling prowess. Our tester demonstrated excellent ride control, mastering most road imperfections with ease, though the largest bumps were met with more harshness than the other cars in this comparison.
And though down in power compared to the Camry, our Accord boasted both rewarding throttle response and immediate downshifts from its cooperative automatic transmission.
Redesigned for the 2003 model year, Accord was the old man of our test group, and its interior drew some fire for looking dated. Honda's liberal use of obviously fake-wood, hard-plastic trim, and questionable brown/caramel color scheme only fanned the flame. Still, major and minor controls were logically placed, and the interior had a reassuringly tidy feel.
The Accord was the loudest car in our test. What noise came from under the hood was generally refined and welcome, but road and tire noise were more prevalent than generally expected in this class.
Further compromising interior tranquility were rattles from a loose-fitting glove-box and poorly anchored front-passenger head rest.
2007 Toyota Camry
SE  |
| Comparison Price: $28,300 |
| Pros: Controlled ride, polished drivetrain |
| Cons: Disappointing quality gaffes |
Easily the most dynamically polished car in our test quartet, the redesigned for 2007 Camry is best appreciated for its smooth, powerful drivetrain, and compliant suspension. Camry's 3.5-liter V6 is the largest in this comparison, and its extra power is a boon to effortless passing and merging. Camry's automatic transmission is the only 6-speed in this group, and its near-seamless shifts only reinforce the overall sense of refinement. A brief delay in downshifting for passing and merging was the only complaint levied against this drivetrain.
Unfortunately for the sake of our comparison, the Camry provided for this evaluation was an SE with sport suspension (our comparison price is for the well-equipped XLE). Despite the sportier chassis tuning, our tester was the best riding car in the group. Even over larger bumps, our Camry was composed and free of harshness. Some road noise filtered into the otherwise well-hushed cabin, though much of this may be due to the sport suspension.
Where the Camry disappointed was inside. Though Toyota has long been a standard-bearer of quality materials and precision assembly, our test car suffered from a surprising quantity of low-grade plastic and several production gaffes.
Dashboard panels were unevenly aligned in places, and hard plastic surfaces are more readily seen than in the other test cars or the previous generation Camry. Likewise the door pull handles are constructed of separate pieces that fit poorly together and were uneven to the touch. In the rear, some malformed stitching/padding resulted in an ungainly wavy surface over an area of the seat back. As one editor noted, "this interior is unbecoming a Toyota."
Quality issues aside, the Camry's fresh looking, avant-garde cabin was a convenient, pleasant place to conduct the business of driving. Most-used controls fall readily to hand, and less-used switchgear is logically placed.
Also of note, the Camry was the only car in our comparison with too little headroom for our tallest editor. "This is a deal breaker for me, " noted our 6'6" scribe.
'06 Hyundai Sonata
LX  |
| Comparison Price: $24,995 |
| Pros: Refined, high grade interior trim |
| Cons: Sloppy handling and unsettling ride |
Standing still, Sonata makes a fine first impression. The interior feels bright and airy, the trim and leather surfaces are of good quality, and everything looks well assembled. Even the switchgear moves with reassuring precision. The cabin's overall appeal is bolstered by impressive noise suppression. Sonata rivals test-group leader Camry for muting out wind rush and tire patter.
Another nice touch, only Sonata and Optima make use of non-intruding strut-type supports for the trunk lid. Unlike traditional braces, struts do not lower into the trunk area, potentially crushing cargo.
Some testers called Sonata's interior the best of the test group, another noted, "If you didn't drive this car, it would be the one you'd buy."
Enthusiasm for Sonata softened on the road, however. Though sporting the second-most-powerful engine in the test group, Sonata's sluggish automatic transmission consistently delayed downshifts long enough to annoy. And though generally smooth and refined sounding, Sonata's V6 lacks the silky, free revving-nature of Accord or Camry's engines.
Steering and handling disappointed as well. Clearly tuned with a luxury bias, Sonata leans heavily in corners and is slow to respond to steering inputs. And though minor road imperfections are well filtered, even midsize bumps resulted in unsettling wallow--more appropriate to a seventies luxury car than a modern midsize sedan.
'06.5 Kia
Optima  |
| Comparison Price: $23,700 |
| Pros: Sporty handling, well designed and richly appointed interior |
| Cons: Lackluster powertrain |
Optima seemed the dark horse in our comparison for good reason. Since Optima is based on Sonata architecture, but wields 50 fewer horsepower, it couldn't be better than Sonata, right?
Wrong. Kia took Optima in an entirely different direction than Hyundai took Sonata, and the result is a much better car.
Where Sonata's luxury biased suspension-tuning results in an awkward combination of float and lean, Optima's athletic character melds controlled firmness with a sporty handling feel. Despite this nod to the enthusiast driver, Optima's ride is never harsh. In fact, our editors unanimously preferred Optima's ride to the Sonata's.
Optima continued to impress inside. Though some editors found our test car's black interior somber, all were impressed by the logical control layout and materials quality. Soft-touch plastic covered most surfaces that weren't leather, and the use of real aluminum accents scored points as well.
And, like Sonata, Optima makes use of non-intruding, strut-type supports for the trunk lid.
Sadly though, approximating Accord's sporty handling, Optima's drivetrain misses the mark by a wide margin. While the general consensus held that Optima was adequately snappy, one staffer called the power shortfall a deal breaker.
From a stop, Optima more than manages to keep pace with traffic, but merging and passing power are limited, and the slow-to-respond automatic transmission only exaggerates the lethargy.
The tragedy of Optima's lackluster powertrain is how much we like the car otherwise. It is telling that two staffers included roughly the same thought in their notes, "Optima would be the best car in this comparison if it had the Sonata's engine."
Picking A Favorite
It is significant to note how little mention our editors made of overall room and comfort. Perhaps the most important measure of a practical sedan, these elements were simply understood to be part of the equation.
 Editors acted as both drivers and passengers, tested cabin comfort and refinement, crawled around both front and back seats, and measured trunk space. |
But, to answer the real question: no, the upstart Sonata and Optima are not as good as the benchmark Accord and Camry--yet. That said, Sonata and Optima are fine cars that cost appreciably less than Accord and Camry, and would likely meet the needs of all but the most demanding midsize, mid-price sedan buyer.
This raises a new question: are the Accord and Camry worth $3000-$4000 more than the Sonata and Optima? That depends on the buyer.
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Honda Accord--Honda's ubiquitous midsize works best for the driver who still enjoys the commute. While giving up nothing in functionality, Accord rewards its driver with snappy steering and poised moves. Buy the Accord if you want to have fun, and can live with the road and engine noise and surprisingly firm suspension.
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Last Thoughts
Any shopper who doesn't think twice before forking over an additional two or three mortgage payments for the privilege of driving an Accord instead of an Optima isn't a very good shopper.
Not that the Accord isn't worth the money; to most shoppers it will be. But before leaving your money at a Honda or Toyota dealership, be sure that what you get for the extra money has value to you.
One editor summed our findings up best, noting, "By zeroing in on attributes that play well in the showroom, the Koreans are winning over shoppers who believe the beneath-the-skin differences aren't worth paying for."
The Accord and Camry are still the better cars, but whether or
not they are $3000-$4000 better than the upstarts is ultimately up
to the shopper. The bigger question is this: how much better will
the next-generation Sonata and Optima be?
