Mr. Jones

No, it's not that at all. C&D provides a fallacy dilemma, they assume a car is either boring or fun. The new Camry is not a 70's Lincoln, and the Accord is not a Ferrari Enzo.

I would expect a level of professionalism from the largest subscribed auto mag in the US. But C&D prefers entertainment and hype rather than providing any meaningful benifit to consumers.

-J-P-L-

Auto sales is perhaps the best indicator of what people want or more importantly NEED in a car. Toyota will soon become #1 in the world because they build what people need and do it with quality.

If consumers were like auto journalists, the BMW 3 series would probably be the best selling car in the world. And before someone says its to expensive to be, it really isn't. Look at the amount of SUV's and pickups that sell and cost MORE than a 3 series.

But even the 3 series has a lot that doesn't meet the requirements of buyers.

ff_

I'm always surprised by all the sour apples after people read a review like that. I think that if you go into your test drives with a more neutral position with respect to the cars, you're able to see them for what they really are. I drove the Accord before buying the Civic, and it really does do everything right. It handles and feels incredibly good for a mainstream family sedan. It may not have the highest quality interior materials, but everything is assembled perfectly, and the use of interior space is second to none. The auto mags like Hondas time and time again because Honda does it right. Every time.

When was the last time you got out of a Camry and said "hmm, that was a fun drive!"?

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Yeah, I saw the commercial several times and thought about this thread.

Everyone love the new fusion over the camry yet not in this comparo

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

You have to look at it from their perspective. They are C&D and they test automobiles' performance. They dont have to test anything for any "benefits" that brings to the average joe because it's not in their agenda. They are not restrictive to only sports cars.

If people wanted info on the cars, specifically something that may benefit them in terms of comfort, reliability, etc, then consumer reports is probably the better magazine to look at it.

That's like asking Top Gear to indepthly review the camry's reliability, space, quality etc. They mostly test a car's fun factor and its ability to go around the track regardless of what car it is, as you can see they range from the enzo ferarri to the cheap Kias; basically anything that rolls on wheels.
Different magazines have their own purposes, so it shouldn't be expected of C&D to not pick the accord, altima, or whatever over the camry for driving pleasure. And yes, you can have fun in a midsize family transporter.

LexFather

The Accord being sporty is b/c look at the cars it is being compared too. The true sportier Accord is the TSX aka Euro Accord. I've driven Accords (b/c 50% of the girls I date have one) and they put me to sleep as much as a Camry, Town Car or riding the bus.
I've NEVER driven any of these cars or seen them and thought "wow, I would love to have that". Almost the contrary "avoid like the plauge".

There is nothing wrong with these cars clearly, they are mainstream and very very good at it. But getting even remotely horny about them is totally out of the question

shyguy16

Worst example ever
Name a car as expensive as the 3 that sells as much as the 3 (average transaction price). Not many, if any at all.

-J-P-L-

Millions of the "big 3" pickups alone (F-150, Silverada, Ram) sell for low $30K average selling price each year. They have a wide range but can go up past $40K for a very well equiped full sizer.

I'm not quite sure why you think that's a bad example (never mind worst ever).

Unless you mean CAR and not any other type of vehicle.

marshmallo

Get back on topic please...

The thread was about crappy family sedans

shyguy16

yes, by car I mean sedan/coupe (since the 3 sells in different variations).
How can you compare a truck to a car? apples to apples?

Sry for off topic.

-J-P-L-

My original point was to compare pricing only. Meaning, millions of people can afford vehicles in the $30-40K range. Therefore could buy a car such as the 3 series instead. But they choose a vehicle that meets other types of needs rather than cars that have the best driving dynamics.

This is in line with the topic.

STIG

camry V6 SE would do much better for C and D likings!

I kinda agree. Camry LE 4 cylinder is inferior compare to the Accord from my perspectives.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

True, there are many reasons to choose one car over the other. However, if say you had two cars that fit all your needs, both looked great, in fact lets say they are the exact same model car but for some mysterious reason one had better driving dynamics than the other, which one would you buy? My point would be if you have two cars both which equally meets ones needs and price, people will generally choose the more fun to drive car given everything else being equal.

-J-P-L-

Although different for everyone, these are my current purchase priorities in order:

1. Styling
2. Quality
3. Price/value
4. Power
5. Driving dynamics
6. Interior/room
7. Fuel economy

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

That is almost exactly the same as mine. My only point was if two cars meet the criteria equally, the one with the better driving dynamics would probably win for most buyers. I only brought this up because of the question asked why Car and Driver chooses the Accord over the Camry. Too me, both cars fits the segment needs nearly equally, so as a reviewer, I can fully understand why the always choose the so called more fun car to drive.