http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...mparison_tests


New Era has begun. Hyundai Sonata is now a bench mark.

 

Do you have an opinion about this test, joe.....or any comments on it? Normally, the moderators don't want us just posting images or web-site links without any additional comments.

Having seen, reviewed, and driven all three cars, I agree with the majority of their conclusions, but I think they rated the new Sonata's styling too high, the Accord's fit/finish too low, and the Legacy's CVT transmission too low. The humpback-whale roof styling of the new Sonata, for example, is probably the reason why its rear seat gets only a 3 and 4 for comfort/space.

 

I have seen a lot of these new sonatas and I really love the look of them. Great design inside and out. I would be hard pressed to get the camry over it.

 

OK, you might like the styling (and, while I don't agree, I respect your opinion on that ), but that humpback-whale roof makes for bang-your-head rear-seat entry/exit. The test score seems to verify that.

 

I am shocked, no, appalled, at the incredibly poor typography present in the displayed pages. I've never much bought or read Car and Driver on a regular basis, but I don't remember their typography being this horrible. Was there a change of publisher?

The spacing between the individual letters, the alignment, the kerning - horrible. Absolutely atrocious.

 

That might (?) not be C&D's fault...or the original poster. Sometimes the electronics involved in scanning/converting paper text/images (or one electronic data-base/format to another) causes unwanted spacings like that. I've seen that happen before. Let's hear from a CL computer expert (something I'm not) on that one.

 

The distortion isn't on the hard copy of the magazine.

 

well, i do!

few quick comments

1. Sonata only has fuel economy advantage on highway. and these guys don't drive like normal people. so having similar mpg is understandable because i don't think they just cruise all they long. but i think it's clear than GLS with manual gets much better mpg. GLS got 28mpg on several other internet publication.

2. Sonata is full 1 second faster than the competition. very impressive.

3. I agree with styling comment. i see more form over function in all products. sonata clearly has the styling edge. I've seen every related Sonata reviews including many reviews from youtube, and all of them mention how stylish is Sonata. and from studying general public reaction, it's safe to say people find Sonata extremely attractive. i would've ranked accord tad higher than legacy in styling.

4. accord interior isn't bad. actually accord interior is my favorite especially with a tan color. i just like many buttons. Legacy interior looks good in pictures.

5. I'm not a fan of Legacy's exterior. it really looks awkward. i've never sat on it, so i don't know how it feels inside, but exterior really is a big downer. I don't think it's ugly, but definitely a step backward. it is now very busy, bulky, and maybe even too american. it definitely got supersized in a bad way. i never really liked Subaru's design, but last gen legacy was very clean, understated and handsome. Subaru styling really isn't my thing. i do like outback though.

6. hyundai scoring highest on fit/finish is a tremendous accomplishment although i would've scored equal to accord. both are fabulously put together.

7. i still don't get why SE gets tested but not Limited. i haven't seen Limited go against the competition yet.

8. beating accord in C/D? New era has started.

 

it's probably my adobe acrobat pro's fault. it does that sometimes. i don't know why.

 

Good observation Dustin.

Comparo is a exciting as watching a ceiling fan spin.

 

Very exciting for me because Accord almost never loses C/D comparison. This is clearly one of the biggest upset in my recent memory.

 

agreed, they definately took a page out of the CLS book. You once had to pay 70K for the CLS to get this kind of modernized design, which was then copied by the VW CC and made into a 30K car. Mainstream america can now have a car that looks like a "four door coupe." I definately like the look, but I agree its form over function.

 

i think Legacy's rear looks similar to last gen accord and current gen GS. no?

 

They look nothing alike. The GS absolutlely destroys them in style and I see no similarities. It's funny you are quick to point out others copying but get defensive when someone says Hyundai/Kia copies.

Why do these big *** acuras and hondas have such small trunk room?

 

Two main reasons.........and they are not limited to Acura/Honda products by any means.

First, automakers, today, on regular sedans/coupes/wagons, generally design the vehicles with very little front/rear overhang over the wheels...the Lexus IS250/350 and BMW 1 and 3 series are classic examples of that.......the Mini Cooper even more so. Small overhangs, of course, aid in handling by minimizing the amount of extra weight/leverage that sticks out in front/rear and causes understeer. But little overhang in the rear, of course, means comparably little trunk space, depending, of course on how the rear-seat assembly and rear-roofline is done.

That's the second main reason some trunks are cramped. Low, humpback-whale rooflines that wedge down in the back, at a rakish angle (the new Subaru Legacy and Hyundai Sonata are good examples, as are the VW CC and Mercedes CLS) impede the size of the trunk opening, because the roofline sticks back into the area that used to be formerly, on many sedans, occupied by the trunk lid. So, even if trunk space inside, itself, may not be compromised much, sometimes the size of the trunk lid itself (and the size of things that you can stuff through it) sometimes limits its usability/versatility. As you know, when I do a full car-review, I ususally give a detailed description of the cargo area , how it is designed, the trim quality, and its ease-of-use.

BTW, IMO, one of the worst-designed cargo areas I've seen yet (for usable cargo space-vs.-size) is on a small but upmarket SUV...the Infiniti EX35.