Post by
Rockhound »
https://forums.nicoclub.com/rockhound-u65977.html
Sun Nov 04, 2007 6:05 pm
Yeah, I hear you. I'm glad that I didn't read many of these reviews prior to my purchase - as I've found that I disagree with most of them.
Honda and Toyota deserve respect because of their track record with reliability and longevity...but I feel like Nissan doesn't get much respect despite their pretty good record (better than domestics, for sure). While they've earned their status as the "benchmark" in many segments, it does seem that the bias toward Toyota and Honda clouds many a critic's judgment. That said, in C&D's latest sedan comparo, the Camry finished last behind the Accord (1st), Fusion (2nd), and Hyundai Sonata (3rd).
The problem seems to be that when Honda/Toyota do have an issue come up, it seemingly gets swept under the rug - Toyota's infamous oil sludge problems in their I4 and V6 engines from 1997-2001 (give or take a few years) and Honda's automatic transmission failures in Accords, Odysseys, TLs, CLs, and TSXs seem to be fairly well-hidden. Toyota never issued a recall, and subsequently was sued - so they offered "extended warranties" for the affected owners.
Plus, Toyotas (aside from the Supra and MR2) have been historically very boring cars. They've tried to remedy that in recent years by upping their engine output and such, but it seems to me that Nissan, and to a lesser extent, Honda, have always had a bit more 'sportiness' to their cars' performance and design.
Although I think Detroit cheerleaders are understandably vocal about Toyota's latest quality "slide", in light of their dire situation, the fact that they forget is that Honda (and Nissan) are poised to take that position.
The JD Power ratings of the Versa are a joke. Car and Driver only tested the S model and panned it for it's upholstery and spartan interior. Ann Job (@ MSN Autos) said that it has pronounced road noise (?).
To me, every one of Nissan's offerings is competitive, if not class-leading in many areas - but it seems as if only the Altima and G35 get the most positive press, which is fine, but they're not the only worthy cars in the entire lineup.