'11 Altima versus the '11 Accord

[nissangirl74]

it ain't pretty

2011-altima-vs-2011-honda-accord-t534180.html

[ZZAltima]

So this is interesting. Last month we were in the market for a mid sized car. I read up on the Accord, and kind of fell for it after looking at all the pictures on the net and reading the reviews. I especially liked its top safety rating for my family's sake. Went to the dealer with the clear intention of buying the Accord. Across the street from the Honda dealer was the Nissan Dealer. We decided to swing by the Nissan dealer just to try out the Altima so that we could calibrate our senses to a new car (our other car is a 97 Mazda Millenia). So we took a test drive on a 2-3 mile loop around the dealership row. The loop is good, in that it has a highway section, a curvy section and a country road section with undulations and bumps on the surface. The Altima seemed to drive much better than our old Millenia but that was no surprise. We then went to the Honda dealership and took a 2011 model fro a drive. We found the seats to be stiff and curved to shapes that did not fit any or our(myself, my wife and two 10 yr old daughters) bodies. The seats were very uncomfortable. My wife commented that the interior looked "dated" with sharp hard surfaces for armrests etc. Since my heart was still set on the Accord, I suggested that we go around the "loop". First thing I noticed was that the engine was very loud, even when the car was idling at a stoplight. It sounded louder than our old Millenia. I should have lowered my expectations, because it sounded worse when accelerating. The Accord certainly felt huge relative to the Millenia and the Altima. But unfortunately it also drove like a boat. It floated in the most horrible manner on the undulating and bumpy country road. I made sure I drove both the Accord and the Altima at the same speed (~50MPH) on that section and the Accord could barely be controlled. I tried a swerve maneuver and it reminded me of the handling of a '77 Chevy Impala. Halfway around the loop, my family was bitterly complaining that their backs were hurting and they wanted to get out of the car! We returned the Accord and went back to the Nissan dealer to do the same loop the second time for a head to head comparison. At the light, I could not hear the 2.5 engine on idle. The CVT felt a little strange but it did not seem too weird. The Altima also feels like a big car compared to the Millenia but not as big as the Accord. It was much quieter than the Accord. It handled the undulating road in a very stable manner and at 50MPH had no problems at all. It seems to be reasonably stable on a quick swerve and the suspension does not get upset. The family liked the interior much more with rounder more inviting surfaces. The seats are much more comfortable than the Accord's.

The result was that we had left our home that day to buy the Accord, but instead bought the Altima.

I have gone through Toyotas, Mazdas and Nissans in my life but had never owned a Honda. I have heard/read a lot about the mighty Honda, was feeling left out and really wanted to own a new Accord. But four of us, my wife, my 2 children and I agreed unanimously that the Altima was clearly a far superior car. I do not like the fact that the Altima is not rated as high as the Accord on safety, but it was so uncomfortable and loud and drove so poorly that we could not live with it.

What does everybody (especially the journalists) see in the Honda that we missed that day?

[Bear2010]

I truly hate the CVT. I hate it with a passion. Nothing has gone wrong with it...yet. My parents have a 2007 ford freestyle (it also has a CVT, which ford dropped in the taurus X, which is the same vehicle.) Its currently on its 5th replacement transmission. The vehicle only has 90,000 highway miles on it. So, I bought my 2010 2.4s because they offered my a 10yr/120,000 mile warranty on it. If anything happens to it, they replace it. I bought the car on Nov,21,2010 and it currently has 19360 miles on it. So, I can see the editors disdain with the transmission. I wrote nissan about it. I told them I didn't like it and didn't like the fact that my sedan didn't even have a 6spd manual or automatic transmission. They simply responded like hey sorry about your luck. We got our money. When I pay more of the car off, I will be switching over to something with AWD (I live in Chicago now, snow sucks) and a manual transmission. My partner will be doing the same when he trades in his 2002 Golf. But, an accord will never be an option for me. Its too ugly and eventually will become highly stolen. No thanks.

[telcoman]

...... We then went to the Honda dealership and took a 2011 model fro a drive. We found the seats to be stiff and curved to shapes that did not fit any or our(myself, my wife and two 10 yr old daughters) bodies. The seats were very uncomfortable. ............

The wife and I came to the same conclusion back in 09. She wanted a Honda but the seats were so uncomfortable we ended up with the Altima. I guess not much has changed

Telcoman