2010 Honda Accord EX vs. 2011 Hyundai Sonata SE, 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5i - Comparison Tests

Here's a really good comparison test between three really good cars....
Practically Chic: Does style really matter in these mid-size schleppers armed with just four cylinders and slushboxes?

For all the ascendance of crossovers—certainly the most amoebic of all automotive classifications—mid-size sedans continue to be one of autodom’s biggest sales categories. There are many reasons for this—all-around family usefulness, resistance to the swollen SUV bulk of crossovers, respectable fuel economy—but double-take glamour is rarely one of them.

This mid-size dedication to stylistic timidity has always mystified us. Given a choice between two implements that function with more or less equal efficiency, wouldn’t you be inclined to pick the one that looks the best? This is not a trick question. As a Detroit design chief observed long ago, “If practicality was all that mattered, they’d have to put a roof over Kalamazoo so they could build enough Checkers to satisfy demand.”

Checker sedans were terrific taxicabs. But their mass-market appeal was limited. Kalamazoo was never in danger of requiring a big roof, and the factory shut down in 1982.

It’s true that several purveyors of mid-size sedans have tried to raise the curbside wattage of recent offerings—the Chevy Malibu, Ford Fusion, Mazda 6, Nissan Altima, and even the Toyota Camry have all snazzed up a couple of notches compared with their predecessors. But how many actually turn heads? Very few; none, maybe. Staying visible in a 15-minutes-of-fame society requires some risk taking. Daring. Chutzpah.

The 2006–’10 Hyundai Sonata played to solid reviews that praised, in particular, its extensive array of standard features and a marked improvement in overall quality. But it’s safe to say that the styling failed to provoke any oohs or aahs. Responses were more of the ho and hum variety.

If you’ve been following our previews and show coverage on our website, or if you saw Hyundai’s myriad Super Bowl commercials, you already know that the Sonata, like the ugly duckling, has matured into a handsome swan. If it’s not the sleekest thing in its class, we’d like to know what is.

Of course, looks aren’t everything. If they were, Megan Fox would be president. Or, perhaps even scarier, Sarah Palin. There’s gotta be substance, too, which, in our constituency, translates as supple ride, all-day comfort, decent power, competitive fuel economy, contemporary safety features, high-quality fit and finish, and, of course, a high fun-to-drive quotient.

How does the 2011 Sonata grade out on the full report card? The quickest way to place it in the mid-size-sedan continuum is to pit it against a couple of prominent players in this class. The new Subaru Legacy—redesigned inside and out for 2010—needed to be on the menu since it has yet to be tested against its peer group. And, of course, we had to include the reigning mid-size champ—the Honda Accord, a perennial 10Best Cars titlist (24 trophies in 28 years) and winner of our last three mid-size showdowns.

The group’s specifications were constrained by the Sonata’s powertrain limitations. The Accord and the Legacy both offer six-cylinder options, but the new Sonata’s only engine, at least for now, is a naturally aspirated four-cylinder; a manual transmission comes only in the base model. Thus we specified automatics and fours in all three cars—a combination that accounts for a little more than 80 percent of the mid-size, mid-price sedan market.

Our Sonata was the slightly sportier SE model. We requested a midrange Accord EX, and the Legacy was a basic 2.5i with a CVT automatic. Base prices ranged from $20,690 (for the Subaru) to $24,540 (the Honda).

Could one of these newbies knock the Accord off its throne? We assembled our threesome in Southern California to find out.

To continue to the article...click on this link--> Continued...

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/10q1/2010_honda_accord_ex_vs._2011_hyundai_sonata_se_2010_subaru_legacy_2.5i-comparison_tests

2010 Acura TL SH-AWD Manual - Short Take Road Test

Another six-speed hit from the makers of the Honda S2000 and Acura TSX.

If there’s one thing that imbues a car with a more sporting character, it’s a manual transmission. None of this automated-manual mumbo jumbo; we’re talking about a true manual with a clutch pedal to the left of the brake and more left-right movement in the shift pattern than just sliding the shift lever into sport. The Acura TL has always been pretty agile and responsive, but the new generation launched in 2009 without a manual.

What a Stick Is Supposed to Be
The TL gets a manual transmission for 2010, however, and although we wonder why—Acura concedes that maybe five percent of buyers will opt for the manual—we welcome any transmission as satisfying as this. In our first drive of the TL manual, we relayed Acura’s boast that these are the shortest throws in class, and we have little doubt the claim is still true. In addition to the tidy throws, the effort is nearly perfect and the action crisp and clean. The clutch, too, is wonderfully tuned with a progressive, predictable takeup and a light feel that requires just enough muscle to keep it from feeling overly assisted.

The manual is only available paired with all-wheel drive—Super Handling All-Wheel Drive, or SH-AWD in Acura lingo—and a 305-hp, 3.7-liter V-6. Additionally, it only comes on cars with the Tech package—premium leather, navigation system—which boosts the manual’s base price to $43,195, or more than $7000 higher than a base TL. You want to row your own, you’re going to pay for the privilege. The only option is the addition of 19-inch wheels and high-performance summer rubber, which our car did not have.

The Perfect Shifter Makes a Car Way Faster
Although the engine and SH-AWD of this car were the same as on past testers, the performance we measured this time was anything but similar. Snicking off our own gearchanges liberated 0.8 second from the 0-to-60-mph time (5.2 seconds versus 6.0) and cleaved a full second from the quarter-mile, and we gathered an extra 4 mph on the way, for a 13.8-second pass at 101 mph.
The manual is a little lighter overall than the automatic (72 pounds), but this doesn’t much affect the TL’s fundamental dynamic balance. Skidpad grip drops some, to 0.88, from the 0.92 g we’ve reported in previous tests, but that’s the result of downgrading from the summer-only Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s on previous cars to Pilot HX MXM4s on this one. Paired with either tire, the torque-vectoring SH-AWD makes it feel from the driver’s seat as if the outside rear wheel were growing in proportion to cornering forces, helping push the car through the curve and mitigating understeer. The car just seems to lean back on that wheel and zip away. Braking likewise deteriorates from a best of 158 feet to 171, although that’s still a perfectly acceptable number.

All These Buttons Are Pushing Our Buttons
We’re not fans of the lack of on-center steering feel and the flinty ride over small, abrupt bumps, but our major complaint with this car remains the acres of buttons swarming across the steering wheel and center stack. Stare at this button crop long enough, and Homer Simpson’s workstation at the Springfield nuclear power plant comes to mind. The “twist here, push here, tilt here” Bop It!–style control knob/stalk for the navigation system doesn’t alleviate any of the stress, either.
However, the most important controls in a car are the ones that control its motion. The six-speed manual in the TL is, like Honda and Acura’s other self-shifters, an altar for those with hyperactive left feet. There are a lot of good competitors bracketing the TL—some that put up better straight-line numbers and some we’d choose over it for a day at the track—but none has a better stick than this. That should make for a very happy five percent.

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/09q4/2010_acura_tl_sh-awd_manual-short_take_road_test

Car & Driver's Winter Driving Guide

Here's something that some of us (more than some of us now, I just heard that it snowed in Las Vegas the other week!) could use....
Simple tips to help you survive the snow and ice.
BY STEVEN COLE SMITH December 2008

News flash: Global warming doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll all be living in the tropics within five years. The headline in the Houston Chronicle last week read, “Surprise Snow Flurries Warm Houston Hearts.” Las Vegas was just covered in nearly four inches of the white stuff, and our offices in Ann Arbor have effectively become an igloo as of this writing, courtesy of a winter storm.

Now, we can’t definitively pin the blame for every freak flurry on global warming, but we agree that somebody ought to do something about cars and flatulent cows and hairspray and all the other things that may or may not be causing climate change. The point is this: Get used to snow. Are you and your car fully prepared? Here are a few things to think about.

How to Drive

Winter driving isn’t as hard as people think it is. It just takes a little more concentration and awareness. Drive like you’re tiptoeing on ice, because you might be. Use small, slow motions. Ease on the brakes, drive like there’s an egg under the accelerator, and if you start to skid, steer in the direction you want to go and keep steady, light pressure on the gas. If you’re skidding sideways, the brake is not the pedal to press. It will just make things worse. When you brake in a straight line and the pedal starts pulsing or chattering, don’t release pressure. Keep your foot in it. That noise means the anti-lock brakes are working.

Most important, slow down. Don’t leave the house unless necessary (which is splendid advice no matter what the weather’s like—traffic congestion thanks you). Keep your head on a swivel, drive defensively, and stay away from drugs and trans fats.

Your Battery

We’ve consulted multiple electrical engineers, and most say the same thing: If you have a weak, failing battery, it will not get better if you ignore it. The battery is one of our favorite parts of a car, and one that we really don’t mind spending money on, because the alternative to having a good battery—your car doesn’t start, and you and your loved ones freeze to death—is unappealing. If you have a fresh battery and it’s still running down, get your charging and electrical systems checked for problems. This is not something to put off. There are few worse sounds than the death of a battery as you try to crank the engine. Idling with your front and rear defrosters on high, your lights on, Bubba the Love Sponge cranked to full volume, and a coffee warmer plugged into the cigarette lighter is asking a lot of an alternator. A good battery can help manage the electrical load.

Proper Warm-Up

Yes, we know, plenty of people claim that letting the engine warm up any longer than it takes for the oil-pressure gauge to register is wasting gas. But a fully warmed engine is a more efficient engine. Besides, taking off in a car that hasn’t warmed properly, hasn’t had the windows cleared of ice or snow, and is still freezing cold inside is dangerous at worst, no fun at best. You think Al Gore hops into his Toyota Prius without warming it up?

Winter Tires

Readers from less snowy areas might think of winter tires as those big knobby-lugged “mud and snow” tires on the rear wheels of two-wheel-drive Ford F-150s used for possum chasing on dirt roads. But if you move up north to, say, Detroit, you promptly learn that snow tires, by golly, are amazing. Bolt up a set of Bridgestone Blizzaks or Michelin X-Ices, and suddenly your car can actually go and possibly even stop in slippery conditions.
Just be sure to take them off when the weather warms up—45 degrees is a good rule of thumb—because the soft rubber compounds used in winter tires wear out more quickly on dry pavement. Even if you don’t have winter rubber, at least remember that tread, and quite a bit of it, is a good thing. And if you drop the air pressure to 5 psi to get out of a snow bank, remember to fill the tires back up, okay?

Emergency Kits

Yes, we know, the preaching your local bated-breath TV weatherperson does about how you should always carry an emergency kit is sort of like your mom insisting that you sew your name into your underwear.
But, really, it’s a good idea—actually, both are, since underwear theft is rampant in our office.

The ideal cold-weather crisis kit consists of a thermal blanket, ten bucks in cash and two in change, a charged-up flashlight with batteries (or one of those crank-’em-up flashlights with the LED bulbs), an extra ice scraper, a five-pound bag of cheap clay cat litter (to throw under your tires when you get stuck), a small shovel, a charged-up battery booster with an extra cell-phone car-charger cable, one of those little sets of jumper cables that come in a pouch, a couple of pairs of warm gloves, a warm hat, an extra flannel sweatshirt with a hood, some paper towels, a can of aerosol spare-tire filler, a few packs of chemical hand warmers like Hot Hands, and a half-open box of fabric-softener sheets. Why dryer sheets? Mostly because they smell good, but when people see your kit and ask why you have dryer sheets, you can look sly and say, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

That’s a lot of crap to cram into your trunk, but there’s a good chance you need an excuse to clean it out anyhow.

Four- or All-Wheel Drive

When ice or snow first falls, it seems the majority of weather-related crashes are in four- and all-wheel-drive vehicles, because having all four wheels powered makes drivers think they are Mikko Hirvonen or Jari-Matti Latvala, when really they lack the skill to even pronounce those WRC drivers’ names. The logic is, they say, “My Ford Explorer will accelerate to 60 mph on the ice and snow; ergo, it has got to be okay to drive 60 mph on the ice and snow.” Fine, unless at some point you plan to turn or perhaps slow down. You must know the limitations of four- and all-wheel drive. Check out YouTube and you’ll see that going too fast on ice, even if you’re Mikko Hirvonen or Jari-Matti Latvala, you’ll crash.

Traction and Stability Control

If you’re driving a new car, chances are good it has electronic traction and stability control. Both use the brakes—and sometimes the engine computer—to help the driver maintain control of the car. Traction control monitors relative speed between the driven wheels, activating the brakes or reducing engine power to curb wheelspin and wheelspin alone. Stability control adds sideways yaw sensors but uses similar methods to keep the car pointed in the direction you want to go. Stability control always includes traction control.

Stability control should always stay on in the winter, because if you hit a patch of black ice rounding a bend in the freeway at 70 mph, it can help you keep the car on the road and under control and might even save your life. On the other hand, there’s a reason that your traction-control system comes with that easily located on/off button. If you are stuck in the snow, wheelspin can sometimes help you get unstuck. Traction control will prevent wheelspin, so if you turn it off, motion might return to your car. Just be sure that your car is actually moving. If you are stuck in truly deep snow and the car isn’t moving at all, spinning the tires is going to make the problem worse.

Windshield Wipers

As with car batteries, windshield wipers do not improve if you ignore them. Get some premium, heavy-duty, snow-and-ice wipers. A lot of these have a fabric or rubber boot to prevent moisture from accumulating and freezing their moving parts. Be sure your washer fluid is filled with a good winter solution. Don’t add salt unless you are driving a car that belongs to somebody you really don’t like.

Your Gas Tank

Keep it full. More gas means more weight, which can mean better traction. Also, a gas tank nearing empty is more susceptible to condensation, which can form in the tank and then freeze in your fuel lines, preventing your car from starting.
That cover it? Good. Be careful out there. Meanwhile, call me a taxi, okay?

Source;
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/high_performance/features_classic_cars/winter_driving_guide_feature

Car & Driver Magazine Comparo; 09 Chevrolet Traverse LT, 08 Hyundai Veracruz, 08 Mazda CX-9, 08 Toyota Highlander, 09 Ford Flex, and 09 Honda Pilot

We compare six family haulers and, amazingly, drown none of them.
BY JOHN PHILLIPS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY AARON KILEY November 2008

When we last visited Michigan’s Drummond Island [“Mud Puppies,” February 2008], we compared nine Lilliput SUVs and quickly found ourselves in over our heads. Which is to say, we sank a Jeep Liberty. See, the island—a short ferry ride from the eastern tip of the state’s Upper Peninsula—is a 25-mile-long series of limestone bowls (which hold water) and cedar swamps (ditto) surrounded by Lake Huron (ditto times a million). Drummond Island, thou art thine own soggy enemy.

This time, we asked Drummond Island Resort’s driving expert, Craig Hoffman, to sketch out a somewhat drier 16-mile loop, two-thirds of which comprised twisty, smooth pavement and one-third of which bumped through the resort’s private off-road facility. On any off-roader’s scale of difficulty, these private trails (notice we said “private” twice?) hover wholly in Wally Cox territory yet still represent pretty much the worst that any owner would throw at his investment. Along this route, we then ran the vehicles back-to-back until the local bowling alley’s neon “BEER” sign lit up.

Our goal was to compare six mid-size unibody crossovers with all-wheel drive, third-row seats, and the sort of interior volumes that would ensure family-hauling nirvana.

The Honda Pilot and the Toyota Highlander have recently been comprehensively refurbished, inside and out. Chevy’s Traverse is the latest flavor of the platform shared with Buick’s Enclave, GMC’s Acadia, and Saturn’s Outlook. The Traverse is the first we’ve tested with the direct-injection V-6, but the other three also get it for ’09. Hyundai’s Veracruz isn’t brand-new but has never competed in a C/D comparo. Having secured a position on our ’08 5Best Trucks list, Mazda’s CX-9 simply had to be in the mix. And although a Ford Taurus X might have looked a better fit in this group, we opted for the brand-new Flex. Both rely on the same drivetrain, and the Taurus X is soon to be discontinued.

Unibodies were the order of the day, so body-on-framers, such as Nissan’s Path­finder, were excluded. Ditto a couple of crossovers with notably smaller interior volumes—Subaru’s Tribeca, for instance.

We had hoped that with AWD and a nice load of options our vehicles would all max out at about $38,000. Alas, the only Highlander that Toyota could offer, at least with a third-row seat, was a loaded $42,799 Limited, so we used it for back-seat tests only. The Highlander Sport we drove to the island had no third-row seat and was sparsely outfitted—cloth seats, for instance—but was a whale of a bargain at $33,648. Adding a third row to our car would bump its price to $34,433, which is the number we used in the chart and for scoring purposes.

We were disappointed that our six crossovers managed an observed average of only 19 mpg. Sign of the times: On the way north, we observed a man riding a Schwinn. With a bag of golf clubs slung over his shoulder and a full-size Igloo cooler in his left hand, he was a candidate for a closed head injury. “What you got there,” observed associate editor Tony Quiroga, “is a guy with an SUV parked in his garage.”

****1st Place****

2009 Honda Pilot EX-L 4WD

Highs: A veritable woodsman off-road, torsional rigidity of an I-beam.
Lows: Cluttered center stack, a firm ride, could use another 20 horses.
The Verdict: A civilized crossover that feels as unbreakable as a truck.

Link to the full review;

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison_test/crossovers_and_suvs/2009_honda_pilot_vs_ford_flex_chevy_traverse_hyundai_veracruz_mazda_cx_9_toyota_highlander_comparison_test+page-7.html

****2nd Place****

2008 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring AWD

Highs: Luxurious cabin, unhindered sightlines, great freeway cruiser.
Lows: Some high-frequency ride jitters, a sense of fragility off-road.
The Verdict: An SUV that replaces a minivan and comes out grinning.

Link to the full review;

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison_test/crossovers_and_suvs/2009_honda_pilot_vs_ford_flex_chevy_traverse_hyundai_veracruz_mazda_cx_9_toyota_highlander_comparison_test+page-6.html

****3rd Place****

2008 Toyota Highlander Sport 4X4

Highs: A rocket to 60 mph, ergonomic center stack, exquisite drivetrain.
Lows: Low-rent cabin surfaces, odd on-center steering feel, slim cargo capacity.
The Verdict: Soothingly carlike family fare that is affordably family fair.

Link to the full review;

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison_test/crossovers_and_suvs/2009_honda_pilot_vs_ford_flex_chevy_traverse_hyundai_veracruz_mazda_cx_9_toyota_highlander_comparison_test+page-5.html

****4th Place****

2009 Ford Flex SEL

Highs: World’s best middle-row seats, cool styling, easy ingress/egress.
Lows: Slow to react, a titch too much NVH, wheel too close to the IP.
The Verdict: As functional as pliers but needs to be more carlike to satisfy.

Link to the full review;

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison_test/crossovers_and_suvs/2009_honda_pilot_vs_ford_flex_chevy_traverse_hyundai_veracruz_mazda_cx_9_toyota_highlander_comparison_test+page-4.html

****5th Place****

2009 Chevrolet Traverse LT

Highs: Solid structure, good roll control, a cabin as big as an auditorium.
Lows: Too heavy, poor visibility astern, some cheap cockpit surfaces.
The Verdict: Obesity affects every aspect of an SUV’s vehicular health.

Link to the full Review;

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison_test/crossovers_and_suvs/2009_honda_pilot_vs_ford_flex_chevy_traverse_hyundai_veracruz_mazda_cx_9_toyota_highlander_comparison_test+page-3.html

****6th Place****

2008 Hyundai Veracruz Limited AWD

Highs: Amenities galore, refined drivetrain, rides like a ’70s-era Caddy.
Lows: Way too much body roll, vague steering, platform feels twistable.
The Verdict: Functional, rational, justifiable—but not much fun to drive.

Link to the full review;

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison_test/crossovers_and_suvs/2009_honda_pilot_vs_ford_flex_chevy_traverse_hyundai_veracruz_mazda_cx_9_toyota_highlander_comparison_test+page-2.html

Here is the Test Sheet

2010/2011 Honda FIT Hybrid

Adding a hybrid version of the popular and 10Best-winning Fit seems much like putting a second layer of icing on an already tasty cake. But in his press conference, Fukai is quoted as saying the premium for the hybrid over the conventional Fit cannot exceed $2000. The current price of a Fit ranges from $14,585 to $16,705. The hybrid reportedly would go on sale by 2015 with the third-generation of the B-segment car.
While Toyota gets most of the credit for the burgeoning hybrid market, Honda was actually first on the scene in the U.S. with the Insight in 1999. But consumers have not snapped up its subsequent hybrids, forcing the automaker to drop its Accord hybrid from the 2008 model line due to slow sales.