Edmunds Comparison Test; Honda Accord VS New Mazda 6 VS Nissan Altima

Comparison Test: 2009 Mazda 6 vs. 2008 Honda Accord vs. 2008 Nissan Altima
1st Place: 2009 Mazda 6 - For 2009 Mazda takes the styling up a notch, dials out some harshness and dethrones the benchmark Honda Accord.
2nd Place: 2008 Honda Accord - Providing exactly what's expected but nothing more, the Accord will still supply miles of performance.
3rd Place: 2008 Nissan Altima - Widely considered the sportiest front-drive family sedan, the slick Altima comes up short this time around.

Finding the Sweet Spot in Family Sedans
By Chris Walton, Chief Road Test EditorDate posted: 09-07-2008

Our recent test of the 2009 Mazda 6 s Grand Touring showed us that Mazda can still offer sporting dynamics in its all-new family sedan, even while providing more room, more features and more power. We were concerned that the sporting spirit of the last-generation, fun-but-snug Mazda 6 might have been lost in the search for commercial success, but we came away believing this new car still has that zoom-zoom thing.

Like Mazda, we believe a family sedan can be lively as well as practical. So to gauge the way in which the 2009 Mazda 6 fits into the new world of family sedans, we figured a comparison is in order. A 2009 Mazda 6 s Grand Touring would be our starting point.

Then we enlisted the 2008 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE with its continuously variable automatic transmission. It's the car that most people consider to be the sportiest in this category, matched with a transmission that shatters all expectations about CVTs. (We know this car is available with a manual transmission, but we also know the CVT is a better choice. Trust us.)

The all-new 2008 Honda Accord is the standard of the category, the winner of our last comparison test of family sedans. A 2008 Honda Accord EX-L Navi matched up nicely. Hailed for its value, refinement and excellent quality, the well-mannered Accord would challenge the Mazda's practical abilities.

And so we began our family sedan comparison test, and we're wondering how far the Mazda 6's fun-o-meter has swung away from "I could use a Red Bull" toward "My adrenal gland is sore and I need to grow up."

For the rest of the article;
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=131667?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*#2

Honda Finds more HP in 3.5L V6

Excerpt from Press Release dated 8/7/2008

Testing of production engines for horsepower and torque output of the 2008 Accord V-6 has revealed that the average horsepower and torque produced by these engines is higher than originally estimated prior to the start of mass production. Though there have been no design changes to the engines to create more power, the horsepower and torque ratings for the 2009 models have been increased to reflect the actual output of the engines. For 2009, 271 hp replaces 268 hp on all V-6 models, 254 lb-ft. replaces 248 lb-ft. on automatic transmission models and 251 lb-ft. replaces 248 lb-ft. on manual transmission models.

How the VCM works in a 2008 Honda Accord V6 Engine

VCM = Variable Cylinder Management.

Here's how it works;

i-VTEC with 3-stage Advanced Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM™)
The Accord’s available SOHC V-6 with automatic transmission includes i-VTEC with Advanced VCM. With the boost in fuel efficiency attributable to VCM, the larger and more powerful Accord V-6 with automatic transmission actually gets better fuel economy than its smaller, less powerful predecessor when tested with the same methodology.

VCM Operation
To help improve the fuel efficiency of the V-6 engine available with the 5-speed automatic transmission, the latest generation of Honda’s VCM is used. This is the first application of VCM on a non-hybrid Accord model. Unlike previous VCM systems that switched between three- and six-cylinder operation, the Accord’s system can operate on three, four or all six cylinders.

During start-up, acceleration or when climbing hills – any time high power output is required – the engine operates on all six cylinders. During moderate speed cruising and at low engine loads, the system operates just one bank of three cylinders. For moderate acceleration, higher-speed cruising and mild hills, the engine operates on four cylinders.

With three operating modes, the VCM system can finely tailor the working displacement of the engine to match the driving requirements from moment to moment. Since the system automatically closes both the intake and exhaust valves of the cylinders that are not used, pumping losses associated with intake and exhaust are eliminated and fuel economy gets a further boost. The VCM system combines maximum performance and maximum fuel economy – two characteristics that don’t typically coexist in conventional engines.

VCM deactivates specific cylinders by using the VTEC (Variable Valve-Timing and Lift Electronic Control) system to close the intake and exhaust valves while the Powertrain Control Module simultaneously cuts fuel to those cylinders. When operating on three cylinders, the rear cylinder bank is shut down. When running on four cylinders, the left and center cylinders of the front bank operate, and the right and center cylinders of the rear bank operate.

The spark plugs continue to fire in inactive cylinders to minimize plug temperature loss and prevent fouling induced from incomplete combustion during cylinder re-activation.

The system is electronically controlled, and uses special integrated spool valves that do double duty as rocker-shaft holders in the cylinder heads. Based on commands from the system’s electronic control unit, the spool valves selectively direct oil pressure to the rocker arms for specific cylinders. This oil pressure in turn drives synchronizing pistons that connect and disconnect the rocker arms.

The VCM system monitors throttle position, vehicle speed, engine speed, automatic-transmission gear selection and other factors to determine the correct cylinder activation scheme for the operating conditions. In addition, the system determines whether engine oil pressure is suitable for VCM switching and whether catalytic-converter temperature will remain in the proper range. To smooth the transition between activating or deactivating cylinders, the system adjusts ignition timing, drive-by-wire throttle position and turns the torque converter lock-up on and off. As a result, the transition between three-, four-, and six-cylinder operation is unnoticeable to the driver.

Green Cars that Automakers WON'T Sell You

Here's one that I didn't know about;

The new 2008 Honda Accord boasts an environmental first: a six-cylinder gasoline engine that's cleaner than many hybrid systems.

There's only one catch: You can't actually buy this ultra-green Accord, or the four-cylinder version that also produces near-zero pollution. That is, unless you live in California, New York or six other northeast states that follow California's tougher pollution rules. Only there can you buy this Accord, or the roughly two dozen other models that meet so-called Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle standards, PZEV for short.

Not only can't you buy one, but the government says it's currently illegal for automakers to sell these green cars outside of the special states. Under terms of the Clean Air Act—in the kind of delicious irony only our government can pull off—anyone (dealer, consumer, automaker) involved in an out-of-bounds PZEV sale could be subject to civil fines of up to $27,500.

So, just how green is a PZEV machine? Well, if you just cut your lawn with a gas mower, congratulations, you just put out more pollution in one hour than these cars do in 2,000 miles of driving. Grill a single juicy burger, and you've cooked up the same hydrocarbon emissions as a three-hour drive in a Ford Focus PZEV. As the California Air Resources Board has noted, the tailpipe emissions of these cars can be cleaner than the outside air in smoggy cities.

That's amazing stuff. But what's more amazing is how few people have a clue that the gas-powered, internal combustion engine could ever be this clean.

Naturally, no company wants to bring too much attention to a car that most people can't buy, unless it's Ferrari. And there's the catch. PZEV models are already available from Honda, Toyota, Subaru, VW, Volvo, Ford, and yes, GM. They're scrubbed-up versions of familiar models.

It's not all the fault of the car companies. The crazy quilt of environmental regulations is forcing carmakers to design and build two versions of the same cars. And it costs real money to make a car this green. So in states where there are no regulations to force their hand,automakers don't want to have to boost their prices for the green versions—or to simply eat the extra cost and make less profit.

Honda appears to be doing just that. It currently charges Californians and other green-staters about $150 extra for these solid-citizen models. But experts suggest that it costs carmakers closer to $400 a pop to install the gear.

Another issue: The PZEV cars don't get any better mileage than conventional versions. Would most self-interested Americans even pay a lousy 100 bucks for cleaner air that doesn't put fuel savings back in their pocket? "With hybrids, the selling point is fuel economy, so there's a dollar amount on that," said William Walton, Honda's product planning chief for U.S. cars. "We want to give people the cleanest vehicles we can produce, but how much are people willing to pay for clean air?"

As often as automakers express envy and resentment over Toyota's image, you might think Honda would be filming TV ads, erecting billboards, shouting from rooftops that the Accord is the world's cleanest six-cylinder car. In the green game that Toyota has played like a chess master, it seems like this is a lost opportunity for Honda, Nissan and the rest to siphon off some of Toyota's goodwill.

So give Honda's talented engineers credit for this clean-burning Accord. But give its marketing department a big, smoggy raspberry for keeping it a virtual secret—and keeping it off-limits to buyers in 42 states.

Source: http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=434502
By Lawrence Ulrich