Comparison Tests
The Honda Accord has been a perennial 10Best winner since its inception, and the new-for-2003 model took yet another award home this year. So it seems appropriate that when a new Accord comes along we should recalibrate its standing against the other players in its mid-size, mainstream league.
Guess what? Turns out that's quite a populous category. Despite the burgeoning SUV phenomenon, mid-size family sedans sell well over a million units each year to people who want affordable transportation that doesn't necessarily make a statement about their lifestyles.
To gauge the 2003 Accord's competence and appeal, we decided to pit a four-cylinder, five-speed-manual EX — for $22,060, it comes with air, anti-lock brakes, electric everything, remote access, and a six-disc CD changer — against similar offerings in the marketplace. We didn't consider such cars as the Ford Taurus and Mitsubishi Galant, which are not available with manual gearboxes.
And, in alphabetical order, this is what we rounded up in the way of competition.
Dodge's face-lifted Stratus, now in R/T array, comes with a standard five-speed manual and 2.7-liter V-6. Priced at $22,475 to start, it would have matched our Accord EX price bogey quite well, but ours got loaded up with $1510 worth of pearlescent paint, leather seats, premium stereo, and power driver's seat.
Using that price profile when shopping for a Hyundai Sonata also allowed a V-6 model — the GLS — into the mix. Hyundai typically includes comprehensive equipment at competitive prices, so we could have had an even higher-trim LX with leather upholstery without reaching our price target. But Hyundai did not have an LX test car available. Truth be told, it didn't even have a manual-transmission car for us to test. Thus, we took an automatic and tried to evaluate the car with reference to the shift quality in the Kia Optima LX — the Sonata's platform sibling — which we also added to the mix.
The Optima is only available with a manual transmission in four-cylinder form, so that's what we got. At $16,080 (including $85 worth of floor mats), it was easily the least expensive car out the door. You could order the optional 2.7-liter V-6 and still not stray northward of our price point, but then a stick shift is not an option.
Having voted the new Mazda 6 s a 2003 10Best honoree on the basis of its V-6, we were very interested in the performance of the four-cylinder Mazda 6 i. The test car had to be pretty loaded — with leather, a sunroof, side airbags, a Bose stereo, a Premium package, a Comfort package, and a Sport package that adds trick bodywork and wheels — before it neared the price target. Delete those extras, and Mazda's 6 i is a sub-20-grand buy.
Speaking of value, the Nissan Altima 2.5S manual can be loaded opulently for $22,000, but none was available, so we allowed in the $23,189 3.5SE. It boasts the strongest V-6 and the biggest interior in the group. For those who buy by size, the Altima clearly went into the contest with a major advantage in spaciousness.
Saturn's L200 fit the description for this test and entered with a low price, a roomy interior, and the promised refinement of GM's Ecotec four-cylinder engine. And yes, we tried to keep in mind the virtues of undentable doors and all those well-advertised warm and fuzzy dealers, too.
With its flat-four engine and all-wheel drivetrain, the Subaru Legacy L was the odd man out. Nonetheless, the specs and the price matched the recipe for this shindig, and the Subaru was invited to show its stuff. At just over 20 large, the car represents pretty good value.
We couldn't ignore the segment's current bestseller, Toyota's Camry, represented here in SE guise with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual. To the base SE we added alloy wheels, ABS, side airbags, and a power driver's seat, pushing the sticker to $22,529.
Last to the party is the Volkswagen Passat GL 1.8T, the sole forced-induction vehicle in the mix. Because of revised ordering protocols at VW, the only test car available on the West Coast was equipped with an automatic transmission. Okay, that kind of flouts our rules again for this test, but Passats are available with manuals, so don't bombard us with letters.
This test was conducted in California because the winter weather is better than it is in Michigan, right? Wrong, we were deluged by rainstorms raging in off the Pacific. At least every car had all-season tires. Anyway, what better way to assess defoggers, wipers, and wet handling?
