Comparison Tests
The name Camry comes from the Japanese word kanmuri, which means "crown." In 1983, the Toyota Camry replaced the Toyota Corona, which in Spanish also means "crown." And Toyota currently makes a sedan for Japan called the Crown Royal, which is often seen disappearing into garages with the Mazda Carol MeLady.
Those crazy Japanese.
We've placed our own kanmuri on the Honda Accord more times than you can shake a sutekki at. We also just named the Accord a 10Best Car for 2007. We hear it's in contention for Car of the Universe.
Just to be extra double certain, however, we've acquired five of the Accord's newly introduced or redesigned competitors and gone out to lay a little rubber. A very little, in fact, as we've gone for four-cylinder cars with automatic transmissions, which are also the overwhelming people's choice — 84 percent of Camrys, truth be known, came with four-bangers in '05. The new Saturn Aura moves only via V-6 and is the exception here.
Camrys and Honda Accords may not be the reds and greens in your personal M&M's bag, but the sales arithmetic makes them important. Of the 7,961,509 new passenger cars sold in North America in 2005, the Camry, the Accord, and the Nissan Altima ranked one, two, and four. Mid-sizers are the bread, butter, rice, and kimchi of this business.
The fresh faces include Chrysler's revamped '07 Sebring, slightly shorter and taller than before — remember when new Chryslers were longer and lower? — and baked in a medley of Chrysler Crossfire and 300C styling cues on a platform that shares Dodge Caliber components. Among other achievements, Chrysler boasts front seats raised 2.5 inches, great for ex-SUV owners still in rehab. Just $18,995 buys you in, but our Touring model started at $20,195 and finished at $22,785 after a doodad pile-on, including a power-equipment pack, a sunroof, alloy wheels, and Sirius satellite radio.
At $22,220, the frill-free '07 Honda Accord SE is almost the cheapest slushbox Accord available. Sink much cheaper, and you're into stick shifts, rear drum brakes, and steel wheels. It's also the only car to report with a double-control-arm front suspension, fancy suspenders in a group full of struts.
The ambassador from Kia's retooled Optima line is this $19,995 EX. It's one rung higher than the base LX and brings with it, for that price, alloy wheels, a power driver's seat, and a six-CD changer. Anti-lock brakes are an option here, although standard on all the others except the Altima. At least Kia from Korea keeps the prices cheap: $300 for ABS, and another $300 for stability control. At $1300, the Leather package, including heated seats and power-adjustable pedals, represents the longest dollars, followed by the $800 sunroof.
A redesigned Altima goes for the throat with styling from the ionosphere and an accent on sport. It's smaller than before, with almost an inch trimmed from the wheelbase and 1.7 inches from the length. The long-stroke 2.5-liter four makes 175 horsepower — only the 224-hp V-6 Aura outguns it — and turns a belt-driven continuously variable transmission.
Speaking of the Aura, the new Saturn is all Epsilon, meaning its parts come from the same buffet table as several GM vehicles, including the Pontiac G6, Opel Vectra, and Saab 9-3. This one is an XE, meaning it runs the 3.5-liter "high value" pushrod V-6 (XRs have the 252-hp, 3.6-liter "high feature" dual-overhead-cam V-6). The base price is $20,595, but leather, a sunroof, and various power accessories cranked up our Aura's glow to $24,020.
Watch as we separate the roadworthy from the rental queens.
