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comparision test: a nitpicker's romp in the woods
Six cultivated sedans--all with feisty V-6s and automatic gearboxes--let
their hair down in the Great Smoky Mountains. The winner surprises even us.
BY BROCK YATES
The second siege of Atlanta came courtesy of Mother Nature, not William
Tecumseh Sherman. A major winter storm (read: one inch of snow) closed
schools and clogged the city's splendid network of freeways. Tempers flared
and fenders bent, but such minor inconveniences barely jiggled the needle
for our crack hand-picked team of C/D techno-wonks and lit-school dropouts
who had driven out of the wind-swept Michigan wilderness on a mission.
Their assignment: a rigorous three-day Great Smoky Mountain flog of six
mid-size sedans that form an intriguing niche in the ever-expanding world
of four-door passenger machinery.
The selection process had been tricky, although the parameters had been
clear--a group of sedans selling in the range of $20,000 to $26,000 with
V-6 power, front-wheel drive, four-speed automatic transmissions,
accommodations for five humans, and moderate external dimensions. Several
cars that might seem obvious candidates were disqualified as too pricey,
including Mitsubishi's Diamante, Lexus's ES300, Mazda's Millenia, Toyota's
Avalon, and Acura's new TL. Ford's curvaceous new Taurus was not yet
available for testing, and it seemed unfair to subject the older model to
comparison with radically updated competition. Our domestic representative
was therefore restricted to Buick's Regal Gran Sport in full leather
regalia--the only Big Three offering with a sufficient options level to
play in this price class.
Our rules returned several old friends to the fray, namely Honda's Accord,
which has graced our Ten Best list no fewer than 11 times, and Toyota's
Camry SE, which has also been blessed by high grades in a number of
previous evaluations on these pages. Another hot entrant was Nissan's
Maxima SE, which in racier five-speed form had made our most recent Ten
Best list. Rounding out the half-dozen were Mazda's 626ES and Volkswagen's
Passat GLX. Because of some options-list contradictions, prices topped out
at the Maxima SE's $25,586 and Camry SE's $24,984 (both with cloth seats).
The Buick at $24,305 and the Mazda at $24,015 slotted in the middle, while
the $22,930 Volkswagen Passat GLX and the $22,680 Honda Accord LX filled
the bargain bin (both had cloth seats).
The plan had been to head south from Ann Arbor, out of the Great White
North, to find bare road surfaces for the test. That was not to be, because
a massive cold front gripped the nation from the Keweenaw Peninsula to Key
West. That left us with slushy going for the first day, which saw our tiny
fleet charge up from Atlanta into the mountains, then to layover in stylish
old Asheville, North Carolina. A special treat for the architectural buffs
among us was the Grove Park Inn, an elegant resort built in 1913 that
remains one of just a handful of grand hotels in the continent. The weather
cleared briefly on the second day, affording us a chance to notch up the
driving on North Carolina's splendid network of mountain roads. We took a
spectacular run up Chimney Rock, which offers one of the most awe-inspiring
vistas east of the Mississippi. From there it was on to Greenville, South
Carolina, and some hard laps around Michelin's rain-swept test track in
nearby Laurens, and back to (ahem) snow-ravaged Atlanta.
All this tire-screeching and hard-eyed evaluation panned out as follows.
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Sixth Place
Buick Regal Gran Sport
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Compared with its GM10 brethren, the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme and Pontiac
Grand Am, Buick's Regal Gran Sport appears best able to take on the
vanguard of this class. On paper at least. Its 3.8-liter pushrod V-6
generates an easy 170 horsepower; coupled with GM's silky electronic
four-speed, it offers performance levels very much in this league. Our Gran
Sport boasted a redesigned interior with a passenger-side airbag, leather
seats, and the only CD player of the bunch, but the car still produced only
modest enthusiasm about its accommodations and ergonomics. Despite being
the largest and heaviest of the bunch, the Regal's rear-seat room and
comfort--for both two and three passengers--were judged worst of the pack.
The curvy new instrument panel had, in the words of one driver, "a
Fisher-Price feel about the whole thing."
On the twisty mountain roads, the Buick lost more ground. Said one tester,
"The Buick is not happy being pushed hard. The steering is too light and
not very precise. The shocks are too soft, the seats are too slippery, and
the shifter is too clumsy. The engine is strong, but it can't make up for
those deficiencies."
On long, flat stretches, the Buick was more content, offering brainless
travel with only modest wind noise and fuel mileage in league with the
rest. For those who insist on "buying American" (although the Gran Sport is
built in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada) and plan only modest levels of brio
behind the wheel, the Buick Regal Gran Sport would seem a viable offering.
But many of us would ask for more.
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Fifth Place
Volkswagen Passat GLX
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An important observation to be made here: within this group of six there
are no vividly bad cars. By most rational measurements, for example, the
Passat is a fine mid-size sedan. But when measured tit-for-tat in a broad
spectrum of standards against proven winners from Japan (the inventors, for
all intents and purposes, of this class), it falls a bit short in terms of
interior ergonomics and raw power. The Passat is an older-generation
design, with high doorsills and a cowl that crowds the windows and reduces
visibility. This feeling of claustrophobia is not helped by the relentless
black of the instrument panel, upholstery, and trim.
The Passat is the shortest in length, the tallest, and also the narrowest
of the group, although its interior volume and trunk space are competitive.
A number of drivers commented on the steering wheel, which seemed too
distant in relation to the rather upright seating position. But we ranked
the rear-seat comfort as best in class for three across, and in a tie with
the Camry and Maxima for two.
On the steep slopes of the great Smokies, the Passat found itself. The
testers were universally enthusiastic about the handling. "It behaves
really well in the tight stuff, with no tail-happiness or other miscreant
behavior sometimes noticed in other VWs," said one.
The responsiveness of the four-speed when manually up- and downshifted was
celebrated--as were the brakes, which refused to fade even after a crazed
descent through Chimney Rock's switchbacks. The Passat's SOHC, 12-valve,
2.8-liter V-6 is rated at 172 horsepower but appeared a bit anemic in the
midrange and was among the slowest from 0 to 60 mph. One comment said it
all: "Very willing but could use more engine."
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Fourth Place
Mazda 626ES
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The fact that on occasion we all had trouble telling the mud-spattered
Mazda from its similarly styled Japanese brothers from Honda and Toyota
makes the point: within this group (including the Nissan), there is
precious little difference in overall concept and execution. All four have
24-valve V-6s, all four are roughly the same size and have base prices
within $1215 of each other. But our 626, at fifteen bucks over $24,000, was
packed with power seats done in leather, remote entry, sunroof, and other
equipment that gives it major bang for the buck. Our Maxima SE, however,
was $1500 and change more expensive with essentially the same options but
without leather, while our Camry SE was $970 pricer than the Mazda, with
cloth and manually controlled seats. Then why did the Mazda not do better
in our scoring?
Several of our crew were passionate supporters. "This car is a great deal.
Leather, sunroof. Fun to drive. Precise, direct steering. Willing, smooth
engine," said one. "I'd buy it," said another. "I could cover a lot of
ground in this," noted a third. So how could it lose?
The main problem was the 626's slight power deficit, which highlighted an
automatic that simply did not upshift and downshift as smoothly as the
competition. That failing, coupled with modest rear-seat comfort and
slightly high wind noise, was sufficient to affect the Mazda's scoring in
this intensely competitive crowd. Still, it finished a mere point behind
the Honda and only five points out of first place.
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Third Place
Honda Accord LX V-6
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We went to the superlative bank and found our Honda account seriously
overdrawn. Whether they are built in Marysville, Ohio (as was our test
car), or in Japan, Honda automobiles are difficult to fault across a broad
range of measurements. Once again, we found the Accord to be a superb
machine, even though our test car was a plain-jane LX version with no
options. We had requested a more upmarket EX, but Honda was able to provide
only the cheaper (by $2650) LX. While this qualified it as the most
affordable of the six, it initially appeared to be slightly handicapped
against the more elaborately equipped machines.
But the spartan Accord proved more than capable of competing with this
group. It benefitted from Honda's legendary fit and finish, fluent
drivetrain behavior, and zen-like simplicity of controls and
instrumentation. It earned the top marks in driver comfort and ergonomics,
but our ace testers otherwise gave the LX average grades across the board.
It was among the slowest in acceleration and produced middling overall
performance. Still, cumulative assessments generated a high overall rating.
This makes sense, because the Accord LX sneaks up on you, offering a
totally integrated package in which the whole exceeds the sum of its parts.
Our comments were laced with adjectives like "secure," "reassuring,"
"precise," and "taut." Those qualities, coupled with the car's
class-leading visibility and elegant engineering, plus its modest price,
resulted in its top-half finish.
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Second Place
Nissan Maxima SE
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We'll save you a letter. As you are about to toss down this magazine and
write, "How can you idiots vote the Maxima one of your Ten Best Cars and
then rank it second-best a few months later, below an older model?" Easy,
Bunky. Our Ten Best Maxima was a five-speed manual, which is a thoroughly
different breed of cat than the automatic version. That said, the Maxima SE
was runner-up here by only a two-point spread, and on another day with
another pack of drivers, it might have switched places with the Camry.
(Truth be known, a blanket could be tossed over the top four vehicles in
this test.)
We loved the SE's all-new 3.0-liter V-6, which pumps out a class-leading
190 horsepower and gave it top acceleration numbers. Coupled with its
well-proven electronic four-speed automatic and riding on Nissan's agile
suspension, the SE oozed through the Smokies' nastiest hairpins without
apparent effort. However, a number of comments centered on how much softer
the automatic felt than the much sportier five-speed.
Lower marks were prompted by the Maxima's sense of bulk. In fact, the
Maxima was among the longest and tallest in the test, and it had the
roomiest front seat. Moreover, this was the most expensive of the lot, even
with cloth seats. By adding leather ($1099) and a CD player ($799), the
Maxima soars dangerously close to 30 grand once taxes are paid. That level
of cost surely knocked a few points off its score.
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First Place
Toyota Camry SE
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When we headed north into the snowy mountains, there were none among us who
expected the Camry to win. Even when the test was over, there was
considerable amazement over the result, simply because the Toyota had been
such an unobtrusive presence for much of the drive. Yet that's the essence
of this machine--a subtle excellence that transcends the glitz and glitter
often confused with world-class engineering.
At first, there were gripes about the Camry's price. It was $2304 more
expensive than our comparably equipped Honda LX and, at $24,984 (with no
leather, no sunroof, no power seats, no CD player), the second-costliest
car in the group. The very price--seemingly egregious--tended to downgrade
the Camry at the outset.
But seat time changed that. The platform--stiff as an armored car and
containing Toyota's superb 188-horsepower, 24-valve, 3.0-liter V-6--became
addictive as the Camry sailed through the slush and snow and angled up and
down the mountain hairpins. Slowly, insidiously, the cloth-covered and
manually adjustable seats (quite comfortable, in fact) were forgotten as
the car's balance and feathery competence got our attention. The Toyota was
the second-quickest from 0 to 60 and the fastest of the pack (132 mph),
while earning fuel-economy honors with 21 mpg for our 650-mile trip.
One logbook statement summarizes our feelings about the Camry SE and,
actually, the entire batch of cars as a whole: "Anvil-solid and fast. I'd
love to own one. We're at a point in automotive history when it's difficult
even to pick nits. Lovely." Lovely, indeed.
VERDICTS
Buick Regal Gran Sport
Highs: High luxury content; smooth, solid, straight-line oomph.
Lows: Novocaine-injected steering, too soft seats, low-tech interior.
The Verdict: Plushy player for hardcore domestic loyalists.
Volkswagen Passat GLX
Highs: Agile as an Alsatian puppy, competitive sticker price.
Lows: Weird interior with no glovebox; engine too tame.
The Verdict: Vivid personality, unique styling, and a hoot to drive.
Mazda 626ES
Highs: Packed with luxury goodies, and it's the sportiest of the bunch.
Lows: Lumpy transmission; tepid, generic styling.
The Verdict: Does everything well, except score better in this test.
Honda Accord LX V-6
Highs: Flawless assembly, world-class ergonomics.
Lows: Ho-hum, look-alike styling, faintly numb drivability.
The Verdict: Honda knows how to build great sedans. Live with it.
Toyota Camry SE
Highs: Toyota brick-outhouse fabrication, tightroper's balance.
Lows: Modest amenities, been-there seen-that styling.
The Verdict: An amazing amalgam of virtues in a five-place sedan.
Nissan Maxima SE
Highs: Marvelous engine, pristine road manners.
Lows: Feels big, especially on monthly-payment days.
The Verdict: The newest Maxima extends a line of great sedans.
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