Altima vs. Accord Coupe - Back-to-back drive

Okay so today I drove the Altima then the Accord back to back about 20 minutes apart. Here is what I observed:

Altima:

- The Altima has a very good suspension, it's brakes are firm, the steering while somewhat overboosted does have pretty good road feel. The handling is predictable and tight, with minimal lean. This car can go fast very well when you need it too.


- I commented on the CVT's throttle response in past as being "less responsive" than Accord, but now I'm not sure that's true. This CVT responded quite well to throttle input and changes. I found the acceleration to be very good for 175HP/180 ft. lbs torque. There's plenty there to keep me smiling for a long time.


- With the A/C on, the 2.5s seems to handle the load just fine, while the Honda seemed sluggish. I think this may be due to the torque curve advantage on the Nissan (builds more torque sooner in the rev. range). There is still very ample power from a stop with the A/C on.


- It's easier to pull into and back into parking spots because it is slightly smaller in width and length.


- While I talked about the dashboard not being as "sporty" or well laid out as in the Honda, after my fourth look at the Nissan I'm beginning to think they wanted to focus on simplicity.


- The radio is intuitive and easy to control. To adjust audio control just hit "audio" and toggle through the controls, set the value with up/down arrow and DONE! I also think I prefer the backlit orange LCD style over the flourescent screen on the Honda.


- The HVAC controls take no time to figure out. You don't have to take your eyes of the road for long to make adjustments.


- I really love the suede like seat fabric in this car, it's definitely a step above the Honda.


- The shifter in the Altima is nearly the perfect height and placement relative to the driver. I find the release button to be easier to operate too.


- I like the manu-matic feature on the CVT, though it feels like you have to drop too many simulated "cogs" to get any significant engine braking out of it. But in the twisties it's fun to shift yourself in and out of curves on the power.


Accord:


- The Accords suspension is probably a bit firmer and better balanced than the Altima. But I don't think the Accord handles better, just tighter. It absorbs bumps differently and quickly dampens them.


- Steering control and road feel are slightly better than Altima too.


- The brakes in Accord are smoother with an ease of modulation and pedal travel (farther travel). I think though that both cars have about the same stopping power.


- With the A/C on the Lx-s test car felt sluggish under 30 MPH, but a bit better with A/C off. Overall I think the Accord is slower off the line, probably due to the higher RPM required to generate low end torque and the fact the the transmission can't adjust for this to add to acceleration like the CVT can.


- The Honda HVAC controls feels too button heavy and the BMW-esque I-Drive knob to control the stereo is starting to feel like too much work. Even after you figure it out there's too many steps involved (hit menu, then rotate knob to select audio control, then hit knob center button, then adjust value, then hit menu to exit).


- No Fuel economy computer on Accord. I definitely will miss that.


- Accord since it is larger is a bit harder to park easily. I can see my wife mis-judging things and poking the front end into other cars (ouch!)


- Really like the steering wheel cruise and audio buttons, I also like the look of the wheel better than Altima. It seems more sporty to me.


- The Accord trunk is much larger and easier to use (11.9 cu ft vs. 8.4), and the back seat is more comfortable too. Though the Altima has a full size spare.


So how have I decided? In the end I think the Altima is a better fit for me. It doesn't hurt that Nissan seems to be coming in at a lower payment too. The jury is not totally settled yet, but heres a quick summary:


Altima Pros:


- 120K CVT warranty, vs Accord 60k 5 speed auto warranty

- CVT feels more responsive, and quicker

- Better exterior styling than Accord

- Better seat fabric

- Great dead pedal placement

- Simplistic opearation of stereo and HVAC

- Larger fuel tank (20 gal. vs. 18.5)

- Lighter car (handling & mileage pros)

- Better mileage (2-5 MPG all around)

Okay, so I'm pretty much down to the Altima vs. the Accord.

Here are the reasons for this:

- The Golf TDI is an incredibly good handling car and clearly has the best mileage, it's price premium and limited availability at dealers reduces what models and colors you can choose from. There's also the risk that the reliabillity won't be there and out of warranty repairs or nickel and diming could become a problem down the road. It also allows a bit more road noise than I like on the highway, and were I to have a more low speed or in town type drive I might be more open to it. However while it might not be the right car for me right now, I'm definitely keeping it on the short list for the NEXT ride.

- The Mustang is clearly designed for people who want to have fun and turn heads. The acceleration cannot be matched by any other car here, it is really quick. The steering wheel feels a bit chunky, but that's part of the retro design. As for the ride quality it's pretty firm, and handling is good, but the rear wheel drive could be a pain in the ass on snow days. I'm just not sure that's the right car for me as a daily driver for all seasons. But if you don't mind it won't matter the 2011 Mustang is the real deal. If I had a shorter commute I might be more serious about considering it. But I'm not a big Mustang fan, I never have been, and apparently that's not changing any time soon. Don't get me wrong it's a honey of a car, but just not the right fit for me right now.

- The Genensis Coupe is the real deal, think Hyundai's Corvette rather than Hyudia's Mustang competition. The GC is an all out sports car, and in the twisties can run with just about any of them. The 2.0T turbo drivetrain is very responsive, but unfortuneatley also pretty loud. I don't think I could deal with the NVH coming off that drive train for 2 hours a day. Also it has the same snow day trouble that the Mustang has with it's wide tires and rear wheel drive. The real killer though was the NVH combined with a completely useless back seat for adult passengers (duck your head). If you don't ever need to take anybody in the back, or kids only, then you can probably be pretty happy with the GC. It is definitely a track car in street car guise.

First drive 2011 Mustang V6

The Tommeter:

76/100


Lbs. per/hp & Torque per/hp - 12.29/13.39

Combined avg: 12.84

SoI got an email today letting me know that the first 2011 Mustang arrived at the local Ford Dealer. I've been anticipating this for a while so I was hoping I didn't over hype it. Good news is I didn't! It's a really neat car. The one I tested was a V6 premium with Pony pkg., comfort pkg., 6 speed automatic and saddle leather seats (medium brown). It's a bit different than the model I'm interested in which is the base coupe with 3:31 rear axle, 6 speed auto. and the cloth sport seats.


Initial impressions



Open the door and your engulfed in pony nostalgia. The interior oozes that American muscle feeling with its nicely contoured tuck and roll leather interior and black carpet, large T-handle shifter atop a high beltline center console. The exterior styling is very different from the other cars tested but it's also a really awesome modern interpretation of the retro '60s look. There isn't a bad angle to view the Mustang from.....it looks great all the time. Give Ford credit for massaging even more style out of their retro '67 fastback look over the last five years! The newly restyled front end and headlight grille treatment is really cool. The rear end is equally impressive with it's standard dual exhaust, nice two tone valence, and those unmistakeable sequential 3 bulb tail lights with the large centered Mustang badge.


Interior impressions:


Slide into the nicely contoured and supportive drivers seat and you feel ready to take on the road. This is a drivers car pure and simple. The retro gauges are cool with the white face treatment and are not obstructed by the steering wheel. Though they're not as easily legible as the other cars tested. There is also a decent trip computer with MPG and fuel economy data within the guages. The retro pony steering wheel and dashboard has a stylish and attractive look with a low if not about avg. sized glovebox. Though the Mustang lacks the manu-matic control of it's smooth shifting 6 speed transmission you can manually select 1-2-3-4-and-D which depending on speed could be 5th or 6th. This nearly makes up for the lack of manumatic as it does in the Accord coupe too.


Stereo controls are decent with the small multi button layout similar to Accord coupe but laid out on more of a grid design. HVAC is fairly intuitive and dials for fan speed and air temp control are located at the bottom of the center stack. Unfortunately this means the large shifter when in park obstructs the adjustment of these two knobs but thats a minor thing since most of the time these are adjusted while in "D". The wheel has tilt adjust only, but it's located far enough from the dash to be about the right position for most drivers. There is a nice dead pedal area and the pedals are placed and spaced well. One impression of note...the cockpit does seem more confining than Accord or Altima but by the numbers they are similar. Center cconsole features the t-handle shifter, a covered storage bin, and two good sized cup holders with a flip open coverand arm rest.



The driving position offers a nice view out the front windshield. You do have quite a long hood out there but that brings back memories of how cars used to be. The view out the rear window is good but the quarter windows are very small (this is part of the styling) which does result in fairly large blind corners. Luckily the outside mirrors have good size and coverage whichs helps this. Door panels feature nifty chrome trim rings around the large door speakers and unfortunately useless door pockets. They're shallow and too far back along the seat edge to be easily accessible with the door shut (these might be worse than Genesis even). I think besides a mini umbrella most will be challenged to find any objects that fit in them. Note to Ford: Smaller door speakers would have made more room for decent sized door pockets...just sayin'.



That said Mustang has practicallity hidden inside too. A decent amount of center console storage with dual cupholders and nice map lights. The rear seats are fairly comfortable too and meet the adult head room criteria (fitting my 5' 9" frame without head intrusion). One could ride back there for some time without want to get out and the rear seats include built in outboard armrests (no rear cupholders though like Accord and Altima). Mustang also has the convenience of the 50/50 split folding option. You do have the added step of folding the head rests down but it's fairly easily done. The pass through is nice and wide, larger even than that of the Altima (surprising!).



Unlike the other cars the rear seat leg room is a bit tighter but still comfortable on the knees. One nice feature is on the front seat dump latches when bringing the seat fore/aft the recline position can be set by the rear seat occupant to maximize their comfort level without asking for adjustments from the driver/passenger. Good thinking Ford! The ingress/egress through the door to the rear seat is a bit tighter than the other cars though and the seat tracks can intrude a bit on your feet until you get them positioned. If the tracks were shorter or sunk into the floor it might be better. The door panels on the new Mustang don't disapoint with large specially contoured pull handles and decorative insert fabric which matches the seat material...



Driving Impressions:


Turn the key and the healthy 3.7L V6 rumbles to life (no really it has a RUMBLE to it!) with a distinctive dual exhaust note. This car doesn't mess around.

The engine vibration in the car is nicely dampered though and you can even slightly hear the cool exhaust note as you tool around town. The steering (while electric powered) feels appropriately weighted and turn in is decent. It's not terribly communicative or numb, just sort of in the middle. Not having driven a Mustang before I would describe the ride quality as smooth with a firm if edgy quality. I can't comment too much on the handling because the day of my evaluation the roads were still wet from the rain so fun in the twisties will have to wait until the second drive.



Eventually you turn right onto the highway and an open strech of road eggs you on. I quickly gave this pony about 70% throttle and the engine responds with a hearty kick down and a sense of impending explosive power builds quickly. The front end rises up and you are firmly pressed into your seat as you rocket up to 60-70-80 MPH in mere seconds! No longer is the V6 Mustang a Tempo in Mustang duds, this car is the real deal. The potent engine though when reigned in under gradual acceleration feels effortless to move the car. Running at 55 MPH in sixth gear the engine speed practically idles along at a shockingly low 1,200 RPM. The Mustang's transmission is smooth and responsive and kicks down very well with a more than ample rush of power for passing and on ramp merging. Goosing this car is way fun, and it takes quite a while for the smirk to fade. At highway speed the car is decently quiet and composed.


It's ride quality is firm enough to be communicative yet not such that you feel every little thing you roll over. Brakes are good and firm with four wheel discs at all corners. I wasn't able to conduct any high speed stops but you can tell this car has lots of grip. Rowhling road U-curve anyone? The suspension lets you know your limits, but it's not the "handler" that the Golf TDI or the Genesis Coupe is, though it would pound both those cars on the straightaways at the track.


In the end the 2011 Mustang V6 is probably a huge improvement over the 2010 model. So I'm reccomending you go get yours when you can, the scores reflect it won't dissapoint.

The Tommeter:

Comfort - 7
Design Interior - 7
Design Exterior - 8
Powertrain - 10
Handling - 8
Fuel economy - 7
Electronics/convenience - 6
Engine note - 9
Fit & function - 7
Must have factor - 7

Want full specs? Go here: http://www.edmunds.com/new/2011/ford/mustang/101265874/specs.html

Want more photos? Go here:
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2011/ford/mustang/101265874/researchlanding.html