DC Car Examiner

^Very thoughtful look at the market -- I'll explain where I can. In running a comparison, I pick a group of features that would be reasonably expected in a given class so that the cars can be comparably equipped; in this case, one of those was a sunroof, though several of the cars only let you get one if you basically loaded up the car with everything else. The Passat and Sonata were two of those, but they're too important to the class right now to exclude because of it. However, the Optima was a third, and because it's about to be replaced anyway and the Optima LX is only comparably priced to the Sonata SE (it's true that leather can come more cheaply), it just didn't seem like it was about to be a standout. The Mazda6 was another car that might have done a little better if a different set of features had been chosen, but in part it's the reduced incentives like you said -- which would still be a factor to someone buying now. The other issue with the Mazda6 is that I have never had much fun driving the current generation. That's after two dealer test drives of 2014s, a week in a 2015, and now a dealer test drive of a '16. I have a weeklong 2016 test scheduled next month as I continue to try and figure out what people are loving about this car; it's not like I don't like the rest of the Mazda line, either. The review acknowledges that this might just be a personal issue, but it would feel like bias to just give it the benefit of the doubt. As far as the Camry, I didn't find it to be floaty and squishy compared to the 2007-2011 generation, which was soft and not competitive from a handling perspective. And it also improved upon the 2012-14 for ride quality and steering response -- I was taken aback by how much more pleasant this car had gotten, as there wasn't really anything about the pre-update that I enjoyed from a driving perspective. The Camry got better at pretty much everything but luxury qualities like the best interior and the quietest engine, as indeed you mentioned. Accordingly, my separate ranking order that gives more weight to luxury puts the Camry in 7th place, pretty similar to your conclusion.

I agree -- among upper trim levels, the Camry's interior gets to be a problem. It's less so on the base/near base models, though, which was what was in this test, though it's still listed in the review as one of the reasons not to buy a Camry. Styling, meanwhile, is something folks can and will make their own judgments about, though the review does also note the fake window on the C-pillar.

There were some Accord and Camry duds during that time, and at times I had one of each model in last place (2010 Accord, 2013 Camry). They've improved.

Either this is especially random or my Walmart boot/sneaker hybrid was spotted in one of the photos. Fear not, no fashion consciousness went into that shoe -- as my fiancee readily attests.

Yeah, in the article explaining each of the factors, it clarifies that it's not a numerical calculation -- "overall" is just as much of a judgment call as the individual categories, except based on an overall impression of the car as opposed to an overall impression of its comfort/luxury or its driving dynamics. :-) http://www.examiner.com/article/comparison-review-ten-2015-midsize-sedans-ratings And for chart fans, there's another here (also with explanations): http://www.examiner.com/article/comparison-review-ten-2015-midsize-sedans-rankings

"The ranks of midsize family sedans are filled with competitive and popular models from around the world: the U.S., Japan, Korea, and Germany. But in the popular mindset – and on the sales charts – two models routinely stand out from the rest. That's the Toyota Camry, for years the best-selling passenger car in the United States, and the Honda Accord, often its runner-up and a reliable recipient of critical acclaim. The “CamCord,” as they're sometimes collectively known. However, in many ways, recent Camrys and Accords were resting on their laurels. The last Camry wasn't especially nice to drive, didn't have a very nice interior, and had failed one of its crash tests. Accords have at times been overpriced, and haven't always offered the fun-to-drive character that Honda promised was the tradeoff for a less-than-cushy ride quality. One of these cars was in last place in each of this reviewer's last two comparisons of midsize sedans: the Accord in 2010 and the Camry in 2013. Honda and Toyota have since turned those cars around. This assessment is based on back-to-back test drives of the Accord, Camry, and eight competing midsize sedans; an analysis of their prices, fuel economy, and safety ratings; and the impressions gleaned from those drives. These two sedans at last live up to their reputations – the Accord for blending driving enjoyment with everyday versatility and value, the Camry for exchanging spice for a mastery of such mainstream values as comfort and usability. In the final rankings for this comparison, the Accord placed No. 1 in the class and the Camry placed No. 2." Continued at link: http://www.examiner.com/list/comparison-review-ten-2015-midsize-sedans-the-best-and-the-worst (I have the Fusion in No. 3, by the way -- still quite nice, though it's less endearing with cloth.) For anyone keeping score, this comparison also has new type of ranking and rating chart, a revised format for the full reviews of the individual cars. Feedback welcome.

Top 30 best-sellers of the year: http://www.examiner.com/slideshow/sales-charts-of-the-top-30-best-selling-cars-of-2014 Fords are at 1, 10, 11, 16, and 19.

The Washington Examiner newspaper is unrelated to Examiner.com. And yep, I posted here to earn nearly one cent for each person who clicked. I am making bank off you, yep. Probably almost a dollar! About interior quality, the Civic got upgraded interiors for both the 2013 and 2014 model years; which year were you in? And do you also have photos of the problems you found? I've liked different Fords different amounts. Fusion, Flex, and Explorer have all been at or near the tops of the comparisons they've been in. Escape was in the middle. Taurus and Focus at or near the back. Shall I post only nice things?

Fair, that's worth noting -- though it's a better system still, I would argue, to have a physical lock button *and* the ability to open the door just using the handle. It's clearer when the doors are locked, easier to lock a door, and less of a problem in the event of failure.

True, the base model has the four-speed. But that's also a car with no cruise control or remote locking -- a car that exists to advertise a low price, not a mainstream part of the lineup.

The Corolla has a CVT that's new for 2014. Well, that's the argument against cross-shopping -- if you don't look at anything else, you can be satisfied with something worse. And if you don't care about panel fits, then that's fine -- just like with any other aspect of a vehicle that some people care about and others don't.

I didn't specifically check out others as part of that visit, but it's consistent with others that I've been in.

It would be certainly weird to return a car over it, but it is certainly not unheard of for someone to choose one car over another in part because of interior quality issues. And speaking as someone who just spent a lot of time in eleven cars in this class, I can say that the Focus's interior assembly is worse than most of its peers'. Which is not to say that it's the most important thing about a car. It's just one of many things, and is given that level of attention within the review.

I'll handle these in order: "How about some proof (pictures) of poor panel interior fittings to back up your observations of the Focus." I'm limited by the site software to 20 fairly small photos, but I'm happy to provide a couple here that I photographed as part of my own notes: "Can you not add the MFT (Sony and MyFord Touch Package) to the Focus SE trim." You can, but only when bundled with thousands of dollars worth of other options. "What if you priority is not family size interior space." The comparison includes rankings based on varying priorities, with family-size being just one option. "Why did you mention the word bargain so many times regarding the Focus" Because it had the lowest price in the comparison.

This comparison includes all the compact sedans but the Mitsubishi Lancer -- Cruze, Dart, Focus, Civic, Elantra, Forte, Mazda3, Sentra, Impreza, Corolla, Jetta. In addition to full reviews, there are quick summaries on the introduction page: http://www.examiner.com/list/comparison-review-eleven-compact-sedans-the-best-and-the-worst There are also separate ranking orders based on specific areas (for instance, comfort, performance or fuel economy): http://www.examiner.com/article/comparison-review-eleven-compact-sedans-ratings And separate rating orders for different types of customers (for instance, someone seeking a basic commuter car versus a fun car): http://www.examiner.com/article/comparison-review-eleven-compact-sedans-rankings Feedback welcome as always; folks who followed the last one of these that I post might recognize formatting changes that were suggested here.