My comparison: midsize sedans

[Deanh]

Second place: Hyundai Sonata

 

 

 

 

Continued at link:

http://www.examiner.com/autos-in-national/comparison-review-eight-family-sedans-second-place

I am seeing these all OVER the place here lately....not bad looking in the flesh at all, even, sad to say...makes the Fusion look somewhat "dated".....and obviously, judging by how many i see, the knock off styling has been embraced.

[PREMiERdrum]

I am seeing these all OVER the place here lately....not bad looking in the flesh at all, even, sad to say...makes the Fusion look somewhat "dated".....and obviously, judging by how many i see, the knock off styling has been embraced.

A 2011 Sonata appeared in our parking lot at work last week, unsure who bought it, I'm assuming somebody from the sales dept. Besides that, the only ones I've seen have been rentals (3 different relatives have gotten them while intown recently), and the rental staging lots next to Port Columbus are full of them (along with Camry, Equinox, Traverse, Explorer, Corolla, and Malibus)

 

So the Fusion won, eh?

[FordBuyer]

Ford finally wins one of your comparison tests, and you forget to post it DC? Shame on you.

[DC Car Examiner]

Winner posted:

http://www.examiner.com/autos-in-national/comparison-review-eight-family-sedans-first-place

 

Also, the "if you only read one page, read this one" conclusion:

http://www.examiner.com/autos-in-national/comparison-review-eight-family-sedans-conclusion

[aneekr]

The Fusion has a smooth but well-controlled ride, preventing unwanted motions and generally absorbing bumps well. It's not as luxury-smooth as a Toyota Camry, but it exhibits better handing behavior – a reasonable tradeoff. The Fusion does not feel sporty; the steering is light and not especially quick, which makes it less fun-to-drive than a Mazda6 or Hyundai Sonata despite a solid suspension underneath.

Fortunately, Ford makes it easy to imbue the Fusion SE with a "sporty" feel with barely any discernable degradation in ride quality:

1.) Avoid the 6F35 automatic transmission and stick with the Mazda sourced 6-speed manual;

2.) Specify one of the two Appearance Packages (14C or 14X). They include 18" wheels, grippier Goodyear Eagle RS-A 225/45R18 91V tires, stiffer springs, and a larger rear stabilizer bar.

 

I agree that the EPS is fairly light at lower speeds, but it firms up nicely above 35 mph or so, and has good on-center feel. The gripper tires included with Packages 14C or 14X improve steering feel somewhat compared to the base car.

[Chester]

Winner posted:

http://www.examiner.com/autos-in-national/comparison-review-eight-family-sedans-first-place

 

Also, the "if you only read one page, read this one" conclusion:

http://www.examiner.com/autos-in-national/comparison-review-eight-family-sedans-conclusion

 

 

Why fail to mention that certain cars (like the Fusion) have a V6 option with sport tuned suspension? You marked the Fusion low in that regard, (which maybe true for the 4 cyl. car you were driving), but at least you should mention the alternative V6 sport model. The V^ sport routinely gets high praise for the characteristics you gave negative mark on.

[DC Car Examiner]

Why fail to mention that certain cars (like the Fusion) have a V6 option with sport tuned suspension? You marked the Fusion low in that regard, (which maybe true for the 4 cyl. car you were driving), but at least you should mention the alternative V6 sport model. The V^ sport routinely gets high praise for the characteristics you gave negative mark on.

 

I do mention that there is a V6, but this is a comparison of inexpensive four-cylinder cars. The V6 Sport is $5,000 more.

[RichardJensen]

Hey. I think you're ready for the big time.

 

I just finished InsideLine's execrable review of the Grand C-Max and I know you can write better than that, so hey, give them a call. Tell them that you know what a vomitorium is and how to spell it, and let them know that even though your criteria for assessing the comparative worth of cars is incomprehensible, it at least exists.