Which would you buy?

[redorange]

I have a friend who is in the market for a new car and his choices are the Mazda 6, Pontiac G6, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, and Nissan Altima. All would be the V6 variant of the car. I realize that the Pontiac and the Ford probaby isn't sold in the Philippines. I told him if it was my choice I would get the Altima because of the VQ engine, but he is leaning towards the Camry or Pontiac. I don't know why anyone would buy a GM product but he is a GM guy as opposed to me who prefers Ford's(Fix Or Repair Daily). Anyways, as the title say which would you buy?

[staind]

1 & 2. camry V6!!!

3. mazda 6
4. altima

not a fan of american cars so i wouldn't even consider them.

my 2 cents.

[Bogeyman]

I'd take the Mazda 6.

[orly_andico]

buick lacrosse?

forbes just published a "best buys of 2006" cars article.
that car is listed there.

but they also say the new civic is the best all-around car. unless you need something to impress your boss/clients.

[1D4LV]

my first choice would be the camry, and the second will be the mazda6.

bakit kaya walang accord?

[mazdamazda]

a toss up between the Mazda6 & Ford Fusion.

if you are after comfort the longer Fusion might do the trick (plus it has been receiving some pretty good reviews)...

if it is sportiness and speed that you want, the AWD 274hp Mazdaspeed Mazda6 will do the trick.

[squala]

Camry - bread-and-butter family car with great space and long-term dependability.
6 - Nice looks, handling and fun, but V6 power loses out to the competition.
Fusion - Similar chassis with 6, but more family-oriented with better space.
G6 - Good-looking also, but old-technology engine turns me off.

[AG4]

but he is a GM guy as opposed to me who prefers Ford's(Fix Or Repair Daily).

He's a GM guy, then he should also consider the all-new 2007 Saturn Aura.

The Aura is the most european-like of all the American GM models based on the GM Epsilon platform.
Current Engines options:
224hp 3.5 liter VVT V6
252hp 3.6 liter DOHC V6
future model: 2.4 liter Hybrid

All-new 2007 Nissan Altima

Engines options:
265hp 3.5 liter V6
165hp 2.5 liter inline-4

[kimpOy]

All-new 2007 Nissan Altima

Engines options:
265hp 3.5 liter V6
165hp 2.5 liter inline-4[/QUOTE]

wow nanginig ako sa altima...

[redorange]

The Saturn may not be in his price range and he is not a Honda fan. Mazdaspeed out of price range also. He really wants a WRX but wife won't let him have one because he already has too many toys, i.e. 67 VW Kharmann Ghia convertible and a 54 VW Bug, so he has to get a family car. I keep telling him to sell me one of the VW's but he won't sell it he says. Still trying to convince him to get an FJ instead so we can go to the off road park.

[Jun aka Pekto]

The Saturn may not be in his price range and he is not a Honda fan.

If the entry level 3.5L 224hp V6 Saturn Aura (starts at $21k) isn't in his price range, then the other V6 cars aren't either. He better set his sights a little lower like maybe 4-banger versions of those sedans or a sports compact instead. Otherwise, he'll have to settle for used V6 sedans.

[wren]

The Saturn may not be in his price range and he is not a Honda fan. Mazdaspeed out of price range also. He really wants a WRX but wife won't let him have one because he already has too many toys, i.e. 67 VW Kharmann Ghia convertible and a 54 VW Bug, so he has to get a family car. I keep telling him to sell me one of the VW's but he won't sell it he says. Still trying to convince him to get an FJ instead so we can go to the off road park.

how about a Legacy GT? it has the looks of a sensible family car, but every bit of the performance the WRX has, maybe more. we won't tell his wife.

[OTEP]

Among the choices I'd go with the Altima. G6 and Fusion have so-so reviews. The Nissan and Yota are safe bets. But I find the Camry too plain vanilla.

[Jun aka Pekto]

I have a friend who is in the market for a new car and his choices are the Mazda 6, Pontiac G6, Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, and Nissan Altima. All would be the V6 variant of the car. I realize that the Pontiac and the Ford probaby isn't sold in the Philippines. I told him if it was my choice I would get the Altima because of the VQ engine, but he is leaning towards the Camry or Pontiac. I don't know why anyone would buy a GM product but he is a GM guy as opposed to me who prefers Ford's(Fix Or Repair Daily). Anyways, as the title say which would you buy?

Don't diss a GM or any other brand til you've examined and driven one. I was prepared to automatically make fun of the 2006 V6 Sonata until I actually drove one. Now, we own one and seriously considering a 2007 Hyundai Entourage. I've also examined and test driven a Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged sports compact. Whoever says they suck obviously haven't sat in one, much less, driven one.... That car's a hoot to drive.

If he leans towards performance, it'd be the Nissan Altima 3.5 SE or the G6 Coupe GTP (both M/T) for me. If he's willing to wait til Ford updates the Fusion with its new 3.5L 250hp V6, then count in the Fusion as well. The new Camry's also quite fast, even for a A/T. But, it's also the most expensive.

If he leans towards comfort and room, the 2007 V6 Camry followed by the Altima (yep, it's spacious too).




If he's Pinoy, he might as well buy an Altima. So many here own one.

[redorange]

I'll tell him about the price of the Saturn, I was assuming it was not in his range because he didn't mention it. Is the plastics in Saturn better now? Am not dissing GM but there is a reason they and most domestics can't sell cars in the US, the quality, design, and ergonomics suck. The Cobalt SS may be a hoot to drive now but let's see how it ages in 5 years. As far as Hyundai they are way ahead of GM in quality in new cars. Heck, some magazines have even said that they may be up to Lexus level quality in another 5 to 10 years at the rate they are improving.

[Jun aka Pekto]

The Cobalt SS may be a hoot to drive now but let's see how it ages in 5 years. As far as Hyundai they are way ahead of GM in quality in new cars. Heck, some magazines have even said that they may be up to Lexus level quality in another 5 to 10 years at the rate they are improving.

If you take care of the car, then it shouldn't be any problem. We have an almost 12-year old Ford Contour I bought brand new back in late 1994 (see my sig). Supposedly, it's one of the more problematic Fords. Yet, ours didn't give us any problems until finally last year and it turned out, all the problems were normal wear and tear. It still has the original transmission. Replaced some engine gaskets and now, it runs quite well for a 12-year old car, considering I abused the heck out of it. I know friends who have Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and Pontiacs from the same time frame which are still running fine. I'm quite confident the Cobalt SS Supercharged I drove will last way past 5 years.

As for the Hyundai Sonata, it's a delight to drive even though it's considered a "mommy car". My wife is fairly confident about Hyundai now which is why she likes the new Entourage a lot.

[noreturn]

I'll tell him about the price of the Saturn

NO, NO, NO! Bad Orange!

If nothing else, look to the fact that they need 3.5 liters to pull off 224hp. The Altima does 40 hp better with the same, not to mention that you can do things like TURN in the Altima.

And Pekto, what other fast cars have you driven? Because I've tested some of the best that GM has to offer, and I am severly underwhelmed. Basically, it should never take 4.6L to make 300hp.

[Jun aka Pekto]

NO, NO, NO! Bad Orange!

If nothing else, look to the fact that they need 3.5 liters to pull off 224hp. The Altima does 40 hp better with the same, not to mention that you can do things like TURN in the Altima.

And Pekto, what other fast cars have you driven? Because I've tested some of the best that GM has to offer, and I am severly underwhelmed. Basically, it should never take 4.6L to make 300hp.

I don't know about fast. But I was in the market for a V6 midsize last year. These are a list of the cars we test drove (over a 2-week period) before my wife settled on the 3.3L V6 Sonata. Some were driven after the main batch:

Honda Accord V6 sedan both A/T and M/T
Nissan Altima 3.5SE M/T (freshly out of A/T)
Mazda 6 V6 M/T (freshly out of A/T)
Hyundai Sonata V6
Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
Pontiac G6 GTP (sedan, later coupe)
VW Jetta turbo
Galant 3.8L V6
Toyota Camry (previous gen V6, not the 2007)
Toyota Avalon
Acura RL (just for comparison, $50k for one?........nope)
Lexus IS250 (just for comparison, underwhelming)
Lincoln LS V8
**We narrowly missed the Ford Fusion by a few days


The 4-bangers (all M/T). Wifey didn't like any of them. But, I did :

Mazda 3
Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged
Saturn Ion Redline
Toyota Corolla XRS
Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V
A slightly used demo XRT4
Hyundai Tiburon
(later the new Civic Si)
A friend has a Subaru STi. So I know how that drove.

I don't think engine displacement should be a criteria for determining hp. Bigger engines normally mean better torque and better response off the line. For longterm, I'd also go with bigger displacement engines like V8's if I wasn't so concerned about gas mileage (a V6 is a good compromise).

Take a look at this which is the Silver State Classic (which I've watched yearly, except the last couple of times) race. It's an all-out pedal to the metal race over 90 miles of public highway. Notice the big majority of winners in big-engined cars. Even vaunted cars like the STi would be overwhelmed:
Silver State Challenge

[noreturn]

Take a look at this which is the Silver State Classic (which I've watched yearly, except the last couple of times) race. It's an all-out pedal to the metal race over 90 miles of public highway. Notice the big majority of winners in big-engined cars. Even vaunted cars like the STi would be overwhelmed:
Silver State Challenge

Are you kidding me? First of all, the main winners are usually things like Corvettes. You're talking sub supercars here. And a vehicle that is completely non-representative of American cars or Chevrolet. You actually were shocked to see a Nissan 350Z trail the Vettes, Vipers, Porsche GT3's, and Ferraris?

Second, US highways are gigantic straight lines that maybe have a few kinks here and there. What little time the Jap and Euro cars could make up in handling is blasted away by the HP of the American cars. HP that they likely acheived with nearly double the displacement.

Put a Mustang on the Nürburgring against an STi and see what happens there.

[redorange]

Most of the cars that compete at the Silver State are far from stock and the race is basically a straight line which favors big displacement, high horsepower cars. I agree with Noreturn an STI or Evo at the ring against a Mustang GT(which is in the same price range) and the Ford loses.

As far as the Cobalt SS and Saturn Ion Redline they need to be supercharged to produce 200hp w/ a 2L engine because the stock 2.4L can only make 170hp. Honda makes an engine w/ 197hp w/ the same displacement, Toyota makes a 1.8L w/ 180hp, Mitsu. made a 1.6L w/ 170hp, BMW 2.3L w/ 190hp and those don't have superchargers to help it make power. Imagine what the Corvette if it made the same power per liter as the Japanese and European engine. 6.1L in the current Z06 would make over 600hp instead it makes 500hp which Ferrari only needs 4.3L to make about the same horsepower. So American engines tend to waste alot to make a little in horsepower. See this clip from Top Gear.