08 Accord EXL-V6 vs Camry SE

[krispykreme]

I am in the market for a new daily driver. I recently gave my mother in law my M45 and don't want drive my other car to work. So I have narrowed my choice to 08 Accord EXL-V6 with Navi and Camry SE V6 with navi. Both are well equipped for $30k. I was looking for a car that handled well and also smooth enough for daily commute.

My first choice was Accord V6, since it would probably be close enough to a BMW that I won't hate the way it drive.

08 Accord EXL-V6.

Engine- this engine is noisy. The power delivery is not smooth. Low end torque is realtive poor. The V6 feels very weak at low end. Couple with poor throttle response, the accord V6 feels slow.

Transmission- I never liked Honda's automatic. The 5 speed is unimpressive. Noisy and does not shift smooth. The engine and transmission does not work well.

Interior- The dash material plastic is very poor in quality. The dash is way too busy with so many buttons. The leather seat material is okay.

My biggest gripe is with the driver seat. The seat is too wide and does not offer good waist support. Its so uncomfortable.

One big positive is that the car is very roomy.

Steering and ride- Like typical honda, the steering response is good although a little bit unlinear (too much boost at higher speed). Ride is a little too soft for me. But not bad for a family sedan.

Handling- Bodyroll is significant on the accord. But overall for a family car it is good. It's not as nimble or as fun to drive as the TL. But not too bad.

Overall impression before driving the Camry SE, was the accord is a decent car with above average handling. It does not handle like a big car (and accord is big), but its also not that nimble. I thought the Accord will probably be my choice, and probably would have bought one if they had a EXL-V6 with Navi in stock.

Since there is no EXL-V6 with navi in stock, I decided that I should still go check out the camry. I wasn't expecting much from the camry, given that all the camry that I previously are so soft and bubbly. All of the lexus that I have driven at taste of lexus events really left me unimpressed with the way toyota vehicle handles. But I was pleasantly suprised with the camry.

08 Camry SE V6-

Engine- compare to the rough and loud V6 in the accord. The camry V6 is ultra smooth and quiet. The throttle response is much better than honda. One of the biggest difference between the two, is that the Camry V6 feels so much stronger at low end.

Transmission- again a huge difference. The Camry 6 speed matches the engine much better than Accord's 5 speed. Its quiet and smooth. It really makes the car feels much faster.

This engine and transmission combination is significantly better than the combination in the accord.

Interior- the dash of the camry is made of the same cheap plastic material. I really did not like the all black dash in the SE. One thing that I really liked is the dash is very clean with very few button as compare to the accord.

The seat on the SE is really well designed. It really hugs the driver with good waist support. The leather seat also feels better than the accord.

Steering response and ride- This is the biggest area of suprise. The camry SE steering response is excellent and very linear. It felt like a good german car would. The ride is firmer than the Accord and I really like it.

Handling- Another bigh suprise for me. The bodyroll on the camry is less noticeable than the Accord. It really handle very well. The camry feels so much more nimbler than the Accord. This camry feels it can do a lot more than the accord. This car is simply more fun to drive than the Accord.

After driving the Camry, I am so glad that the honda dealer did not have the accord i wanted in stock. Because I would have made a huge mistake.

I am going to see what kind of deal I can get tomorrow on the camry. Hopefully I will pickup my new commuter tomorrow.

[Carzzz]

I think the Camry has okayish low end torque. But it starts pulling @3k+. I cant image how poor the new accord accelerate?

[goldy500]

u clearly didnt drive an accord

i have the 08 V6 MT

and it pulls much harder than any camry SE

i kno my dad has the camry SE

[carlo$]

c'mon 30k for an accord or camry? ridiculous. buy a used one, i would not spend more than 20k for a toy or hon. buy 4 cyl, saves gas, saves the planet. in fact, buy a corolla or civic, period.

[Pawel062]

Originally Posted by carlo$

c'mon 30k for an accord or camry? ridiculous. buy a used one, i would not spend more than 20k for a toy or hon. buy 4 cyl, saves gas, saves the planet. in fact, buy a corolla or civic, period.

or do what i did and spend 33k x2 and buy 2 camry v6s topped to the max first of all its not 30k for a camry. i spent less than that for my xle v6 that had a sticker of 33k. 2nd they use about same amount of gas(i know bc my dad's friend has a i4 and another friend has a i4 and we all get just about same mpg). v6 is also a ulev....

[GT-R]

Pawel.. Pawel.. Pawel..

Everywhere I go, I see Pawel.

[Pawel062]

Originally Posted by GT-R SE

Pawel.. Pawel.. Pawel..

Everywhere I go, I see Pawel.

hehe i see u everywhere too. i guess we think alike. btw met up with redline_me today. u should of see his black gen6 in person. i'm thinking of going rksport lip kit and rksport spoiler now. also going with le lights and going to black house em.

to op: good luck with deal on camry. u'll love it and will be sitting on here all day long for mod ideas

[CharmCityES]

the camry is much better than the accord. hands down.
the accord sedan looks like ass...the coupe looks good tho, and the 6speed manual option is a plus....honda makes a great manual trans, and they do handle quite well, but the styling inside and out just pushes me away...

[lammydi]

Originally Posted by carlo$

buy 4 cyl, saves gas, saves the planet. in fact, buy a corolla or civic, period.

why bother drive a car. Let's all just ride bicycles to save the planet.
I bet we still mods the heck out of our bikes.

[LOV]

Originally Posted by goldy500

u clearly didnt drive an accord

i have the 08 V6 MT

and it pulls much harder than any Camry SE

i kno my dad has the Camry SE

well you should try Camry MT and see the difference. because 0-60 they both are close to 6 sec.

[Pawel062]

Originally Posted by lammydi

why bother drive a car. Let's all just ride bicycles to save the planet.
I bet we still mods the heck out of our bikes.

u would still be the wheel king. i bet u would find some hr2 style bicycle rims

[JohnGD]

Honda's automatic isn't the most impressive. But they've improved over the years. The Camry V6 is probably mated to a gear skipping U-660E? That's an even bigger clunker.

But why would either used one (2008) cost $30K?

[CamrySExxx]

Originally Posted by goldy500

u clearly didnt drive an accord

i have the 08 V6 MT

and it pulls much harder than any camry SE

i kno my dad has the camry SE

Did you just create an account to say the accord is better?

Originally Posted by carlo$

c'mon 30k for an accord or camry? ridiculous. buy a used one, i would not spend more than 20k for a toy or hon. buy 4 cyl, saves gas, saves the planet. in fact, buy a corolla or civic, period.

...
buy a corolla or a civic? So people who work hard and make money.. spending 30k on a car they like is a mistake? and they should by a corolla or a civic? hell if I could afford a 30k car why the hell would I put myself in a low quality 15k car? It doesn't make sense. Might as well save up some more and buy a nicer car such as a lexus or a bmw instead of a corolla .

[Timbits93]

Did anyone check the date? LOL

[SE_2007]

LOL..............this was back in 07.............LOL..........