Nissan Altima Inches Past Honda Accord to Become Consumer Reports' Top-Ranked, Midpriced...
Tue Jan 8, 2008 1:43pm ESTNissan Altima Inches Past Honda Accord to Become Consumer Reports' Top-Ranked,
Midpriced Sedan Very narrow, one-point difference in scores separates Altima and
Accord in CR's ratings of competitive midpriced sedan category YONKERS, N.Y., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The newly-redesigned Honda
Accord V6 lost its standing as Consumer Reports' top-rated midpriced sedan
following testing of seven sedans for the February 2008 issue. The V6-powered
Nissan Altima is now ranked first in CR's ratings of midpriced sedans,
followed closely by the Accord, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat in that
order. A very narrow one-point difference in scores separates the Accord and
Altima. The Honda Accord, redesigned for 2008, has long been among Consumer Reports'
top-rated family sedans. Consumer Reports has named the Accord a Top Pick in
its closely-watched Annual April Auto Issue every year for the past five
years. The new Top Picks for 2008 will be announced in the April 2008 issue. For the February issue, Consumer Reports tested a mix of six family sedans
from three categories-- "Affordable Family Sedans," "Midpriced Family Sedans,"
and "Large Sedans." CR tested the Accord in EX-L V6 and four-cylinder LX-P
trim levels. It also tested the new Ford Taurus (formerly known as the Five
Hundred), Dodge Avenger, Kia Amanti, and Subaru Legacy. The magazine had rated
the four-cylinder and V6-powered Altimas as part of an earlier test group;
results from those tests were reported in the March 2007 issue. The V6 Accord easily outperformed all the other vehicles in this test group --
and achieved an "Excellent" overall road test score. But its score of 88
points was one point less than the previous generation Accord. That one-point
difference allowed the previously-tested Altima 3.5 SE (V6) to slip past the
Accord and take the top spot in the rankings of 15 Midpriced Sedans. The Camry
XLE and Passat 2.0T rank third and fourth respectively in that category. The four-cylinder Altima also claimed the top spot in CR's ranking of 15
Affordable Family sedans, with a much wider, six-point margin over the Accord.
The Kia Optima EX and Toyota Camry LE are ranked third and fourth in that
category. "The 2008 Accord is longer, wider and more powerful than the old model it
replaces -- and it remains an excellent, well-rounded sedan," said David
Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Center in East
Haddam, Connecticut. "But it's not as quick and doesn't get the fuel economy
of either the previous generation Accord or the Altima in either the V6 or
four-cylinder trim lines." The 2008 V6 Accord delivered 21 mpg in Consumer Reports' own fuel economy
tests, down two mpg from the previous generation's 23 mpg. The V6 Altima
delivers 23 mpg in CR's tests.
Raj 
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