Schomp Honda

Safety

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Accord Sedan deploy with different levels of force or don?t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Accord Sedan?s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Camry?s side airbags don?t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

 

Compared to metal, the Accord Sedan?s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Toyota Camry has a metal gas tank.

 

Both the Accord Sedan and the Camry have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes and electronic stability systems to prevent skidding.

 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Accord Sedan is safer than the Camry:

	Accord Sedan	Camry
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Head Injury Index	221	505
Chest forces	34 g?s	41 g?s
Leg injuries (L/R)	383 / 319	411 / 547
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Head Injury Index	258	522
Chest forces	35 g?s	41 g?s
Leg injuries (L/R)	286 / 427	804 / 233

More stars indicate a better overall result. Lower numbers indicate better individual test results.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates the general design of front seat head restraints for their ability to protect front seat occupants from whiplash injuries. The IIHS also performs a dynamic test on those seats with ?good? or ?acceptable? geometry. In these ratings, the Accord Sedan is safer then the Camry:

	Accord Sedan	Camry
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Head Restraint Design	GOOD	GOOD
Distance from Back of Head	38 mm	42 mm
Distance Below Top of Head	32 mm	38 mm
Dynamic Test Rating	GOOD	MARGINAL
Seat Design	Pass	Fail
Torso Acceleration	11.2 g?s	13.1 g?s
Neck Force Rating	Low	Medium
Max Neck Shearing Force	1	35
Max Neck Tension	320	786

(Lower numerical results are better in all tests.)

Reliability

 

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Accord Sedan first among midsize cars in their 2010 Initial Quality Study. The Camry isn?t in the top three.

 

J.D. Power and Associates? 2010 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 21st, below the industry average.

 

Engine

 

The Accord Sedan has more powerful engines than the Camry:

	Horsepower	Torque
Accord Sedan LX 2.4 DOHC 4 cyl.	177 HP	161 lbs.-ft.
Accord Sedan EX 2.4 DOHC 4 cyl.	190 HP	162 lbs.-ft.
Accord Sedan EX 3.5 SOHC V6	271 HP	254 lbs.-ft.
Camry 2.5 DOHC 4 cyl.	169 HP	167 lbs.-ft.
Camry SE 2.5 DOHC 4 cyl.	179 HP	171 lbs.-ft.
Camry Hybrid 2.4 DOHC 4 cyl. hybrid	187 HP	199 lbs.-ft.
Camry 3.5 DOHC V6	268 HP	248 lbs.-ft.

 

Fuel Economy and Range

 

On the EPA test cycle the Accord Sedan gets better fuel mileage than the Camry:

		Accord Sedan	Camry
	2.4 4 cyl. (177 HP)/Auto	23 city/34 hwy	22 city/32 hwy	2.5 4 cyl. (169 HP)/Auto
	3.5 V6/Auto	19 city/30 hwy	19 city/28 hwy	3.5 V6/Auto

 

An engine control system that can shut down half of the engine?s cylinders helps improve the Accord Sedan V6?s fuel efficiency. The Camry doesn?t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

 

The Accord Sedan has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Camry Hybrid?s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

 

Environmental Friendliness

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Honda Accord Sedan as a ?Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle? (PZEV). The Toyota Camry is only certified to ?Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle? (SULEV) standards.

 

Brakes and Stopping

 

For better stopping power the Accord Sedan EX?s brake rotors are larger than those on the Camry:

	Accord Sedan EX	Camry
Front Rotors	11.8 inches	11.57 inches
Rear Rotors	11.1 inches	10.98 inches

 

The Accord Sedan stops much shorter than the Camry:

	Accord Sedan	Camry
70 to 0 MPH	169 feet	200 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	134 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	148 feet	157 feet	Consumer Reports

 

Tires and Wheels

 

For better traction, the Accord Sedan EX?s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Camry (225/50R17 vs. 215/60R16).

 

The Accord Sedan EX?s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Camry SE?s 55 series tires.

 

Suspension and Handling

 

The Accord Sedan EX handles at .84 G?s, while the Camry Hybrid pulls only .76 G?s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

 

The Accord Sedan EX executes Motor Trend?s ?Figure Eight? maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Camry Hybrid (27.6 seconds @ .62 average G?s vs. 29.1 seconds @ .56 average G?s).

 

Chassis

 

The Accord Sedan EX uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Camry doesn?t offer active noise cancellation.

 

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Accord Sedan EX is quieter than the Camry Hybrid (70 vs. 75 dB).

 

Passenger Space

 

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the Accord Sedan is rated a Large car by the EPA, while the Camry is rated a Mid-size.

 

The Accord Sedan has 4.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Camry (106 vs. 101.4).

 

The Accord Sedan has 2.6 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom and .4 inches more rear hip room than the Camry.

 

Cargo Capacity

 

The Accord Sedan?s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Camry SE/XLE doesn?t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

 

Towing

 

While the Camry Hybrid is not recommended to tow, any Accord Sedan can tow a minimum of 1000 pounds.

 

Ergonomics

 

When two different drivers share the Accord Sedan EX-L V6, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver?s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Camry doesn?t offer a memory system.

 

If the windows are left down on the Accord Sedan the driver can raise them all using the key in the outside lock cylinder. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from outside the vehicle using the key in the outside lock cylinder or the keyless remote. The driver of the Camry can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

 

The Accord Sedan?s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn?t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Camry?s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

 

To shield the driver and front passenger?s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Accord Sedan has standard extendable sun visors. The Camry doesn?t offer extendable visors.

 

The Accord Sedan?s standard power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Camry?s power mirror controls are on the dash, hidden behind the steering wheel, where they are awkward to manipulate.

 

Model Availability

 

The Honda Accord comes in coupe, sedan and station wagon bodystyles; the Toyota Camry isn?t available as a coupe or station wagon.

 

Economic Advantages

 

Insurance will cost less for the Accord Sedan owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Accord Sedan with a number ?5? insurance rate while the Camry is rated higher at a number ?8? rate.

 

The Accord Sedan will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. Kiplinger?s estimates that the Accord Sedan will retain a greater percentage of its original price after two and four years than the Camry.

	Accord Sedan	Camry
Four Year	39% to 41%	34% to 37%
Two Year	55% to 58%	49% to 54%

 

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Accord Sedan is less expensive to operate than the Camry because it costs $1086 less to do the manufacturer?s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Accord Sedan than the Camry, including $47 less for a water pump, $4 less for a starter, $125 less for fuel injection, $34 less for a fuel pump, $71 less for front struts and $168 less for a timing belt/chain.

 

Recommendations

 

The Honda Accord Sedan has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Accord Sedan	Camry
Consumer Reports Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Kiplinger?s Award	TRUE	FALSE

 

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its March 2008 issue and they ranked the Honda Accord Sedan EX first. They ranked the Toyota Camry LE fifth.

 

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Accord Sedan third among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner?s expectations. The Camry isn?t in the top three.

* [1]  Based on 2011 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.