The world hasn’t seen a decent heavyweight boxing match since the days of Mike Tyson (before he began chewing the scenery), but that’s because we just haven’t been looking in the right place. The battle for heavyweight supremacy has always been raging on the streets of Ortigas and Makati, on the driveways of country clubs, and in parking spaces in front of five-star hotels. Ladies and gentlemen, we present the Japanese sedan heavyweight championship match: Accord vs Camry.
Before 2003, it was Honda’s title all the way. From the “bald eagle” 1994 model to the boxy 1998 car, two generations of Accord walloped the Camry’s pathetically-equipped tail all the way back to Nagoya. However, the Camry fought back starting with the 2003 car, which became super-sized and loaded inside and out to near-Lexus levels of equipment. With Middle-Aged Man pleased with the Camry, it was the Accord’s turn to suffer a bloody nose. Now it’s time for another round, this time with the Accord coming fresh from a redesign and sporting an all-new chassis and drivetrain.
Exterior
As the top rung of their respective corporate ladders (luxury divisions notwithstanding), the Accord and the Camry have to look the part of a desirable, upscale means of transportation. It’s not surprising then that Toyota and Honda chose styling cues that were first seen on German sedans. As size means might in this class, both sedans are larger than ever before. The Camry is classified as a midsize car in the American market, while the longer Accord (at nearly five meters) is already in the full-size class.
Toyota decided to go the smooth and non-offensive route with the latest Camry. It sports a Bangle butt, that bulging trunk lid pioneered by the BMW designer, but it’s reasonably well-integrated into the sedan’s smooth shape. The twin round headlamps and taillights, smooth flanks, nondescript grille, mirror-mounted turn signals—all make for a textbook but generic interpretation of luxury sedan.
If the Toyota can generate silent nods of agreement, the Honda is designed to turn heads. Honda traditionally chooses an animal to base its designs on, and this one looks like BMWus 7 Series-us. Honda has gone for a more dynamic design, from the pulled-back headlamps to the geometric slash lines of the doors and windows, and our favorite feature, the beady evil-robot taillights. It’s inspired by the 7 Series, but executed in a much cleaner and less in-your-face fashion. The effect is that the Accord manages to hide some of its bulkiness beneath its taut lines.
First round goes to the Accord, its fresh, sporty design knocking down the Camry’s smooth but forgettable appearance and styling cues.
Exterior Winner: Honda Accord
Score: Honda Accord (1) / Toyota Camry (0)
Interior
In line with its traditional exterior, the Camry goes for the wood-and-leather treatment, brightened by bits of silvery plastic. The leather seats and door trim are black, giving the interior a more modern look. Still, Toyota couldn’t resist piling on the wood, so there’s plenty of it on the dashboard, center console, doors, and even on the steering wheel.
The Accord also has a wood fetish, but in somewhat more restrained fashion. The bark is limited to some door trim and a large area on the center console. The rest is soft-touch plastics and leather done in a beige hue. The light color scheme makes the cabin look even bigger, but it makes the interior—the seats in particular—quite vulnerable to dirt and grime. Our test unit already had seats that were starting to look grayish. You’ll be seeing a lot of Big Bert’s with this interior.
The Camry tries to provide some razzle-dazzle in its color-changing gauges, but the effort turns out less Akihabara and more like a Banawe special. None of the red, green or blue color choices is particularly attractive. There’s also a transparent overlay that looks like an Orion protractor mounted over the main needles. The LCD display mounted inside the protractor does give very useful information from the trip computer, as well as distance to obstacles when backing up.
In contrast, the Accord’s gauges are straightforward and easy to read. Two huge round gauges feature clear bezels and high-contrast dials. There’s a small video screen high on the center dashboard. Unfortunately, it’s neither a navigation system nor an entertainment display; it merely displays the status of the aircon and audio systems.
The Accord wins the second round as well, its bright, modern interior beating out the more somber and woody Camry.
Interior Winner: Honda Accord
Score: Honda Accord (2) / Toyota Camry (0)
Ergonomics
The Camry has joined the gaggle of luxury sedans that have sprouted starter buttons. This top variant includes keyless starting, so as long as the key is in your pocket, there’s no need to unlock doors manually or insert any key into the ignition.
The Camry is obviously aiming to please the chauffeur-driven market, going over-the-top for the back seat passenger. The rear armrest contains a duplicate set of controls for the audio, aircon, and power sunshade, so you won’t have to trouble Jeeves with even a voice command. All the switches are there at your fingertips. You can even motor the front passenger seat forward from the rear via a convenient switch. And who says you need a Maybach to enjoy reclining rear seats? The Camry’s outboard rear seats feature electrical recline and seat-extend. If only the driver were as pampered as the passengers—the Camry’s driver’s chair is unsupportive and after a long drive, butt-achingly uncomfortable.
The driver’s chair of the Accord is much kinder, delivering its trademark deep seat with ample thigh support all the way to the back of the driver’s knees. There’s little side bolstering, though.
The Accord dashboard features a button-fest of controls for the aircon and audio system, and thankfully all are labeled in plain English. There’s a rotary controller for selecting audio functions and the menu system is logical. The multitude of buttons is a bit daunting at first, but owner-drivers should get used to the layout in no time. One thing lacking here in the Accord is a trip computer.
The Camry suffers an early blow due to its pathetic driver’s seat, but comes back swinging with its keyless entry and start system, and backseat flexibility that belong on a luxury jet. The Toyota wins round three with a strong points finish.
Ergonomics Winner: Toyota Camry
Score: Honda Accord (2) / Toyota Camry (1)
Space and Luggage
Both of these cars can put a German compact sedan to shame with their vast interiors. There’s plenty of room to stretch arms, legs, and necks in their cavernous spaces. The cars’ long wheelbases translate to good knee room in the back, but there’s a bit of cheating going on here. Both the Accord and Camry show more knee room by keeping the backseat a little short—the cushion doesn’t extend all the way to the passengers’ knees.
That being said, Foreman, Ali and Tyson can fit in comfort in the back seat of either car. The Camry obliges with three headrests and three proper three-point seatbelts for the back seat. The Accord for its part puts its massive length to good use; Ivan Drago can probably sit in the back without his knees brushing against the front seats.
Several cases of George’s Super Large grills can fit in the trunk. Each car can easily swallow a couple of airport-sized luggage without breaking into a sweat.
Round four ends in a tie, with the Accord providing a larger cabin, and the Camry sporting a more capacious trunk.
Space and Luggage Winner: TIE
Score: Honda Accord (3) / Toyota Camry: (2)
Performance and Fuel Economy
The Camry and Accord are certainly not shy on power: both are equipped with 3.5-liter V6 engines. Both feature variable valve timing on their 24 valves for massive output figures. The tale of the tape shows 277 hp and 346 Nm for the Camry, while the Accord goes up to 280 hp and a slightly lower 342 Nm.
As with many Toyotas, the Camry delivers plentiful torque from just off idle. Slight pressure on the accelerator is enough to have the Camry effortlessly keep up with other traffic. Bury it and the unleashed horses spur the car forward. The Accord also has plenty of acceleration down low, but it’s near the redline where VTEC once again works its magic, with a spine-tingling V6 soundtrack accompanying the deep shove into the seat. Paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel keep the power and the music coming.
Gasoline prices are slowly climbing again, and thus it’s comforting to know that these cars are not the gas-guzzling monsters their enormous power figures would have led us to believe.
The Accord has a neat trick hidden up its aluminum cylinder sleeves: the engine can shut down two or three of its cylinders to reduce fuel consumption. In essence, the V6 can be made to operate as a four or three-cylinder engine. This occurs mostly when the car is coasting at normal to high speeds. The cylinder shutdown is virtually undetectable apart from a small light on the instrument panel that indicates its switching to “Eco” mode and a slight vibration from the gas pedal. Passengers will hardly feel vibration of any kind, thanks to the Accord’s active engine mounts and sound suppression piped in through the audio system.
The Camry has no such selective shutdown, but it uses its plentiful torque and smart utilization of its six-speed automatic to keep the revs low. This pays off when it comes to the fuel pump. On mixed city and highway, the Camry returned about 7.7 km / liter, exemplary for the engine’s level of power and the weight that it has to accelerate.
On the negative side, the Camry’s engine is enough to overwhelm the softly sprung chassis, so much that a quick burst of power will have the car scrabbling for grip and struggling to stay straight even on smooth road. Apparently there is such a thing as too much power, at least for this car. Powering full-on through corners is a white-knuckle affair, with the tires squealing away. If your idea of a comfortable ride is a cruise on the SS Queen Mary, then the Camry fits the bill. It’s wallowy and floaty—excessively so. Those prone to seasickness should steer clear.
The Accord is more of a driver’s car. The ride is firm without being jarring and the steering stays obedient even when the engine starts twisting the front wheels. The limitation of front wheel drive makes itself apparent when turning around a corner at speed. (Just trying going around the Mall of Asia globe without catapulting into the hedges.) But the Accord has much higher limits and it signals the approach of those limits much more clearly to the driver.
Both cars have an overabundance of power, but only the Accord knows how to wield it properly. It takes this round with a solid one-two punch of super-smooth VTEC power and confident handling.
Performance Winner: Honda Accord
Score: Honda Accord (4) / Toyota Camry (2)
Value for Money
A glance at the price for the top-level Accord and Camry is enough to induce sticker shock to those who still remember the sub-one million asking prices of these models in the 1990s. They’re priced nearly dead even at the P1.99 million level, and crack the P2.0 million mark including the more expensive pearl white paint job.
A longer look at their specifications and equipment list will show that even at those price levels, they offer a lot of bang for the buck. They are loaded to the gunwales with accessories and equipment. Both have wood and leather interiors, 17-inch wheels, HID, traction and stability control, and multiple airbags (four in the Camry, while the Accord has six). The Accord has the variable-displacement engine and a moonroof, while the Camry has the transponder key, active headlamps and reclining rear seats.
If you can forgive the poor handling and RORO-ride, the Camry lands several solid blows in the value department. The Camry has the chassis and most of the goodies in a Lexus ES350, which costs 80% more. That’s a bargain even Rocky Balboa can appreciate.
Value For Money Winner: Toyota Camry
Score: Honda Accord (4) / Toyota Camry (3)
Verdict
The Japanese heavyweights have certainly come a long way from their humble beginnings as basic compact sedans. They have gained sophistication, tastefulness, and yes, lots of kilograms. The good part is that they have also worked out and are now equipped with the muscle to rapidly propel their bulky bodies. An Accord and Camry with sports-car levels of power were unheard of just five years ago.
If there is such a thing as a practical limousine, the Camry fits the bill. For the P2 million price tag, the Camry comes with every conceivable electric option short of a refrigerator. There’s plenty of power under the hood and applied discreetly, it should make quick work of a trip to that board meeting, with Alfred at the wheel.
But for the owner who enjoys driving, the choice is the Accord. Its engine delivers power and thrills, and its chassis allows confident control while still pleasing the passengers. You give up a few amenities like the motorized rear seat, but the tradeoff with the driving quality is worth it. Like the match between Rocky and Drago, this bout went the full fifteen rounds, with each car attempting to knock the other out of the ring. In the end, the Accord remains standing as the heavyweight sedan champion.
Overall Winner: Honda Accord
Final Score: Honda Accord (4) / Toyota Camry (3)
By Jason K. Ang | Photos By Jason K. Ang & Ulysses Ang
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