[Paracelsus]

I could almost bet it will be the Accord... They seem to find it a better "allround" car than Mazda (which is no shame whatsoever for Mazda, as this company focus more on certain aspects than just trying to be above average in every department).

 

[Passenger57]

Found it odd also that they're comparing the Mazda Grand Touring and the Accord Sport. Not knowing much abouut the new Accord line, are they even comparable feature-wise?

 

[Sentinel]

The 2013 Honda Accord is having several issues that would make it it a no buy for me, especially the 4 Cyl. Owners are reporting terrible experiences with the CVT, and so far Honda has done nothing to take care of them. Also the insulating rubber around the windows is defective, and they want you to stuff some insulating tape into the run channels of the window to fix it. And then there's the the noises emitting form the engine after it's been shut off, which is said to be a routine the vehicle is programmed to run to clean the intake valves, but since people are complaining they have issued a software patch to disable it. There are other electronics/tech issues being reported as well. Some owners are already wanting to offload their new Accords and have become Honda haters.

The new 2013 Nissan Altima is doing even worse, with CVTs already being replaced in some cars, and no remedy to the problems that are plaguing them, among other things.

The Ford Fusion is getting mixed reviews overall. It is still using the same old transmission that has been misbehaving and failing for years now, so I expect more of the same for the new model. Also there are many complaints of the vehicle getting no where near the claimed MPG.

Sadly I'm sure that all of these testing and review pubs will not disclose or even mention any of this, but simply ignore it all entirely, which is very deceptive and misleading overall to the general public.

So far the new Mazda 6 is surpassing them all by far in build quality and owner satisfaction as far as I've seen. Perhaps "Built in Japan" has something to do with this, as the other's mentioned here are not...

 

[ManMachine]

First year models tend to have some issues, so I'd say be cautious with the 6 also. Can you share links about the Accord problem?

They should have picked a Touring model for comparison, but it may be simply they get what Mazda provides them. Accord Sport is the best performing version 4-cylinder of the lineup.

 

[Sentinel]

First year models tend to have some issues, so I'd say be cautious with the 6 also. Can you share links about the Accord problem?

They should have picked a Touring model for comparison, but it may be simply they get what Mazda provides them. Accord Sport is the best performing version 4-cylinder of the lineup.

Sure, here ya go:

2013 Accord Problems - Honda Accord Forum - Honda Accord Enthusiast Forums

Honda Accord 2013+ Maintenance and Repair - Car Forums - Edmunds

9th Gen Accord: TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS (TSB) only (all models) - Drive Accord Honda Forums

 

[Aviboy97]

Head on over to mazdas247.com and you will see some with issues with their Skyactiv tranny's as well. In both CX-5 and Mazda3.

No manufacturer is immune to issues.

 

[washburn]

They should have picked a Touring model for comparison, but it may be simply they get what Mazda provides them. .

I think it really doesn't make a difference, as the Touring and the GT are mechanically the same car - I don't think the outcome would/should heavily depend on features and equipment.

 

[Mz6GreyGhost]

You had to figure it would stretch to five days, since they'd want to keep the feature running into Friday, to finish the week.

The report mentioned that the only model that was available to them for the test was the GT, and also did mention that the lower models come well-equipped as well.

At this point, I'm already naming Mazda the winner of this contest, simply because they've survived against 6 other "heavy hitters" in this class, and IMO losing to the Accord is nothing to be ashamed of. Mazda clearly did their homework with the 3rd-gen, and the accolades this car is getting is proving it. Let's just hope that sales will reflect it as well.

 

[chinyun02]

The 2013 Honda Accord is having several issues ....And then there's the the noises emitting form the engine after it's been shut off, which is said to be a routine the vehicle is programmed to run to clean the intake valves, but since people are complaining they have issued a software patch to disable it...

The Ford Fusion is getting mixed reviews overall....

The 6 also has that high pitched humming electronic noise when it's off. And that noise will be there from 1 minute to 10 minutes, I thought it was weird, but thinking it's probably normal....Is it normal? Should I ask the dealership?

The Fusion does have build quality issues, I inspected two Fusions parked near my work today, and both have door misalignment issues. On one of them the door sank so much that it actually bent the bottom corner of the door a tiny bit....really glad I passed on the Fusion and picked the 6 instead.

 

[2ndName]

The 6 also has that high pitched humming electronic noise when it's off. And that noise will be there from 1 minute to 10 minutes, I thought it was weird, but thinking it's probably normal....Is it normal? Should I ask the dealership?

The Fusion does have build quality issues, I inspected two Fusions parked near my work today, and both have door misalignment issues. On one of them the door sank so much that it actually bent the bottom corner of the door a tiny bit....really glad I passed on the Fusion and picked the 6 instead.

The noise is normal. I had that with my BMW E90. It's annoying but it's not like I'm sitting in the garage listening to it.

 

[Sentinel]

Head on over to mazdas247.com and you will see some with issues with their Skyactiv tranny's as well. In both CX-5 and Mazda3.

No manufacturer is immune to issues.

The 6 also has that high pitched humming electronic noise when it's off. And that noise will be there from 1 minute to 10 minutes, I thought it was weird, but thinking it's probably normal....Is it normal? Should I ask the dealership?

The Fusion does have build quality issues, I inspected two Fusions parked near my work today, and both have door misalignment issues. On one of them the door sank so much that it actually bent the bottom corner of the door a tiny bit....really glad I passed on the Fusion and picked the 6 instead.

Well, looks like pretty much all new cars are trash then. Thanks for the heads up, I'll keep researching, and see if there's anything better out there.

 

[2ndName]

Better is really in the eyes of the beholder. I say, get what you're looking for in a car in line in terms of priority and based on that test drive each cars that meets said criteria. I want a BMW that's as reliable as a Toyota while priced as a Honda that drives as fun as a Mazda, not going to happen.

 

[jon_s]

It is the Accord: Midsize Madness - Day Five - Automobile Magazine

No surprise, although I enjoyed this quote:

The Mazda 6 came a close second to the Accord in our deliberations, not the least because it's the kind of car that speaks to our personal priorities at Automobile Magazine.
Yet the 2013 Honda Accord prevails with us because we think it's the right car for almost everyone, not just us. This is an unlikely gesture of public-spiritedness on our part, but it's rare that you encounter a car like the Accord that you can unequivocally recommend to everybody. And we mean everybody.

 

[Mz6GreyGhost]

No surprise. But that quote does nail it on the head IMO.

Still, beating out the perennial Camry, and the redesigned Altima and Fusion? Nothing to sneeze at, not at all.

 

[pgr1990]

So basically they are saying in their hearts the Mazda won, but its a winner for car enthusiasts. The Accord is rounded better for "everybody". Eh Honda probably paid them, they have obviously dumped enough into marketing the new Accord with the commercial being on every 5 minutes. My only gripe with the Mazda is that the Nav screen could have been bigger. Hell my cell phone screen is literally almost as big.

 

[FFEMT6]

No surprise. But that quote does nail it on the head IMO.

Still, beating out the perennial Camry, and the redesigned Altima and Fusion? Nothing to sneeze at, not at all.

Not to mention the VW Passat. Can't wait for TDI vs 2.2D comparison.

 

[2ndName]

It's great to know that there are no clear winners. This makes both companies take it a step further on their next releases. Take a look at Toyota with their Camry...they're way too automated with their Camry releases due people flocking to buy their cars just because. They don't even try and their latest release is more than what words can say. The design team probably mailed in the design from last year's runner up and just went with the flow.

Mazda tried real hard for this release and so did Honda on their Accord. Good to know that my top 2 choices when deciding on the right car for me were also the same cars that professional reviewers are also having a hard time deciding between.

 

[FFEMT6]

How can they even suggest the 2013 Honda Accord is highly maneuverable when it's specs indicate a 39.7' turning circle? This is almost truck like. The 2G 6 was tighter than any of the cars tested, and one of my favorite things about my car. Was kind of disappointed to see this increase for the 3G, but it is still respectable. And less than the 1G 6. Trunk space was also decreased for the 3G, mostly because of the new hinge design. The 2G had the largest in the class. This is the family guy in me talking though, and what really matters to me is the dynamics that Mazda has continued to instill in the 6, and in this regard it is a pure champion.

 

[MaxCarnage]

Yup no surprise the Accord is the "winner". The Mazda6 is leaning towards enthusiasts, while the Accord is for the average buyer who just doesn't care about cars and just wants a reliable car. The Accord was my runner up in choices, but I am a car enthusiast. Even still my girlfriend who just wants a reliable car loves my new Mazda6 and is thinking she needs to look into Mazda and get away from her 06 Corolla. She likes to zoom zoom around, so pending my long term review of my Mazda I will push her towards one.

Not that I hate the Accord, but the reviewers barely mentioned anything about any flaws it had/has what so ever. One guy barely mentioned the rear seats don't fold down and that was it. They didn't leave any room to guess which car they thought was the better one, there comments gave it away. I found the gauge cluster and insane amount of buttons the Accord has to be overwhelming, and the cloth in the Accord sport not as nice as either the Mazda6's sport cloth or touring leatherette. They said the buttons and center console area was well laid out. Um no. They also felt the Mazda6's interior was claustrophobic and too dark. People do like black interior, lol. On there Facebook page there was a poll going and at the time only 18 people wanted the accord to win while the mazda6 was well over 200 votes.

In the end though it's nice to see both of my choices made the top 2, and Mazda is getting some recognition of a job well done. Even if they get 2nd place all the time, I would rather that then place 1st and lose there "drivers car" appeal. For a small car manufacture they did great!

 

[ManMachine]

The Accord definitely is larger inside and very airy. My complaint of the Accord are: the lack of 40/60 split rear seat, the lack of color choices for 6mt, lack of interior color choice for the Sport model, and the dash/instruments design. The choice of 18" wheel/tires is good.