The Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry are the most popular family sedans. Indeed, when discerning shoppers do their homework, they inevitably narrow the list to these automobiles.

In typical Japanese tradition both players are built with great integrity and extend exceptional quality of manufacturing and efficiency, topping off with a very high level of reliability all of which ultimately translates into user satisfaction. Both are supplied with space-age quadra-valve all-aluminum engines--as opposed to the antiquated cast iron pushrod stuff GM palms off in this price-range. Both come with all-independent suspensions and neat features like 60/40 split rear seats. But each car has its own personality and each has appealed to millions.

The Honda Accord, owing to its slightly lower cost, outsells the Camry--by a reciprocal margin, but that statistic has been tackled in this manner: Toyota announced a $1000 price reduction a scheme, that to many, still does not make the newest of Camrys affordable. Despite the sticker, the older Camry managed to race up the charts as word spread of its elysian ways. The replacement is expected to blaze that familiar trail since no manufacturer, other than Honda and Nissan, have anything on the files to match the Camry bolt for bolt.

First, let's get the nomenclature out of the way: Accords are formed in 2-doors, 4- doors, and wagons. Any of these can be obtained in three trims: DX, LX, and EX. The last two are also available with the 2.7 V6. Camrys now come in 4-doors only and are designated CE, LE, XLE, with the latter two available with the sixes. Accord gives out the VTEC (variable valve timing and lift system) stuff strictly with the EX and I have used it in the comparison. Toyota keeps matters simple and has only one four on the menu. I'll get to the hardware later.

Styling

The outgoing Camry offered decidedly more cachet than the Accord. Its dramatic curves and scaled-down, Lexus LS 400 brawny good-looks out-classed the Accord's blue-blooded profile. The 1997 Camry is much, much different. Different from its predecessor that is. However, now it is so much more Accordish, with a Peugeot 505 front, an angular silhouette, and a rear that is Alfa Romeo if nothing. Toyota's penmanship seems to have set the design trend for the late nineties which gets my vote, although both cars are exquisitely finished and blessed with a timeless beauty.

Interior

The Camry's interior has been modelled along the Lexus ES 300's so it is understandably opulent. It is also more expressive and spontaneous than before: the gear indicator, which, previously, nestled symmetrically between the tacho and the speedo is now aligned off-center. Needles lose the orange in favor of a sophisticated blue-white and the display lights up splendidly at dusk. Everything from seatbacks to door handles move as if on ball-bearings. Quality switch gear and communicative controls are Toyota's forte and one particular gadget absolutely reels the mind: the cruise control lever for which Toyota holds the patent. The little toggle stem that sprouts from the right of the steering column, is simple to master and divine in function--push up to accelerate/resume, down to set/coast; it even turns with the wheel allowing the driver to discipline velocity during bends. No messing around with hub mounted switches as in the Honda. Ergonomically, the Camry is impossible to find fault with.

In direct antithesis to Toyota's methods, the Honda's insides are more animated. The chrome on the door handles and gear knob would be right at home in a Jaguar. The elegant lettering on the dials is vintage Honda as is the black steering wheel and gear shifter. In terms of ergonomics, the Accord matches the Camry and outdoes it for flair. However, Honda gummed up in interior planning. Hip, leg, and shoulder space is extremely reasonable for its dimensions and entirely world-class, but then, it is the impossible Camry it is up against and the latter squeaks out more--both in front and aft. When it comes to designing interiors for room, Toyota is top-drawer. The Camry has more inches in some planes than most domestic sedans that are a foot longer--like the Taurus, Intrepid, Regal, and Lumina.
Visibility through the rear view mirror is poorer in the Accord. The swoopy C-pillar and a high deck lid, leaves a comparatively narrower breach; more noticeable after a drive in the Camry. The Accord's side-view mirrors fold or break away--a feature for the spatially impeded, however, they are not as large and well-positioned as the Camry's and require greater head movement during lane swaps. The Toyota is more cabin forward now, and the vertically challenged will cheer in gratitude at the enhanced frontal view.

Performance

This is where the comparison becomes cagey. The two are so diverse, it was imperative that I thumb the Bias Switch into the "off" mode. Here is how it went:

The Accord is the closest thing to a low-end BMW. I know, I know that singed a lot of the Ultimate Machiners out there, but face it chumps--you dwindled away a lot of the sweat and blood when the Accord was all that the hormones needed. I don't say this lightly. The Honda takes off with the Bimmer's bluntness (and even stops not unlike a 318 on a pinch of Nyquil). Mark it down to the 145 bhp 2.2 VTEC (or even the un-VTEC-- both are decent powerplants and provide little by way of discernible variance in performance). The 2.7 six squirts out with 170 bhp but its deportment is not as sunny as the Camry's six. Honda's "grade logic" four speed automatic, blast it, is an embarrassing shifter, owing to its using very little of the logic stuff. It jerks with abandon and upshifts and downshifts run through the occupants with little reserve. I recommend the dreamy five-speed which instantly changes the car's aura.

Stiff shock settings, an on the ball steering, and grippy Michelins keep the Accord honest, especially on sharp exit ramps, not unlike a BMW. Potholes, however, are greeted with needless intimacy and I found myself bracing every time one drew near. The structure--and I don't know if this was restricted to my specimen--twitched in distaste over abrasive surfaces. Brake pedal feel brought back memories. As a child, I formed the habit of sticking the tongue out, in moments of adversity, and squeezing the twin handles on the old cycle to remain upright. The hard-core, no-nonsense brakes served with loyalty and the Accord's brakes faithfully duplicate that simple, gratifying feeling of retarding momentum.

Toyota okayed power and torque increases to both the 2.2 in-line four (now 133 bhp) and the 3.0 V6 (up to 194 bhp with 209 lb-ft of torque ). From rest, the Camry plows hydraulically--especially with the V6. There is an almost disconnected feel while the pedal is down and the car feels bigger--in an expensive kind of way. State of the art fluid-filled engine mounts keep an eye skinned for powerplant vibrations. The damping is better than in a Mercedes E320--while advanced sound-deadening measures keep it serene and, yet, verbal. Analysis engineers will acknowledge the immense skill that goes into providing such mutable isolation.
The electronically- controlled four speed transmission is a stark contrast to the Accord's--slick, furtive-- among the best in the world. Successive pedal prods are saluted with perpetual responses, and the increasing intensity of the engine's moans politely convey that the appropriate gear has now been picked. In the battle of the sixes, the Camry's ultra-refined, seductive 3.0 drubs the Accord's somewhat wan and gruff 2.7 V6.
Toyota's engineers have also gone to great lengths to promote a consistency that most manufacturers reserve for high-end flagships. The chief components--the engine, transmission, suspension, and brakes are finely tuned to each other's bandwidths and they communicate with a fluency never experienced in this class.

With its mind on luxury, the Toyota has the bearing of a grand tourer. Since '92, the car maker has been installing two sub-frames, one at either end, and they make all the difference. The Camry blows down interstates with unequaled aplomb and rallies around with dignity if submitted to a sordid curve. 195/70SR-14 tires on the four are distinctly more subdued than the 205/65HR-15s on the six. Nevertheless, with either set, dips and ruts are dispensed with a touch of hauteur.

With the V-6, the Camry's clearest advantage is its ability to run up slopes without breaking into a sweat. The Toyota handles proclivitys with barely a murmur and even has a little extra for passing uphill while its rival fairly gasps after a bit of the steep stuff. Thanks to a 209-165 lb-ft torque advantage, the Camry tools around the city with little effort. Indeed, the throttle rarely requires a deep thrust to obtain rosy results.

Safety

Both have dual air-bags and side impact steel beams in the doors. The Camry now has standard ABS; they are still optional on the Accord. Toyota offers additional safety features: auto-off lights and tow-down hooks. The latter prevent the hood from slamming into the cockpit in case of a frontal collision. Also, the liquid-filled engine damper turns and drops the Camry powertrain under the car rather than in your lap in the event of a head-on impact. Toyota's front bumpers are now rated at 5 mph; the Accord's are of the 2.5 mph variety.

Verdict

Despite the differences in philosophy behind each car, the Camry embodies the best of all possible virtues. And it emerges as the more addictive. On paper, its four appears somewhat anemic, yet, it more than outdoes the VTEC in terms of plushness and finesse. Similarly, the Toyota 3.0 V6 is cutting edge material and the twenty four extra ponies tell the tale. More power, room, and safety features leave the Toyota with the medal.

                 
                   Accord    Camry
	
Engine	               8	10
Transmission	       6	10
Brakes	               9	10
Ride	               8	10
Handling	      10	9
Ergonomics/Visibility  9	10
Interior Accomodations 9	10
Structure	       9	10
Exterior Styling      10	10
Fun to drive	       9	10
	
Total	              87	99

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