[F32]

Originally Posted by BMWinGE

And what's up with the 320i/328i appliance reference? Did you intentionally leave off the 335i, as if its a different car?

Nope...it's not. But with the 328i being the volume leader sold to those purely looking for A to B transportation in something "nicer" than a Honda or Toyota, it's the one they spring for.

I see probably 20 F30s a day. Only 2 or 3 might be 335is.

[BMWinGE]

Originally Posted by jzcrna

I drive 50 combined miles per day and I guess I get bored no matter which car after a while. I already have 31,700 miles on my F30 (which is a high mileage lease).

Originally Posted by jzcrna

I just stated my surprise at the smooth engine. My argument is that the $20,000 extra dollars could be better spent on a lesser car that would keep me happy.

Originally Posted by jzcrna

Alright mods you can close the thread. I've been raped three times over.

OP, the Accord is a very good car, as are most of the other mid-size sedans it competes against. In fact, the Mazda 6, Fusion, Sonata and Passat have beaten the Accord in many comparisons. The reaction is because of trying to compare an Accord to the 3 series because they are not in the same class, not because of any kool-aid drinkng enthusiasts. If you primarily use your car for freeway driving in the US, then I can see how an Accord would seem like a better buy. You get a car with more room, more features, good performance and solid reliability. BMWs are not known for being the the best bang for the buck. If you don't need the attributes that make the 3 series the best car in its class, save your money. No need to justify that decision, just don't try to come on a forum saying how close they are and expect not to get a negative reaction.

[BMWinGE]

Originally Posted by F32

Nope...it's not. But with the 328i being the volume leader sold to those purely looking for A to B transportation in something "nicer" than a Honda or Toyota, it's the one they spring for.

I see probably 20 F30s a day. Only 2 or 3 might be 335is.

Well if you are seeing that many 328is then its obviously being sold to more people than those purely looking for A to B transportation, to include enthusiasts. Actually if its truly that big of a difference, that is pretty eye-opening, especially since its only about $3K price differential. Guess the market is speaking with their wallets.

[OC40]

Originally Posted by BMWinGE

Well if you are seeing that many 328is then its obviously being sold to more people than those purely looking for A to B transportation, to include enthusiasts. Actually if its truly that big of a difference, that is pretty eye-opening, especially since its only about $3K price differential. Guess the market is speaking with their wallets.

I have a 335 MSport and did not shop the 328, so I may be wrong. I thought it was a $5M to $6M price difference (not $3M).

Living in SoCal, I see at least 20 328s a day and trust me, maybe two are enthusiasts.

[DesertSmokeBBQ]

Originally Posted by Steve33

Slap a 400kw electric motor in it, upgrade the drivetrain, tires, steering, brakes... everything pretty much and I'd drive one. Then I can go in the HOV lane. Maybe when I'm rich and don't care how much money I have, I'd convert a car to electric... can move around the batteries to get a perfect weight balance too.

Actually, all you'd haveta do is lease a Tesla S 85... There was one at the Big SoCal Euro a few weeks ago, the driver was embarrassing pretty much EVERYONE over 1/8 mile. My wife kinda wants one and we may get her one after her current MB lease is up though I'd rather a Fisker Karma strictly based on aesthetics...

[rconti]

Ha, Honda V6 anywhere near the 335 in terms of power? Sorry, no. And I'm a big 328 fan over the 335, but the 335 will just blow away the Honda V6.

I'd take a Tesla Model S in a heartbeat if I had an excuse to buy a bigass luxury car.

And I'm no BMW loyalist, the lack of an F31 with a stick has got me looking at a Golf R (god forbid, a FWD-based AWD platform!) for my next ride.

That said, the new Accords are incredibly roomy and comfortable. Just got a lift to the airport in one via Uber X the other day. As a driver's car, 280hp at the crank, put into the front wheels, versus what is generally believed to be ~330hp at the crank, into the rear wheels? Nooope.

[Cyberdemon]

I had an Acura TL-S before this which is basically the same power plant and chassis in the new Accord, and it was a phenomenal car. Yes it was FWD, which is the one reason I moved on (that and I wanted a turbo) but it was a great car. If it was RWD it would've been phenomenal.

Either way, for a FWD car it's a very nice car. Is it in the same conversation? No not at all, though one could argue that you could probably compare the Accord V6 to the 320i and get a lot more out of the Accord than you could out of the 320 as long as you don't like hanging the ass out in the corners. Bang for the buck it's still a great car and the new coupe is actually a pretty stylish thing.

[btbossman]

Originally Posted by F32

Last week we were comparing the 335i to a Cayman, and now a Honda Accord...

LOL

[baw]

Traded a '13 Honda coupe EX-L (the "best" model) with nav for a '14 428i M Sport.

[ArchJR]

Originally Posted by F32

They absolutely would cross-shop. You just have to take the forum/enthusiast blinders off.

At the end of the day, a 320i/328i is an appliance like an Accord but with a more prestigious badge. You need to look at 3-Series buyers as a whole, not just the ones who join a forum.

I cross shopped an Accord before getting my 328i. I picked the cars I felt were the best in each of their respective segments and drove them all - Accord, CX-5, ATS, S60, GS350 and X1. Absolute price is less important than the enjoyment and value I experience in return.

Surprisingly the CX-5 was my second choice. There is something remarkable about the light weight, direct steering, and styling that almost made the cheap interior and dated navi bearable. With a $30k budget that would be my choice.

[RjSmithTec]

I'm trying hard to be a fan of BMW, but honestly the quality of the accord feels on par with the 3 series. So far my opinion is people pay a premium price for the badge, but hopefully that's not the case.

[BMWFanatic2008]

OP: Why compare a brand new Accord to a 3-series? This isn't fair, you should've picked a 5-series for this comparison. And an Accord Crosstour should be compared to an X6. 335 isn't in the same league as Accords.

[Tonitron335i]

Originally Posted by Greddy82

WOW just WOW....
it doesnt make you more enthusiast driving RWD.
Auto enthusiast is the one who really loves car, doesnt really have much to do with (FWD vs RWD),horsepower,20" rims,(Auto vs Manual),Brand ....
you sound more like a BMW fanboy.
some enthusiasts more focused on Comfort,value,horsepower,handling,exterior,interio r,smooth ride,reliability etc.....
this new 2013+ accord is very nice car( whole world knows it , guess u dont )

+1

[ATX78703]

Originally Posted by F32

They absolutely would cross-shop. You just have to take the forum/enthusiast blinders off.

At the end of the day, a 320i/328i is an appliance like an Accord but with a more prestigious badge. You need to look at 3-Series buyers as a whole, not just the ones who join a forum.

We can agree to disagree on this one. But when magazines, websites and even manufacturers do comparisons between vehicles there are some drivetrain, platform, design and other similar characteristics which come into play other than just price. This has nothing to do with being an enthusiast or being on a forum.

When somebody is going to buy a car they are not going to say "I am willing to spend (blank) $, what is the best value for my $?"

They are more likely to say "I need/want a (fill in the blank) type of vehicle. It is important to me that it does (blank) and has (blank) features. I do not want to spend more than (blank) on it however. What is the right vehicle for me?" When you look at it this way, I dont really think a 3er (even a 320i) compares with an Accord.

[jzcrna]

I was out with my wife last night and I brought the 335i. The most fun I have with this car is when I put it in sport mode along with sport manual mode. This is when the car is the ultimate driving machine. Most if the time around town I drive in comfort and just can't stand it. I think that this is what disheartens me. Sure, I could drive in sport mode all of the time, but this is the mode it should be by default. This is what I loved about my e90. It seemed like it was always tight and ready to pounce yet remained so planted. the brakes were phenomenal. Now this is the car that was worth the extra money. The thin line that separated the three series from other cars has gotten even smaller while the price hand size has gone up. And someone commented about the skinny steering wheel of the accord when in fact it is thick with smooth leather and way better than my sport lines wheel.

Another thought is that I may just buy out my lease and do the performance upgrade, but my car will have 50,000 miles at this point and my buyout will be 30,000 so that doesn't make a whole lot of sense either. I will say one thing. I'm going to test drive the crap out of many cars within the next 10 months.

[ssedha]

try the B8 S4? Or the S5?

[tdizzle]

Originally Posted by roundel335

Obviously the OP is someone who bought a BMW as a "status symbol" rather than someone who appreciates a RWD sports sedan (and drives it that way). Anyone who would rather have a Honda FWD than a BMW should probably buy one and not bother trying to justify their choice to an enthusiast group.

+1

The honda wins on practicality. Quite a bit cheaper and comes pretty close when optioned out regarding luxury feel (compared to a 3 series anyway). Engine is very adequate and efficient.

If you need a daily and aren't into rwd handling prowess then it's a no brainer than the Honda should be what you should go for, i.e., if you aren't into the performance aspects much.

Now if you want a 'drivers car' with grunt and handling abilities with some luxury then the BMW wins hands down (also not it would lose to other cheaper cars if you took out 'some luxury' and went just for performance)

Basically you get what you pay for, even if BMW probably charges a bit more than necessary because they can. If you don't need/want those extra $$ bits then a BMW doesn't really make sense unless money isn't an object.

[DerekS]

Originally Posted by tdizzle

+1

The honda wins on practicality.

Not exactly ! The Accord back seat folds down in one piece and there is no central pass through. So anytime an Accord owner needs to fold down the back seat, the car effectively becomes a 2 passenger.

In comparison, the F30 335i, with standard 60/40 fold down seats for Canada, is much more practical. It also has a central pass through for long skinny pieces like skis.

The F30 also comes with built in mounts for a roof rack system. The factory supplied rack is so easy to install and to remove.

[tdizzle]

Originally Posted by DerekS

Not exactly ! The Accord back seat folds down in one piece and there is no central pass through. So anytime an Accord owner needs to fold down the back seat, the car effectively becomes a 2 passenger.

In comparison, the F30 335i, with standard 60/40 fold down seats for Canada, is much more practical. It also has a central pass through for long skinny pieces like skis.

The F30 also comes with built in mounts for a roof rack system. The factory supplied rack is so easy to install and to remove.

Haha, you win. Ok in that one instance where you need to put oversize stuff in the truck and fold down the back seat but don't need the entire space due to width and need to carry 3 people the Accord is less practical than the F30.

But then again just buy a pickup truck or suv and you have a true 'hauler'. In those instances that Ford F150 trumps both of them as you can seat 5 and have much more cargo area in the bed of the truck!

Uh oh, now we all should just go buy pick up trucks! (I traded in a 4x4 F150 for my F30 btw and I bought a ladder awhile back that made me wish I had my truck. It was a tight squeeze in my poor F30...)

[dreamspeed]

You are never going to get a good value on a premium brand. No matter how much the fanboys want to think the extra money goes to getting a "better" car, the reality is that a lot of the extra money is for the name

[Tacoma]

Originally Posted by Anodite10

Rather look at the VW CC V6. Everything you'd need and more.

If by "more" you mean more problems, you got it. VW quality consistently rates low and pathetic US sales speak for itself (See "Volkswagen Fails in the U.S." article).

If these were the only 2 options, I'd take a fully optioned Accord over the VW CC. I wouldn't normally cross-shop the 3-series with any family sedan but if I were in the market for a family sedan and can't afford (or don't want to pay for) an F10, I'd go with the new Lexus ES350.

[Tron-M3]

Originally Posted by Tacoma

If by "more" you mean more problems, you got it. VW quality consistently rates low and pathetic US sales speak for itself (See "Volkswagen Fails in the U.S." article).

If these were the only 2 options, I'd take a fully optioned Accord over the VW CC. I wouldn't normally cross-shop the 3-series with any family sedan but if I were in the market for a family sedan and can't afford (or don't want to pay for) an F10, I'd go with the new Lexus ES350.

+1