Comparison: 2012 Hyundai Sonata GLS vs. 2012 Toyota Camry LE vs. 2012 Volkswagen Passat SE

What I don't understand is how the Sonata, with the most HP and best power to weight ratio, is not faster than the Camry. As well as this, it got by far the worst mileage out of the three, when it should have been closer to the Camry's, if the EPA ratings were accurate. All of Hyundai's new cars seem this way too. They all look the best on paper, but don't work out to real world results. I would never buy a Camry, under any circumstances.  It's just not a good car, in my opinion.

Having said that, nothing in this segment is a Ferrari or a Porsche.  What people want in a midsize is, apparently, an appliance with a little-- just a little-- zing.  I have to give kudos to Hyundai for trying to provide just that.  I think that's why it's polling at #1.  The Passat is also offering a little extra zing with its European style and German handling.  That's why it's #2.  The Camry is pure appliance.  You don't stand in front of your refrigerator and admire it.  You only want it to keep stuff cold.

I thought it was a good and well laid out article.  The Pasat is a nice car.  It looks sharp and the I5 gets dumped on a lot, but it isn't too bad.  The 6-spd Shiftronic is an excellent transmission.  The Pasat has the same power train in my Jetta, is bigger, and is lighter...a good combination.  VW knows how to make their cars fun to drive.

I was kind of surprised to see how much the Camry outperformed the Sonata when comparing automatic to automatic.  If I were to buy a car in this comparison, it would be the Camry or the Sonata.  I have driven the Sonata several times in multiple trim levels and the turbo, and it is an excellent car.  However, its steering feel is bad, but not as bad as last generation's Camry (unless you are talking about the turbo which is even worse).  Also, the seats, while initially comfortable, are too wide and flat to get comfortable for a nice long drive.  Ingress and egress is slighly more difficult, but nothing noticeable.

BD, it's nothing in comparison to the pile of cash you've amassed being wrong.  So far I haven't heard you say one thing that wasn't straight out of the Toyota playbook.

What dealership do you work at?

"Ocellaris..stop living in the past, this is not the early 2000s. VW's quality numbers still lag behind those of Toyota and Hyundai."

People confuse initial quality with long term quality.  I would not argue that VW trails Hyundai in initial quality, however my concern is what happens to the Hyundais 5+ years down the road.

Very few people drive an "old" Hyundai because they didn't last.  I live in the Northeast and less than a decade ago, the roads were positively bursting with people buying new Hyundais they got on the cheap.  There are a few volume Hyundai dealers in the area and they didn't have trouble selling them.  If you look around now, there are still a ton of early 2000s VW on the road and all of the Hyundais are gone and dead.  If you do see one, bumpers are hanging off, the paint is fading and peeling, and the interior is trashed.  People just presume these new Hyundais will last a long time because they look good, and people equate looks with quality.

BD, you're in denial.  The Passat didn't lose this comparison.  It won.  Admit it.

You're also in sales and you work for Toyota.  I'll bet you money on it.

Jetta has lucked out, with the tsunami slowing down Corolla and Civic.  Many companies have benefitted from an Act of God, handicapping the two leaders.  Chevy Cruze as well is a big winner, but it got help.

It's early!  Calm down!  After all the dust has settled, VW will be the bottom-feeders we all know and ignore.

(No matter how hard MT works to get them over.....and this was a work!)

Sonata is a full-size car in EPA, Camry and Passat are midsized.  You need to study....
BD

@BD:

you are such a shill that you dont even understand how success is measured. In the US Toyota is FAR bigger than VW. The fact that VW is now selling 13-15k Jettas a month is a huge win for VW considering their size in this market. Its about marketshare trends- Jetta's is way up and Corollas is down. VW doesnt have the production capacity on lineup size to compete with Toyota in total sales in the US. They dont even make trucks which automatically keeps them on a lower tier in terms of US sales. And BTW, the Jetta has been running at about 75% of the sales of the class leaders in 2011, not 50% of their sales. Remember, Corolla and civic have fallen off big time and Cruze has been averaging around 20k units a month for the last few months. Also, aside from the Fusion and Malibu we dont have confirmation that any new midsizers debut in 2012. Its speculation that a new accord might show up- has not been confirmed. How did the Passat lose in roominess? what review are YOU reading?

syj
Jetta will sell 150k, which is not a failure, or a success.  The top sellers double that.  Jetta just looks like, and drives like, a failure.  Ask anyone who drove the last one.  Car & Driver couldn't rag on it more.  Last in their 5 car comparison.

Passat will be last starting next year, when the other cars are redesigned.

This car was beaten by BOTH the Camry and Sonata.  Very shady decision by MT.  It lost in price, power, efficiency, roominess, value, speed, etc.  It won handling.  

That's good enough for 3rd, not 1st place.  Admit it.
BD

@BD:

There wasnt even a 2011 passat- one reason "no one" cared about it. People will care about this one. Im sure if people went back and read your comments about the Jetta you probably repeated all the same trollish nonsense and predicted it would fail. Its been selling like hotcakes. And as others have noted, Toyota is a bit player in Europe and far behind VW and GM in china. Toyota does well in Japan and in the US. VW will outsell Toyota this year globally, they are not to be taken lightly.

@techie

MT doesnt rate cars by reliability- never have.

You never answered the question.  Do you work for Toyota?

Plenty of people care about the Passat here, and for good reason.  It's a great car.

Like so many Toyota worshippers, you used sales numbers to try to justify the Camry's greatness.  But, as usual, when presented with evidence of the Passat outselling the Camry, suddenly you don't care about sales figures.

Adam
Why would I give a monkey's hairy sac about what happens in Europe?

HERE, nobody cares about Passat, and with good reason......
BD

BD, do you work for Toyota?

VW outsells Toyota in Europe by a huge margin.  (The only company that comes close to VW sales in Europe is Ford.)  The Golf sold almost 500,000 units in Europe-- more than double what Camry sold in the U.S.  In Europe, the Passat is in the Top 10.  The Camry isn't in the Top 50.

If numbers tell the story let's look at ALL the numbers, not just the ones that favor Toyota.

Adam
Are you trying to set a record for biggest reach?

VW is not comparable to Toyota in quality.  Hasn't been for DECADES.  This ain't 1963.  

This car will sell 1/3 of Camry next year.  Why?  Because people assume it is made like crap.  It's earned that much respect......
BD

"Sonata is legitimate competition to Camry.  Passat not so much.......  

...
3.  And VW's crap-tastic quality rep will be a blow from which it will never recover."

How do people keep bashing on VW quality while forgetting that just a few years ago, Hyundai was making JUNK cars for sale in the state.  In northern states it is rare to see ANY Hyundai on the road more than 6 or 7 years old because they all rusted out and fell apart.  

VW had a bad quality run with MKIV Jettas in the early 2000s (along with some other issues), however its been fairly solid since then.  Meanwhile Hyundai was selling complete trash across their entire lineup in the early 2000s and now they get a free pass on reliability?!?

"Toyota has been building reliable cars for about 25 years
Hyundai?  About 5 years
VW hasn't even started yet......."

VW has been building reliable cars for about 80 years.  During a timespan that long you're bound to have a few ups and downs along the way.

Like Toyota.  Did you know their quality got so bad at one point they actually left the U.S. market for an entire year?  

Can't say that about VW.

"You do know that they tested a Camry with less responsive smaller wheels, right?"

The Camry comes with smaller, less responsive wheels because that is the way Toyota chooses to equip it.  Don't blame MT.  Blame Toyota.

@chiguy:

Exactly- and when will these folks realize that MT does NOT rank cars in reliability? This is obvious. the majority of the fanboys are saying "the Camry may not be a better car in this test, but the VW will break down so the camry should've won". What? MT isnt in the business of predicting reliability of new cars. IN fact, CR doesnt even rate cars based on reliability. They give them a road test score and then if the car scores high enough its recommended if the reliability is there. They do NOT base their scores on predicted reliability though.

The Passat wins again!

The VW haters must be foaming at the mouth . . .

@ ChiGuy, Here you go.

"In terms of power, interior space, useability, and fuel economy, the Camry's the best here,"

You do know that they tested a Camry with less responsive smaller wheels, right?

As soon as I saw a Camry in this test, I knew the usual shills for Toyota would be chiming in. I am of course referring to Jimmy and Black Dynamite. Keep drinking the Kool-Aid and I hope you're comfy under the bridge.

For them and the others wondering why their beloved Camry didn't win, read the quote from the article.

Let's just say the Camry returned some middling scores in a few key areas. First, we were unimpressed with its "architectural statement" styling, whose elements lacked cohesion and had an overall look too similar to that of its predecessor. Next, the soft suspension, while great for road trips, was not terribly assuring over the handling loop. "In the tighter sections of our drive, the Camry was not confidence-inspiring," declared Kong. Last, for $23,260 to start, the Toyota omitted such standard niceties as alloy wheels, which were included in our as-tested $22,405 Hyundai as well as a $23,460 Passat S with Appearance Package (our $25,595 SL came with larger 17-inch alloys)

BTW, what is the point of 5 cylinders, if it's less powerful, and less efficient, than 4-cylinders?

Motor Trend didn't justify a Passat victory at all!  
It lost in every way.  Efficiency, power, speed, price, value,  etc.....
BD

Syj says

"Your ignorance is astounding. You should really stop posting.
1. VW's sales are up because they are following the Toyota/Honda philophy- worry about value and inoffensive styling instead of plush interiors and lux features."

You be happy to know i considered your suggestion and decided to continue to post.  I can't stop posting & let your misrepresent facts & cloud smart people's judgment.

Accord and Camry lost market share this year because of the natural event and shortage of parts.  They also have lost some market share because of improvements in Sonata and Optima.  Has nothing to do with VW Passat which was just re-designed.

Luxury features of a VW? you got to be kidding.  Feel the interior of Jeta.  Checkout the engine of a VW.  Camry brought a six speed automatic to market as soon as GM and Ford forced its hands and also Sonata and Optima.  It has a great engine, as good a V4 as an Accord.  To me those are still the best V4s.  No they don't have DI but not needed

1. Passat - Questionable engineering and the styling of a bar of Dove soap. Pass
2. Toyota Camry - Well rounded, reliable, built for the sheep of the driving world. Pass
3. Sonata - Hyudai's rising star looks the part but doesn't have the performance to back it up. Pass

Well it's nice to know that I can still avoid these cars and wont be missing anything. NEXT!

So many euro fanbois :\

Regardless, the Sonata is the one winning.  Just look outside at a street corner near you.  Forget this review.

@pmirp:

Your ignorance is astounding. You should really stop posting.
1. VW's sales are up because they are following the Toyota/Honda philophy- worry about value and inoffensive styling instead of plush interiors and lux features.
2. Even CR notes VWs reliability has improved
3. VWs recent models (Jetta and CC) have been successful so there is no reason to doubt the Passat
4. Camry and Accord have lost significant share over the last few years and even CR doesnt rate either sedan as best in class.
5. Toyota doesnt use state of art powertrains in anything not called Lexus. The Camrys engine is basically the same one its had for years. At least the Sonata has direct injection.

Camry got over 34 MPG during their test?
Nice!

I guess that's why it's The People's Champion!
BD

Consider this: for less money than this Passat, you could buy a Sonata SE 2.0T ($25,405) or a Camry XLE ($25,485). Both come with far more options / amentities than the Passat tested here.

MT, if you're going to do a comparison test, please bring comparable vehicle.

Old people buy the Camry.

The younger, hip generation buys the Passat. Many people are willing to compromise a few mpg in order to have a more comfortable, better feeling car.

MotorTrend, how about doing a hard-core reliability test? Take a few different cars/engines and put them through some extreme (Top Gear-esque) testing to find out just how reliable/durable these cars are. I'd love to see VW's 2.5L and 2.0T dispell the myth that VW's aren't reliable.

Syj says:
"Wake up, VW is on the rise. Not everyone buys cars based on CR rankings even if you chose to do so. VWs sales are way up and the PAssat will sell. "

Syj, on what planet do you live on?  People who buy mid-size cars review CR because reliability matters.  They don't want cars in the shop constantly.  Until VW improves that, they stand no chance.  

Their sales increased, because of price reductions to make their cars more competitive with Camry and Koreans.  In process they have moved away from attributes that they have pushed for years (performance of their 2.0 turbo and quality materials).  Now they got nothing left.  

I admit Passat is a competitive product from quality of interior and design, but not so much from a engine perspective.  Until they invest in modern engine technology like Camry and Koreans, they stand zero chance.  And until they improve quality year over year, they will come in last.

Now go study some more about virtues that sell mid-size family cars in US before posting

FullMonte:
I agree with you about the lack of colour imagination currently expressed by most manufacturers.  One of the cars I recently looked at came in only six flavours: black, white, red, and what amounts to three shades of grey: silver, light grey, and dark grey. Kinda boring.

Maybe if Fiat is successful in the U.S., we'll start seeing a more diverse colour pallete. While I have no interest in buying a Fiat 500, it does come in over a dozen colours, including cappucino and some of the others you mentioned.

Sonata is legitimate competition to Camry.  Passat not so much.......  

1.  The average buyer won't weight the test drive heavily on handling.  
2.  The Passats 22/31, with less 8 fewer HP than Camry will hurt the sales pitch.
3.  And VW's crap-tastic quality rep will be a blow from which it will never recover.  

It's pretty obvious that Camry was the better car, but MT wanted something else to win.  Using the "If you squint, you can see an A8" is pretty desperate.  Good luck with that!

Speed, economy, reputation, roomy, lightweight
Toyota Camry still reigns as The People's Champion.  
BD

@ Mirage1987

It isn't the Germans fault they make superior vehicles, the others need to step their games up. Of these 3, the VW is the only one I'd even consider getting, just because it's German made which equals engineering superiority and it looks great (relatively).

@supervette:

Sonata has consistently been in the 8 sec range in 0-60. It doesnt perform as well as expected considering its power to weight ratio. Fastest time I've seen is 7.8s. Its barely faster than the Verano which weighs more and packs only 180hp.

@pmirp:

Wake up, VW is on the rise. Not everyone buys cars based on CR rankings even if you chose to do so. VWs sales are way up and the PAssat will sell. Lots of people like VWs styling, interiors and diesel engines. We arent in the 90s anymore, the days of people thinking that you have to buy a camry or Accord to get a sedan that will last more than 50k miles are over. The myth has been shattered and the Passat will only help VW post even larger sales gains in 2012.

The real world mileage of the sonata in this test isnt impressive at all. Hyundais continue to underachieve in real world mileage testing. On paper, the sonata is considerably more efficient than the Passat.

In real world a VW is not even on the same planet as Sonata or Camry.

When it comes to reliability, the marketplace does not recognize VW as a leader.  Reputation counts for a lot and that is where Camry has VW and Sonata beat.

VW with yesteryear engine technology, only has Camry beat by virtue of better wheels and tires.  This is a very superficial comparison.

Until the day VW proves its reliability figures year in and year out, as you state, Camry is number 1 in sales for a reason.

Also when it comes to overall numbers this year for Camry and other Japanese cars, one has to remember the limitations on capacity as result of natural disaster.  All to say, we don't know what happens next year, except, VW has zero chance of being in top 3 among mid-size cars.  

Kind of an embarrassing conclusion to your story, don't you say? Shades of Motor Trends past when you picked Honda Insight over Toyota Prius

View the original article here