Honda Vs. Toyota: The Battle For Number One

By: Matthew C. Keegan

Toyota's Camry and Honda's Accord are the two top selling
passenger cars sold in the US. Who will be number one this year?
The battle lines are drawn and consumers have a chance to shape
the outcome. Let's take a look at what makes these cars so
popular with American drivers.

Up until ten years ago, American cars dominated the marketplace
with offerings from Ford or Chevrolet regularly securing the top
spot. A series of bland and poorly made models from the domestic
giants gave foreign car makers a unique opportunity to wrest
control of the passenger car market. Since then the Toyota Camry
and Honda Accord have been battling for the top spot with
American models coming in a distant third.

Both the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are noted for high
quality, affordability, refinement, and durability. The Accord
is the sleeker of the two, although the Camry Solara, the coupe
version of the Toyota, is sportier than its sedan stable mate.

Honda Accord: For 2006 the Accord gets a significant make
over. Redone from the ground up, the Accord's exterior is even
sleeker than before and its interior has been refreshed as well
with a new instrument panel being the key factor in the updated
cabin. The base Accord features a 2.4L i-VTEC 4 cylinder engine
mated to a 5 speed transmission. Double wishbone suspension,
front and side impact airbags, and ABS are some of the standard
options for the Accord. Base models start at $18,225 with fully
loaded Accords retailing well into the high 20s.

Toyota Camry: The 2006 Camry comes equipped with a 2.4L
16 valve DOHC 4 cylinder engine paired with a 5 speed manual
transmission. Power windows, air conditioning, AM/FM/CD Player
with 6 speakers, are some of the important standard features on
the Camry. Base MSRP is $18,445 with fully loaded Camrys
retailing as high as the mid 20s. The Camry was last restyled in
2002.

Sales totals thus far this year suggest that the battle is very
tight once again with perhaps only a few thousand sales
ultimately separating the two models. With an updated Accord
already in the mix, Honda has the best chance of winning this
year's battle.

About the author:
Matt Keegan is a contributing writer for Car Parts Stuff, an
online supplier of high quality and well priced automobile
parts. For more information about quality Honda auto
parts and Toyota
parts visit Car Parts Stuff today.