27th Mar 2007, 11:07

Even Toyota now admits that their quality has declined drastically. Of course, that's hard to hide when you see broken-down Camry's littering the roadsides. I saw not one, but TWO late model Camry's broken down on the freeway on my way home from work recently. GREAT ad for "Toyota quality".

27th Mar 2007, 14:05

Consumer Reports and similar organization accept no advertising or influence in editorial content, yet both the editors AND actual car owners continue to say Japanese cars (Honda, Toyota and to a lesser extent Nissan) are better than most American cars.

Another pro-domestic theory thrown out the window.

27th Mar 2007, 23:28

I don't like it when people make comments and do not know anything about cars. The Fusion was never and will never be rated above the Honda Accord... Maybe Camry, but not the Accord. My '94 Honda has 253,000 miles and I have put on 50k of those myself and I am only 20. I take my car off the road just for fun and it has not fallen apart--it also can flat out do 90-110 for a quarter mile and not blow up. My dads newer Accord is just as great. It is an insult to me to compare the Fusion which looks like my '94 Accord to the New ACCORD. Maybe 600 biased testers said the Fusion SEL was better than the Accord DX, but surely they would have made different claims had it actually been a loaded Accord. Chevy did this same thing with the '97 Malibu with the Accord and Camry and look where it got them? With an all new Accord coming next year the Fusion will continue on into fleets of Avis and Hertz. Japanese buying the public? Hey wasnt the Fusion designed and engineered in Japan at Mazda? Maybe they bought the press? Well see in a year or two when the real reliability shows through. I think I remember back in 95 about how world class the Contour was...only time will tell.

28th Mar 2007, 10:22

It's interesting how defensive people get when their pre-conceived (and ERRONEOUS) ideas about the god-like superiority of Japanese imports is shot down by real-world FACTS.

The fact is, Toyota is on the decline and has been for several years. Just look at the HUNDREDS of recalls, (and unlike domestic car companies Japanese manufacturers ONLY issue recalls when FORCED TO BY LAW), MAJOR safety issues and HORRIBLE reviews on Toyotas that are less than THREE YEARS OLD!!

The myth of Japanese superiority is dying. It's death throes can be seen daily in the broken down Camry's (see comment 11:07), Highlander's, Corollas and Tundras waiting beside the road for a tow truck.

31st Mar 2007, 09:47

It's hard to swallow the myth of Toyota's "superior quality" when you read an honest review like this one. Thanks for sharing your story.

31st Mar 2007, 15:07

Original reviewer here. Well, my new Fusion has already surpassed my 2006 Camry in reliability. It has gone a whole week with no problems. I had to take the Camry in 3 days after I bought it, and many times after that too. What really makes me angry is that a friend of mine who helped talk me into buying the Camry just showed up at the office driving a new Fusion! He sheepishly admitted that he had had a "few minor problems" with his 2003 Camry and then admitted to several not so minor problems too. He said that he was very impressed with my Fusion and decided to trade for one himself based on the rave reviews and the great build quality. I could punch him in the nose.

31st Mar 2007, 17:43

The massive profits that Japanese car companies make by selling their cars to gullible Americans at full list allows them PLENTY of money to give "incentives" to consumer groups and car magazine reviewers in exchange for glowing (but inaccurate) reviews. Since J.D. Powers surveys are actually based on real car owners, it is no surprise that 4 out of 5 of the top most reliable midsize cars are domestics. Of course in looking at the Camry reviews, one can only wonder how it made the top 5.

31st Mar 2007, 20:02

Here's J. D Power's ACTUAL list of most reliable cars from '06:

1. Subcompact car - Toyota Echo

2. Compact car - Honda Civic

3. Sporty compact car - Honda S2000

4. Entry level premium car - Lexus

5. Midsize premium car - Lexus

6. Large premium car - Lexus

7. Compact SUV - Toyota Rav 4

8. Midsize SUV - Toyota Highlander

9. Large pickup truck - Toyota Tundra

10. Premium SUV - Lexus.

I understand that you guys are upset about coming to the realization that Ford and Chevy can't and never could compete with the imports, but do you really need to just completely make things up in order to make yourself feel better about driving your Big 3 crap?

31st Mar 2007, 21:22

Wow! I drive 35,000 miles a year in my 1994 Accord with 253,000 miles and have never seen a Honda or Toyota broken down. Maybe you are talking about a 1987 Accord broken down or a 1984 Camry? I see plenty of Fords on the side --- must be their transmissions.

1st Apr 2007, 08:47

Also remember that JD Power ratings are based on surveys of actual OWNERS, so if these domestic vehicles are so wonderful why aren't they even in the top ten. Or is JD Power yet another conspiracy or something?

1st Apr 2007, 10:21

This comment makes no sense. Ask any automotive expert what the biggest costs are on any given domestic car and the #1 cost is union/employee health obligations and the #2 is MARKETING.

I subscribe to five car magazines and I can't tell you the number of times I've had to rip out some huge domestic car advertisement that is eight pages long. The American manufacturers spend a TON of money on lobbying on every level in addition to other forms of marketing (the Detroit Auto Show costs GM an average of $30 million for their booths), so to claim there is some sort of conspiracy that the Japanese control every auto magazine out there is simply insane.

1st Apr 2007, 11:17

I notice that the CAMRY is noticeably LACKING from the list of "most reliable" cars. Gee, looking at the 2006 Camry reviews, I wonder why??

1st Apr 2007, 21:52

I've heard of a few Accords going over 200,000 miles and a few (very few) Civics making it to 150,000. Of course our company Fords ROUTINELY go 300,000. That's why my personal vehicle is also a Ford. Having compared the new Fusion to the less reliable (not to mention uglier) Camry and Accord, I'd stick with domestics even if the imports WERE more reliable. Boring is still boring even if it does last over 100,000 miles.

2nd Apr 2007, 14:26

21:52, Yet another domestic owner describing to us the way he WISHES things were, instead of how they actually are.

The imports ARE more reliable, absolutely EVERY publication out there prints this in black and white. Yeah, you might get a lucky flash in the pan with the Fusion or something, but the Japanese manufacturers ALWAYS take, by far, the biggest piece of the pie.

Boring and ugly are opinions, but imports still remain the most reliable even if you think they are boring and ugly.