$30,000 Full-Size Sedan Comparo

[kman10587]

A friend of mine is looking for a full-size sedan that stickers for $30,000 or less. Her priorities are lots of interior space, good build quality, and good acceleration performance. An automatic transmission is required. We've narrowed it down to three contenders:

- 2005 Toyota Avalon Touring: $28,600
- 2005 Chrysler 300 Touring: $27,270
- 2005 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE: $27,500

All three of them should have enough interior space and sufficient build quality to satisfy her, so it's gonna come down which one looks better, drives better, and ends up costing the least. The Avalon has Lexus-like refinement and an awesome 280 hp V6. The 300 has RWD and attention-getting looks. The Maxima has a long and successful history, and a very sporty demeanor. My money's on the Avalon, but all three are really great choices. So, which one do you think is the best choice?

Also, for reference, here is an edmunds.com comparison between the three, with all the info on them you should need: Click Here

[GForce957]

well if she is looking for good acceleration performance among those cars, the 300 touring is the weakest. 250ish hp in a car around 4000 lbs is not gonna be that quick.

A friend of mine recently bought the avalon (not the 2005 but maybe a 2002) and is very pleased with it. and with the 280 hp that car is gonna move pretty well. Also the refinement as you said is quite nice.

The maxima is also a good choice, a very sporty looking car with good acceleration. I have been in one and the ride is smooth. I would say have her test drive the avalon and maxima, and forget about the 300 unless she upgrades to the hemi or (very unlikely but worth a shot) srt-8.

[kman10587]

She can afford the HEMI, but she wouldn't like to spend more than $30,000. Oh, and the 300 Touring only weighs 3766 lbs. With 250 hp, it isn't slow, but I agree that it certainly isn't as fast as the Avalon or Maxima.

[BlackGT2000]

I have driven in a 05 Maxima. Very nice car. I was very impressed by it. The seat would come back for you to get in than move back to its previous position once you shut the door. Beautiful interior, Plenty of power for what it is. Attractive on the outside, moreso than the toyota in my opinion. Lots of features and attractive is what I liked about it. It also had that long sunroof.

[kman10587]

The only one of these I've driven is the 300, and I loved the quality of the suspension - it felt very German. The interior was a bit cheap, though. According to the automotive press, the Avalon is cleaning up the competition, and on paper, it certainly looks the best. I haven't given a whole lot of thought to the Maxima. It's definitely the sportiest and boldest of the group - I'm not sure exactly what that will translate into on the road, though.

[BlackGT2000]

I admit to not having driven either of the other two, so I can't really give a unbiased comparison. All I can say is the Maxima was very nice and I suggest taking one for a drive while you shop around.

[k3smostwanted]

Originally Posted by 300C

Sluggish acceleration with base V6

Originally Posted by Avalon

Not as much fun to drive as a Chrysler 300

i think that sums it up pretty well right there...

i would take the maxima...your basically driving a G35 sedan backwards with the maxima being FWD.

im sorry but i dont like the 300C...the look is nice but i am personnaly already tired of seeing it and i felt like i was siting on a yacht, not a car. and the 6cyl makes it that much worse...chrysler didnt have straightline performance in mind at all when they built the 6cyl. no shiftable automatic (not a big deal, but a cool feature that is coming standard on most cars now)...and it is alot slower than the HP/TQ numbers would leave you to believe.

the avalon is nice...and i must say it looks a hell of alot better than the previous 2 models. nice features...but the maxima takes tke cake for me. even how nice the avalon is, the maxima is a tad better with a better price tag.

my

[kman10587]

The "base V6" that Edmunds is referring to is the 190 horsepower, 2.7L V6. The 250 horsepower V6 will get the 300 to 60 mph in about seven seconds flat. It's not as quick as the Avalon or Maxima, but still more than adequate.

[TatII]

i have driven all 3 of them, and i hate to admit it, but the new avalon is very very nice. it looks great, the interior is even better then the maxima. this is probrably the only toyota sedan i will ever buy. they really got rid of the old man's car image that was embedded with the old avalons.

my second choice would have to be the maxima. they look great, and has a very unique interior, but its not quit on par with the avalon, this normally would've been my first choice ( being a nissan guy and all ) but the avalon is just too nice to deny ( even though i'm not a fan of toyota )

and last place brings me down to the 300. the non v8 300's have ugly rims, and the interior is cheap. oddly enough, even the dodge maginum has a better interior then the 300. also these cars like all american cars will depreciate like crazy.

[VAD0R]

Why does everyone forget the Subaru Legacy GT in these types of comparisons?

Also, if you a AWD sedan that is a bit more luxury oriented then performance there is always the Jaguar X-Type.

Another very reasonable car, which everyone seems to pass over as well, is the Pontiac Grand Prix, with the GTP being a pretty nice performance bargain.

And lets not forget Hyundai with their new Azera, which looks about as well draped as a Lexus GS300, it is FWD, at a much cheaper price. Not to mention coming standard with a pretty powerful 265hp V6.

[BlackGT2000]

He may not have forgotten them, he only said that he narrowed it down to the 3 listed above. Could be he didn't like something about them or since it was a girl, she just didnt like the way they looked.

[illegal_eagle187]

i would go with the Nissan Maxima, they're really nice inside and out, good performance, handling, comfortable ride

[VAD0R]

Originally Posted by BlackGT2000

He may not have forgotten them, he only said that he narrowed it down to the 3 listed above. Could be he didn't like something about them or since it was a girl, she just didnt like the way they looked.

I guess you have a point there. If it were between those three, then if you want performance I would go for the Nissan Maxima. However, if you are leaning more towards interior space and luxury then the Chrysler 300 would be it. As for quality the Toyota Avalon would probably prevail there, as well as pretty good interior space.

When it comes down to it, the best and probably most balanced in those three characteristics even though the slowest when it comes to acceleration would be the 300 Touring, which I didn't realize before but also has AWD.

[TatII]

well he wanted a full size car. the legacy gt is kinda small. its hardly a mid size. but if that is not an issue, then the subaru is also a very very nice car.

[kman10587]

Why does everyone forget the Subaru Legacy GT in these types of comparisons?

Also, if you a AWD sedan that is a bit more luxury oriented then performance there is always the Jaguar X-Type.

Another very reasonable car, which everyone seems to pass over as well, is the Pontiac Grand Prix, with the GTP being a pretty nice performance bargain.

And lets not forget Hyundai with their new Azera, which looks about as well draped as a Lexus GS300, it is FWD, at a much cheaper price. Not to mention coming standard with a pretty powerful 265hp V6.

I like the Legacy GT quite a lot, but it isn't anywhere near full-size. It's barely a mid-size as it is.

I find it very, very funny that you recommended the X-Type. Why? Because that's what she's currently driving (the lease is about to be up), and take it from both of us, that thing is a piece of SHIT. It's also nowhere near full-size.

While the Grand Prix is by no means a junky car, it's not put together nearly as well as the Avalon, 300, or Maxima. And it'd need the supercharged motor to make the same kind of power as those three. Since she's not going to be modding the car at all, there's no point in getting a supercharged motor over an N/A motor. She's not looking for a pure sports sedan; she's looking for a luxurious and refined sedan with some pep, a luxury-sport with ample amounts of both.

I've never heard of the Hyundai Azera. I have, however, heard of the Hyundai XG350. Unfortunately, its acceleration is far slower than the competition's (194 horsepower from a 3.5L V6? The three I listed are all making 250+). And the styling is unbearably bland.

Sorry, but don't bother recommending any other than the three I have listed. Believe me, we've looked over all the possibilities carefully, and these are the best contenders in our book.