[deadduck]

I drove the EX-L and the Sport today. This is a mostly positive comparison except for the next and last paragraph.


Looks

I like the look of the car. The radiant red really surprised me but the other colors are fine. The blue wasn't nearly as nice as the pictures. The car looks much better in real life too The interior colors are fine but I'd prefer the black with a close second being Ivory.

Driving

Both cars drive well, in fact, they are really easy to drive. Smooth! There is plenty of power and there wouldn't be any problems merging into traffic. One person mentioned that the Sport didn't stay centered. My impression was that it was OK. The EX-L definitely wanted to go straight more than the Sport and it was easier to drive but I'd never had thought twice if not for the post about it.

Noise

I compared my CX-5 to the other two. I won't give db levels because the meter doesn't make any sense compared to other readings I've seen. Essentially, my CX-5 and the Sport tied while the EX-L was about 1.5 db quieter. The meter readings were kind of off-kilter, especially on the CX-5, which ranged from 40 to 105 db (like I said, wrong). The EX-L was 100% the quieter of the three on a subjective basis but it wasn't Rolls Royce like. These are not quiet cars but I'm not sure I'd call them loud either.

Miscellaneous

The radio is much better on the EX-L but the Sport is much better than my CX-5. The trunk is huge. Visibility is fine. Everything is easy to reach and pretty well laid out. I looked at the HUD in the Touring, it was effectively invisible. It was there but we probably didn't have it set up right.

Seating (The problem)

This is where things went sideways. I couldn't get comfortable in the EX-L. I had to lower the seat way down or I'd hit roof handle. At the same time I had to raise the steering wheel so I could see the instrument cluster. But, being that low I had no place to rest my arm. And, I couldn't get the damn lumbar comfortable. I got out of the car with my back hurting. And, naturally the sales guys pushed me hard on the EX-L. They didn't even want to talk about the Sport. This is where I got pissed.

I had no problems with the sport although I drove it with the steering wheel pretty low and couldn't see the instrument cluster (test drive dumbness).

Conclusion

I don't know. I was set on a EX-L but if you can't fit, you can't fit. The Sport had a lot more head room, was much more comfortable to sit in but a EX or EX-L has some stuff that I kind of wanted like BSM, better MPG, quieter, walk away key, etc. Thing is, none of those are deal breakers but I definitely wasn't planning on a Sport.

 

[14v6]

Sounds like a victim of the sunroof. How tall are you?

 

[motodan]

Yes, how big (H&W) are you...hitting that handle and not being able to rest your arm...especially with seat all the way down? At six foot, with seat all the way down, it feels like being in a hole...plenty of adjustment up. HUD has quite an adjustment to it, apparently didn't have it set correctly. Yes steering wheel can be adjusted down enough to block upper part of gauge, but can be set inches higher if necessary.

Do it again, but get help to properly set it up before taking off. Good luck.

 

[Kamdog]

If you were wearing polarized sunglasses, seeing the HUD is difficult.

 

[RickBlaine]

If you were wearing polarized sunglasses, seeing the HUD is difficult.

When in DC, you can't miss it....it's HUGE!

 

[deadduck]

I'm not that tall, 6', but I have a long torso. It's often, not always, been a problem with cars that had glass topside. For instance, I got tossed a Dodge Stratus (no height adjustment) from the car pool one day and head planted in the roof. My boss and I got in an argument about it because he can fit. The only people who believe me are people who also have this problem at my height so I won't argue it. I've had one salesman who really got it and he was a guy who was bigger than me, not necessarily really tall but big like me. He saw it right away.

I do agree that ALL THE WAY DOWN there was enough head room in the EX-L.

How many times, really, do you get a car salesman who makes sure the car is really right for you? About the only time they would do something like that would be if your head was sticking 2' through the roof or they're worried about your ability to pay for the car. The sales process is, at best, 10% about you, and 90% about them making a sale. And I think that's what really bothered me about this. Two 10 minute test drives and they're putting a credit app in front of my face because "hey, gotta do the car sales process on me".

I didn't have sunglasses on with the HUD, it was likely not configured correctly.

 

[motodan]

When in DC, you can't miss it....it's HUGE!

Sure...when it's adjusted all the way up like that!!!!:laugh

 

[deadduck]

So, I drove a couple of cars today: Touring at a different dealership and a Optima Hybrid.

The Optima was pretty bland. Functional but bland. I had some difficulty with the headroom but it was perfectly livable with some adjustment. But, it was bland, I was expecting better from what I'd read, although I wasn't in top-end loaded trim. Sales was no-pressure too which made it a lot better experience. I'd call it a perfectly serviceable car and since I could probably get it for $20K, what really should I be expecting. I'd still take a Sport over it though, although so far it was the quietest car I drove.

The Touring was a completely different animal. This time I got a no-pressure old-timey sales guy (he used to sell cars at an old dealership in my home town). For all I know he sold a car to my father at some point. We spent 15 minutes getting me comfortable. I do have to take the seat all the way down, and there's only an inch of room, but with a bit of adjustment it's pretty damn OK. The HUD works with polarized sunglasses and it's huge. I tested it with the nav, it popped the directions up on the HUD and it was really easy to use. I was impressed because I kind of saw it as a gimmick and now I can see it being useful. They let me drive it for about 30 minutes so I was able to take it on some of the roads I normally drive, which can be noisy, and this is where the problems started.

There was some wind noise on the right side, near the passenger window. We got it diminished but it was still there. This is a windy area but I don't think it was due to wind, it was something with the car. Also, no way is this a quiet car. It's comfortable, it's smooth, it's easy to drive, I really like it, but quiet it's not. In it's defense, I'm not sure a Rolls would be quiet on those roads but it's in the same class as my CX-5 which no one considers a quiet car (the new one's are but not my year).

I probably need to take a EX or EX-L on the same drive.

Anyways, it's remarkable how better things can be when you aren't dealing with asshats trying to slam you into a car.

 

[deadduck]

Sure...when it's adjusted all the way up like that!!!!:laugh

I wasn't even sure that was still open. I figured Trump would have it staffed with good old Doctor Ben and 3 heretofore unknown children from a Russian marriage, and no one else by now.