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Honda Accord vs Mazda6 vs Toyota Camry TRD Drag Race - Sedans Gone Mad

After dominating the market for years on end, the sedans have lost a lot of ground lately to the seemingly unstoppable growth of the SUV segment. Still, any self-respecting brand needs to offer a decent compact-sized sedan if it wants to remain relevant, and Honda, Mazda, and Toyota all like to think of themselves as respectable.
Honda Accord vs. Mazda6 vs. Toyota Camry TRD drag race 9 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Honda Accord vs. Mazda6 vs. Toyota Camry TRD drag raceHonda Accord vs. Mazda6 vs. Toyota Camry TRD drag raceHonda Accord vs. Mazda6 vs. Toyota Camry TRD drag raceHonda Accord vs. Mazda6 vs. Toyota Camry TRD drag raceHonda Accord vs. Mazda6 vs. Toyota Camry TRD drag raceHonda Accord vs. Mazda6 vs. Toyota Camry TRD drag raceHonda Accord vs. Mazda6 vs. Toyota Camry TRD drag raceHonda Accord vs. Mazda6 vs. Toyota Camry TRD drag race
Looking at the three models lined up for this drag race, we can see no reason to disagree. They're all so very similar in the practicality and the value for money they offer, and yet sufficiently different in their personalities to make choosing between them quite a challenge.

Their powertrains aren't too much alike either. Two have four-cylinder engines, but their displacements are different: 2.0-liter for the Accord, 2.5-liter for the Mazda6. The Toyota, on the other hand, gets a huge (by comparison) 3.5-liter V6, which surely means there's no point in racing the three, right? Actually, no, but more on that later.

The other major differentiator is the way these engines go about procuring their air. While the Toyota sucks it out of the atmosphere using the power of its lungs alone, both the Honda and the Mazda6 goes a bit European by relying on respirators to increase the flow of oxygen. That's one (complicated) way of saying the first is naturally aspirated, while the other two are turbocharged.

So, what does all this mean for their power outputs? From start to bottom, the Camry TRD gets 301 hp out of its atmospheric V6 engine, the Accord squeezes a decent 255 hp with help from the blower, and the Mazda6 has to make do with just 227 hp. The order is completely reversed as far as torque is concerned: 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) for the 6, 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) for the Accord, and 262 lb-ft (367 Nm) for the Camry.

All three sedans are front-wheel-drive and use automatic transmissions, though things aren't exactly even in this department either. No two cars share the same number of gears, with the Honda sporting no fewer than ten, the Toyota eight, and the Mazda shifting through just six.

Given the very high number of variables, it's really difficult to predict which way this will go. The Toyota holds the horsepower advantage, but the Mazda has a ton more maximum torque, while the Honda can access its twist power earlier on (from 1,500 rpm) thanks to its turbo.

Then there's the whole transmission situation: with ten gears to choose from, the gearbox on the Accord can make sure it keeps the engine in its optimal powerband for longer, something the six-speed Mazda might struggle with. But we're wasting our breath here: the Camry TRD gets red seat belts, so the race is won before even turning a wheel.

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Editor's note: This story originally claimed the Mazda6 used a naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter engine, when in fact it's a 2.5-liter turbocharged one, and has been redacted accordingly

About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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