My wife is 5' 2" and she can find a comfortable position to drive it. I'm 6' and 235 lbs and of course, fit fine. The only issue is that TCH does not have preset seat positions so you have to manually adjust it each time you switch drivers. It seems to take forever for me to go from my wife's position to mine (but in reality, a few seconds...) so I'd imagine it'd take even longer for you...

TCH not a "sporty" vehicle, but it has some zip if you really press it. Suspension is on the soft side, too. But steering seems better than average and while it is soft overall, it is by no means floaty like prior generation Lincolns and such.

 

Hi Johnny - whereabouts in NM are you? I have family in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, and I was born in Las Cruces.

At first glance, it does sound like the TCH is a bit big for you. One thing I found out this winter - I'm 5'4" and I have a heck of a time scraping the snow off the front windshield. The car stands tall. So I imagine your 5'2" wife would have even more trouble.

Other than that, I really love it. It's roomy and has more power than my 4-cylinder Subaru Outback. So it's a good compromise between power/comfort and fuel economy, IMO.

 

If you want a performance car, get the accord.

If you want a luxury car, get the Camry.

If you want a blend of both, wait to see what the Nissan will be like.

IMPO, the Camry is NOT a sports car. It will not be happy zipping around town sliding around corners. The tires are narrow, and if you have too much spped going into a turn, they will complain. I like performance cars, and we are considering a muscle car in the near future. I also like the technology, luxury, and economy of the Camry. But, I don't expect the Camry to drive like a sports car, nor would I want to try to drive it that way. I am looking to get the most economy out of it, so I won't drive it that way.

The Camry does have very good acceleration for a car of it's size.
The Camry can turn at decent speeds.
The Camry has excelent brakes.

Now you have to decide what you want, performance, economy, or a blend of the two (compromising both in the process).

 

I am from Albuquerque, and fortuneately we park both vehicles in a garage so the likelihood of scraping ice is pretty low.

No problems on the seat adjustment time. I have been used to that for 20+ years. I consider that time my daily moment of Zen . The only time that is an issue is when I am reparking the car and decide to not adjust due to the time it takes and I drive it out of the garage to the street. I must look like one of those clowns at the circus driving the miniature car. LOL. Thankfully that doesn't happen much.

I am also starting to consider the Nissan Altima based on some advice from Forum members. I have been told that it is sportier than the TCH. I guess that I now have to start hitting the dealers for test drives.

The TCH is still an option and I like it's appearance. MUCH nicer then the HCH and even nicer than the Accord. I really love the look and handling of my 2003 Accord though. If I could make my current body style Accord into a high mileage hybrid, I would be in 7th heaven, but I am finding that picking a hybrid might require some comprimise. That is OK, but another member tipped me off to a new generation of "plug-in" hybrids that is 1-2 years off. I dont know if we can wait that long since my wife is pretty intent on making the move, and I really want a vehicle with much better fuel efficiency than my current Accord. I get pretty good mileage now, as much as 30 MPG on the freeway, but I would love the efficiency of the Camry or the Prius

Thanks again for the help folks. You are a nice group.

 

If you are considering Altima, this might be the tie-breaker. You will likely get the full amount of tax credit on Altima that you can no longer get on Camry. I think it'll be around $3000. Because tax credits are based on total number of hybrid vehicles sold by manufacturer, and reduced accordingly quarterly, Toyota's gonna be pretty much tapped out soon, if not already. Nissan, however, will not have that problem, although it is using Toyota's HSD technology.

 

Bad news,

Per Nissan's website, Altima Hybrid will be available in CA, CT, MA, ME, NJ, NY, RI and VT

 

Ah darn foiled again.


Guess that I am looking at the Camry and maybe the Accord. Why doesn't the Accord get better milage grrrr.

 

Marma, performance and economy are at different ends of the continuum. The TCH is in the middle, good economy with good handling. The Accord has a V6 and is focused on performance. I think the Accord is meant to give hot-footed drivers a clear conscience by allowing them to say they drive a hybrid!

 

Well my 03 Accord is 4 cylinder and has good pickup. I dont think that I need 6 cylinders, but I do like the cornering and braking performance of the Accord. From what I have been reading the Camry rides softer.

 

We tested 5 cars - Passat, S40, Legacy, Accord and Camry. The Camry is the "softest" and the Accord was next softest. If you want tightness and control get a European car. They are much tighter than your Accord.