At least to me. But I’ll bet many of you are surprised too. Cars.com, USA Today, and Motor Week ran their periodic test of midsize sedans under $27,000. This year, all had a 4 cylinder engine. The results seem biblical: the last are first and the first last. Here is the order, from best to worst:
- Hyundai Sonata
- Subaru Legacy
- VW Passat
- Mazda 6
- Chevy Malibu
- Ford Fusion
- Dodge 200
- Honda Accord
- Nissan Altima
- Toyota Camry
All are 2015 models, and of course top trim levels are typically not that cheap. James R Healy, long time car tester for USA Today, participated and recently reviewed a Camry XSE with the V6. He liked that car very much, but said that his tester had a MSRP of about $38,000. He also did not like the under $27,000 Camry SE, saying it was slow, handled poorly, and had a cheap interior. Apparently, the other reviewers agreed with him. That was the biggest surprise for me, along with the low rating for the Accord. Toyota redesigned the Camry for 2015 and apparently didn’t do well enough to place above last.
For me, if I want a midsize sedan when I buy a new car, I’m going to look at and drive the Sonata, Legacy, Passat, and Mazda6. I may not want any of them, but a test like this piques my interest in cars I wouldn’t normally test drive. What do you think?