The $25,000 Family Sedan Shootout

[Motor]

The $25,000 Family Sedan Shootout (http://www.cars.com/go/crp/buyingGuides/Story.jsp?referer=&year=New&section=Passenger&story=bestFamilysedan&subject=stories&referer=&year=New&aff=national)
No. 1 2011 Hyundai Sonata; 794 points
Pros: "Standout" styling moved Newman, while Robinson liked its "very modern styling" and Healey enjoyed its "upscale look and feel." But it's more than just a pretty face, as Thomas said: "Value, value, value. $22,745 for navigation and all the other goodies in such an attractive wrapper. None of the competitors came close."

Cons: While the value proposition was good, the handling faltered. "On curvy roads, even the Camry out-handles it," Mays said. For dad Ben, the sporty look "didn't pay off." For Healey, the looks didn't offer enough: "I was expecting to be impressed with this car, and I was, but maybe not as much as I was expecting."

No. 2 2010 Toyota Camry; 752 points

No. 3 2010 Suzuki Kizashi; 731 points

No. 4 2010 Mazda6; 724 points

No. 5 2010 Honda Accord; 723 points

No. 6 2010 Nissan Altima; 711 points

No. 7 2010 Chevrolet Malibu; 697 points

No. 8 2010 Ford Fusion; 669 points
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Just click on the source to read the whole thing.

I was a bit surprised to see the Accord, Altima and 6 ranked so low, and the Kizashi so high. I think I might have to take the Kizashi for a test drive.

Your thoughts?

[Sty09]

That article was insipid and unstimulating.

[Gas-n-Grease]

wow, didn't think the Kizashi was that good, although I've yet to drive it. also surprised the fusion was ranked so low.

[Sty09]

^ Roaf isn't going to be too happy.

[GSBoek]

Do people actively hate the US nameplates or are they really not up to par?

[Entranced]

they really aren't up to par... and more and more people are realizing this and buying the Japanese cars for their reliability, gas mileage, and interior styling. although, there are some that think their chevy malibu is the best car ever... just like the Jeep Cherokee. no matter how often it breaks, the owners adore them. iddiots...

[Blue Bomber]

Surprised they complained about the 6's handling. The 1st gen felt like a 4 door Celica. Also weird that the 6 and Fusion were so far apart, considering they're the same platform. Guess Ford's build quality sticks out like a sore thumb.

[GSBoek]

Or maybe Ford just calibrates theirs differently. Sometimes little things can make a lot of difference. I was expecting to see it at least 6th though with the Altima and Malibu moving down a position.

[marc]

I zoned out halfway through the first page.

[roaf85]

Surprised they complained about the 6's handling. The 1st gen felt like a 4 door Celica. Also weird that the 6 and Fusion were so far apart, considering they're the same platform. Guess Ford's build quality sticks out like a sore thumb.

Not really. The new Mazda 6 is built on a different platform than the older Mazda 6s. The current Fusion and mine (2009) still sit on that platform. The Fusion platform is actually better than the older Mazda 6. The interior maybe not as much, but it has more options. It is longer as well, but more rigid. With the SAP package I can promise you that a Fusion would outhandle an older 6. Now a Mazdaspeed 6. Different story.

Now the 2010 Fusion blows away the current Mazda in interior quality. Have not been in the Suzuki or Sonata, but I would probably put Honda or Toyota with the best interior fit and finish.

[roaf85]

^ Roaf isn't going to be too happy.

You have to remember this is Cars.com. They actively sell and connect buyers with sellers.

So with that being said maybe Ford does not need anything to help them sell the Fusion or maybe they are generating enough press by using social media outlets like Facebook etc, while Toyota dealers etc are throwing tons of Toyotas on Cars.com etc.

What I am saying is I believe this is a bull**** test. There is no real auto journalist that would rate the Suzuki that high. That should have been your first indicator.

[MOV3Z]

I like the look of the new maximas, i'm guessing those are probably over that price range though.

[marc]

roaf has a good point - I don't trust any reviews from any source that accepts advertising dollars

which means I only trust consumer reports and thetruthaboutcars

[roaf85]

roaf has a good point - I don't trust any reviews from any source that accepts advertising dollars

which means I only trust consumer reports and thetruthaboutcars

Well it is stupid to let some family be the deciding factor. People are so easily swayed when buying a car.

For example I know plenty of people including many people on this forum that would not consider buying a Fusion I4 even though it rides on a Mazda platform. I know plenty of people who call the a Chevy Cobalt **** and then turn around a buy a Pontiac G5.

This brings up a good point. I have a girlfriend that is shopping for cars. She went to a dealership and they basically told her what to buy or "hey we will cut you a deal"

She basically had no clue what she was shopping for like most people. I bet the same people in this video probably end up buying an Accord for reasons they do not even realize.

[Boosted2.0]

I don't know, my experience with rental cars tends to make me believe this ranking may have some validity to it.

And you might want to look at the recent sales numbers if you think Fords are flying off the lots and Camrys aren't....

[GSBoek]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0114856820100401

The Camry is still averaging almost 23K per month despite recalls. The Fusion is averaging 17K per month.

While the rest of the midsize segment did capitalize on the recalls, only the Accord was actually able to pass the Camry in sales.

[marc]

24.4% growth last month ($179/month Camry probably had something to do with that . . . )

http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/05/toyodabeforeafter.jpg

[celicajonz]

I zoned out halfway through the first page.

:chuckles:

[roaf85]

24.4% growth last month ($179/month Camry probably had something to do with that . . . )

http://images.thetruthaboutcars.com/2010/05/toyodabeforeafter.jpg

Yep it goes to show that the age old fact of incentives causes people to buy. Also the reason I am driving a Fusion instead of a Mazda 3 Speed.

[roaf85]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0114856820100401

The Camry is still averaging almost 23K per month despite recalls. The Fusion is averaging 17K per month.

While the rest of the midsize segment did capitalize on the recalls, only the Accord was actually able to pass the Camry in sales.

Toyota came back with a good incentive package. All the people willing to not spend last year would have been stupid to turn down a 179 month lease of a Camry. Still it screwed the buyers who bought last year, while me buying a Fusion which was one of the worst residual cars actually kept value for me due to Ford's strong turn around.

The Camry is a good car, as is the Fusion, the Altima, the Mazda 6. I have no brand loyalty.

Why do I not like Toyota though? Because they encourage a bubble similar to what a real estate agent does with the market. They are no more reliable than many other manufacturer and this recall is proving that. Toyota is doing the right move in bursting the bubble and offering awesome incentive packages.

http://wardsdealer.com/ar/auto_toyotas_bubble_bursts/

[GSBoek]

If they didn't do anything then the loss would have been bigger, so the incentives made business sense: why lose $3 when I can lose only $1 with buying incentives.

I personally think the recalls aren't proving anything reliability wise. The jury is still out on whether there is an actual problem with the electronics. That leaves the floormats and the few sticking throttles. Floormats have nothing to do with reliability and the sticking throttles that were actual cause of increased rpm are comparatively few.

While many carmakers have closed the gap at the same time that Toyota has lost some reliability (because of it's explosive growth), Toyotas still do have a slight edge in overall reliability. I'm fairly involved in the dealership scene here and I get briefed with regularity about how the different cars are doing.

[marc]

I still think Toyota builds a reliable tank.

When I talk about reliability I'm not worried about freak accidents like this. I'm worried about plastic, underengineered water pumps exploding, I'm worried about piston slap and rod bearing issues because they underengineered the motor, I'm worried about interior trim and fit and finish falling off after a couple of years, or the body rusting out after the rust warranty runs out.