Which family sedan offers the most, for the least
by Mike Schlee
Are mid-size sedans all the car most people need? Some would argue yes. Unless your family exceeds five people, the majority of driving endeavors can be accomplished with one of these family sedans.
Some may want a larger vehicle, or a sportier one, but from a purely practical standpoint, a mid-size sedan has you covered. Need to haul more people or larger items? A local rent-a-car counter will gladly lend out a minivan or a pickup truck for a small fee; much smaller than the penalty of buying (and fueling) one of these large vehicles that are called upon on a handful of times.
Spacious, efficient and practical, mid-size sedans are designed for mass appeal and consumers are responding. After full-size pickup trucks, the four bestselling vehicles in America are mid-size sedans. This is why every mainstream manufacturer spends a lot of time and effort attempting to create an appealing car for the segment. And the work shows as it is hard to label any mid-size sedan on sale today as a ‘poor’; in fact, the majority are great. That said, is it possible for a new offering to stand apart from the crowd?
Mazda would like to think so. Recently engrossed in a #GameChanger hashtag party, Mazda believes its new 2014 Mazda6 will revolutionize the mid-size segment. The automotive press has been gushing over this all-new vehicle since it arrived earlier this year, and AutoGuide is just another guilty party.
AND THE CONTENDERS ARE
The only way to see if the Mazda6 is the real deal or just a pretender to the throne is with a comparison test; a massive one. We sent invites out to every manufacturer to provide us with a fully loaded, four-cylinder mid-size sedan. Two manufactures, Dodge and Chevrolet, declined our offer as no suitable vehicle were available at the time and the Ford Fusion was a last minute withdraw thanks to an untimely recall. Eight manufactures did show up though and an epic shootout amongst the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Mazda6, Nissan Altima, Subaru Legacy, Volkswagen Passat and, of course, the Toyota Camry was all set.