Personal Picks--Family sedans

Trucks aside, these family sedans make up the lion’s share of the automotive market. With price and fuel economy on many buyers’ minds these days, a basic four-door car can fit the bill for many consumers. Often short on pizzazz but long on value, sedans fulfill what most people need for daily transportation.

This group included tests of both 4-cylinder and V6 versions of the Hyundai Sonata and Mazda6 as well as the 4-cylinder Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Malibu. We also took a look at two alternative-powered models: the diesel-powered Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. (See our recent family sedans road tests and videos.)

Here are our picks:

Tom Mutchler: I readily admit it: certain patterns emerge from my Personal Picks. Along with a fondness for the last-generation Nissan Murano and the Honda Odyssey, I like wagons and used cars. Those preferences are why I can’t just pick one car from this category.

Our VW Jetta TDI is a delightful car to drive. With a well-finished interior, enjoyable (if not quite sports sedan-level) handling, and strong crash test results, any Jetta is a pleasant car. Add the diesel and you get fantastic fuel economy with locomotive-like mid-range torque. Finally, wrap that all into the available wagon body style, and I’m downright smitten. Despite my experiences with VW reliability from my last VW (a Passat wagon), a Jetta TDI SportWagen would be high on my list if I were to buy a new car today. (Assuming I could even find one in stock; there were waiting lists when we bought ours.)

It isn’t hard to find my other pick from this group: a 2006 Honda Accord EX-L V6 sedan. That Accord is very reliable with modern levels of safety gear (including stability control) and a roomy, comfortable interior. (If I was feeling sporty, I’d get the stick shift.) A quick look at AutoTrader.com shows that I can find one for around $16,500 with about 30,000 miles on the clock. Given the economy, I wouldn’t mind the lower payments, and I’d have a great car.

Gabe Shenhar: I’ve been on record as someone who’d pick the Honda Accord since our posting on family sedans in February, 2008. None of the recently tested cars changes that. But if we’re talking about the specific cars we just tested, my pick is the Mazda6. It’s a really nice car. It drives well and looks great. It is one of the sportiest driving sedans in this class with agile handling, nice steering and a taut, supple ride. It’s sufficiently roomy inside, has good seats, and a tasteful interior. Either the four-cylinder or V6 versions have pleasant powertrains, although neither is a fuel economy champ. A bit of road noise and a few other details count against the 6 in terms of overall score in our testing, but sometimes a car is worth more than the sum of its parts. However, I understand not wanting to be part of the herd with a conventional family sedan. That said, I wouldn’t exclude a Volkswagen Jetta GLI or an Acura TSX from my list of nominees.

Rick Small: In this group, the Mazda6 fits my tall frame the best and has a sportier feel than many others. Fuel economy, however, could be better on both engines. The Hyundai Sonata has come a long way and now has a very nice interior and a quiet, comfortable ride. Sporty? Not at all. Both the four-cylinder and V6 Sonatas perform well and deliver competitive fuel economy -- and they come with one of the longest warranties around. The Chevrolet Malibu and Ford Fusion are also well balanced cars and fully competitive. Other cars in this class that I would buy are the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. Both are on the sporty side for this class and have plenty of room in the front and back seats. Both are reliable and both the four-cylinder and V6 engines in each are at the upper end for performance and economy. In fact, the four-cylinder Altima with the CVT is a standout for me because it manages to delivers competitive fuel economy and the performance of many V6s in this class.

Mike Quincy: There are lots of cars here to like, but only a few to love. I love the VW Jetta TDI. The 540-mile cruising range and 47 mpg on the highway make me giddy. The Jetta’s interior features high quality materials that fit together well. Combine all these traits with comfortable seats and satellite radio and I’m the happiest driver on the highway. But in double-checking the Jetta’s fuel economy facts, I came across outstanding numbers for the four-cylinder Sonata: 555-mile cruising range and 40 mpg on the highway. Wow. From a four-cylinder Hyundai? And with no hybrid system or diesel engine? Impressive, to say the least. Aside from that, though, there’s really nothing much more to love: handling is just OK, the styling doesn’t move me, and it’s simply not fun to drive. And while I find the V6 Mazda6 one of the more entertaining sedans available, for me, there is only one car that combines so much automotive goodness for about $24,000. That’s the Jetta TDI.

Comments

[William Paulson]

Well, I see you all like the Jetta TDI. Years ago I had an Audi and a VW and had major engine problems with both. So, although the Jetta TDI tests out very well, is it worth the risk of poor reliability with the high cost of parts & labor in German cars? Is VW getting any better, and if not, why not?

[david]

I have noticed that cars have gotten a lot bigger since the 1970s. If I were looking for a sedan, VW Jetta would be just the right size of cars for me. Think about it. I don't really need the back seat for hauling kids or anything, but it convenient to have four doors to put my work/gym gym in instead of reaching over in a coupe. Unfortunately, in this class, there isn't a lot of choices. My must criteria for a sedan...very good or excellent ratings in all performance categories, and in front seat comfort, ride, noise, and driving position. So, in this class of cars, my pick will be the VW Jetta.

[miguel]

I just purchased a 2009 honda accord ex for 32,300.00 out the door. was this a good deal and could i've done better. was there a better family sedan for the money i paid?

[TA]

miguel, that seems high. If you price it out through edmunds.com assuming you got the ex v6 with navi, you're looking at 28.5k. Not including a Honda to dealer incentive of 1,000. You probably should have been about 4k less than that, and I don't think you can make up that difference with options.
The car pricing kit on CR is excellent as well and has some details edmunds.com does not.
Sorry to possibly be the bearer of bad news.

[Gary]

Based on reliability data, I'm not so sure about the Jetta. Yes, it's got nice materials and it looks good and it's fun to drive. But what good is it if I have to keep taking it back to the shop. Just hearing horror stories about their cars going wrong by my VW owning friends, I think I'll stick to my Honda's/Toyota's.

[John]

I drove a Diesel VW Golf TDI in Italy for for 3 years, it ran like a bear and NEVER gave me
a problem. Too bad it took so long for the US to except the low sulfur Diesel, we didn't
know what we were missing. Even driving in the Alps I so enjoyed that car, the low end
was so strong it never felt weak, all the while getting excellent MPG's. I'll take a new Diesel
over a Hybrid any day, rented a Prius and couldn't stand how poorly it drove, it's all about
getting high MPG's, I want a drivers car not something so vanilla you can taste it.
I look forward to test driving the audi 3.0 TDI soon! Thanks for the reviews!

[Chris]

I own a 4 cyl. Sonata and love it. The gas is great around town let alone on the highway. I have driven a Camry and a friend has a Malibu. The Camry is way nicer than the crapy Malibu. I like my Sonata better than the Camry though. The Camry is a nice car, but for the money you get so much more with the Sonata. As for reliability the Sonata is great. I do not drive very much, but for a three year old car with 20,000 miles it is a great car. Hyundai has come a long way and I will continue to be a repeat buyer. There are some people out there who would not consider Hyundai, but that is their choice. I do not believe by speding more on other "Asian" brands that you are getting anything better. Granted that Hyundai has come a long way and will have further to go to catch up to Honda and Toyota for their reliability record, but as each year comes and goes Hyundai is getting closer and closer. One day I think that they be be ahead. If you have never test driven a Sonata or any Hyundai do so and you may be suprised.

[chris]

Why was there not more american cars tested? The Fords have been kicking butt in just about all the auto tests. Does no one realize part of our economic downfall is that no one is buying American vehicles? Vehicles that are made by our neighbors, friends, family! Not just "assembled" in the USA, actually stamped and put together here in the US. We are about to have thousands of OUR OWN people on the streets without jobs, and you are still promoting a foreign product. A product that in general is no better than any other despite any hype. I work in the auto industry, have seen and worked on every make and model there is. The foreign product is no more superior than ours. Its time to get real people! Go ahead, keep buying the foreign product, and watch what happens when OUR workers dont have jobs! If you think the foreign auto makers are going to bring all their work here you are sorely mistaken. You need to realize even if they assemble their vehicles here, the profits DO NOT stay here! The more profits we send else where, the more our country hurts! THINK ABOUT IT!

[Jeff Bartlett]

Chris - Each test focuses on new models -- both new to market and new to our testing program. We have tested many current domestic-brand models, including the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, and Chrysler Sebring. The results can be found through ratings charts, model pages (access from the pulldown menus in the Cars section of ConsumerReports.org), and by performing a Search.

[Norman]

I subscribed to CR since 1980, but stopped it in 2008. One of
the reasons was the poor writeups about VW diesels. Seem like CR
copy tests rather than doing their own. I own a 2002 jetta TDI
(5 sp manual). I record my mileage and gallons of diesel each time I fill up. My mpg is never under 42 mpg and usually 47 or
higher. I even achived 55mpg a few times. I have no idea where
CR get average of 33mpg!!. The car has 130000 miles on it and
the only trouble I had are glowplugs which were easy to replace.
Fun car to drive with a lot of torque. A relative own a 2003 with
110000 miles and have only great thing to say about car.
Resale value is high. Who need a hybrid at $4000 premium when
a VW TDI can be bought for $2000 more than gasoline version, but
depriciate much slower! CR do your homework.

[Jeff Bartlett - Consumer Reports]

Norman - Consumer Reports recorded 47 mpg highway with the current Jetta TDI, 33 overall. Owner mileage may vary, though our methodology for testing car to car does not, enabling accurate comparisons.

I think you'll find that with every car, we put more time, expertise, and investment in conducting our reviews and research than any other information source.

For example, learn how we test for fuel economy:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/how-we-test/fuel-economy/fuel-economy.htm

Also, learn more about the Jetta at:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/models/new/volkswagen/jetta/overview.htm