Mack's monthly vehicle review: Overwhelming amount of choice in the mid-sized sedan market

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Published on Thursday, October 18, 2012

By: Neils Mack

myWestman.ca

What’s out there if you’re after a midsized sedan? It’s one of the most popular car segments, so there’s an overwhelming amount of choice. Most car companies have done a stellar job putting some of their best products in an affordable price range – others not so much.

Let’s run through what’s available to us, we’ll start with the newest model; the Honda Accord. It had been around in some form since the 1970s and currently is in its ninth generation. This new Accord looks very similar to the old one, so it has been an evolutionary redesign rather than a revolutionary one.

However, Honda hasn’t been as lazy with the mechanical upgrades or when it comes down to the little details. The base-four cylinder engine now has direct injection and what Honda calls ‘Earth Dreams’ technology. They don’t bother explaining what that means – but it does have it. The new 2.4 litre inline-four churns out 185 hp and returns a respectable 5.5 L/100 km highway and 7.4 L/100 km city fuel economy figures.

If you’re after a little more gusto from your Accord, they’ll still sell you a V6 version that produces 278 hp. Power is fed only to the front wheels however so in our icy winters, you may end up spinning a lot of those ponies away.

One may not be very taken by the Accord initially, but with all the little detail updates like LED accented HID headlights and a dashboard worthy of being fitted into a premium car, it’s definitely worth a look.
Another newly upgraded car available to us is the Chevrolet Malibu, made here in North America.

While it’s not as sharp looking as it’s smaller sibling, the Cruze, the new Malibu is packing two great engine options. The base engine is a 2.5 litre four cylinder that puts out 197 hp. The second option is a 2.0 litre turbocharged mill that makes a V6 like 259 hp.

Fuel economy is 5.3 L/100 km highway and 8.1 L/100 km city for the base 2.5 litre engine.

The interior is simple but effective and offers a neat ambient lighting feature that makes you feel like you’re in a lounge.  

The Malibu has the highest base price – but starting at $24,995 – it’s not exactly going to break the bank.

The next car on my list, the Volkswagen Passat, does something very uncharacteristic of it’s brand – it does a careless job.  It’s a German car, from the land where the automobile was born. A land where I imagine no one laughs and things are always done well and on time.  This isn’t the case with the new Passat however, it has a simple, elegant body that will age in a timeless fashion – a good mark there for VW.

However, it’s under the hood where things start to go wrong. The base engine is a 2.5 litre inline five cylinder that wheezes out only 170 hp. The next engine is a 3.6 litre VR6 that produces 280 hp – this is a lot more respectable but for this generation of Passat, Volkswagen has taken away the option of an AWD sedan. This AWD system was essentially the Audi quattro system.

For Volkswagen-low prices, customers used to be able to get a 280 hp quattro sedan. Not anymore, 280 hp fed through only the front tires is useless in the winter and for the drop in fuel economy, not worth it any time else.

Volkswagen do offer the only diesel in this segment though – a 2.0 litre turbo diesel that returns fuel economy figures of 4.4 L/100km hwy and 6.8 L/100 km city. This, you may be thinking is incredible and it is! This gives the Passat a projected range of 1,590 km on the highway – pull out a map and see where that gets you. You’ll be surprised to find that after passing Banff National Park, the fuel tank still hasn’t hit empty! Except there is an issue here.

This diesel has been pulled right out of the little Jetta sedan, which is light as a feather compared to the bigger Passat. The little diesel mill makes only 140 hp. This isn’t much more power than what you get in a basic Mini Cooper. So while it might (just maybe) be able to move the Passat along at highway speeds you best pray for flat grounds and no traffic that needs to be passed.

The engine department at Volkswagen better wake up from their slumber and bring us a new little turbocharged gas engine and a diesel with a little more ‘umph’.

South Korean companies KIA and Hyundai have brought two sedans to this market: the Optima and Sonota. Since mechanically, they are very similar I will start there. Available with my favourite base engine to be offered in this class, a 2.4 litre direct injected 200 hp four cylinder.

These engines make 30 more hp than the base VW engine with one less cylinder and 0.1 litre less displacement. And folks, it only gets better from here.

The next available engine is a 2.0 litre turbo that makes 274 hp. Since the displacement is so small on this turbo engine, the fuel economy numbers don’t really change from one engine to the next.

The 2.4 litre gets 5.6 L/100 km hwy and 8.6 city and the 2.0 litre achieves 5.8 L/100 km hwy and 9.2 city.

However with no AWD option on either car, I’d opt for the base engine and save some money. All the extra power sounds great but that’s really asking a lot of the front wheels to handle, they’re already doing the steering and most of the braking.

The Hyundai Sonota has a curving stylish body that might not age as gracefully as some others in this class. The KIA Optima however, is one of the best looking cars in the line up and should remain that way for a long time.

The Hyundai and the KIA also have very different interiors. The interior of the Hyundai does reflect its higher asking price as it’s a modern and attractive set up. The gauges have a sporty look and the radio and climate controls are smartly lined up down the curving centre console. KIA has gone for a simpler look that is more centered around the driver – it’s functional but lacks the luxurious feel of some cars in this class.

The next car is a popular choice among many because it’s a sensible choice. You might even be a returning buyer. I’m talking about the Toyota Camry. There isn’t much about the Camry that was redesigned in 2011, that excites me. The interior is adequate and the engine options are sufficient to remain competitive in its class. It will ferry its owners from place to place for a thousand years, you’d never hear a peep out of it.

This might be the ideal car for someone who doesn’t care too much about what they drive and they just need something dependable in their lives. The Camry is just that, with a great fuel economy rating and low starting price, it makes for a practical car.

You might confuse this next car with an Aston Martin four-door based on its sexy new design. It isn’t though; it’s another Ford from Alan Mulally’s Ford world car plan. We call it the new Fusion and the Europeans call it the Mondeo. In North America, we can get our new Fusion with three engine options.

The base engine is even worse than Volkswagen’s five cylinder – it too is a 2.5 litre however, it’s a four cylinder not five. It puts out only 168 hp and when it’s compared to Ford’s other two options, it makes you wonder why they even included it at all. It’s the least powerful and not even the most efficient.

Let’s forget that mishap and move onto the more important motors: a 1.6 or a 2.0 litre Ecoboost with 179 and 237 hp respectively.

Available with all-wheel drive on either Ecoboost engine choice, the new Fusion is sensible for our winters and you’ll be doing your street a favour by parking it outside your house. It really is that good looking and it’s a look that won’t be dated after four years.

Base price is $25,399 and fuel economy for the 1.6 litre turbo is 5.5 L/100 km hwy and 8.4 L/100 km city. OK, the base price is actually $22,499 but that’s for the 2.5 litre model. Treat yourself to a few more luxuries and spring for the better package with the upgraded engine; you’re worth it.

We should be seeing the new Fusion any day now in Ford lots in Canada.

Last but certainly not least, is the Nissan Altima with a 182 hp base engine returning a 5.0 L/100 km fuel economy figure, which makes the Altima is a very good choice. Despite not offering AWD, I’m still a fan of the V6 option; it’s Nissan’s 3.5 litre VQ motor, one of the most reliable engines out there.

Nissan knows how to build a reliable and practical sedan that’s elegant looking without being too ‘showy’. You also get that feeling when driving a Nissan that someone really loved making this car; it’s got a soul and you can feel the passion put into it. Not surprising coming from the company that makes the GTR coupe and the Infiniti line up. Definitely worth a look and it starts at only $23,698.

With so much available to the consumer, I hope this little bit of insight helps to show you what’s out there and how they stack up.