Mid-size sedans are the bread-and-butter cars in Canada; they account for one in every four passenger cars sold — and they have never been better, or a better deal.
The six contenders in our comparison have sticker prices in the low-$20,000s, yet deals and incentives in some cases are worth $3,000 or more — lowering the real price into the high-teens. Despite these incentives, Automotive Lease Guide says the six sedans will hold on average nearly 40 per cent of their original value.
So the cars are both affordable and represent good value.
They all boast high quality levels, too. Five of the six are "recommended" by Consumer Reports while the sixth, the Mazda6, is new for 2009, so has no recommendation, yet. But the previous version of the Mazda6 was recommended, so the newest Mazda6 is likely to fare well with CR, too.
And they are safe. Every car here, save the 2009 Honda Accord, has a double five-star crash test rating from the U.S. government's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
This means both driver and passenger are likely to walk away from a frontal crash with minimal injuries, and front and rear passengers should feel reasonably safe in a side impact, too. The Accord, the exception here, has five stars all around except for side impacts at the rear.
All six are available with V-6 engines, but in Canada most mid-size sedan buyers go for the four-cylinder. Four-bangers are less expensive to buy and, thanks to better fuel efficiency, less expensive to operate.
The four-cylinders here are certainly strong enough. The Accord's four is rated at a best-of-the bunch 177 horsepower, with the Toyota Camry, Canada's best-selling mid-size car, at 158 hp. The 170-hp Mazda6 is the least fuel-efficient, while the 175-hp Altima is the most.
Buyers in this segment also concern themselves with resale value. For those who lease, cars with strong residuals have lower monthly payments and those who buy outright want a car that does not depreciate too fast. The Camry offers the best resale value of the bunch, holding 45 per cent of its original value after four years, according to Automotive Lease Guide.
The most newly renovated of the six is the Mazda6 and it was named Best New Family Car ($22,000-$30,000) for 2009 by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. But none of the other five is a car anyone would call an "old design."
These are all modern, well-conceived and well-executed four-door designs.
And they are all more or less pleasant to drive, too. The sportiest of the bunch arguably is the Altima, with its standard six-speed manual transmission. This is a firm, responsive car that does double duty as a family chore-mobile or a useful company car. There is also a hybrid version, though it costs thousands more than the base car.
Toyota also sells a full gasoline-electric hybrid version of the Camry. That is, both the Camry and Altima hybrids are capable of running on gasoline, electric battery power or some combination of both.
Chevrolet's Malibu Hybrid is a mild hybrid that uses electric power assist and a stop-start feature to improve fuel economy and performance, while reducing emissions.
The most daring design is the Mazda6. This is a racy, aggressive look — the absolute antithesis of the old Mazda6, which was as bland and boring and uninspired as any four-door car sold this decade.
Meanwhile, Hyundai's Sonata recently received a notable "facelift" that primarily focused on improving the interior. It succeeded in making the Sonata's cabin better- and richer-looking.
The Sonata has the lowest price of the bunch, but this Hyundai also will have a lower resale value in four years.
As for the Honda Accord, it boasts the second-highest resale value, but the very highest sticker price. Honda is also the most reluctant auto maker of this bunch to offer big, generous incentives designed to move the metal.
The Accord is a big, comfortable sedan with very good road manners, but given the times and the competition, it seems a bit pricey when all the sales sweeteners offered today are factored into the equation.
So in the end, which is best? The Altima's combination of style, handling, fuel economy, price (including incentives) and resale value won us over.
The Malibu came in a close second, largely on the strength of its interior design and overall affordability.
The Mazda6 came in third. Its smart exterior design and overall drivability both stand out. The Sonata is a killer bargain and, because of its quality, it may be the best value for buyers who plan to hold on to the car for eight years or more — past the point when resale value matters any longer.
The Accord is a big, easy-to-drive sedan that is unlikely to ever give its owner any trouble, but it came in fifth. It seems just a bit expensive in the current tight economic climate. Also, a three-star side-impact score jumps out in a field of five stars.
The Camry is a good, reliable, comfortable sedan and Toyota is a very strong brand. But the handling is mediocre and the cabin is a bit dull.
Nonetheless, the Camry is unlikely to every cause problems and its resale value is stunningly good — a tribute to what the marketplace thinks of both Toyota and the Camry.
Honestly, these are all very, very solid cars; the raw data supports that entirely.
For the serious buyer, a good dealer may prove to be the final deciding factor between one choice or the next. These cars are all that good and that close together in so many ways.
