Kia Optima
Base price: $21,995; as-tested price: $24,195
The Kia Optima may be the winning car of this group, but overall at this year’s TestFest, the South Korean currency was the big winner. Every category in which a South Korean product was entered, a South Korean car scored a victory, with one exception: the Hyundai Genesis R-Spec, which was optimistically entered into the Performance Above $50,000 group of track stars, instead of the Luxury car group, where it more naturally fit.
Yes, this strong South Korean award haul shows how far the Hyundai group – which owns Kia – has improved its design and engineering the last few years. But it also underscores the advantage it has had with a relatively undervalued currency, compared to the Japanese yen and euro especially, even though the latest Optima is now built in West Point, Ga. This has allowed Kia to pack in a bevy of advanced features in a mid-size sedan at loaded-compact-car pricing, and notably under its main rivals here, the Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Passat, both of which are also built in the United States.
Yet while its value and handling scores rated highly, it was the Kia Optima’s standout styling that made it a winner here. This was the only area in which the Optima scored head and shoulders above the rest of this well-matched group. The majority of its scores were in the top two or three, allowing its overall consistency to combine with its svelte looks to create a winner.
On my scorecard, all were very close, but the Kia ended up second last. I placed a lot of value on having the extra practicality of a third row in this family car group. The results suggest this was much less of a priority for most voters.
Volkswagen Passat TDI
Base price: $28,875; as-tested: $28,875
This is the grandpa of the group: the staunch conservative, dressed in a crisply but traditionally made up suit (body) that neither excites nor repels. It finished second to the Kia in AJAC voting, its diesel engine generating great fuel economy numbers, the best in the group by far, and it offers huge room in the back seat and trunk.
Toyota Camry
Base price: $23,700; as-tested: $29,390
The third-place Toyota Camry was the best-looking of the group, helped by the optional sport package’s spoiler, 18-inch wheels and side skirts, as well as the most advanced interior, with the ability to read e-mails and texts to you. But a mid-size family sedan that doesn’t allow the rear seats to be folded? Even on a sporty Camry such as this SE model, that seems surprisingly impractical.
Mazda5
Base price: $21,795; as-tested: $23,840
If practicality is key in any family vehicle, and traditionally it has been, then the three-row Mazda5 and Chevrolet Orlando should have an inherent advantage, thanks to their third row of seats. Instead, they finish fourth and fifth, respectively, even with the six-seater Mazda5’s mall-friendly sliding side door, dynamic confidence and lowest as-tested price of the group. It’s not as refined as some others, but my pick of the group.
Chevrolet Orlando
Base price: $22,295; as-tested: $24,815
Based on the same platform as the Cruze, the seven-seat Orlando seems much more practical, but much more cheaply made inside. The stereo face neatly flips up to reveal a storage bin and iPod and USB inputs. There’s not much room behind the rear-most seats if all are up, but fold those down, and you have a massive cargo area. It’s basic but practical transportation, and not available in the United States.
Chrysler 200
Base price: $19,995; as-tested: $28,235
The 200 has received an amazing rebirth in 2012 from its prior Sebring era. Not only is the interior new and impressive, it has added the new 3.6-litre Pentastar engine that makes this the muscle car of this group. It almost feels like a shrunken 300, with lots of power and even more options, giving it a touch of class on a budget feel. But its lower scores in most categories relegated it to the back of the pack in this formidable group.
