Cars.com Compares Family Sedans

The midsize family sedan segment has plenty of heavy hitters, and if you’re in the market for one, there’s an overwhelming amount to consider. Cars.com can give you an assist, though, by directly comparing three of the heaviest of heavies: the Mazda6, the Honda Accord, and the sales behemoth Toyota Camry. Three of our experts face the three vehicles off against each other, feature-by-feature, to determine which one will give you the most bang for your buck and which is the best overall. Check out the full comparison and feel free to let us know your thoughts on one of the most popular segments in the U.S.

Cars.comparison: Family Sedans (Cars.com) 

Comments

i think u meant "Toyota Camry"?!

Although I would never buy one the Accord is more fun to drive than the Mazda6. I've previously driven both cars for several weeks (Accord was insurance loaner thru dealer, Mazda was rental) and can attest to the Mazda having a harsh ride and the engine isn't nearly as rev happy as the Accord. This test would have been more interesting if it included the Malibu.

In the last family sedans comparison the Chevy Malibu was ranked higher than the Camry, so why didn't it earn a spot in the new comparison?

I think this article is more about comparing the M6 to the heavy hitters rather than just the competition.

The Malibu merely midpack in sales and that's before you take away the 33% fleet sales. It's not even in the same league sales or success wise.

what i take away from this is that, for those who want good handling, Mazda6 is pretty clearly the leader. i'm glad Mazda did not mess with their formula too much. i still love my '04 MZ6 @ 78k, waiting for the next Mazdaspeed6!!! ;)

The Camry was put in because it was back in our fleet, is the sales leader and because having three imports with a newcomer made a lot of sense. The Malibu probably would have come in third if it had been Accord, Mazda6 and Malibu, but it might have won out on value.

I don't understand why the Camry sells so well. It is no longer far more reliable than the competition, it falls behind in midsized sedan tests, and there are better deals out there than it.

The new Mazda6 wasn't yet out when we did our car shopping last June, but the Accord has a far, far nice interior than the Camry. We bought the EX-L trim, and the Honda is miles ahead of the Camry. It's a much more fun and engaging car to drive. No contest - Accord was the big winner for us. I don't think Mazda has the reliability ratings of Honda or Toyota, and that is a big factor for us. We want to drive the car, not bring it back to the dealer time and time again.

I currently own a 05 Camry 4 cylinder. I love this car. True it is not the sportiest car out there but it’s comfortable, quiet and reliable. I have over 50k miles on the car and it drives like it did when I brought it off the lot. The only things I have replaced on the car so far are tires and the oil& filters of course. Everything has held up well. No complaints. Recently I went to the dealership to look at the 09 Camry. I got to tell you, while the interior and exterior design looks better to me than the last generation the overall interior materials seemed a step down in quality. In test driving the Camry the transmission didn’t seem to shift as smoothly as my 05’s does. There seemed to be a bit of hesitation when the press the accelerator. Also a friend of mine who brought a 08 Camry SE while he likes the car he is not impressed with the mpg. He can’t seem to get the 31 promised (no matter how easy he is on the throttle). Since the late 80’s until now I only owned Camry’s. When I needed a car the Camry was a shoe end. Up until now I have not been disappointed. In the past I didn’t venture outside of the Brand. After driving the 09 Camry and seeing all of the reviews of Camry as well as reviews such as this one where the Camry is being pitted up against the Competition I decided to look around a bit and do some research before going to buy another Camry. Don’t get me wrong the 09 Camry is a good car. I just think the Competition has caught up while Camry was found napping a bit.
I went to Honda dealership and test drove the 09 Accord. This car is nice. The interior materials are top notch, the drive is sporty. For the size it drives smaller than it seems. I just don’t like the exterior styling at all. It’s a C&D favorite. Just not my favorite (exterior wise).
So far I haven’t driven the Mazda 6. I like the looks of the exterior and interior. I hear it’s a good car and I’ve seen a lot of them on the road. I will test drive one soon. This car seems promising.
For the first time in long time I will go to a GM dealership and test the new Malibu. I like the looks of it. I hear the interior quality is improved as well as the promised high mpg. I welcome any comments you may have on the Malibu. (Especially if you own one)
I heard the 2010 Camry has been refreshed with subtle front and rear treatments as well as a 6 speed automatic. Hopefully Toyota has given attention to the interior as well.