Family Cars: Reviews

Updated May 2009

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Best family car overall

2009 Honda Accord

*Est. $20,905 to $28,955 Compare Prices

For most families, reviewers say the Honda Accord strikes the best balance: It's more agile and quicker than the average family vehicle, and it's roomy, comfortable and reliable, too. As for gas mileage, few non-hybrid… family sedans can beat the Accord. However, reviewers say the cheaper Hyundai Sonata is almost as good and it costs thousands less. If you're looking for a sporty family sedan and you don't mind giving up a few miles per gallon, most testers find that the spacious Mazda6 performs better than the Accord. Although the Accord gets mostly high safety ratings, it scores lower than other family sedans in one independent side-crash test.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports' rankings include just about every family sedan on the market, including the Honda Accord. Testers scrutinize ...

Car and Driver: Car and Driver's Tony Swan tests three basic family sedans -- the four-cylinder, manual-transmission models of the brand-new 2010 ...

Cars.com: Cars.com tests and ranks three family sedans -- the Honda Accord, Mazda6 and Toyota Camry -- in several categories, such as ...

TheTruthAboutCars.com: Like other economy-conscious reviewers, TheTruthAboutCars.com's William C. Montgomery chooses base four-cylinder models for his ...

TheTruthAboutCars.com: In this second-opinion review, editor Robert Farago disagrees with his colleague, William C. Montgomery, at ...

Motor Trend: Motor Trend tests 10 family sedans and ranks them from best to worst. Although editors praise the Honda Accord, it ranks fourth ...

Globe and Mail: The Globe and Mail conducts its own family sedan comparison, choosing five Consumer Reports favorites and the new Mazda6 as the ...

Edmunds.com: The Honda Accord is a Top Recommended Sedan under $25,000 at Edmunds.com. Picks are based on the site's thorough, expert testing ...

Edmunds InsideLine.com: At Inside Line, the enthusiast-oriented companion site to Edmunds.com, the new Mazda6 beats Edmunds.com's favorite, the Honda ...

ConsumerGuide.com: ConsumerGuide.com road tests virtually every car and truck on the market, ranking each one against a class average. This site's ...

SaferCars.gov: The Honda Accord earns perfect scores in all government safety tests except one: the side-impact crash test. The Accord scores a ...

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: The Honda Accord is a Top Safety Pick at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which crash tests family sedans and rates ...

FuelEconomy.gov: The Environmental Protection Agency classifies the Honda Accord as a "large car;" its fuel economy compares very well with the ...

MotherProof.com: When MotherProof.com reviewer Sherrice Gilsbach first begins to test the Honda Accord with her two small children, she loves its ...

J. D. Power and Associates: The Honda Accord's reliability is "among the best," according to this owner survey. The Accord's body/interior reliability is ...

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Best budget family car

2009 Hyundai Sonata

*Est. $18,700 to $26,550 Compare Prices

If money matters most, experts like the budget-priced Hyundai Sonata better than more expensive big-name sedans, including the Toyota Camry. In several reviews, the Hyundai even beats the gold-standard Honda Accord.… Critics have a hard time finding anything at all to dislike about the Sonata, especially considering the low price. It's one of the most fuel-efficient, spacious and reliable midsize sedans you can buy, and Hyundai backs it with a longer warranty than its pricey competitors offer. Testers say Hyundai even manages to pack a smooth ride, plenty of features and a quality interior into the Sonata. Critics do admit that the Sonata is bland, with little sportiness or stylishness about it, but they also note that budget-minded families probably won't be worried about that. However, like the Accord, the Sonata falters in an independent side-crash test.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports tests the Hyundai Sonata, evaluating nearly every aspect of the sedan, including depreciation, reliability and ...

Motor Trend: The Hyundai Sonata earns second place in this head-to-head test of 10 family sedans, and editors say it's actually their top pick ...

ConsumerGuide.com: The Hyundai Sonata is a Recommended midsize car at Consumer Guide, although it doesn't rise to the level of Best Buy. Testers ...

Edmunds.com: Edmunds.com thoroughly and expertly tests every family sedan on the market. Editors name the Hyundai Sonata their Top Recommended ...

Kelley Blue Book: The Hyundai Sonata needed -- and got -- a much nicer interior to become a top player for 2009, Kelley Blue Book says. Editors ...

Globe and Mail: The Globe and Mail compares six top family sedans. Reviewer Jeremy Cato awards the Hyundai Sonata fourth place, calling it "a ...

SaferCars.gov: SaferCar.gov, run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, provides detailed safety data for most cars on the ...

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: The Hyundai Sonata does well in front and rear crash tests conducted by the IIHS. However, in a side crash, tests show the Sonata ...

FuelEconomy.gov: The Environmental Protection Agency says the Hyundai Sonata is one of the two most fuel efficient large cars you can buy (along ...

J.D. Power & Associates: The Hyundai Sonata's reliability is average overall, according to this owner survey. Scores are based on 2009 surveys of owners ...

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"Fun to drive" family sedan

2009 Mazda6

*Est. $18,550 to $28,465 Compare Prices

Spirited performance, perfect government crash-test scores and vast interior space have propelled the redesigned 2009 Mazda6 to the head of the midsize class. Its trunk is bigger than the full-size Toyota Avalon's, and… 6-foot-plus testers easily fit in the Mazda6's front and back seats (at the same time). The stylish Mazda6 would also win any beauty contest among the top family sedans, reviewers say. But as much as critics adore the Mazda6, they do find a few drawbacks: Its power takes a toll on fuel economy, and unlike the other time-tested Best Reviewed family cars discussed here, the new Mazda6 has no reliability track record.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports tests the whole field of family sedans, including both the four-cylinder and V-6 Mazda6. Experts here collect ...

Car and Driver: Tony Swan thoroughly tests three basic family sedans -- the four-cylinder, manual-transmission models of the new Ford Fusion, ...

Cars.com: Cars.com tests and ranks three family sedans: the Honda Accord, Mazda6 and Toyota Camry. The Mazda6 wins the most categories, ...

TheTruthAboutCars.com: Mindful of the slow economy, William C. Montgomery chooses base four-cylinder cars for his latest Japanese family sedan ...

TheTruthAboutCars.com: Unlike his colleague, TheTruthAboutCars.com's Michael Karesh awards the Mazda6 only four of five stars after a thorough test. He ...

Edmunds.com: Edmunds.com thoroughly and critically tests the new Mazda6. Unlike other reviewers, testers here find the Mazda6 a bit less ...

Edmunds InsideLine.com: This blog is constantly updated with staff impressions of the cars in Edmunds Inside Line's long-term test fleet, including the ...

SaferCars.gov: The Mazda6 is one of only two 2009 family sedans to earn perfect scores in all government safety tests -- frontal crash, side ...

FuelEconomy.gov: This chart shows how each version of the Mazda6 compares with dozens of other midsize cars in terms of fuel economy. You can ...

The Wall Street Journal: The bigger, roomier 2009 Mazda6 has "even more enthusiast appeal" than before, Jeff Sabatini concludes in this thoughtful review. ...

Autobytel.com: This review of the 2009 Mazda6 is easy to read and packed with details that most shoppers will want to know. Writer Keith ...

Kiplinger Personal Finance: Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine picks the best 2009 cars in a wide range of classes. The Mazda6 is judged the best new ...

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Large family car

2009 Toyota Avalon

*Est. $27,845 to $35,185 Compare Prices

In test after test, the Toyota Avalon leaves all other large family sedans in its dust. The Avalon's balance of safety, reliability and quality are unsurpassed in reviews. It offers more passenger room than any of the… Best Reviewed midsize sedans discussed here, which are already quite roomy. No hidden muscle car lurks beneath the Avalon's surface -- experts suggest the Pontiac G8 sedan for that -- but critics say most families will probably find the Avalon's well-appointed cabin and fine fuel economy more practical. The Avalon's main drawback is its high sticker price; if you don't need the extra room, experts suggest buying a good midsize sedan instead.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Consumer Reports conducts the most unbiased tests possible, due to its policy of never accepting freebies or advertising. Its ...

ConsumerGuide.com: ConsumerGuide.com road tests most vehicles on the market, then rates each one against a class average. The 2009 Toyota Avalon is ...

Edmunds.com: Editors at Edmunds.com call the 2009 Toyota Avalon "the most refined, best-built full-size sedan in the $30,000 price bracket." ...

MotherProof.com: Lori Hindman tests the Toyota Avalon with her two children, ages 5 and 7. She gives it a rating of "fair" for family ...

Kelley Blue Book: Kelley Blue Book recommends the Toyota Avalon for those who want a well-built, high-resale-value car with a lot of luxury at an ...

SaferCars.gov: This government website run by the NHTSA provides detailed safety data for most cars on the market. The Toyota Avalon earns ...

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: The Toyota Avalon is a Top Safety Pick at IIHS. It earns the highest score of "good" in every crash test, and electronic ...

GreenerCars.com: The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy names the Toyota Avalon one of its greenest large cars, based on fuel ...

J.D. Power & Associates: The Toyota Avalon rates "better than most" large cars in this dependability survey. The scores are based on 2009 feedback from ...

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