Best Family Cars

Best family sedan overall: Toyota Camry

Thanks to a winning redesign, the 2012 Toyota Camry (Base MSRP: $21,955 to $29,845) squeaks past the 2012 Honda Accord (Base MSRP: $21,380 to $29,630) and 2012 Hyundai Sonata (Base MSRP: $19,795 to $28,195) to earn the title of best family car. Its rivals may show off flashier looks or sportier handling, but experts say the Camry nails what's important to most families: It's powerful, comfortable, roomy, and safe in crash tests. It's fuel-friendly, too. At 28 mpg overall, it joins the Sonata and 2012 Kia Optima (Base MSRP: $19,500 to $26,500) as the most fuel-efficient, gas-only midsize sedans. In addition, it wins Kelley Blue Book's Best Resale Value Award, just edging out the 2012 Honda Accord (Base MSRP: $21,380 to $29,630) .

It should be dependable, too: A major consumer organization gives the 2012 Camry a "very good" score for predicted reliability.

"The 2012 Toyota Camry has been improved in almost every detail," Edmunds.com concludes, and ConsumerGuide.com names it a Best Buy. A hybrid Camry is also available. It's covered in our separate report on hybrid cars.

The runner-up 2012 Honda Accord (Base MSRP: $21,380 to $29,630) still strikes a great balance for most families, according to reviewers: It's roomy and comfortable, with perfect crash scores and a more athletic feel than the Camry. But the Accord drops off of Edmunds.com's list of Top Recommended Sedans this year; editors find the Kia Optima "more dynamic." The Accord still makes Car and Driver's 10 Best cars list -- but only with the four-cylinder engine (the V6 now lags behind its rivals, editors say). And the Accord has fallen to "average" for reliability, accident avoidance and owner satisfaction in various trim levels in another major test. Honda will redesign the Accord for the 2013 model year.

Last year's winner, the 2012 Hyundai Sonata (Base MSRP: $19,795 to $28,195) , actually improves itself this year -- Hyundai tweaked the engines to get slightly better gas mileage -- but it still slips to runner-up, simply because its rivals have caught up. The Sonata gets beaten by the redesigned 2012 Volkswagen Passat (Base MSRP: $19,995 to $32,950) and Camry in a head-to-head shootout at Motor Trend, and by the Passat and Honda Accord at Car and Driver. Edmunds.com editors say the Sonata is still "a true contender for the title belt," but they prefer its cousin, the "more athletic and striking" Kia Optima. The Optima also maintains perfect safety scores (the Sonata's government frontal-crash rating has dropped to 4 out of 5 stars) and very good reliability (the Sonata's is average in one major survey). We discuss the Optima and Passat below in our section on budget family sedans.

One up-and-comer to watch: the redesigned 2013 Chevrolet Malibu. Only a mild-hybrid Eco model was available as of this update (Base MSRP: $25,235 to $26,845 (Eco model only)) , but Chevy will flesh out the lineup with a couple of gas-powered versions later this year. Early testers say the new Malibu handles better than most family sedans and trumps them with a hushed cabin lined with deep-pile carpet and solid-feeling switchgear -- Edmunds.com says it "verges on entry-level luxury territory."

Budget family sedans

The 2012 Kia Optima (Base MSRP: $19,500 to $26,500) is nearly identical under the skin to its corporate sibling, the runner-up 2012 Hyundai Sonata (Base MSRP: $19,795 to $28,195), but the Optima manages to load up with more features at an even lower price than the Sonata. This year, the Sonata adds one of the Optima's options -- a panoramic sunroof -- but the loaded Optima still offers features you can't get on the Sonata, including "cooled front seats, driver seat memory, power front passenger seat, and a heated steering wheel," says Michael Karesh at TheTruthAboutCars.com. The Optima also gets bolder exterior styling, a cabin inspired by European cars that some testers find more upscale, and a slightly sportier steering feel. The Optima gets perfect scores in all crash tests, while the Sonata's government frontal-crash rating slips to 4 out of 5 stars.

Both cars share the same strong engines, high fuel economy and class-leading warranty (five years/60,000 miles basic, and 10 years/100,000 miles powertrain). The cheaper Optima does shave a couple of years off the corrosion warranty (five years/100,000 miles, versus seven years/unlimited miles for the Sonata), and one consumer organization expects the 2012 Kia Optima to lose its resale value more quickly than the Hyundai Sonata. While the Sonata is built in Alabama with 41 percent North American parts, the Optima is imported from South Korea and uses only 1 percent North American parts, Edmunds Inside Line points out. Both the Sonata and Optima are also available as hybrids.

The all-new 2012 Volkswagen Passat (Base MSRP: $19,995 to $32,950) sees its sticker slashed a whopping $7,000 from the previous model and gets its cabin pumped up to nearly full-size roominess. It's the only family sedan with an available turbodiesel engine; so-equipped, the Passat gets an eyebrow-raising 43 mpg on the highway, according to EPA estimates. Critics are enamored with this optional engine -- it delivers an "addictive amount of low-end grunt that pulls with a vengeance" in a road test by Autoblog.com -- and with the Passat's powerful, range-topping V6. With its high-quality cabin, 4.5 inches more backseat legroom than the Kia Optima, Teutonic driving dynamics, and a made-in-America pedigree (it's built in Tennessee with 85 percent North American parts), auto journalists adore the new Passat; in fact, Motor Trend names it 2012's Car of the Year. However, Volkswagen gets below-average reliability ratings in two recent customer surveys, and the Passat's warranty (three years/36,000 miles basic, five years/60,000 miles powertrain) doesn't match the Optima's.

Only three other family sedans approach the Optima's (or Sonata's) low price, and none boast the same combination of safety, value and lengthy warranty. The 2012 Suzuki Kizashi (Base MSRP: $18,999 to $27,699) offers a sporty ride and optional all-wheel drive, but with only one engine choice (a four-cylinder) and less backseat and trunk room than other midsize sedans. Testers generally like the Kizashi, but only ConsumerGuide.com names it a top pick. The comparably priced 2012 Dodge Avenger (Base MSRP: $18,995 to $25,995) and 2012 Chrysler 200 (Base MSRP: $18,995 to $26,785) do strike experts as better than their predecessors (the old Avenger and the Chrysler Sebring, which was basically a laughingstock), but they're still not good enough to challenge the Optima. Both are recommended by precisely one of our sources -- the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, where they're Top Safety Picks.

Large family sedans

The 2012 Chrysler 300 (Base MSRP: $27,470 to $47,470) breaks loose from the sedate family-car mold. This broad-shouldered, rear-wheel-drive sedan evokes the muscle-car 1960s, even with a newly refined exterior that Car and Driver says "hides the 300's musculature about as well as a tuxedo disguises a buffalo." An elegant cabin seats five adults comfortably, and a capacious trunk can hold all of their luggage. It boasts family-style safety, too: It's is a Top Safety Pick at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and earns a 5-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Despite its powerful base V6 engine, the Chrysler 300 is fairly fuel-friendly when equipped with a new optional eight-speed automatic transmission (23 mpg overall). You can also opt for all-wheel drive on the V6 this year, or on the step-up 5.7-liter Hemi V8 version. For maximum muscle, Chrysler brings back its fiery 300 SRT8, powered by a 470-horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi V8 that Edmunds.com calls "American muscle on steroids."

If "in-your-face attitude" is more your style, the 2012 Dodge Charger (Base MSRP: $25,495 to $45,795) shares the Chrysler 300's platform and engines. But while the 300 strives for elegance, the Charger's look is unabashedly aggressive. The Charger's sloping roofline cramps the backseat for tall passengers, though, giving the Chrysler 300 a slight edge -- and the title of best large family car.

Two revamped big sedans were just hitting the market at the time of this update. Critics are mightily impressed with the 2012 Hyundai Azera (Base MSRP: $32,000) , which fixes just about everything that was wrong with the bland, old Azera, from the powertrain to the styling. Kelley Blue Book calls the new Azera "arguably the best-looking car in the large sedan class," and reviews say it now compares favorably with the Lexus ES luxury sedan. The 2013 Ford Taurus (Base MSRP: $26,600 to $39,200) keeps the same limo-sized backseat and gargantuan trunk that put the 2012 model on lots of critics' shortlists, but Ford boosts its appeal with a sportier look, better brakes and stronger, more fuel-friendly engines.

The former two-time champ in this category, the 2012 Buick LaCrosse (Base MSRP: $30,170 to $38,820) loses its title this year -- partly due to stronger competition, and partly thanks to its own reliability problems. The LaCrosse won critics' hearts with its sharp styling and elegant cabin, but other sedans have upped their game to the LaCrosse's level. Meanwhile, Buick has slid into the basement of one source's reliability rankings, and the AWD LaCrosse is Buick's least-reliable performer.

Running neck-and-neck with the LaCrosse in reviews is the 2012 Toyota Avalon (Base MSRP: $33,195 to $36,435) . It proves roomy, safe and reliable in reviews, but without the LaCrosse's youthful allure. Autoblog.com sums up reviewer consensus on the Avalon as "smoooooooth … a fine car for the 60-and-over set." A fully redesigned Avalon arrives later this year as a 2013 model.

Read our in-depth family-sedan model reviews

Follow these links to individual ConsumerSearch reports to learn more about each car:

Best Reviewed family car overall: 2012 Toyota Camry (Base MSRP: $21,955 to $29,845)

Runner-up family car overall: 2012 Honda Accord (Base MSRP: $21,380 to $29,630)

Runner-up family car overall: 2012 Hyundai Sonata (Base MSRP: $19,795 to $28,195)

Best Reviewed value family sedan: 2012 Kia Optima (Base MSRP: $19,500 to $26,500)

Runner-up value family sedan: 2012 Volkswagen Passat (Base MSRP: $19,995 to $32,950)

Best Reviewed large family sedan: 2012 Chrysler 300 (Base MSRP: $27,470 to $47,470)

Runner-up large family sedan: 2012 Buick LaCrosse (Base MSRP: $30,170 to $38,820)

Runner-up large family sedan: 2012 Dodge Charger (Base MSRP: $25,495 to $45,795)

Runner-up large family sedan: 2012 Toyota Avalon (Base MSRP: $33,195 to $36,435)

Other in-depth family sedan reviews:

2012 Chevrolet Impala (Base MSRP: $25,760 to $30,300)

2013 Chevrolet Malibu (Base MSRP: $25,235 to $26,845 (Eco model only))

2012 Chrysler 200 (Base MSRP: $18,995 to $26,785)

2012 Dodge Avenger (Base MSRP: $18,995 to $25,995)

2012 Ford Fusion (Base MSRP: $20,705 to $29,175)

2013 Ford Taurus (Base MSRP: $26,600 to $39,200)

2012 Hyundai Azera (Base MSRP: $32,000)

2012 Mazda Mazda6 (Base MSRP: $20,480 to $29,810)

2012 Mitsubishi Galant (Base MSRP: $21,899 to $24,299)

2012 Nissan Altima (Base MSRP: $20,410 to $25,430)

2012 Subaru Legacy (Base MSRP: $19,995 to $31,595)

2012 Suzuki Kizashi (Base MSRP: $18,999 to $27,699)