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Family Sedans Reviews
Updated March 2008
Car and Driver is the one of the most thorough reviewers we found for family cars. Vehicles are tested on everything from drive quality to fuel economy to cargo space. Motor Trend and Edmunds.com also publish thorough, easy-to-understand reviews. Consumer Reports excels in evaluating factors that other publications gloss over, particularly long-term predicted reliability. Kiplinger's, AOL Autos and Interest.com provide family car reviews that emphasize value and budget-related concerns. Consumer Guide isn't the best source for narrative reviews, but its website has a high volume of helpful information on specifications, fuel economy, features, options and pricing. Consumer Guide also includes real-world gas mileage obtained during its tests. While not a scientific measurement, these figures give a better idea of what kind of mileage you can expect compared to the past years' EPA estimates, which often varied from actual observed fuel economy in pre-2008 family cars. The EPA has recently unveiled new formulas to more precisely estimate gas mileage, but sites such as ConsumerGuide.com are still useful for verifying the accuracy of the EPA's figures. Some of the most popular family sedans get critical reviews for long-term reliability, despite good scores for other aspects of quality and performance. The Volkswagen Passat (*est. $22,960 to $33,110) is noted for safety, with standard side curtain airbags, ABS and stability control. The Passat also scores well in crash testing conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). However, the Passat is one of the lowest-scoring family cars for long-term durability as reported by J.D. Power and Associates. Dependability ratings for the best-selling Toyota Camry (*est. $18,720 to
$28,270) are surprisingly inconsistent, with sources such as Interest.com and
J.D. Power and Associates reporting better-than-average reliability, while
reviewers at Cars.com claim that the Camry's reliability is subpar. Some
consumer ratings at review sites like Edmunds.com lend credence to Cars.com's
assessment. In similar long-term reliability evaluations, the otherwise well-regarded
Chrysler 300 (*est. $24,495 to $33,815) gets disappointing scores. Although
this car is only in its fourth model year, owners complain of above-average
trouble with the transmission, engine and power equipment, especially for the
V-8 equipped Chrysler 300C. In real-world fuel economy tests at Consumer Guide,
the V-6 equipped Chrysler 300 averages about 19.5 mpg in mixed driving; reasonably
good for a large sedan. However, the V-8 equipped Chrysler 300C gets only 14.4
mpg in mixed driving, below its EPA estimate of 15 mpg city/23 mpg highway.
Without the optional side airbags, side-impact crash-test ratings are poor.
Despite this, the Chrysler 300 makes the "recommended" list at
both Kelley Blue Book and Consumer Guide. For the purposes of this report, a "family sedan" is a mid-size
or large four-door car with a starting price of around $18,000 up to $30,000.
More expensive sedans are covered in our report on sports sedans
. Less
expensive sedans and hatchbacks are included in our report on economy cars
.
We also cover hybrid cars
in a separate report. If you're looking
for an environmentally friendly or exceptionally fuel-efficient family sedan,
you'll want to investigate hybrid versions of the Toyota Camry, Saturn Aura,
Chevrolet Malibu and Nissan Altima, along with the Toyota Prius hybrid.
... Continued
Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
In years past, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry ran neck-and-neck in reviewers' eyes as the best family sedans, but the Nissan Altima joins the fray this year. The Accord's new redesign propels it past the Camry and Altima in most comparisons, but sources say that all three are worth a look. The dramatically restyled Chevrolet Malibu also meets with reviewers' approval. The Toyota Avalon presides over the full-size segment thanks to its reputation for quality and performance. The Chrysler 300 is also noted as a first-rate large family car, despite hiccups over long-term reliability and rather paltry standard safety options. The Hyundai Sonata wins reviewer admiration for its high-value and low-cost roster of standard features and accessories, as well as its superior safety and reliability ratings. Advertisement
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Family Sedans Reviews |
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© 2008 ConsumerSearch, Inc. A service from 
, a part of The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.
ConsumerSearch and ConsumerSearch.com are registered trademarks of ConsumerSearch, Inc. Other trademarks or service marks on this site are the property of their respective owners. ConsumerSearch is not sponsored by any source reviewed, and we accept no consideration or payment for including, excluding, or ranking any reviews, products or services in our reports.
* Pricing information is approximate as of the time this report was written and is based on observed market selling prices and/or list prices. Actual selling prices may differ.
