best affordable midsized sedan?

[redhonda76]

Hyundai Sonata has been ranked one of the best mid size sedan for a couple of years. They offered the most bang for the buck. Plus 10 yrs/100,000 mile warranty? That's insane.

[Rameek]

mazda may be more popular in Europe, i don't know. To me its more niche here in America....definitely not as common or as loved as the main make/model cars like Camry or Accord.....i also feel like Hyundai has really gained a lot of consumer confidence with the new Sonata and consistent, gradual improvement in their cars over the last decade to really be on that Toyota/Honda level these days.

i mean theres a lot of MAzda's out there but i don't feel consumer confidence in them is on the same level.

I dont think she/he can go wrong with any of those vehicles. This is my personal preference if it were me. Not that the Sonata is bad I would probably put it 4th on my list. I know a few chicks that have Sonatas.

The one that I think looks one of the best is the Ford Fusion.

[PHX_Phan]

Out of those cars, probably a Camry even though it's ugly.

Wouldn't waste money on a Hyundai or Kia.

[magic chiongson]

on aesthetics alone, the one with the aston martin front grill. mazda6 close 2nd

[tontoz]

I bought a Sonata new in dec '12. Comes with a lot of options standard (bluetooth phone and audio) and my drive out price was $21,800.

Completely trouble free and rides very well. Ride isn't as firm as my old Accord.

[Roundball_Rock]

The Ford Fusion is good. Spacious, reliable, looks good, and its chassis allows for a better driving experience. It is still pretty smooth but it is stiff enough to allow you have some fun driving it. My problem with some other cars in this class, i.e. the Camry, is they are super smooth, as if you are floating on the road, and you can't "feel" driving them in terms of driving inputs. Having a Mustang previously this was an important factor for me.

[Godzuki]

The Ford Fusion is good. Spacious, reliable, looks good, and its chassis allows for a better driving experience. It is still pretty smooth but it is stiff enough to allow you have some fun driving it. My problem with some other cars in this class, i.e. the Camry, is they are super smooth, as if you are floating on the road, and you can't "feel" driving them in terms of driving inputs. Having a Mustang previously this was an important factor for me.

not trying to be argumentative since its obviously opinion but i really don't like Fusion's. I don't think anything Ford other than their trucks/vans maybe are good cars, generally speaking.

i had a 2004 Mustang GT, and it was one of the worst cars i've had. Then again its a sports car which tend to feel like toys...and the worst cars in poor weather too. pretty fun to drive in nice weather if you like speeding and cornering, but man if people are buying those for general use they're making mistakes. i'd never buy a mustang again...it was pimp in the summer tho.

audi a4 quatro was probably the best handling car i've had. just way overly complicated and transmissions are known to go out. you'll see a lot of them at salvage yards with bad tranny's.

just my 2 cents, not saying you're wrong btw

[DukeDelonte13]

I bought a Sonata new in dec '12. Comes with a lot of options standard (bluetooth phone and audio) and my drive out price was $21,800.

Completely trouble free and rides very well. Ride isn't as firm as my old Accord.

i test drove a 2012 and it had a ton of features but it felt kinda floaty and heavy. Very comfortable though, very nice interior as well.

[Roundball_Rock]

i had a 2004 Mustang GT, and it was one of the worst cars i've had. Then again its a sports car which tend to feel like toys...and the worst cars in poor weather too. pretty fun to drive in nice weather if you like speeding and cornering, but man if people are buying those for general use they're making mistakes. i'd never buy a mustang again...it was pimp in the summer tho.

Yeah, Mustangs are troublesome in rain (under braking) and almost useless in snow. They are awesome in dry weather, though. That is more a function of having rear-wheel drive than the manufacturer, though. I agree it is a car with limits. I got one in college because it is a fun car to drive--it was my first car--without knowing the downsides. I think it is a car worth considering if you live where it does not snow. The rain gives it problems, but only under braking and you can adjust to that. They are borderline dangerous in the snow with the risk of sliding and difficulty gaining traction. My car was old, though. The new Mustangs may come equipped with traction and stability control.

[Godzuki]

Yeah, Mustangs are troublesome in rain (under braking) and almost useless in snow. They are awesome in dry weather, though. That is more a function of having rear-wheel drive than the manufacturer, though. I agree it is a car with limits. I got one in college because it is a fun car to drive--it was my first car--without knowing the downsides. I think it is a car worth considering if you live where it does not snow. The rain gives it problems, but only under braking and you can adjust to that. They are borderline dangerous in the snow with the risk of sliding and difficulty gaining traction. My car was old, though. The new Mustangs may come equipped with traction and stability control.

yeah i tried to drive mine up to Wisp in West Virginia? to go skiing and did 2 360's on 83....lucky the tractor trailor behind me was going slow and was far behind.

couldn't even make it off a off ramp since the snow was higher than the bumper and it just had 0 traction with the RWD. lucky some good samaritan pulled up and hooked a cable and pulled me off.

i used to call it a deathtrap in the snow. nice looking car tho and i had it in red. thing that i really disliked about it tho was it just felt like a shotty toy after so long but i think thats most sports cars.\

i did work on a 60? something Lotus once, talk about toy cars...

[Roundball_Rock]

Yeah not surprising to hear that happened to you. I remember sliding three times on the New Jersey turnpike the first time I drove it on snow. Luckily, traffic was light due to the snow and I did not slide into anyone. I also cooked my transmission in a snow storm last January. There was stop and go traffic on the highway and when I was on the on ramp the car would start to slide off the ramp. I would have to put the car, which was facing almost completely right, in park via the emergency brake. Then when the traffic moved 3 feet I would have to gun the car, spin the tires just to get the car to move--and further spin it trying to straighten it out. That process was repeated several times and put the RPM's well into the red. Later that day the 3rd gear started to go and the entire transmission quit 2 weeks later. I had 160,000+ miles on it so there was no point in fixing the transmission so I just got another car.

I wonder if the new Mustangs have stability and traction control. If they do then they could be functional in the snow. Absent that, you are right, they are very dangerous and they are very popular among rookie drivers who don't know how to drive in the first place nor are they aware of the risks of RWD and how to manage a car under such conditions. There needs to be instruction with respect to this issue in driver's ed...many kids probably get behind the wheel of a Mustang, Camaro, and the like and attempt to drive it like their parent's vehicle.

[Godzuki]

Yeah not surprising to hear that happened to you. I remember sliding three times on the New Jersey turnpike the first time I drove it on snow. Luckily, traffic was light due to the snow and I did not slide into anyone. I also cooked my transmission in a snow storm last January. There was stop and go traffic on the highway and when I was on the on ramp the car would start to slide off the ramp. I would have to put the car, which was facing almost completely right, in park via the emergency brake. Then when the traffic moved 3 feet I would have to gun the car, spin the tires just to get the car to move--and further spin it trying to straighten it out. That process was repeated several times and put the RPM's well into the red. Later that day the 3rd gear started to go and the entire transmission quit 2 weeks later. I had 160,000+ miles on it so there was no point in fixing the transmission so I just got another car.

I wonder if the new Mustangs have stability and traction control. If they do then they could be functional in the snow. Absent that, you are right, they are very dangerous and they are very popular among rookie drivers who don't know how to drive in the first place nor are they aware of the risks of RWD and how to manage a car under such conditions. There needs to be instruction with respect to this issue in driver's ed...many kids probably get behind the wheel of a Mustang, Camaro, and the like and attempt to drive it like their parent's vehicle.

lol been there with the red-lining it trying to get out of crooked slips wiggling and just burning the gear


its got so much power in 1st and 2nd, so light w/ no weight its like it floats on top of everything.

its definitely its own beast.

i'd have to be real gentlle even in the rain so i wouldn't spin all the time.

its really the only sports car i've owned and driven tho

i don't think most people realize how dangerous they can be in bad weather. i was following a friend in a Cherokee on that trip, and he was like why can't you keep up? i was like you drive this thing in this weather mf'er...

[NumberSix]

I would say look into getting a used Audi. They're great cars and really fun to drive. You could get something sick like a used Audi s5.

[tontoz]

i test drove a 2012 and it had a ton of features but it felt kinda floaty and heavy. Very comfortable though, very nice interior as well.

I am a golfer so the Sonata's big trunk was a selling point for me. It is probably the biggest car in this class.

I am in my 40s so sporty handling isn't much of an issue for me. If it was i might have gotten a Mazda 6 or an Accord. In my younger days i was driving Integras which i loved at the time but would never buy now.

[Axe]

Interesting thread. The midsized sedan segment is becoming extinct these days, mainly due to sheer popularity of suvs ofc. Speaking of which, toyota has unveiled the new 2023 sequoia this year which looks a bit ugly compared to its straightforward predecessor.