For most Americans, affordable midsized automobiles are the ideal. Big enough for a small family, roomy enough to take customers to lunch without apologizing, and smooth enough that you won't return home a broken man or woman after a long commute. Combine with better then average miles to the gallon, and these new cars for sale are as affordable to run as they are to buy. But which are the cheapest?
Breaking Down Mid-Sized Sedans by Price
So what sort of family car can you get for your money? There are two tiers in this middle group, the upscale 'luxury' brands which start at $30k and climb upwards from there, and the more affordable version of midsize cars under 25000. It's this second group that we'll look at below.
Chrysler 200
$18,995 Starting MSRP 21 MPG City / 31 MPG HWY
Dodge Avenger
$18,995 Starting MSRP 21 MPG City / 31 MPG HWY
Subaru Legacy
$20,295 Starting MSRP 24 MPG City / 32 MPG HWY
Mazda Mazda6
$20,725 Starting MSRP 21 MPG City / 30 MPG HWY
Volkswagen Passat
$20,845 Starting MSRP 24 MPG City / 34 MPG HWY
Hyundai Sonata
$20,895 Starting MSRP 24 MPG City / 35 MPG HWY
Kia Optima
$21,350 Starting MSRP 24 MPG City / 35 MPG HWY
Nissan Altima
$21,760 Starting MSRP 27 MPG City / 38 MPG HWY
Honda Accord
$21,680 Starting MSRP 27 MPG City / 36 MPG HWY
Ford Fusion
$21,900 Starting MSRP 22 MPG City / 34 MPG HWY
Chevrolet Malibu
$21,995 Starting MSRP 25 MPG City / 37 MPG HWY
Toyota Camry
$22,235 Starting MSRP 25 MPG City / 35 MPG HWY
Toyota Prius
$23,215 Starting MSRP 51 MPG City / 48 MPG HWY
First point of note, you have some choice with two brand new cars under 20000 but most of these cars are going to require you to open your wallet a little further. Thankfully most of these cars are safely under $22,000 which leaves most buyers with a second problem; figuring out how to shorten the list beyond price.
The Lotpro Midsized Sedan Road Test Results
Here at Lotpro.com we road test as many cars we can get our hands on, which covers about half this list with the rest being driven at various auto events. We've test driven the Kia Optima, done a week road testing the Toyota Camry, and tested the MPG in the Prius. We've reviewed the Honda Accord, however in fairness to Honda that was the out eighth generation Accord and not the current ninth generation which we'll be reviewing in a few weeks.
And our favorite so far? We liked the Ford Fusion the best of anything we've tested so far in the mid-size segment, and we diffidently recommend at least giving it a test drive. We'll have a video up soon, but for now you can read our 2013 Ford Fusion driving impressions on the blog. Of course if we get any of the other cars on the list for a week, we'll be sure to sum up how it stacks up in the blog or the YouTube channel so keep watching for more reviews.