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Midsize Sedan Comparison | Honda Accord vs. Toyota Camry vs. Mazda6

The rumors of the midsize sedan's death have been greatly exaggerated. The 2018 Honda Accord and 2018 Toyota Camry together moved more than 262,000 units through May of this year, which is still a ton of cars. Then again, both are down year-over-year despite being completely, and quite impressively, redesigned for 2018. So yes, the midsize sedan's grip on family transportation is weakening. Ford certainly thinks so, yet this change in consumer preferences comes at a time when the current crop of sedans is sensational. They're bigger and more powerful, yet also more efficient. Safety scores are impeccable. They even look better than ever. So before running out to score one of the bajillion little SUVs flooding the market, why not ponder this trio of midsize sedan all-stars that might actually work better? Over the course of three consecutive weeks we tested the 2018 Camry XSE V6, 2018 Accord Touring 2.0T and the perennial critical-darling 2018 Mazda6 Signature. The latter was thoroughly overhauled and, perhaps as such, bucked the segment trend by actually selling more in June this year. Each was a range-topping trim level with all the bells and whistles, plus the most powerful engine available. Really, you couldn't find cars closer in power, price and feature content. View 57 Photos Performance and fuel economy Toyota bucked the turbocharged trend by sticking with naturally aspirated engines for the 2018 Camry, and when it comes to its 3.5-liter V6, it's sure hard to argue with that decision. For starters, it produces 301 horsepower. Let that sink in for a moment. A 301-hp Toyota Camry. That crushes the others, while its 267 pound-feet of torque is only 6 less than the Accord. This is a strong, smooth engine that only gets better when you realize it matches the 26-mpg combined fuel economy of the others. Honda, meanwhile, followed the masses by switching to a turbocharged four-cylinder for the Accord's engine upgrade (and its base engine, for that matter). Though its 252 hp is considerably down on the Camry and its 271 lb-ft is only a smidgen more, the Accord's torque arrives earlier in the rev range without feeling overtly turbocharged. It also has 143 fewer pounds to contend with. When wrung out, this new 2.0-liter belts out a beautiful, typically Honda song made possible by the smart 10-speed automatic (the base 1.5-liter is paired to a CVT that results in more drone than mechanical music) that thankfully doesn't draw much attention to itself.

2019 Mazda CX-5 Turbo Drivers' Notes Review | More power, more love

The second-gen Mazda CX-5 has been on sale since 2017, but the big news for this year is the addition of a new turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four. The engine — dubbed Skyactiv-G — is shared with the Mazda6 and the Mazda CX-9 three-row crossover and makes 227 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque on regular gas and up to 250 hp when running premium fuel. Fuel economy for the new engine is rated at 22 mpg city, 27 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined. The engine is only available with all-wheel drive, but the extra grunt means fuel economy is down from the naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four (24 city, 30 highway and 26 combined). The new engine is wrapped in the same familiar package we've seen for the past couple of years, but is exclusive to the range-topping Grand Touring Reserve and Signature trim levels. This particular test car was a Signature, which starts at $37,935 before options. For reference, a base, front-wheel drive CX-5 Sport starts at $25,395. Standard features on the CX-5 Signature include 19-inch wheels, LED lighting, rain-sensing wipers, leather seating, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, proximity entry and push-button start, and a Bose audio system. Options on this Soul Red ($595) model are restricted to accessory items: $70 for a cargo mat, $125 for all-weather floor mats, $400 for illuminated door sills, $125 for a rear-bumper guard and $250 for a retractable cargo cover. The final MSRP comes in just below $40,000. Our contributor Ben Hsu had high praise for the CX-5 turbo in our recent first-drive review. Now the rest of us have had a crack at it. Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore: I love the CX-5's looks and driving dynamics. It's a sporty Mazda tailored to the crossover segment. This one, done up in Soul Red Crystal Metallic (what a name) and Signature trim with smokey 19-inch wheels, looks great. The Skyactiv-G four-cylinder with 227 hp (on 87 octane) and 310 pound-feet of torque makes for a brisk driving experience. In Sport mode, it's almost more eager than I want it to be. The main downside is the interior. The materials are just fine, and the infotainment is a little clunky to use. It takes a few more moves than I'd like to change the radio station. Also, major demerits for not being able to put a rear-facing car seat in the middle. Considering young families are a target market for this, that is not ideal.

2018 Mazda6 Wagon: Beautiful but forbidden

Mazda has finally revealed the updated Mazda6 wagon it announced a few weeks ago. It's just as beautiful as we expected. The exterior features most of the same updates as the sedan version. They include a grille with more depth and dimension, a cleaner lower fascia, and headlights that are more integrated with the grille. Inside, the dashboard has been revised to look less cluttered, and the high-end leather and suede trimmings of the Signature trim are available. View 12 Photos Of course, the 2018 Mazda6 wagon still won't be available in America. And that's particularly disappointing, especially for this author, because the car looks so great. But we do understand the reasons why. Nobody buys wagons, at least without plastic body cladding on them. Plus, Mazda already offers the CX-5 here in the United States, and it serves effectively the same purpose, but in a much more popular crossover package. Seriously, the CX-5 is Mazda's best-seller over the last two months, selling more than twice as many as the next best-seller, the Mazda3. But there's still a silver lining to our lack of a wagon. You see, a close examination reveals that while the European Mazda6 sedan and wagon get most of the same updates as those in the American market, they won't get the 250-horsepower, 310 pound-feet of torque-producing turbocharged 2.5-liter gasoline engine we're getting. And given a choice, we would probably prefer more power than a wagon variant. The most potent engine over in Europe will remain the diesel 2.2-liter engine making 181 horsepower and 328 pound-feet of torque. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Gallery 2018 Mazda6 wagon View 30 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2018 Drew Phillips / Autoblog.com Geneva Motor Show Mazda Wagon 2018 Geneva Motor Show mazda6 wagon