Popular Midsized Sedans to Avoid and What to Buy Instead
There's no need to settle for what's trendy. Consider these reliable midsized cars, which performed well in CR's tests.
SUVs attract more buyers every year, with those new sales coming at the expense of sedans. As a result, automakers continue to cut sedans from their lineups to have more SUVs on the showroom floor.
Domestic automakers such as Ford and Chrysler have exited the sedan market entirely. Chevrolet will end production of its midsized Malibu sedan with the 2025 model year, leaving the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 as the only sedans in General Motors’ U.S. lineup.
But many consumers prefer sedans because they effectively blend fuel economy, passenger room, cargo space, and flexibility into a package that’s often more enjoyable to drive than the average SUV. Sedan enthusiasts don’t have to worry because there are still many models available from a variety of automakers.
Yet the car market works in mysterious ways. Good cars that perform well in Consumer Reports’ tests often don’t sell as well as models with lower Overall Scores. Here, we focus on models that are popular in their category and then present two alternatives.
• A better choice: Another vehicle that sells well but has a higher Overall Score.
• An “under-the-radar” alternative: A better-scoring model that doesn’t sell as well, in case you aren’t concerned with following the crowd.
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