These sedans make the grade for both roominess and comfort.
The best midsize cars are the ones that serve you up a confident mix of roominess, fuel economy, and performance.
Take a look at the cars on this list for an idea of how flexible a used midsize sedan can be. These best sedans are based on sales at CarMax between November 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018.
Some of these sedans are serious slow-fuel-sippers. Some put up some impressive performance numbers, while others are surprisingly roomy. And some are a solid mix of all three!
Subaru has put a lot of sedans on the road — on all kinds of roads, actually. The most recent models all hold up to five passengers and have lots of room in the trunk for short and long hauls. What’s extra-flexible about all Subaru midsize sedans, including the Legacy? They come with terrain-tackling all-wheel drive as standard equipment!
A sedan like the 2016 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium is great for northern winters and occasional backroad jaunts. It comes with heated front leather seats, a rearview camera, and Bluetooth® compatibility. It’s pretty good on gas too: the four-cylinder, 2.5L engine delivers an estimated 26 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.1
For some extra oomph in the acceleration department, check out a six-cylinder model like the 2015 Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited. The larger engine in this model is good for 256 hp!
Mazda Mazda6
Mazda’s Mazda6 sedan also comes with an available 2.5L engine, and late model cars like the 2017 Mazda Mazda6 I Grand Touring have a lot of pep: 184 hp, to be exact.
Add to this trim features like leather seats, a head-up display, great-sounding BOSE® stereo system, and a large sunroof to let plenty of light into the cabin, and you’ve got a midsize sedan with great road-trip potential.
Four-door sedans from VW are pretty roomy inside, and the Passat is no exception. It’s the largest of Volkswagen’s four-door sedan models, and there’s space inside for five passengers, plus the ceiling on more recent model years is arched enough to fit taller adults in the back seat.
Let’s talk trunk space! Models like the 2014 VW Passat SE come with lots of room for cargo: just a hair under 16 cubic feet, or enough to hold the family’s weekly grocery run.
This model has a small, turbocharged four-cylinder engine that’s good on gas, too. Take it easy on the turbo (a light touch on the gas pedal goes a long way toward maxing out mpgs in a turbo-engined model) and this Passat gives you an estimated 24 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.1
Kia Optima
Kia’s latest sedans come with plenty of comfort features that make them great for drivers and families alike.
For example, there are Kias like the 2017 Kia Optima EX, a sleek-looking, four-door midsize sedan that rides comfortably on tall alloy wheels. There’s room for five in the cabin, plus 15.9 cubic feet of luggage space in the trunk. Inside, there’s a leather interior, including the steering wheel — also heated, to help make those cold morning drives a little easier. The front seats are both heated and cooled. And a huge, panoramic sunroof lets in a lot of light.
For drivers who want a feature-filled midsize sedan, the Chevy Malibu also fits the bill. Models like the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Premier come with a 250-hp turbocharged engine that delivers good mileage — an estimated 32 mpg on the highway1 — and the features help to set it apart from the pack.
This trim package features a heated steering wheel, a MyLink® infotainment system with sound from Bose®, heated and cooled front seats, parking assist, a rearview camera, and lane departure warning.
Ford Fusion
The Fusion is Ford’s midsize offering in the sedan arena, and it’s got lots of flexibility features, including one feature that’s extra-nice — the option of all-wheel drive.
This tough-terrain add-on can be found on models like the 2016 Ford Fusion Titanium, which is full of premium features like alloy wheels, leather seats, and the Sync® infotainment system, which lets you make calls using your Bluetooth®-enabled mobile device.
The 240-hp engine is turbocharged, too, for extra power in the passing lane!
Honda Accord
Seeking a sedan that gives you higher mpg? A used sedan like the 2016 Honda Accord LX sips fuel in a miserly fashion. This model, with its four-cylinder engine and an automatic transmission, can deliver an estimated 27 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway.1
The six-cylinder version of the Accord gives you some stronger acceleration with still-respectable fuel economy. The 2015 Honda Accord Touring is a lively four-door sedan with a V6 under its hood — it gives you 278 hp, plus an estimated 21 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.1
Midsize sedans from Hyundai are packed with features for both drivers and their families. Take a look at a model like the 2014 Hyundai Sonata GLS to see what we mean.
The trim package on this particular Sonata gives you heated front seats, a rearview camera, and Bluetooth compatibility, plus a very economical estimated 24 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.1
Toyota Camry
In our Toyota Camry Vs. Honda Accord: Which to Buy? article, we presented the Camry as an alternative to the Accord. Both of these very popular midsize sedans are among the most searched vehicles on carmax.com!
The Camry, in any model year, enjoys a solid reputation for point-A-to-point-B transportation, and more recent models can be downright sporty.
The 2016 Toyota Camry XLE is the top-level trim for this midsize sedan, and it’s got all the goodies Camry drivers are looking for, including a rearview camera, Bluetooth compatibility, and the Entune® infotainment system, which is both handy and hands-free-friendly.
The Altima’s flexible, expansive set of available features put it squarely in the catbird seat on our list of best midsize sedans. If you’re looking for a spacious, fuel-efficient midsize sedan that’s easier on your wallet and comes in lots of different trim levels, this could be the sedan for you.
Our list of reasons to buy a Nissan Altima includes, for more recent model years, four different trim levels, lots of headroom for taller drivers, and road-illuminating LED headlamps on the upper-trim models (these brighter lights are tough to find on used sedans at the Altima’s average price point).
The base-level 2014 Nissan Altima S won’t dent your budget too badly and still gives you plenty of driver-friendly features. It’s pretty economical, too: this trim gives you an estimated 27 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway.1
Then there’s the sportier-looking Altima SV, which gives you more features and more horsepower. A 2015 Nissan Altima SV gives you the same estimated fuel economy1, plus sharp alloy wheels, smart-key entry and starting, a sunroof, and Bluetooth compatibility.
Whether you’re angling toward more basic transportation or fully-featured freeway flying, each of these 10 sedans is impressive for its set of available features that makes commutes and road trips anything but a chore.
Ready to start shopping? These additional resources can help:
1Fuel economy figures are based on EPA estimates when vehicles sold as new. Fuel economy may vary for reasons like driving conditions and vehicle history. Unless specified, figures are for vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission. See fueleconomy.gov for details.
Unless otherwise noted, information relating to these featured vehicles comes from third-party sources, including manufacturer information. Product and company names may be trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of third-party entities. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by these entities.