It’s the most popular passenger car segment in the U.S.A. with well over 1 million annual sales and four representatives in 2011’s list of the 10 bestselling models overall, including the Toyota Camry that finished 3rd behind the Ford F-Series and Chevy Silverado trucks, followed by the Nissan Altima (4th overall), Ford Fusion (6th) and Honda Accord (9th).
We are talking of course about the mid-size category, which is the subject of Car & Driver’s (C&D) magazine latest comparison test.
The publication took its previous winner, the North American market VW Passat (not to be confused with the Passat sold in other regions) that beat the Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata, and compared it against three newcomers, the 2013 versions of the Ford Fusion (to be sold in Europe as the new Mondeo), Honda Accord and Nissan Altima.
It’s worth mentioning that all four models are manufactured in the States.
All cars tested start at around the $26,000 mark (equal to €20,450 at today’s exchange rates), with the Passat sporting a 177hp 2.5L inline five, the Fusion a 178hp 1.6L turbocharged four, the Accord an 185hp 2.4L straight four, and the Altima an 182hp 2.5L inline-four.
The Ford and the VW get 6-speed autos while the two Japanese models feature a CVT. You can check out the full specs from C&D here.
To make a long story short, the Volkswagen not only lost its temporary crown to the, -surprise, surprise- Honda Accord, but it actually finished in last behind the Fusion (2nd) and the Altima (3rd) in the magazine’s test.
For a more detailed look at the four cars, hop over the break to watch C&D’s comparison video.
VIDEO