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Road Test: Comparison Test
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2002 Premium Family Sedan Comparison Test
Bread and Butter — and a Dash of Salsa
By
Liz Kim
Date posted: 03-06-2002
Not merely content to have four doors and the ability to carry around the brood
in relative comfort, the latest crop of family sedans has evolved into cars with
more flavor, possessing a little extra somethin' to reward the driver that goes
beyond just comfort or functionality.
We've lassoed up all the latest front-wheel-drive family sedans equipped with
V6 powerplants in the price range of $24,000 to $30,000. These aren't bare-bones
models; they're what you'd get if you had a fairly sizeable chunk of money available
to check off pricey options. We tried to get either a Chrysler Sebring or Dodge
Stratus into the mix, but neither was available at the time of our test. As is
our policy, we don't include any cars that didn't place first in a previous comparison
test or that have received a significant redesign, explaining the absence of the
Honda Accord, Nissan Maxima or any of the other domestics. To see where these
placed, check out our 2000
Family Sedan Comparison Test.
Over the course of a week, we drove these sedans on California's freeways and
surface streets to see how they behaved in day-to-day conditions, as well as down
twisty two-lane highways to test their handling capabilities. Some of us even
took them to the byzantine, frustrating exercise known as the mall parking lot
a few weeks before Christmas (oh, the humanity!). We performance-tested them for
their acceleration, braking and handling limits. We even stuffed three editors
in each backseat to rate them for comfort. We examined the feature content and
analyzed the price equation. As with every road test, we subjected each vehicle
to a 24-point evaluation process, as well as the "what car would I want in my
own garage" query.
Like an overbearing mother-in-law, we'll tell you about what's best for your family.
Think of us as a know-it-all backseat driver. This is this, and that is that.
I'd hate to tell you I told you so...Let the nagging begin!
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