What does it mean to be the best? Do subjective judgments and recommendations from experts produce the right answer, or should consumers rely solely upon objective facts and figures? In our quest to produce the most useful list of the 10 best mid-size cars for 2016, we used both approaches.
We took a look at base prices and rebates*, we examined warranty and roadside assistance programs, we considered safety and dependability ratings, and we factored in fuel economy estimates averaged across all available powertrains. Then, we decided which of these cars we like to drive, and which of these cars we think are the most attractive.
After crunching the numbers, the 10 mid-size cars on the following pages are the ones we’ve deemed the best, listed in descending order to the one you should probably buy. You might disagree with our approach, and the result. That’s to be expected, and it’s one of the great things about living in America. Know, though, that we didn’t pull these rankings out of… well, just check out the list.
* Prices and rebates valid for Southern California on January 20, 2016