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The Toyota Camry blends a sporty style with diverse choices of trim and safety features, like Toyota Safety Sense P, to provide a reasonably priced mid-sized sedan that earns 28 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway. Although you might not associate power with a sedan, this Toyota delivers horsepower (202 to 301 hp), torque (182 to 267 lb. ft.), and towing power (881 pounds). It provides more power than some crossover SUVs, in fact.
You’ll enjoy its 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine with its base model or you can upgrade to its 3.5-liter V6 engine. For a sticker price that starts at $25,395, the Camry can surprise you. What if you can’t find a Camry near you though?
Perhaps you want a bit more legroom or to tow an even 1,000 pounds. You can find less expensive alternatives, too. Here’s a quick list of our favorites, starting with our top three, then providing the runners-ups.
1. Chevrolet Malibu
Its name evokes the wide-open roads of California and ocean breezes. This four-door sedan offers a traditional sedan style with four trims available on the gas engine models and one for the hybrid. The Malibu beats the Camry at price, starting at just $21,680 the Malibu L. Even its top trim, the Premier, costs a tiny $31,895.
Why It’s Similar to the Camry
It offers a similar size and standard feature set. You’ll find the remote keyless entry, power-adjustable side mirrors, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, halogen projector-beam headlamps, and a six-speaker audio system that comes standard.
Vehicle Design Observations
While the Toyota Camry goes for the sporty body style, the Malibu differs from its sedate sedan style. Available in eight vivid colors, most with a metallic element, you can choose from blues, reds, grays, white, and black.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 7.8 seconds
Horsepower: 160 to 250 hp
Base Model Cost: $21,680
Seating Capacity: Five
Fuel Efficiency: 29 mpg in the city/36 mpg on the highway
Towing Capacity: 3,500 pounds
2. Honda Accord
The Honda Accord offers a turbocharged engine and a choice of three powertrains, one of which is a hybrid. You can buy an Accord that suits your personality because Honda offers seven trims for its gas-powered models and five trims for its hybrid model. The base model engine lacks the power of the Camry though since it only offers a 1.5-liter engine.
Why It’s Similar to the Camry
The look of the Camry and Accord bears close similarity and Honda also offers many of the same features as the Accord. Its lower stance, adopted in 2018, makes it look more like the Camry. Some trims feature a 10-speed automatic transmission, and you can get a 2-liter engine on its Touring trim.
Like the Camry, it comes chock full of advanced safety features, including Honda Sensing. It offers a feature-filled vehicle with an optional eight-inch infotainment display.
Vehicle Design Observations
The Accord sedan focuses on lowering costs and offering interior features. Its base model earns decent gas mileage with 38 mpg on the highway. Depending on the engine, you’ll get 192 hp to 252 hp out of the engine, letting you tow small loads of up to 1,000 pounds.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 6.9 seconds
Horsepower: 192 to 252 hp
Base Model Cost: $23,570
Seating Capacity: Five
Fuel Efficiency: 30 mpg in the city/38 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: 1,000 pounds
3. Mazda Mazda6
You can buy the reliability of a sedan with the look of a sports car with the Mazda6. Its standard features include a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear selector, cruise control, and dual-zone automatic climate control. You can fold down the rear seats to load in more cargo, a handy thing for road trips.
Why It’s Similar to the Camry
Mazda, like Toyota, has styled its sedan as a sports car. It kept its price tag low though, so the base model costs just $21,950. It goes beyond the Camry to offer some luxury touches on higher trim models though.
Vehicle Design Observations
Go full-on luxury with its Signature trim. You’ll pay $34,750 but gain a luxe interior with Nappa leather-trimmed seating that’s heated, too, and an eight-setting power driver’s seat. The ventilated front seats make driving or riding more comfortable.
The Signature trims also include doors and dashboard trim in Ultrasuede. It also outdoes the Camry in towing capability with its 3,500-pound capability.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 7.9 seconds
Horsepower: 272 hp
Base Model Cost: $21,950
Seating Capacity: Five
Fuel Efficiency: 26 mpg in the city/35 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: 3,500 pounds
Runners Up to the top Three
Our top three vehicle alternatives to the Toyota Camry aren’t the only game in town. You might also consider these alternatives.
4. Hyundai Sonata
The similarly priced Hyundai Sonata offers a reliable mid-size sedan that earns good gas mileage (28 mpg city/38 mpg highway) for a base price of $22,050. The Limited 2.0T goes for $31,900. Its gas-powered models have six trim levels, while its hybrid provides two options.
Although it offers three available powertrains, you can’t get all-wheel drive. The SE and SEL come with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The base model comes with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
The only downside is that safety features don’t come standard. You’ll need to add an appearance package for $1,000 to nab lane keep assist, smart cruise control, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and electronic parking brake.
5. Kia Optima
The Kia Optima sedan offers comparable gas mileage of 27 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway and manages to offer many of the features you’d expect from a luxury sedan on a budget. These include Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a seven-inch infotainment touchscreen, and a six-speaker audio system, plus essential safety features like lane change assist, blind-spot detection, and rear cross-traffic alert. You can choose a higher trim to add more safety assistants, such as lane departure warning, forward collision warning, and advanced smart cruise control.
Even the top trim level, which adds leather trim to the seats, a sport steering wheel, and LED interior lighting costs only $30,600. Its horsepower ranges from 178 to 245 hp, while its engine produces a torque of 178 to 260 lb. ft.
6. Chrysler 200
This isn’t your parents’ Chrysler. This sedan looks more like a crossover SUV and its engine and other innards might make you think SUV power, too. Unavailable in the US since its discontinuation in 2017, the 200 offers other countries an exciting alternative.
Its base model provides a roomy, sleek interior with a cozy ride. You can choose a trim level that provides more power, up to a 295-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 engine that produces up to 262 lb. ft. of torque. The base model engine puts out 184 hp and torque of 171 lb. ft. You can even nab the convertible option for that wind in your hair feeling with this punchy sedan.
7. Ford Fusion
Like the Kia, the Ford Fusion offers tons of technology in its sedan. The base model, S, starts at $22,215. Choose from five trims that range up to Platinum for $36,990.
Its hybrid version also gets four trims of its own. The snazzy sedan Fusion S comes standard with handy features like remote trunk release, push-button start, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, and SYNC voice recognition. Its top out, the Platinum trim offers a full-on luxury experience with a 12-speaker audio system, 10-setting power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated and cooled front leather seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel plus a list of safety features and driving assistants like enhanced active park assist, pre-collision assist.
8. Subaru Legacy
Starting at just $22,195, Subaru offers a budget vehicle in its Legacy that provides many of the features of its SUVs, including the coveted all-wheel drive. The base model, Legacy 2.5i makes standard cruise control, a 6.5-inch infotainment touchscreen, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The top-level trim offers more engine power plus a 10-setting power driver’s seat, heated front, and rear seats, and leather steering wheel and seat trim people have come to expect of a luxury trim.
It comes in at $31,945. Although it is a midsize sedan, you can also get the Legacy as a station wagon-style SUV. The gas mileage on this vehicle also makes it a value since it earns 25 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway.
9. Toyota Avalon
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For our final entry, Toyota earns a second vehicle on the list, competing with its own Camry with the more sophisticated Avalon. Its base model XLE starts at $33,500 and offers five trims. The ultimate Avalon is its Limited for $41,300.
You can purchase a hybrid Avalon, which offers three trim options. Its standard features include a seven-inch high-resolution touchscreen, leather-trimmed steering wheel, cruise control, plus leather-trimmed heated front seats. A little friendly competition between the Camry and its Avalon sibling can’t hurt.
Sources:
http://www.whichcarisrightforme.com/Similar-Cars/Audi-Camry-Base
https://www.autobytel.com/sedans/car-buying-guides/10-toyota-camry-competitors-to-consider-132899/