The best sedan for under $20K

After looking at the specifications of close to thirty sedans under $20,000 in six different heats, I've come up with the following six finalists, which will now be put to the test in one final grand challenge!  Here are the finalists:

Bracket #1: 2013 Chevrolete Cruze 1LT MT
Bracket #2: 2013 Hyundai Accent GLS 4-door
Bracket #3: 2013 Chevrolet Sonic LS Manual Sedan
Bracket #4: 2013 Mazda Mazda3 i Sport MT 4-door
Bracket #5: 2013 Hyundai Elantra GLS M/T

Bracket #6: 2012 Suzuki SX4 Sport Sedan Base

So here we go!  As before, I've entered these six cars into thevehicleforme.com and come up with some results:

Link to Comparison Page

The Hyundai Elantra ends up winning on the strength of its power, interior space, and fuel economy, while the Mazda 3 and Suzuki SX4 contest 2nd and 3rd place respectively.  The Mazda3's strengths seem to be mostly in the areas of fuel economy and power, though you'll notice that it's power to weight ratio is a bit lower than the others due to how much heavier it is than the others.  The Suzuki SX4 is surprising in it's power and interior space, but it can't quite get it together in terms of fuel economy and it is punished for that here.  The Hyundai Accent and Chevrolet Cruze are a very close 4th and 5th, ending up only a few points behind.  Overall, the Elantra ends up winning because it does justice to power, interior space, and fuel economy, and it has a great warranty to boot.

Winner: 2013 Hyundai Elantra GLS M/T

Under $20K Sedan Tournament Bracket #6: 2012 Suzuki Sport, 2013 Honda Civic, 2013 Toyota Corolla

This is bracket #6 of the Under $20K Sedan Tournament using The Vehicle For Me and for this round I've chosen a random set of sedans from Japan, the 2012 Suzuki Sport, the 2013 Honda Civic, and the 2013 Toyota Corolla.  Now, you might remember that the Honda Civic beat down the Toyota Corolla not too long ago, so I expect it to beat out the Corolla, but what about the Suzuki?  That is the wildcard here.

Quarter Finals
Bracket #1: 2013 Chevrolete Cruze 1LT MT
Bracket #2: 2013 Hyundai Accent GLS 4-door
Bracket #3: 2013 Chevrolet Sonic LS Manual Sedan
Bracket #4: 2013 Mazda Mazda3 i Sport MT 4-door
Bracket #5: 2013 Hyundai Elantra GLS M/T

As before, I'm not going to choose any priorities, as I want to get an all-around best car.

Link to Comparison Page

Wow, that Suzuki SX4 is a powerhouse!  The base model has a better power-to-weight ratio despite being the largest and heaviest of the three cars here.  It also has the most cargo space and passenger volume, though that is likely due in part to it's height, which is about three inches taller than the others.  The SX4 is also a little lackluster in fuel economy, but it does well enough in the other categories to make up for that here.  In 2nd place is the Civic, which I had high hopes for in this competition.  Unfortunately it just doesn't beat out the SX4 in enough categories to come out on top, but it really does shine in fuel economy, and is the smallest of the three.  The Toyota comes in at a meager third, which I expected after it's beatdown from the Civic a few weeks ago.  It is the lightest of the three cars, but just doesn't have enough power to overcome the others.

Quarter Final Bracket #6 Winner: 2012 Suzuki SX4 Sport Sedan Base

Under $20K Sedan Tournament Bracket #5: 2013 Hyundai Elantra, 2013 Subaru Impreza, 2013 Mazda Mazda5

This is bracket #5 of the Under $20K Sedan Tournament using The Vehicle For Me and for this round I've chosen a random set of sedans from Korea and Japan, the 2013 Hyundai Elantra, the 2013 Subaru Impreza, and the 2013 Mazda Mazda 5.

Quarter Finals
Bracket #1: 2013 Chevrolete Cruze 1LT MT
Bracket #2: 2013 Hyundai Accent GLS 4-door
Bracket #3: 2013 Chevrolet Sonic LS Manual Sedan
Bracket #4: 2013 Mazda Mazda3 i Sport MT 4-door

As before, I'm not going to choose any priorities, as I want to get an all-around best car.

Link to Comparison Page

The 2013 Hyundai Elantra GLS M/T is the clear winner here, outgunning its opponents in fuel economy, power-to-weight ratio, front passenger space, and a better warranty.  The Subaru Impreza comes in at a distant second, and doesn't have a whole lot to offer, aside from being middling at everything and having the longest range.  As for the Mazda5, while it does have the most power of the three models, it is also substantially heavier and bigger, and its power-to-weight ratio is inferior to the others.  It's one bright spot is increased passenger space, though it really isn't enough to tip the scales in its favor.


Quarter Final Bracket #5 Winner: 2013 Hyundai Elantra GLS M/T

Under $20K Sedan Tournament Bracket #4: 2013 Mazda Mazda3 vs 2013 Volkswagen Jetta vs 2013 Nissan Sentra

This is bracket #4 of the Under $20K Sedan Tournament using The Vehicle For Me and for this round I've chosen a random set of sedans from Japan and Germany, the 2013 Mazda Mazda3, 2013 Volkswagen Jetta, and 2013 Nissan Sentra.

Quarter Finals
Bracket #1: 2013 Chevrolete Cruze 1LT MT
Bracket #2: 2013 Hyundai Accent GLS 4-door
Bracket #3: 2013 Chevrolet Sonic LS Manual Sedan

As before, I'm not going to choose any priorities, as I want to get an all-around best car.

Link to Comparison Page

I've added several different trims for each model (except the Nissan which had just one) and the Mazda3 i Sport attains victory with a fairly substantial margin.  Interestingly, the higher trim Mazda beat it's base trim brother while the higher trim Jettas lose to their lower trim brothers.  The Mazda 3 i Sport wins on the strength of its impressive power and torque along with it's class beating fuel economy.  While the Jetta SE 2.5L has more power, it also has the least impressive fuel economy numbers, putting it in last place.  The Nissan Sentra places a mediocre fifth place here, though if you look at the numbers it does have some redeeming qualities, notably great front legroom and headroom and solid cargo space.

Quarter Final Bracket #4 Winner: 2013 Mazda Mazda3 i Sport MT 4-door

Under $20K Sedan Tournament Bracket #3: 2013 Chevrolet Sonic vs 2013 Ford Fiesta vs 2013 Nissan Versa

This is bracket #3 of the Under $20K Sedan Tournament using The Vehicle For Me and for this round I've chosen some of the cheaper models available, the 2013 Chevrolet Sonic, the 2013 Ford Fiesta, and the 2013 Nissan Versa.  I'll see which is best by choosing from the cheapest trims available as well as the most expensive trims available.

Quarter Finals
Bracket #1: 2013 Chevrolete Cruze 1LT MT
Bracket #2: 2013 Hyundai Accent GLS 4-door

As before, I'm not going to choose any priorities, as I want to get an all-around best car.

Link to Comparison Page

Interestingly, the cheaper Chevy Sonic wins over its more expensive, turbo-powered older brother!  This is because, while the LTZ does develop its power and torque at lower RPMs than the LS, they don't generate any more total horsepower, so the power-to-weight ratio is lower given that the LTZ is heavier.  The same thing happens with the Fiesta Titanium, which doesn't really offer any substantial improvements over the base model aside from being more expensive.  Yes there is probably better detailing on the car and more premium features, but your driving experience is basically going to be the same.

These cars are all pretty close, but the Chevy Sonic pulls ahead on the strength of it's passenger space and power to weight ratio.

Quarter Final Bracket #3 Winner: 2013 Chevrolet Sonic LS Manual Sedan

Under $20K Sedan Tournament Bracket #2: 2013 Hyundai Accent vs. 2014 Kia Forte vs. 2013 Kia Rio

This is bracket #2 of the Under $20K Sedan Tournament using The Vehicle For Me and for this round I've chosen South Korean compacts, the Hyundai Accent, the Kia Forte, and the Kia Rio.  Here you can see the previous posts in this tournament:

Quarter Finals
Bracket #1: 2013 Chevrolete Cruze 1LT MT

As before, I'm not going to choose any priorities, as I want to get an all-around best car.

Link to Comparison Page

This turned out to be very close, but the 2013 Hyundai Accent GLS 4-door was able to squeak by on only one point over the Kia Forte!  I don't think I should be too shocked, given that these two companies share platforms, but I was somewhat convinced that the larger and more powerful Kia Forte would win.  Unfortunately it just doesn't have quite enough horsepower to make up for the heavier weight and larger size, the Accent is just able to eke out a victory.  The Kia Rio is the obvious value pick of the group, only finishing two points behind the Accent, and it sports some excellent front legroom.

Quarter Final Bracket #2 Winner: 2013 Hyundai Accent GLS 4-door

Under $20K Sedan Tournament! Bracket #1: 2013 Chevrolet Cruze, 2013 Ford Focus, and 2013 Dodge Dart

The sub-$20K passenger sedan market is incredibly overcrowded, so I've decided to start a bracketed tournament to choose the overall winner.  Each bracket will consist of three or four cars each and the winner will move onto the next round.  I'm going to limit selections to trims with manual transmissions (because that is what I like) and it has to be a sedan under $20,000 MSRP.  Currently that leaves me with 20 something models to sort through, so there are going to be 6 quarter-final rounds, then the winners from those 6 rounds will compete in two semi-final rounds of 3 cars each.  Then the two finalists will be compared to each and a final victor will be decided.  I will set no priorities during this tournament, as I want to see an all-around winner, not a winner in a particular category.

First up in bracket #1 I'm going to pick a selection of American brands and see how they fare against each other using my site, The Vehicle For Me.  While the Ford Focus has been around for years, the Chevy Cruze and Dodge Dart are relative newcomers.

Here are the results:

Link to Comparison Page

It is fairly close between the three cars but the Chevrolet Cruze 1LT takes the victory thanks mostly to it's excellent MPG and range.  None of the cars here is especially better than the others all-around, but each one seems to offer its own way of shining.  For the Cruze it is fuel economy and range (570 miles!), for the Dodge Dart it is passenger volume (which comes at the cost of being the largest car here), and for the Ford Focus, it is power-to-weight ratio (it is the lightest by a large margin).

Quarterfinal Bracket #1 Winner: 2013 Chevrolet Cruze 1LT Manual