Sedans still solid choices
Four- and five-door sedans earn their keep — just ask your next ride share driver.
Chevy’s venerable Malibu carries over, and for 2023, every Malibu has the turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 160 horsepower and continuously variable transmission. The front-wheel-drive midsize sedan comes with 16- or 17-inch aluminum wheels, depending on trim. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility is baked in.
Kia’s has reshuffled its eye-catching K5 sports sedan lineup for 2023 to include LXS,
EX, GT-Line and GT grades. EX and above get acoustic front-door glass, while the GT-Line offers an optional panoramic roof. The K5’s standard turbocharged 1.6-liter four makes 180 horsepower, and the GT has a 2.5-liter motor that delivers 290 horses. The K5 won the J.D. Power midsize car ALG residual value award.
Toyota’s Prius has always been a dependable gas miser, but the upcoming all-new 2023 Prius gets a serious dash of cool. And the sleeker Prius is even more stingy on fuel, with Toyota estimating 57 mpg combined. The plug-in version, the Prius Prime, utilizes a larger lithium-ion battery, which boosts its EV range by over 50%. Both models have improved connectivity and updated safety and driver-assistance technology.
Also waiting in the wings is Toyota’s new flagship sedan, the 2023 Crown.
The all-wheel-drive sedan is available in two hybrid flavors: performance (thanks to turbocharging) or fuel efficient.
The hybrid “max” version, exclusive to the platinum trim, produces 340 combined horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque. The XLE and Limited are expected to return about 41 mpg.
For 2023, Subaru’s Legacy midsize sedan gets a face-lift, bigger grille, revamped LED headlights and fog lamps and an 11.6-inch display.
The 2023 Legacy has the latest generation of EyeSight driver-assist technology, which operates under a greater range of conditions.
The updated multimedia system has wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. The top-level Touring XT adds a Wide-Angle Mono Camera that expands the field of view to recognize pedestrians and bicycles sooner when the vehicle enters an intersection at low speed.