Test drive Toyota Camry, Ford Mondeo, Hyundai i40 and Mazda 6

Tommy will not save you the trip to the service center by masterly dealing with an electrician, unless you are, of course, Billy Milligan. But there is a definite plus - you are mentally healthy.

Tommy will not save you the trip to the service center by masterly dealing with an electrician, unless you are, of course, Billy Milligan. But there is a definite plus - you are mentally healthy. Until the moment you start choosing a new car. Even if you come to a car dealership without a wife, voices begin to sound in your head. There are, of course, not 24 of them, but everyone is fighting to stand on the spot of light and buy the most beautiful, most practical or cheapest model. In this struggle in the class of non-premium business sedans, the most often victorious, judging by the statistics of the AEB, is the alter ego that insists on buying a Toyota Camry. We checked the odds of other votes by comparing the Japanese sedan to the Ford Mondeo 2,5, Mazda6 2,5 and Hyundai i40 2,0.

The person taking the reins on Friday night will never choose a Camry. It is, of course, attractive, but against the background of the Mazda6 and Mondeo it looks too solid. This is one of the reasons why officials are so fond of the model. Even after the update, Toyota hasn't gotten any more frivolous. The Mondeo, with a very aggressive silhouette, stylish grille and cool LED headlights (alas, they are too close to the road, so they don't illuminate the roadside very well in the dark), looks like a man with an impeccable sense of style. At the back, it has remained practically unchanged, but from all other angles it is the most beautiful Ford.

Only 17-inch wheels look disharmonious in the imposing wheel arches. The Camry and the i40 have the same, by the way, but the Mazda has 19-inch ones, which complement the image of the sportiest-looking model of the four. Well, the Hyundai i40 has all the modern "chips" like LED daytime running lights, LED foglights and a panoramic roof (none of the rivals has it even as an option), but against the background of competitors, the model looks like a toy and elegant. It is already and shorter than all competitors and below all cars from our list, except for the "six". On the Russian market, this is more likely a disadvantage, but on the rest, where mothers with children most often drive these cars, it is rather an advantage.

 

If someone who regularly receives "letters of happiness" for speeding stands in the spotlight, the choice is predetermined - and this is the Mazda6. A car with a 2,5-liter engine with 192 hp. accelerates to 100 km / h in 7,8 seconds, fully justifying its appearance. In second place is Camry, whose unit of the same volume (181 hp) helps the sedan reach the first hundred in 9 seconds. The next one is the Mondeo. The engine here is also 2,5 liters, but the dynamics are noticeably worse - 10,3 seconds. The fact is that a “strangled” version of the aspirated was brought to Russia. In the US, it has a power of 175 hp. against 149 hp in our version.

Hyundai i40 is even slower - 10,9 seconds. The power unit here is a 2,0-liter with 150 hp, and this is the maximum that Hyundai offers in our market. By the way, during the test we also traveled on version 1,7 CRDi. The difference in acceleration between the two modifications is only 0,1 seconds in favor of the latter, but the sensations are completely different: up to 60 km / h, the diesel i40 accelerates much faster.

 

Mazda6 fully confirms the passport numbers with the driving experience. The chassis of the "six" is set up almost perfectly. The car understands the driver from a half-word: the response to the steering wheel is clear and quick, the steering wheel itself gives complete information about what is happening with the wheels. Mazda turns accurately and correctly, confidently holds the trajectory and does not swing at all in turns. "Automatic" switches stages quickly and very smoothly. Plus, it is this model that has the most juicy sound of the engine, which, despite the good (by the standards of early Mazdas, just perfect) noise insulation, penetrates the interior and adds bright colors to the trip.

The balance between suspension stiffness and cabin comfort is almost perfect for Mazda. "Six" confidently and imperceptibly straightens with small and medium irregularities, without transferring them to the salon (and this is on 19-inch wheels). Large obstacles, especially the imposing road slab joints, still respond with blows to the backs of the driver and passengers.

 

Hyundai i40 is stiffer than Mazda6: even small bumps are felt more sensitively and respond in the steering wheel. It would be logical to assume that the car is more confident on the road, but it sways and rolls (albeit slightly) in high-speed turns, the “Korean” is stronger. The only thing in which the i40 is not inferior in terms of driving characteristics, and maybe even surpasses the “six”, is the smoothness of gear shifting. However, it takes much more time to change the stage here.

The steering wheel of the "Korean" is heavy, but the car's behavior in turns is predictable and easy to control. The i40 has three riding modes: Normal, Eco and Sport. In the latter, the algorithm of the box's operation changes, the steering wheel becomes even heavier. Even so, the Korean sedan lacks sparkle. The point is not that it accelerates more slowly than its competitors, but that it makes it extremely boring.

 

Camry is the most comfortable in this company. She floats along the road, not noticing even the largest joints. Only an open sewer hatch can make the driver or passengers flinch. But in the case of this Japanese sedan, everything is logical. This concession affected the enjoyment of fast driving. The car rolls, sways in turns, the steering wheel (by the way, the largest among all competitors) here is the most uninformative of all four models, and the car reluctantly reacts to it. All this is not critical: the Camry can go quickly and calmly through corners, it just feels like driving more like a small crossover than a sedan.

 

When cornering, the Ford is very different. It could compete with the Mazda 6 for confident cornering, but the engine fails, which after 80 km / h becomes noticeably difficult to pull the car forward. Plus, when you press the pedal to the floor, the gearbox starts to freak out. This does not happen every time, but sometimes the "automaton" thinks about how many steps should be thrown down - two or one. Usually soft and fast, she starts to jerk the car. On the straight, and especially on the highway, where you need to make a quick overtake at high speed, the Mondeo is not impressive.

Another engine (the model can be purchased with a 2,0-liter EcoBoost with 199 or 240 hp) will unleash the car's suspension potential much better. But even with a 2,5-liter aspirated car, the car is delightful in turns: the car obediently dives into turns, keeps the trajectory and does not swing. The steering wheel here is light, but extremely understandable. And this despite the fact that Ford, in the process of adapting Mondeo to Russia, increased the ground clearance by 12 mm, and the suspension (the European version of the chassis was originally taken, not the American version of the chassis) was made more comfortable. As a result, the "Mondeo" is a little less comfortable and a little more noisy than the Camry (the hard joints are still felt in the cabin), and with the 2,5-liter unit it is slightly less exciting than the Mazda6. The Mondeo also has one more drawback, which, perhaps, is characteristic only for a particular car: it vibrated strongly at idle.

But what if a person who is afraid of trains and planes, but loves big companies, is involved in the battle? From the point of view of passenger transportation, the most convenient is, perhaps, Mondeo. There is a little more legroom for people in the second row. We carried three passengers in the rear seats in the Camry and Mondeo. Everyone clearly said that they were more comfortable in Ford. But it is more convenient to sit in Toyota: the doorway is wider here - there is less chance of getting dirty in bad weather. The Mazda 6 and Hyundai i40 have roughly the same rear headroom and less space than the competition. Three people in the back are not very comfortable.

 

But the "six" has the best driver's seat. First, there are the most comfortable chairs here. Quite tough, with pronounced supports, they do not allow fidgeting on the seat and do not burden the back. The second place in this indicator is the Hyundai i40, the third is the Mondeo. The most uncomfortable driver's seat for the Camry: it's too soft and slippery due to the rough leather. Secondly, the Mazda6, thanks to the center console slightly turned towards the driver, emphasizes the driver's accent.

The only pity is that the screen in the harmonious and modern interior of the "six" looks like a sticker. Even the head-up display does not help - such an option, by the way, is only here. Hyundai and Mondeo have a more austere and slightly less modern interior design than Mazda. But much more stylish than the Camry. Wood inserts, which have long become the talk of the town, look many times better here than they did a few years ago, but they are still there, coupled with buttons that seem to have migrated from a past life, a variety of textures and the absence of one common style make the interior of Toyota against the background an archaic competitor. However, it is on this machine that all the parts fit together perfectly to each other: not a single gap, not a single curved joint line.

But the Camry's dashboard is quite modern. Color screen, clear scales, the readings of which are perfectly readable. By the way, for Camry, i40 and Mondeo, the screen on the tidy is located between the tachometer and speedometer, while for Mazda6 it is to the right of them. It looks more original, but, as it turned out, it is not always convenient.

However, back to practicality. Judging by the numbers, the Mondeo has the most spacious and comfortable trunk. It has a volume of 516 liters - 10 more than the Camry (506 liters) and 11 more than the i40 (505 liters). At the "six" it is the smallest - 429 liters. But in reality, everything is different: the Camry has the most convenient branch. It is wider and it is much easier to put things there: in the Mondeo, glass creeps too far to the lid. At the "Korean" the opening is also narrow and the compartment itself is shallow, but it is not difficult to put belongings here. The Mazda6 also has a trump card - its trunk is very neatly and beautifully trimmed (even the hinges are hidden under the skin), which practically eliminates damage to the luggage. Plus, the compartment itself is deep.

In terms of ground clearance, the sportiest Mazda6 unexpectedly wins. For her, this figure is 165 mm, for Toyota it is 5 mm less (160 mm), for i40 - 147 mm. The lowest car of our four is Mondeo: even after Russian adaptation and an increase in ground clearance by 12 mm, Ford's result is modest - 140 mm. You have to be very careful not to damage the beautiful bumpers on the high Moscow curbs. A fan of practicality would have settled on the Camry, although Mondeo, if it were a little taller, is quite capable of competing with Toyota in this indicator.

And yet, the most active is usually the alter ego that wakes up at the checkout in the supermarket. All the cars from our test drive were in the richest trim levels for their engine type. The exception is the Camry in the Elegance Plus version (the penultimate one before the most expensive one). In all - the maximum possible number of airbags (Camry and Mazda - six each, Mondeo - seven, i40 - nine) and top-end multimedia systems.

 

All of them, except for the one on the "six", are equipped with touch screens. At the same time, the easiest way to manage is the "Mazda" system. Using the "puck" to jump over menu items, you can quickly and less get off the road. In terms of interest, the best multimedia on Mondeo. SYNC 2 is a geek's dream with an 8-inch screen. But, alas, it is the most "inhibitory": it freezes more often than others, sometimes it reacts for a long time to keystrokes. Although compared to the first SYNC, this is heaven and earth. The Hyundai system has nice graphics and the simplest (in a good way) interface, but is not friendly with an iPhone connected via a cord: the music very often gets lost and starts playing from the first song. The Camry has everything at the level: decent graphics, no "brakes", but there is no zest that would make it stand out. This touch could be the wireless smartphone charger that Toyota has. It seems that the iPhone that she doesn't charge is not the most popular phone among the target audience of this machine.

 

The cheapest of the four is the i40. It costs $ 18. Camry will cost more - $ 724. The next one is Mondeo, which in this configuration can be purchased for $ 21. The most expensive is the Mazda020 ($ 22). All prices are indicated without discounts and special offers. By the way, only Hyundai and Toyota offer a full-size spare tire at no extra charge. In Mazda, by default, they put a stowaway, and in Ford, you need to pay $ 067 for a normal wheel.

Without the additional package, which includes a sunroof, braking energy recovery systems, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, safe braking in the city (rear and front), adaptive lighting with high-beam switching function and a top-end Bose audio system with 11 speakers, "Six" can be bought for $ 20.

 

Mondeo is in the Titanium configuration, but without additional options that were on the test car (LED headlights, assistance systems for parallel and perpendicular parking, automatic braking, blind spot monitoring, navigation, a rear-view camera, suede and leather seats, electric front seats , memory settings for mirrors and driver's seat, heated rear seats), will cost $ 18.

In this case, Ford is the only one of the entire company that will not have a leather interior, LED daytime running lights, xenon headlights and a rear-view camera. At the same time, Mondeo is the only model from this four, on which an audio system with 8 speakers is installed at no additional cost. The rest of the cars have six by default. Only the i40 has a subwoofer without installing additional packages.

The Hyundai equipment looks the most thought-out in general. It lacks the state-of-the-art solutions like Ford's automatic parking or Mazda's braking energy recovery. But how many business sedan buyers need these features? Unlikely. Well, everything else is in the i40. And yet, if in terms of dynamic qualities, external attractiveness and other qualities this car is not in the first place among competitors, then in terms of price / quality it is the "Korean" leader of the four.

 

However, if we are talking about savings, two more indicators are important: fuel consumption and overheads. According to the documents, the most economical one is Mazda (8,7 liters in the city and 8,5 liters - with a braking energy recovery system, which was on the test car). Hyundai consumes 10,3 liters per 100 kilometers in the city, Toyota - 11 liters, Ford - 11,8 liters. Actual consumption figures are different, but the order is the same. "Six" in the city eats about 10-10,5 liters, i40-11-11,5 liters, Camry - 12,5-13 liters, but Mondeo, which on the highway easily fits into 7 liters, burns about 14 liters. However, unlike other cars, it can be refueled with AI-92.

A significant contribution to the final decision will be the opinion of a person who does not allow throwing away old things, but forces them to be sold by ad. And here no one can argue with Camry: Toyota has the highest liquidity in the secondary market. But this car has two significant disadvantages. The first is the cost of the hull. We calculated the price of full insurance for all test machines in an online calculator and compared the cost in the same insurance company. A Camry policy will cost $1. For the "six" - even more expensive: $ 553. You can insure the Mondeo for $1 and the i800 for $1. The second drawback is the service interval. All the sedans that participated in the test, it is equal to 210 km, and only the Camry will have to go to the service every 40 kilometers. Perhaps, in terms of economy, the most preferred choice in this company is the Hyundai i1.

There is no medical cure for dissociative identity disorder. Only psychotherapy can help, the purpose of which is to merge all personalities into one. But this is definitely not about the situation in the showroom. The alter ego who imagines parking at a trendy nightclub will still scream about the Mondeo, the person who changes pads twice as often as required by the regulations will not give up his position on the Mazda6. Anyone who carefully enters expenses into a special program on the phone will not look at any option other than the i40. Finally, the voice whose owner talks about long trips and dreams of a solid suit will be for Camry. In any case, the main thing is that you are absolutely healthy.

 

We would like to express our gratitude to the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO for assistance in filming.

Nikolay Zagvozdkin

Photo: Polina Avdeeva