Sedans under $50k

The Toyota Camry is a top-seller, and for good reason. It’s a sharp value buy from a metal-for-your-money point of view, but it’s also a fine-handling car with solid mechanicals. A grunty V6 option is priced below the $40K mark, but it’s the range-topping SL Hybrid that’s our pick of the range for its superb efficiency and refinement.

It’s getting on in age, but the Mazda 6 is still one of the classiest cars in the medium sedan segment from a design standpoint. Best enjoyed in GT grade, which sits a few thousand dollars below the Atenza flagship but boasts most of the same standard equipment, the Mazda 6 puts you in a high-end interior for much less money than a luxury-badged equivalent.

The Skoda Octavia wraps a fairly sedate sedan body around a mechanical package with potent performance. Stellar dynamics combined with a well-built interior and fat standard equipment list make the RS245 not just a good hot hatch alternative, but a great choice full stop.