2015 Chrysler 200 vs. 2015 Mazda6 vs. 2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI
Attack of the Burgundy Cars: 2015 Chrysler 200 vs. 2015 Mazda6 vs. 2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI
By James Hamel and MaryAnne Wendt
At WhyThisRide.com we are all about celebrating the automotive alternatives out there as well as the mainstream ones you see in every Costco and Sam’s Club parking across this great nation of ours. But when three of the best family sedan alternatives to the likes of the 2015 Toyota Camry, 2015 Honda Accord and 2015 Nissan Altima all show up at our doorstep ready to play in the nearly exact same shade of Burgundy red we pause and take notice.
Since when is it cool for family sedans to look this, well, cool? Aren’t they supposed to all be silver or white? Or God help us gold with a beige interior? It just so happens that a perfectly formulated, deep red exterior paint job appeals greatly to our judgmental inner style maven. It is a color that when done right truly enhances and flatters the appearance of any automobile even one that otherwise might not catch your eye due to styling that is either at best conservative or at worst as timid and inoffensive as a loaf of bread.
Thankfully no Toyota Camry sedans were harmed in the creation of this comparison test as it is about as inoffensive as it gets even in its more adventurous new 2015 and a half model year restyled duds. We also had a 2015 Nissan Altima come through our doors also in burgundy but its enormous snout, wallowing ride, uninspiring 4-cylinder/CVT combo and high price kept it out of our top three testers here.
Frankly, the car these three should fear is only the 2015 Honda Accord, so let’s see who comes out on top according to your two judges: James Hamel and MaryAnne Wendt. One is a mother of two who we have nicknamed “Supermom” and the other is a single guy with a dog. You figure out which one is which and read on to see who we deem the winner in this “Attack of the Burgundy Cars!”
Exterior Styling
Despite Mr. Hamel’s undying love of all things Mazda, even he could not deny that the 2015 Chrysler 200C AWD tester that showed up at our door was drop dead gorgeous. To compare it to the previous 200 sedan or, blasphemy, the old Sebring would be to totally and utterly not get the magnitude of this family sedan’s stylish transformation. The Mazda does have a definite sporty look to it that is for sure and we’d say it’s downright handsome. But the 200C AWD is sexy. And the Passat, well, its lines have aged very well and in burgundy it looks like a million bucks. If you want your car to look German, here is your family sedan. Still, sexy wins the day.
(1st Place: 2015 Chrysler 200C AWD 2nd Place: 2015 Mazda6, 3rd Place: 2015 VW Passat TDI)
Interior Design, Spaciousness and Quality
This category is where the Chrysler 200 really started to continuously impress MaryAnne to the point that she has said multiple times that it is without question her favorite family sedan that she has tested. And she has tested a lot. Whereas the Passat admittedly is the king and champion when it comes to rear seat roominess (really the only one suitable to carry five adults) and simply enormous trunk space. On one occasion when we took the Passat shopping for a bulk supply of caffeinated beverages for a friend’s employees we found ourselves having to literally climb into the trunk to retrieve everything we had bought. It’s perfect if you are a hoarder.
Now while James didn’t really agree with MaryAnne’s summation about the interior of the 2015 Mazda6, he could see other people also possibly having trouble with the dimwitted nav/audio system which took at least three minutes to read and start playing music from an i-Pod via the USB port. Mr. Hamel simply used the Bluetooth streaming function which offered terrific sound quality via our Grand Touring model’s Bose audio system. But the Garmin navigation system is clearly outdated and Mazda will be updating it for the 6’s 2016 restyle.
Also, MaryAnne felt the manu-matic function of the transmission shift lever was counterintuitive and claimed it gave her a bad case of “gearshift dyslexia.” We believe that is a new automotive term she coined right there. To explain, when she wanted third, she found she was shifting to first based on her experience with other paddle shift and Tiptronic-style transmission systems. Other than that, however, we found that the 2015 Mazda6 had the sportiest feeling interior with all controls within easy reach of the driver to help he or she keep their eyes on the road. Where they should be.
Again, here is where the 2015 Chrysler 200C’s interior shows up the competition and that is in the high quality feel of the leather, plastics and carpets as well as “wow your friends” features like a transmission gear selection knob that looks quite a lot like the one you find exclusively in Jaguars and Range Rovers. A stylish dual pane panoramic sunroof much like the one that really is the cherry on top of the equally sexy Kia Optima also featured in our Chrysler 200 tester and helped it to inch past the Passat for the win. (1st Place: 2015 Chrysler 200C AWD, 2nd Place: 2015 VW Passat TDI, 3rd Place: 2015 Mazda6)
Fuel Economy
Well first off let’s just say the 2015 VW Passat TDI simply walked away with the fuel economy win being that we put 680 miles on the odometer and never had to fill the tank once. And yes, we returned it with just under a quarter tank left. The 2015 Mazda6 with its SkyActiv technology, however, also impressed us for its efficiency given that it has an EPA estimate of 28 city/40 highway and we averaged 38.9 miles per gallon over the course of a week.
Our 200C may have recorded the lowest fuel economy numbers here but it is also the only one equipped with all-wheel drive (the other two don’t offer it) and a far more powerful 3.6 liter 295 horsepower V6 which thankfully does run on regular unleaded. Over the course of a week the 18 city/29 highway rated 200C averaged nearly 22 miles per gallon. Do note there is a more fuel efficient (36 highway) 2.4 liter 184 horsepower 4-cylinder engine available. But what is the fun in that? (1st Place: 2015 VW Passat TDI, 2nd Place: 2015 Mazda6, 3rd Place: 2015 Chrysler 200C AWD)
Value for Money, Features and Pricing
All three sedans here have starting prices in the low $20,000 range but their as tested prices varied somewhat as all were fully loaded examples. Our 2015 Mazda6 Grand Touring stickered for just over $32,000, the 2015 Volkswagen Passat SEL Premium TDI was priced just over $34,000 and given its higher feature count the 2015 Chrysler 200C AWD rang up to just over $37,000 once the Chrysler Group LLC had finished lavishing every possible option imaginable onto our test vehicle.
If you can live with some of the more over the top features like, oh, say the Chrysler Parallell and Perpendicular Park Assist system which can automatically parallel park and guide you into a regular parking spot for you as well should you one day be rendered utterly incompetent. It’s too bad that feature is lumped into a package with very helpful safety advances like collision advance brake assist, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and automatic high beam headlights. In fact, only the Volkswagen lacked adaptive cruise control which can automatically maintain a set speed for you on the freeway regardless of traffic. It just slows you down then speeds you up again. That used to be the preserve of Lexus models but now even family sedans boast the latest gadgetry. (1st Place: 2015 Mazda6, 2nd Place: 2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI, 3rd Place: 2015 Chrysler 200)
Driving these Cars for a Week (Fun to Drive?)
First to go down in this fight is a car that boasts impeccable road manners and noise suppression all while managing to always feel like the faster you drive it the more nailed down you are to the road. This car is, of course, the German Engineered and Tennessee built 2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI. This frugal family sedan is a pleasure at a relaxed cruise and can also manage to capably tackle windier roads if the need arises.
The only problem is that the 2015 Mazda6 has the cheetah-like ability the more comfort oriented VW lacks thanks to the most buttoned down suspension tuning of any car in this test and steering that is not only communicative but never feels overly heavy during tight cornering maneuvers. The 2015 Chrysler 200C AWD’s steering felt lighter and somewhat more detached but the car made up for it with the tenacious grip during even the most insane cornering maneuvers. Not that we would test a car in such a way but Southern California where we are based has little need for all-weather traction as a rule but the 200’s system manages to aid grip even in the dry.
As you would imagine, the Chrysler’s 3.6 liter 295 horsepower V6 offered up the most thrilling straight line experience but a funny thing happened on the way to the forum when the roads got twisty and the 200C’s weight problem compared to the Mazda6 became easier to notice. So despite only packing a 2.5 liter 185 horsepower Sky-Activ 4-cylinder, the 6 always felt like a feisty performer thanks to its enthusiastically growling engine note. And never once did we wish the Mazda had more horsepower when we took it for some blasts on our favorite back roads. Face it, Mazda knows how to make even a family sedan go “Zoom-Zoom.”
And while we are always enthusiastic about Volkswagen’s 2.0 liter 140 horsepower/236 lb. feet of torque TDI diesel motor, we always feel that it makes for more engaging transportation hen equipped with the manual gearbox. (1st Place: 2015 Mazda6, 2nd Place: 2015 Chrysler 200C AWD, 3rd Place: 2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI)
And Who Did We Pick as the Winner? Uh-oh.
Now, this is a first for both WhyThisRide.com and for MaryAnne and James who both usually agree on most subjects automotive. They still may not agree on whether Zac Efron or Nick Jonas is cuter but when it comes to cars they usually wind up on the same page. But not this time. Now obviously all of these new family sedans excel in various ways but given its scoring sadly the very appealing 2015 Volkswagen Passat TDI wound up in third place.
So this left MaryAnne’s much adored 2015 Chrysler 200C AWD with its emphasis on style, safety features, gadgets and luxury features to win her over. Oh yeah, and her kids and husband as well. James on the other hand feels that the way a car feels in your hands as you are making even the most mundane job is pivotal to a person’s happiness. And the 2015 Mazda6 was easily in his eyes to most fun and engaging family sedan to drive in this test. And neither one would budge. So instead of leaving them to make the decision with an arm wrestling match, here are the very first WhyThisRide.com comparison test co-winners for our favorite new family sedans—the 2015 Chrysler 200C AWD and the 2015 Mazda6!
2015 Mazda6
2015 Chrysler 200c
