Medium is the message: Medium Sedan Comparison 2014

Mazda’s ubiquitous 6 faces off against the new Nissan Altima and Skoda Octavia in a battle for mid-size supremacy

Medium sedans are often viewed as a little passé. But it might surprise some to know that the category in which these three models compete is home to 22 rivals, all vying for a piece of the action.

However, you wouldn’t know it to look at the sales figures (see separate break-out). The Medium car segment is truly a ‘top heavy’ one, with just three models (the Toyota Camry, Mazda 6 and Ford Mondeo) accounting for nearly two-thirds of all sales in the sector.

In this comparison, we’ll take one of the segment leaders, the Mazda 6, and see how it compares to a pair of lesser-selling rivals. Flying the flag for Nissan is the mid-size Altima, of V8 Supercar fame, while for Skoda it’s the family-friendly Octavia five-door.

On test, the grades tested are comparable in price, each placed in the upper $30,000 bracket.

For Mazda, the 6 Touring sedan retails for $37,500 (plus on-road costs) and, as tested, retails for $39,190 (plus ORCs) thanks to the inclusion of a Safety Pack ($1490) and ‘Soul Red’ metallic paint ($200).

The Nissan Altima ST-L sells for $35,990 (plus ORCs) and, as tested, is fitted only with ‘Brilliant Silver’ metallic paint ($495), taking the list price to $36,485 (again, plus ORCs).

Finally, for Skoda, the Octavia Elegance 132TSI is priced from $34,690 (plus ORCs), but as tested is optioned with a Tech Pack ($3300) and ‘Race Blue’ metallic paint ($475) to take the overall retail price to $38,465 (plus ORCs).

So join us now as we put this trio through its paces, and find out which Medium car truly rules the roost.

Value for money
A car must prove it’s worth the asking price, or at least offer something its rivals do not. In this section we’ll ascertain whether we feel the vehicle’s packaging is commensurate with its price tag.

To the end of April 2014, the Mazda 6 sold 2082 examples for a segment share of 13.6 per cent. It’s the second-best seller behind the Toyota Camry, which sadly couldn’t be made available for this comparison.

The Mazda 6 is actually down almost 28 per cent on its sales volume for the same time last year, but looks set to retain its second-place spot with the next closest model, the Ford Mondeo, behind by more than 1000 units.

A newcomer to the category in November 2013, the Nissan Altima has yet to spend a full year in local showrooms, and has since the start of the year managed to sell only 366 units.

With numbers that low, it’s not surprising that the Altima has only a 2.4 per cent share of the Medium car segment (under $60,000), and being a new entrant, cannot be ranked against its 2013 performance.

Finally, is Skoda’s latest Octavia variant which has sold 410 units year-to-date (2014). The Czech mid-sizer holds a 2.7 per cent share of the segment in which it competes and, compared to the same time last year, is enjoying an uptick in sales of 12 per cent.

NB: All sales figures quoted are sourced from the VFACTS Report published on 02/05/2014.