Buy/Drive/Burn: V6 Midsize American Sedans of 2007
In our last edition of Buy/Drive/Burn, we looked at some midsize V6 sedans of Japanese origin from 2007. In the comments most of you decided the Accord was worth a Buy, but complained that you’d rather spend $28,000 on a V6 Altima than the larger and nicer $28,000 V6 Maxima. Go figure.
Anyway, on to the American midsize sedan triumvirate of 2007!
Today’s American V6 sedans in top-tier trim target a lower price point than their Japanese counterparts: $23,000.
Chevrolet Malibu
For 2007 the sixth generation Malibu is finishing out its last days. Riding on the Epsilon platform with the Saab 9-3 and Pontiac G6, Malibu is available in four-door sedan and four-door Maxx hatchback guises. Trims are four this year: LS, LT, SS, and LTZ. The LTZ comes standard with a 3.5-liter V6 engine good for 217 horsepower. Said horses shift through the four-speed automatic, and buyers sit on surfaces of leather and simulated suede. This Malibu continues on for one final year and overlaps its replacement, in the 2008-only Malibu Classic. $23,675.
Chrysler Sebring
The Sebring enters a new third generation for 2007, as the midsize sedan moves onto the Chrysler/Mitsubishi JS platform. Available with four doors as a sedan or two as a convertible, the Sebring is available in Base, Touring, and Limited trims. 2007 is the only year the top trim third-gen Sebring is front-drive, as in 2008 the all-wheel drive Limited takes that position. Today’s front-drive Limited employs a 3.5-liter V6 good for 235 horses, and is paired to Chrysler’s first-ever six-speed automatic with AutoStick. $23,445.
Ford Fusion
The Fusion enters its second model year in 2007, and continues as a much more popular car than Ford’s prior midsize offering, the Contour. On the CD3 platform with the Lincoln MKZ and Mazda 6, the Fusion’s trims span S, SE, and SEL. Fusion is the only competitor here to offer all-wheel drive in 2007, and it’s available on SE and SEL trims. Today’s front-drive SEL is powered by the trusty 3.0-liter Duratec V6 that Aston Martin uses. 221 horsepower travel through the six-speed automatic. $22,170.
Similar in price, power, and mission, which of these American sedans is worth your 2007 pre-Great Recession dollars?
[Images: Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford]
Interested in lots of cars and their various historical contexts. Started writing articles for TTAC in late 2016, when my first posts were QOTDs. From there I started a few new series like Rare Rides, Buy/Drive/Burn, Abandoned History, and most recently Rare Rides Icons. Operating from a home base in Cincinnati, Ohio, a relative auto journalist dead zone. Many of my articles are prompted by something I'll see on social media that sparks my interest and causes me to research. Finding articles and information from the early days of the internet and beyond that covers the little details lost to time: trim packages, color and wheel choices, interior fabrics. Beyond those, I'm fascinated by automotive industry experiments, both failures and successes. Lately I've taken an interest in AI, and generating "what if" type images for car models long dead. Reincarnating a modern Toyota Paseo, Lincoln Mark IX, or Isuzu Trooper through a text prompt is fun. Fun to post them on Twitter too, and watch people overreact. To that end, the social media I use most is Twitter, @CoreyLewis86. I also contribute pieces for Forbes Wheels and Forbes Home.
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I'd buy a Fusion in 2007. Alan Mulally was getting ready to lead Ford at the start of a global crisis and was the only one of the three to not get bailed out. Malibu, I'd drive but not my fave. Oh, Stellantis? Oh, sorry, no. Fiat? Oh crap. 2007 model year? So 2006 calendary year. Ah! Gotcha. Oh Daimler Chrysler... I was a Mopar fan in my youth, but I've got more refined taste these days.
Wow, this one's really easy. Buy - Ford Fusion: I test drove a 2007 V6 years ago and was quite impressed. Ford was really onto something with this generation Fusion, and for a long time they ranked as very reliable. Drive - Chrysler Sebring: I had a very good experience with my 1998 Dodge Neon, and my grandparents had good luck with their Chrysler vehicles, so that's enough to give this the edge over the Malibu. Burn - Chevrolet Malibu: I hated the styling of this generation of Malibu. It's probably fairly reliable and trustworthy, but it's just not something I'd want to own or drive. The 2008 was miles better.