Consumer Guide® Automotive places each vehicle into one of 17 classes based on size, price, and market position. Midsize Cars represent the heart of the U.S. car market. Most are price-sensitive, conservatively designed, family oriented sedans and wagons.

Our Best Buys include the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Our Recommended picks include the Chevrolet Malibu, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Mazda 6, Nissan Altima, and Subaru Outback and Legacy.

Monte Carlo follows its Impala sedan sister in getting an extensive 2006 makeover with fresh styling, new engines and added features. Chevy previewed the new models this past January ahead of a summer 2005 launch. The Monte's restyle aims at a smoother, more coherent look, but has little affect on dimensions. Three models return with suspension tweaks and stronger structures that Chevy says improve ride and handling. All '06s offer optional seat-mounted torso side airbags for both front occupants. Previously, only a driver's airbag was available on the midlevel LT and sporty SS Montes. The entry-level LS joins other models with standard ABS and traction control, and all three get new engines. The LS moves to a 210-hp 3.5-liter overhead-valve V6, while the LT gets a 3.9-liter version with 240 hp. The SS becomes the first V8 Monte Carlo in many a year by adopting GM's familiar 5.3-liter engine, rated here at 303 hp. Exclusive to the V8 is Displacement on Demand, the GM cylinder-deactivation system designed to save fuel in gentle driving and highway cruising. A 4-speed automatic will again be the only transmission offered. More details, including prices, should be surfacing soon, so keep checking back with us.

Meantime, prospects for a revived V8 Monte Carlo have died amid a general GM sales slump that the company says will drastically cut its 2005 profits. This was one of several new North American cars slated for 2007-08 on the rear-wheel-drive Zeta platform assigned to GM's Australian branch. Another was a revived Chevy Camaro "ponycar" to battle Ford's new smash-hit Mustang. Now, to save money, GM has cancelled all U.S. Zeta models, at least for the forseeable future.