The price of affordability.(Family Sedans - test)(Evaluation)

If you want a midsized family sedan with the extra power of a V6 engine and an inviting number of features, you'll likely spend more than $25,000 for one of our top-rated models--the Volkswagen Passat, Toyota Camry, and Honda Accord.

If you want to pay less you have two options, each with trade-offs:

* You can buy a four-cylinder version of the Passat, Camry, or Accord. Depending on the car, the Four trades about 50 hp for a lower price and about 1 to 4 mpg better fuel economy.

* You can choose a lower-priced V6 sedan like one of the four we tested for this report. These cars cost less than our high-rated Fours, and they often have more standard features than even the high-rated V6s. On paper, the lower-priced sedans seem to deliver more for the money. Most perform well, we found. But overall, spending less gets you less--sometimes significantly less.

THE TEST LINEUP

We chose four midsized V6 sedans: the Hyundai Sonata, Oldsmobile Alero, Chevrolet Malibu, and the redesigned-for-2001 Chrysler Sebring. They range in price from about $20,000 to $22,000. All have automatic transmission.

The current version of the South Korean-built Hyundai Sonata was introduced in the 1999 model year. It's available in a base model with a 149-hp, 2.4-liter Four, and in the more popular GLS model with a 2.5-liter, 170-hp V6. We chose the GLS auto, which starts at $18,824. Adding the leather package, which includes a sunroof and an antilock brake system (ABS) brought the sticker price up to $20,824, including destination charge. The CR Wholesale Price--which includes any buyer rebates and what the dealer paid after incentives--is $18,262. (All CR Wholesale Prices were effective as of early April 2001.)