Home to brands like Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Lexus, Infiniti, and Subaru, Japanese car brands have quite a reputation. Between reliability and dependability, Japanese vehicles are made with great care, helping them last for years and years as long as they are well taken care of. 

However, as good as Japanese car brands are, they are not the only vehicles worth considering. The rest of the world, including at home in the United States, also makes some outstanding quality vehicles that offer excellent resale value, strong dependability, and even the ability to haul everything. 

10. Kia Telluride

• Sales volume 2024: 81,754 units
• Best features: Three-row SUV, consistent award winner, seating for up to 8, 17 standard driver assistance features
• Parent company: Hyundai
• Manufactured: West Point, Georgia

Winning Every Award

The real question to ask about the Kia Telluride isn’t what awards it has won but what awards it hasn’t won in the SUV space. This is arguably the best SUV you can buy today, luxury or otherwise. The standard features and safety equipment paired with a luxury-feeling interior make you feel like a million dollars, whether on a road trip, driving to work, or picking up the entire soccer team for their next game. 

9. Volkswagen Jetta GLI

• Sales volume 2024: 47,000 units
• Best features: Fun handling, available manual gear shifting, good fuel economy, generous cabin space for the size
• Parent company: Volkswagen
• Manufactured: Mexico

The Better Corolla

Compared to the Toyota Corolla, the Volkswagen Jetta GLI is far more fun to drive and looks better. The 10.3-inch digital infotainment screen won’t match up to luxury brands, but it’s more than good enough for drivers. Plus, you get heated and ventilated seats, which help set a better mood when using ambient interior lighting. The trunk space is also surprisingly roomy, which makes this a great road trip vehicle. 

8. Genesis GV80

• Sales volume 2024: 24,301 units
• Best features: Premium interior, excellent 27-inch infotainment screen, sporty design
• Parent company: Hyundai
• Manufactured: Ulsan, South Korea

Giant Infotainment Display

As soon as you enter the Genesis GV80, there is something truly special about the 27-inch OLED navigation display. Featuring an “immersive display with split-views of navigation maps, media, weather, and audio controls.” Paired with the Bang & Olufsen premium sound system, there is premium everything no matter where you turn and look in the Genesis GV80. If you’re interested, try the “Mood Curator” when you’re ready to create an interior ambiance that matches your mood. 

7. Cadillac CT4

• Sales volume 2024: 6,208 units
• Best features: Bose audio system, full-color heads-up display, Amazon Alexa built-in, Cadillac Smart System
• Parent company: Cadillac / General Motors
• Manufactured: Lansing, Michigan

Cadillac Grills

If you’re looking for another small sedan that works excellent for nights on the town and weekend grocery shopping, the Cadillac CT4 is the way to go. An American-made competitor to the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord, the CT4 offers plenty of power, a sporty exterior, and a unique style you won’t find from any other car manufacturer. 

6. Lincoln Aviator

• Sales volume 2024: 7,778 units
• Best features: Massage chairs, BlueCruise, digital experience, using your smartphone as a key
• Parent company: Ford
• Manufactured: Chicago, Illinois

The Overlooked SUV

Far too often, you see a list of the best SUVs available for sale in the United States, and the Lincoln Aviator is left off. This must be an oversight as it’s one of the best SUVs on the road today, with luxury touches like some of the best massage chairs you have ever sat in. Whether using your phone as a key or listening to the Revel audio system, you haven’t experienced luxury in an SUV at this price point until you step into a Black Label Aviator. 

5. Mercedes-Benz C300

• Sales volume 2024: 350,590 units
• Best features: Elegant design, outstanding infotainment experience, typical Mercedes safety features, Mercedes voice command system, ambient interior lighting
• Parent company: Mercedes-Benz
• Manufactured: Bremen, Germany 

The Premium Small Sedan

If you’re looking for something more upscale over the Toyota Camry or even the Toyota Avalon, the Mercedes-Benz C300 is hard to ignore. It might be a little small for families, but it is a great driving experience that Japanese brands struggle to match. The biggest highlight is the Mercedes infotainment experience on the C300 lineup, with a sizable digital cockpit and an even larger infotainment experience that offers digital instrumentation with a minimal design. 

4. BMW 3-Series 

• Sales volume 2024: 31,330 units
• Best features: Premium interior, excellent handling, luxury feel, family-friendly sports sedan
• Parent company: BMW
• Manufactured: Munich, Germany; San Luis Potosi and Lerma, Toluca, Mexico

Luxury Touches

Compared to Japanese sedans like the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, you get a lot of money for the latter vehicles. However, with a BMW 3-series, this German powerhouse is everything you want in a family-friendly sports sedan and more. Whether driving to the office or a soccer match, there is something premium about getting into and hitting the gas on a 3-series as you’re wrapped in luxury without feeling like you’ve had to choose between college for your children or a car. 

3. Hyundai Santa Fe

• Sales volume 2024: 119,010 units
• Best features: Unique boxy style, three-row family-friendly SUV, industry-leading warranty, list of standard features is long
• Parent company: Hyundai
• Manufactured: Montgomery, Alabama

Don’t Be Fooled By This One

Compared to any vehicle on the road, the biggest takeaway from the Hyundai Santa Fe is that its unique and boxy exterior shouldn’t fool you. The inside of this vehicle is very promising, with a luxurious-feeling interior, comfortable ride, seating for up to 7 passengers, and Hyundai’s class-leading warranty. Of course, where the Santa Fe delivers the most is value for the price, and starting at $34,200, it’s hard to get anything from Japan this good for this little. 

2. Hyundai Sonata 

• Sales volume 2024: 69,343 units 
• Best features: Low starting price, excellent fuel economy, IIHS top safety pick, sporty, great lease offers
• Parent company: Hyundai 
• Manufactured: Montgomery, Alabama

Industry Leading Warranty

As a sedan, the Hyundai Sonata has long been a heavily-touted competitor to the Toyota Camry, thanks to the brand’s 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty. For this reason, Hyundai has come a long way over the last two decades to the point where it’s now a class leader in many different areas. The most important consideration is the sheer volume of standard features you get with every Sonata purchase. 

1. Kia K5

• Sales volume 2024: 28,476 units
• Best features: Fun design, excellent standard features, beautiful 12.3-inch display, all-wheel drive
• Parent company: Kia
• Manufactured: West Point, Georgia; South Korea 

The New Sedan King

If you’re looking for the best alternative to the Honda Accord or the Toyota Camry, the easy answer is the Kia K5. This car is sportier than either of those two options, and it comes with an infotainment experience that easily surpasses its main rivals. Better yet, if you get the GT model, you can hit 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, which neither Honda nor Toyota can hope to match, and this is before you even get into a conversation about Kia’s class-leading warranty.

 

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