Agreed on the Mazda6, but I would also have to consider the new Accord.
Do you have any data that makes you say the previous 2 gen Camry's reliability had suffered? I'm curious to know what issues they had as people always remark that Toyota products are "reliable" and "bulletproof."
I'll pass on the Accord as I'm not keen on the styling inside or out.
I had one of each of the two previous gen Camrys. The '04 was the worst with transmission failure and complete replacement at 4,500 km, oil leaks that couldn't be fixed, water pump failure, loose body parts, eg, rear spolier never fit properly or tight, various rattles, poor paint quality and an instance of sudden accelleration when cruise control inadvertently engaged by itself in city traffic. Most of these problems are described in "Lemonaid" publications.
I figured it was just an isolated lemon so I got an '08 based on my positive experiences with '83, 88 and 99 models I also had. Surprise! More transmission problems, poor fuel consumption, loose body parts, more rattles, failed battery in 1st year, vibrating exhaust replaced twice, rough idle and three safety related recalls.
I should have read Lemonaid before, not after I bought it. Needless to say I got rid of it after 2.5 years and less than 40,000 kms. Never again!!