The sedan and the wagon have been taking a beating over the years. In a past that’s honestly not too distant, sedans were plentiful and a lot of them have sporty variants with manual transmissions. The car buff magazines even had multi-sedan shootouts. Sadly, those days appear to be limited as more brands cut sedans and wagons for jacked-up crossovers. Even Volvo, famous for its wagons, has made some cuts.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with a crossover. I have more than once considered adding a Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport VR6 to my fleet, then backed down because I don’t like car payments. I’d also rock a first-generation Tiguan. But there’s still a place in this world for a low-slung sedan or wagon. Today, Tyler Anderson wrote about how the Honda Accord could be collectible one day. A comment by Robert Stanley McLaughlin resonated with me:
Sedans are awesome. You feel like a slick fighter pilot among bombers. Loops and exit ramps are a lot of fun against suvs, cuvs, and trucknutz. Admittedly, I also have an outback so I’m full of it.
Sedans and wagons are a nice compromise between the practicality of a larger vehicle while also still being able to be sporty like a smaller vehicle. I agree with Robert up there, it’s deeply satisfying to take a sedan around a cloverleaf junction, punch the throttle at the apex, and zip right onto the highway. Add a nice and engaging transmission and that pilot feeling is only amplified. Thankfully, it does seem sedans are getting a stay of execution thanks to hybrids and EVs, but there are still fewer of those experiences out there.
For another COTD, we have Óscar Morales Vivó, who perfectly describes David’s impossible wrenching adventures that somehow always work out in the end:
David Tracy’s life is like a shonen fight anime but with wrenching challenges. Every season a new, more bizarrely powerful/rusted out/derelict adversary shows up, every season the Protagonist defeats it through a strong will and the power of friendship just in time for the season finale.
The only real difference is that the speech about the power of friendship shows up in article form, on the Internet, after the inevitable victory instead of filling up half the episode leading to the final attack.
Finally, I want to give a COTD award to Sally, Jason’s other half. Throughout David’s wrenching adventure he was convinced the $500 Toyota Sienna was a total waste of time. Understandably, Sally and Jason didn’t need another junker and David’s description of the Sienna wasn’t doing any favors. Yet, the adventure still had a good ending:
Sally immediately liked it! “Oh yeah, this thing is great!” she said. “You said it was a junker. No no, it just needs a little bit of love. It’s got tons of potential!”
Have a great evening, everyone!
Sedans are the best, I love having four doors for friends and loading stuff in. I’d take a sedan over a coupe or a sports car any day, like I’ve owned so many BMW 5-series and I greatly prefer them to any 3-series.
Hatchbacks are like sedans with far more versatile cargo area, are easier to park being a shade shorter, and don’t suffer a high COG like a SUV.
American brands decided to deride the humble hatchback in pursuit of high-margin SUVs with decades of neglect as a “cheap” crappy car (Chevy Aveo, Spark), or turned into a hideous sedan of awkward proportions or neglect (Ford Fiesta, Focus). Can’t even get a basic VW Golf these days.
I second all of that. Although my favorite bodystyle is a subcompact station wagon, like the Volkswagen Polo Variant.
Became a car nut in the 60s, read up on cars for years before I was old enough to get a license and learned 3 absolutes: 1. Lightest and lowest is best, big engines just screw up the balance of a car. 2. If you want fastest, go with a mid engine 2 seater. 3. Those don’t haul stuff well, so the best all around car is a transverse engine FWD 2 box car like the Mini or it’s bigger copycats like the Golfs and FWD minivans.
No surprise that I’ve owned a Mini, 5 Golfs, and 2 FWD minivans…
MOST automotive journos are scared to death of modern-era VWs, but not our Mercedes. Oh no, she’s all in for sunroof leaks, mystery trouble codes, and electronic gremlins of the highest order. She even buys Piech moonshots!
All of those apply to my last week. Sunroof drains leaked and corroded wires under the floor in my V10 TDI, causing a serial communication link (aka my engine didn’t know it was attached to a car) and turned it into a 6000 pound paperweight.
Honestly, easy fix, minus the razorblade interior trim that wrecked my fingies.. and for the 5 days I was drying the car out in prep for repair, I kept wondering why I only drive Piech shit. Then I fixed it, drove 30 feet and all was well in the world once more.
Now if the 01E in my W8 sedan would magically appear in my Variant I’d be a super happy boy!
Our next car is probably going to be a (used) sedan again. I’m really liking stuff like the 428i Gran Coupe, Audi A5 and Kia Stinger; Sedan form, but with a usable hatch space.
I bought an A5 Sportback last year and am loving it. It feels small and nimble, looks great, and my kids and all their stuff fit in it comfortably. That said, it isn’t the primary kid-hauler (wife drives a Highlander), but it has been a great dad car for me so far.
As a previous Stinger GT owner (and serial VAG apologist/owner), I’m sorry to Trouthawk, the Stinger walks the floor with the A5. Of course the interior isn’t as solid and the tech isn’t as polished, but god, it is so good to drive. The A5 is a fine car, but the EA888 is straining. The turbo Lambda V6 in the Kia is a killer motor and the chassis/drivetrain layout means it drives more BMW than Audi. My $0.02, if you want fun, get a GT for the same price as the 4 cylinder Germans. If you want a relaxing, comfy cruiser, still get the GT. It’s also really big. Like first gen Panamera and A7 big. So, consider that.
*really not deriding the A5, it’s a great car. Had 3 B8s, but Kia absolutely killed it with the Stinger. I’ve driven the B9 A5 SB a lot, and the interior is 10x better, but if you want fun, it’s no contest.
The Stinger GT was on my short list. Unfortunately, most of my daily driving is in moderate/heavy traffic, so I leaned towards interior comfort over power. I was behind a bright yellow Stinger GT just this morning and the exhaust note even in stop and go traffic did make me a little envious.
There is a sharp dichotomy between what’s fun to drive (sedans/wagons) and what is more practical for many people (CUVs/SUVs). This is why I drive a hot hatch. The worst of both worlds. 🙂
I love my van, but since my wife drives a Forester, it’s been a pretty sad time for both of us not having one reasonably fun car to drive.
Even sedans with a reputation for being boring appliances are more fun than CUVs. I drove a Malibu as a rental not that long ago and it was honestly a good time. It shocked me. But then you remember, even the softest cars are more fun than CUVs for their lack of bulk and low center of gravity. You just can’t get that experience sitting on a stool that far above the ground.
I am a sedan person. Always loved them, own one currently. Doesn’t have the space a large SUV offers, but is good enough. Not as good as a wagon, but they aren’t available like they used be, and not always with a lovely design as their sedan counterparts.
I think that Sally should write here one article or two, eventually, about hers adventures and misfortunes regarding JT cars choices.
Also, the opening pic: the E39 is one of the most beautiful sedans of all time, period. Own one is still in my list.
Sally already wrote it under the nom de plume “Dante” – it’s called “The Inferno.”
Sedans are awesome. I have a veeery long one in the driveway, and a neighbor has a long wheelbase W126 all decked in white, and it’s just so… Like what a car is supposed to be.
That said I also have a crossover and it’s the best vehicle I’ve ever owned, so take that, haters.
I’m a coupe man myself, but I love a good sedan and a good wagon! I really just do not enjoy driving crossovers or SUVs… far too high off the ground for my liking!
I can’t say I really have a thing for sedans, wagons are the same thing but better in every way.
Seconded. I learned how to drive in a 2010 Ford Flex and a 2005 Ford Focus wagon, and after subsequently driving a conversion van for 7 years as a daily driver, my 2012 Prius v comparatively handles like a race car in the highway ramps.
In my house we have a thing about people’s names and their profession. Being you’re an automotive journalist, is your name really Mercedes Streeter? Or is that a pen name?
Mercedes has written about her name on several occasions (and on different sites). A google search should enlighten you in about ten seconds 🙂
Like a field-goal kicker named “Longwell” or an edge rusher named “Crumpler”?
My favorite was race-car driver “Lake Speed”, who obviously should’ve been an boat racer.
Good question! My first name is Mercedes. Admittedly, that wasn’t the name I was born with (being trans and all that jazz) but I chose it in 2012. I loved my Smart Fortwo so much that I named myself after my car’s parent brand. Back then, I was so sure I’d be a psychologist or a meteorologist and had no idea I’d end up where I am today. Yeah, I have about of year of meteorology learning in my head with no practical use other than to show off. 🙂
Streeter used to be my actual last name and was for my whole life until recently. I changed my last name to Weikal to honor my grandfather, who died in Vietnam.
I kept my old last name for writing purposes. I mean, “Streeter” is too perfect for writing about cars. There’s been a side benefit that when people desire to harass or threaten me, which happens, those people end up in my Instagram or Twitter DMs, but not much closer to home than that. Used to be that people would dig up my address and other personal info just to try to scare me.
Ah yes. I remember reading an article on this site that mentioned some discriminatory problems. I’m sorry to hear that. It’s too bad there are people that so small and hateful that you have to go through that. Nonetheless, as a regular reader here, I appreciate your contribution to the site. Thank you, I’ll be back to read more. PS. Long live the sedan!
Sedans and coupes are great, my main issue driving my last couple sedans was everyone else had a truck/SUV so seeing around traffic was a hassle. If you can’t beat em join em! Also as we age, getting in and out of the lower vehicles can get…tiresome.
Driving an SUV yourself doesn’t really help seeing around the other SUVs. That’s not how sightlines work.
I can generally can see through their cab/hatch better(if they’re not tinted to 5% which somehow passes inspection) vs in a lower car I’m looking at bumper.
can confirm. That’s why I plan to blow the fuck up and buy an AMG 6X6 muahahaha.
Yes many cars and Sedans then none. Plenty SuvS . It is onlya matter of time before back to cars.