Sedans are classic. They were the standard automobile for decades and decades. The rise of the modern SUV and Ute have made sedans slip into the back seat of consumer trends. They also make up some of the best cars to drive and some of them are the most comfortable. If you read on, you’ll learn a little more about why you should buy a sedan.
Top 5 Advantages of a Sedan
- Sleek and Maneuverable: Sedans are usually placed between hatchbacks and SUVs in size. Coupled with decent engines and transmissions, this makes Sedans ergonomical around town, quick through corners and quick off the line. The driving dynamics are a big reason why you should buy a sedan.
- Economical: Because Sedans are smaller than their larger counterparts, they require less fuel to get them up and moving. Their weight advantages are their biggest asset over larger competitors, they’re more nimble and more economical as a result. If you like spending less on gas, you’ll like sedans over SUVs.
- Price: Sedans are more often than not, cheaper than the SUVs offered by the same brand. This means you are getting on the road with more money in your pocket. All of this, simply by choosing a sedan over a SUV.
- Options: Sedans and SUVs are offered with much of the same technology as their counterparts. The main differences being mainly in the set up for SUVs. This means that choosing between SUVs and Sedans won’t need to come down to which offers the best comforts.
- Styling: We personally like the look of a Sedan over that of an SUV. We aren’t alone here, aerodynamics like Sedans better too. The styling of sedans is a massive reason to buy a sedan. It’s totally subjective of course, but if you’re asking us, Sedans look sleeker, smoother and more stylistic than the rolling bricks that seem to populate the SUV market.
Top 5 Disadvantages of a Sedan
- Space: When compared to other models like hatchbacks, station wagons, SUVs and Utes, Sedans cannot offer the same space and storage of their larger competitors. If you have to lug a bunch of stuff then you may find Sedans lacking. There are a few models that offer folding rear seats but still, hard to compete with the more storage conscious models. If you need to carry a lot of stuff, this can be a reason not to buy a sedan.
- Passenger Room: Sedans can’t offer the same leg room or head room as their larger rivals. The basic length and height of the car is to blame for this. The longer and wider the car, the longer and wider the seating arrangements. If you carry passengers often, then a Sedan might not be best for you.
- Towing Ability: Sedans can be equipped with grunty engines and transmissions. They can even have four wheel drive and big brakes – but they lack the towing capacity of Utes and SUVs. If towing is a thing that you do then Sedans may not do the job.
- Parking Ability: They can come with plenty of aids and technical thingy do-da’s that basically park the car for you but compared to a small hatchback they will still make you lose that car park. As well as maneuvering around car parks, hatchbacks win out. Sedans still offer more maneuverability over Utes and SUVs though.
- Relative Fuel Economy: Sedans are more aerodynamic than the other options and they can be more economical but when compared with compact hatchbacks they will most likely lose out. If you need the best city driving fuel economy, it’s hard to pick a Sedan over a small hatch.
Our 5 Favourite Sedans
- BMW 3 Series: The handling, the options, the engines and the luxury. It’s hard to go past BMW, apart from when it comes to price, when it comes to Sedans. Their M3 has forever set the Sports Sedan benchmark. Anyone who makes the industry standard model is something worth trying.
- Mercedes C Class: Another luxurious and comfortable Sedan. Coming with an astounding number of variants and options, you could get lost in all the boxes you can tick – which is an expensive adventure. As with the BMW the price of Merc’s push them out of the realm for most of us, but we said our “favourite” not what’s the “best value for money”.
- Mazda 6: There we go, happy now? These offer great value for money, they drive fantastically and they can be optioned to at least hold a candle to their Euro competitors. They aren’t as quick and usually the Euro tech filters down over a couple years.
- Tesla Model 3: All the tech, all the speed, all the cornering, none of the noise. These things are biblically fast, and electric. If you can stomach the cost and wait to get one, you’ll like it.
- Honda Accord: A great ‘all rounder’. We like it for the same reasons we like the Mazda but it loses out based on performance to the rest. The value that it offers is undeniable, it’s just some of the other areas where it falls short of its rivals in our eyes.
If you want to browse through what sedans are on offer, have a look at TradeMe motors right here.
Sedans are a dying breed, many people prefer larger cars or smaller cars, with less consideration given to looks. They still hold a special place in our hearts and always will. If you like what a Sedan has to offer and it fulfils your needs, then they are a rewarding car to drive. If you’ve got a sedan and love to take good care of it, then head on over to My Auto Shop for everything your sedan will need.