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Is the family sedan over?

I haven't had a chance yet to read the article...but I know that I would much rather have a wagon than a sedan. My wife is coming around to it.
 
Originally posted by: PricklyPete
I haven't had a chance yet to read the article...but I know that I would much rather have a wagon than a sedan. My wife is coming around to it.
Click to expand...

Actually it's more about how the sedan has changed and it's become more of a driver's vehicle for the driver and not a family vehicle. The family vehicle is now the SUV.
 
the camry isn't exactly an egaging driving experience. neither are two of the other sedans mentioned at the end of the article, the avalon and the lacrosse.

totally agree that you almost never see families in family sedans anymore. everyone is in their giant high-rider station wagons now.
 
No, I just think people got bored of American boats (Camry excluded) and started demanding more BMW-like sedans (Accord, Mazda 6, etc.).

The market is giving them what they want.

So the sedan is not dead. Is the 3-series dead??? Just the American highway boat is dead.

 
The article is in the right direction, IMO.

I'm only looking at wagons/SUVs/crew-cab trucks to replace my Nissan Versa hatchback. Any my Versa hatchback is way more useful than my old Accord sedan was. A sedan would need to be very "fun" for me to make up for the lost utility.
 
dunno, i really prefer the look of sedans over a wagon. that's pretty much it though. i concede that wagons are much more practical.
 
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
No, I just think people got bored of American boats (Camry excluded) and started demanding more BMW-like sedans (Accord, Mazda 6, etc.).

The market is giving them what they want.

So the sedan is not dead. Is the 3-series dead??? Just the American highway boat is dead.
Click to expand...
If that were even remotely true, sales of SUV's and crossovers (aka station wagons) wouldn't have risen so sharply through the 90's.

I blame the death of the so-called family sedan on the increased emphasis of sportiness and interior quality by magazine and internet publications. Slower, more cushy rides were almost inevitably in last place. God help you if your car didn't have a soft touch dashboard.

Not that I'm complaining. I happen to like a sportier ride, even it doesn't amount to much for the typical drive. And cars today are bigger and more luxurious than they've ever been.
 
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
No, I just think people got bored of American boats (Camry excluded) and started demanding more BMW-like sedans (Accord, Mazda 6, etc.).

The market is giving them what they want.

So the sedan is not dead. Is the 3-series dead??? Just the American highway boat is dead.
Click to expand...

Thats a bunch of crap. No one got tired of boats on the road at all, they just got BIGGER boats (SUVs).
 
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
No, I just think people got bored of American boats (Camry excluded) and started demanding more BMW-like sedans (Accord, Mazda 6, etc.).

The market is giving them what they want.

So the sedan is not dead. Is the 3-series dead??? Just the American highway boat is dead.
Click to expand...

I like how you called the Accord BMW-like lol

I agree the shift went to SUV's even for families with 2 or 3 kids..

The "family" sedan is not dead for those less fortunate who purchase a sedan to haul their family around becuase they do not want to spend the gas on an SUV or cannot afford one.

The sedan is not dead because there is plenty of demand for large sedans or cruisers for single people.

I mean I drive a "family" sedan and I am a single student at 22
 
A few days ago I saw a British TV show on selling cars and cheap repairs before the final sale. The dealer had a Honda Accord station wagon with a diesel engine! I would have bought one here in the States. I'd rather drive a wagon than a heavier bulkier SUV. My wife and I looked into getting a Forester - has anyone seen the new 2010 model? It is huge in comparison to the previous year. TDI Jetta wagons need to be special ordered. The local dealer marks up all TDIs with its $999 extra charge.
 
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
No, I just think people got bored of American boats (Camry excluded) and started demanding more BMW-like sedans (Accord, Mazda 6, etc.).

The market is giving them what they want.

So the sedan is not dead. Is the 3-series dead??? Just the American highway boat is dead.
Click to expand...

the article didn't say the sedan was dead, it said the family sedan was dead. and it is. it got replaced by minivans and then SUVs. how many families don't have a statio, ert, SUV or minivan for hauling kids? even if they do have a sedan as well it isn't the kid hauler.
 
Originally posted by: ElFenix
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
No, I just think people got bored of American boats (Camry excluded) and started demanding more BMW-like sedans (Accord, Mazda 6, etc.).

The market is giving them what they want.

So the sedan is not dead. Is the 3-series dead??? Just the American highway boat is dead.
Click to expand...

the article didn't say the sedan was dead, it said the family sedan was dead. and it is. it got replaced by minivans and then SUVs. how many families don't have a statio, ert, SUV or minivan for hauling kids? even if they do have a sedan as well it isn't the kid hauler.
Click to expand...

Yup. I had an SUV and a sport sedan for my cars. One for the kids and one for me.
 
I prefer a sedan to anything else. So called "crossover" SUVs don't interest me at all, and neither do full size SUVs. I do own a mid-size, truck based SUV and it's perfect for what I need it for and does 22 mpg on the highway which for me is acceptable. I don't want a car that sits high and has 20" wheels and can't actually haul anything (crossover) and I don't need a 6,000 lb. monster that gets 13 mpg and needs a runway to park (full size SUV). My daily driver is a sedan, it can haul my family and a good bit of cargo, or it can haul coworkers around, or relatives. I prefer a sedan as my primary car and won't be changing any time soon.
 
Originally posted by: ExarKun333
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
No, I just think people got bored of American boats (Camry excluded) and started demanding more BMW-like sedans (Accord, Mazda 6, etc.).

The market is giving them what they want.

So the sedan is not dead. Is the 3-series dead??? Just the American highway boat is dead.
Click to expand...

Thats a bunch of crap. No one got tired of boats on the road at all, they just got BIGGER boats (SUVs).
Click to expand...

I agree with this.

During the 1980s the American sedan was transformed from a V8, RWD platform to an I4/V6, FWD platform (for the most part, there were a few exceptions). Passenger volume went down, cargo volume went down, towing capacity went down. Remember when everyone towed with their cars and the only people towing with a truck were construction or service industry folks? I do.

People still wanted large, V8, RWD vehicles with large passenger space, large cargo capacity and the ability to tow. Well, the SUV and pickup truck were the only vehicles being sold that met these requirements so they sold well.

IMO Detroit created the SUV bubble by killing the traditional sedan. Rather than pushing buyers into FWD throw away sedans in the late 80s and 90s they should have been improving the traditional RWD sedan. We all joke about most SUVs never leaving the pavement and it's true, most people don't need them for that purpose - they need them to serve the "large sedan" purpose and that's what most are being used for. Hauling the family and their stuff.
 
I can see it happening.

It's amazing how much more convenient a SUV is than a sedan when you need to haul around huge strollers, groceries, bags of toys, and/or a big dog. Visibility over cars is good, you don't have to worry about scraping the nose on things, and with more and more speedbumps being installed everywhere, they're just far more convenient than a station wagon. You can fit a standard car seat 3-across in an SUV, but you need very narrow models if you want to do that in a sedan.
 
I'll take a sedan over those abortions (pseudo wagons) that Toyota and (soon) Honda are putting on their lots
 
i would rather have a wagon than an suv.

i think that article is right...its becoming more of a drivers car than a lug around everything/everyone else car...
 
Station wagon went out of style and we got minivans, minivans went out of style and we got suvs, now suvs are out and we get these crossovers. basically the crossovers are a station wagon suv minvan all in one. While the family going around in a sedan has gone away. :shrug;

 
Originally posted by: iFX

During the 1980s the American sedan was transformed from a V8, RWD platform to an I4/V6, FWD platform (for the most part, there were a few exceptions). Passenger volume went down, cargo volume went down, towing capacity went down. Remember when everyone towed with their cars and the only people towing with a truck were construction or service industry folks? I do.
Click to expand...

That's funny. My grandparents used to tow their boat with their '69 Chevelle SS 396
 
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