Where have all the small to medium sedans gone?

Forums › Transport (cars, bikes and boats) › Where have all the small to medium sedans gone?

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2121 posts

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#3156628 6-Nov-2023 11:10

I prefer sedans, and station wagons over all.

SUV often have similar luggage capacity in term of litres compared to a station wagon. But it's vertical, so you have to stack on top.

I prefer sedans as I like having stuff in my boot out of sight or smell (golf shoes or bike shoes after riding). Generally sedans handle better with less roll, lower to the ground which I like. I spend a lot of time in rentals for work so have driven all sorts the last few years.

I get why people like SUVs but they're too tall, inefficient and don't have the luggage space they ought to have.

As for the OP I suspect there's a new Corolla sedan coming. And they also sold so few of the current model.

cddt

1565 posts

Uber Geek

#3156630 6-Nov-2023 11:15

jonathan18: For you sedfans (ie sedan fans), why choose a sedan over another form? I’m genuinely interested!

I like when the boot is segregated from the cabin. 1) Less risk of things flying around, and 2) if you're transporting something that smells it stays out of the cabin.

Rikkitic

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#3156631 6-Nov-2023 11:16

jonathan18: For you sedfans (ie sedan fans), why choose a sedan over another form? I’m genuinely interested!

Practicality-wise, it’s usually no competition. Are they quieter?

Even on looks I rarely find a sedan version better looking than the hatch or wagon (though I get that’s totally subjective!).

Vehicles that are not sedans look like boxes. I do not want to drive a box. I want to drive a car.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

MikeB4

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#3156636 6-Nov-2023 11:52

The last Sedan I owned was a Commodore SS around 10 years back. When my condition flared it become obvious that Sedans were hopeless for me. Very difficult to climb our of and to get into and I injured myself a could of times doing so. Transferring from and to a wheelchair was a nightmare. The boots are hopeless for carrying anything but for shopping bags, suitcases and smaller golf clubs sets.

A hatch back can stow a chair but my wife had to lift them in and out and being low that makes it more difficult. For me a hatchback is the same nightmare as a sedan. SUVs while not having as much storage as a station wagon there raised height makes it easy to stow and retrieve a wheelchair. For me getting in and out and especially transferring from and to the wheelchair is a lot easier. All round I believe SUVs are very useful vehicles and for anyone with mobility issues they are a god send.

jonathan18

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#3156641 6-Nov-2023 11:58

cddt: I like when the boot is segregated from the cabin. 1) Less risk of things flying around, and 2) if you're transporting something that smells it stays out of the cabin.

That’s why God invented the frunk/froot!

I know many EV owners claim to never use their frunk, but I find mine so useful. Carrying food in it is one of my most common uses of the frunk. (Some EVs like my Model Y also have large under-boot spaces.)

qwertee

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#3156643 6-Nov-2023 12:28

MikeB4:

Where have all the sedans gone? Long time passing,

When have all the sedans gone? longtime ago.

Where have all the sedans? Utes have killed them everyone.

When will we ever learn, When will we ever learn.

Where have all the sedans gone? Long time passing,

When have all the sedans gone? longtime ago.

Where have all the sedans? SUVs have crushed them everyone.

When will we ever learn, When will we ever learn.

Sung to the tune of ' ................." ?

rb99

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#3156645 6-Nov-2023 12:32

Was going to suggest Kia Cerato, except its a hatchback and, surprise, surprise, its disappeared from Kia's website. Replaced with another stupid suv I suppose.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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Senecio

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#3156657 6-Nov-2023 12:45

This thread has me thinking.

I've been driving now for 30yrs. In that time I have owned 15 different cars and not one of them was a sedan. For me it has been a mixture of hatchbacks, coupes, utes and now medium SUVs.

rb99

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#3156660 6-Nov-2023 12:51

Didn't BMW do a sedan that was a hatchback at the same time ? Press button A and the bottom metal bit opens, press button B and the metal bit and window opens.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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Rikkitic

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#3156662 6-Nov-2023 12:56

I have been driving for 63 years. Not all of my cars were sedans. Some were cabriolets.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

alasta

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#3156682 6-Nov-2023 14:03

kiwifidget:

Oh yes, there is a Mazda3 sedan. Plain GSX is a bit light on the bells and whistles, the Limited is more the ticket but is in the brochure but not on the website. Curious.

I think there were three or four variants of the Mazda3 sedan available up until a few weeks ago when it was pared back to only one. This is a good example of the contracting market for this type of vehicle.

As a back seat passenger I would probably find a sedan desirable due to the longer wheelbase, but from an ownership point of view I really like my small SUV.

jonb

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#3156691 6-Nov-2023 14:20

As for the OP I suspect there's a new Corolla sedan coming. And they also sold so few of the current model.

Toyota NZ aren't bringing in the sedan for the latest Corolla

BlakJak

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#3156693 6-Nov-2023 14:24

Sedan's are not practical when compared to the alternatives so i'm not surprised they're not getting much love.
For the same wheelbase you can have a Hatchback or Station Wagon, both of which will have more internal area for storage for the same or similar wheelbase.
"Little old Lady" cars are all hatchbacks, hadn't you noticed? Mazda Demio, Mitsubishi Colt, Toyota Corolla, Yaris, Nissan March, Micra.
Why be constrained by a boot lid when you can increase your storage area to the height of the cab?
My last three cars have been wagons (and a small hatchback as a second car for a while during this period) and before that I had two liftbacks and before that, two hatchbacks.

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Dingbatt

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#3156699 6-Nov-2023 14:45

jonathan18:

Even on looks I rarely find a sedan version better looking than the hatch or wagon (though I get that’s totally subjective!).

I'll have to look in the Tesla forum(s). I’m sure you agreed that the Model 3 was better looking than the Model Y? 😁 (But not as practical.)

In reality “The Crossover” has muddied the waters somewhat. It is not a true SUV, but more of a tall hatchback. I put vehicles like CX5, Qashqai, Escape, etc in this category. Where a family may have bought a station wagon for practicality in the past, they now really only have crossovers to choose from. A valiant rearguard action is being waged by Subaru, but even they have more and more vehicles that are “less sport and more utility”.

As I get older, the entry/exit height will have an increased bearing on what vehicle I choose. While I can still fall down into, and climb out of a sedan, that will be my preference. However, if manufacturers no longer supply affordable sedans, the decision will have been made for me.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

mattwnz

20173 posts

Uber Geek

#3156700 6-Nov-2023 14:47

Chills: I mean, I’d probably suggest a Toyota CH-R.

1. They’re Toyotas (Can’t get more reliable)
2. They’re mini SUVs, so may fit the bill

They come in 1.2L Hybrid or 1.2L Turbos (for whatever reason) and have a plethora of features.

They also have a little get up and go if your mum needs to pass the boy racer in their straight piped Civic.

They have just released a new model of it which is a big improvement on the old one, and has door handles in the right place.

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