Hottest Sedans of 2009

The new sedans rolling into showrooms are meant to get attention. They take passengers farther on a tank of fuel, look more stylish than ever, and boast advanced technology to keep drivers informed about traffic and weather.

And the deals available are phenomenal.

As slumping sales pummel nearly every automaker, the effort to create appealing sedans — and get shoppers to drive one home — is at a fever pitch.

Our annual roundup of new and improved sedans includes design trendsetters like the sleek Jaguar XF, Maserati Quattroporte and Volkswagen CC, which bring fresh appeal to the familiar four-doors-with-a-trunk body style.

A new round of premium diesels, like the BMW 335d, and hybrids, like the Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid, add greater fuel efficiency to the upper echelons of the market, where it has been sorely lacking.

And the Lincoln MKS ushers in technological innovation that is sure to stand out. The advanced system in its dashboard features a high-resolution touch-screen and software smart enough to tell you where the fueling station with the cheapest gas is.

Focus on Fuel Economy

The new Mercedes S-Class won’t look much different than the current model, but it will offer a new hybrid system that is likely one of many to come from luxury carmakers. It joins Lexus’ LS 600h L and GS 450h in giving buyers an upscale hybrid alternative to the Toyota Prius.

Like Lexus, Mercedes trades some of the fuel efficiency that its hybrid system offers for more power and performance.

The Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid pairs a 15-kilowatt electric motor with a 3.5-liter V6 gasoline engine. The car boasts 299 horsepower with plenty of torque delivered by the electric motor.

It helps conserve fuel the same way existing hybrids do. Its combustion engine powers down at temporary stops, which helps deliver around 30 miles per gallon in mixed city/highway driving. The S400 BlueHybrid is expected to go on sale in the fall of 2009.

BMW is looking to diesel technology as its next step toward higher fuel efficiency, and the company’s best-selling model, the 3 Series, will be the first to get it in the United States. The BMW 335d maintains the high level of performance and strong acceleration of gasoline-powered 3 Series models, but with significantly better fuel economy. It will get an estimated 23 mpg in city driving and 33 mpg on the highway.

Advanced emissions systems ensure that the new diesel engine will comply with the most stringent standards set by the state of California.

“The average consumer may be wary of diesels, but we have seen Mercedes-Benz have some success with their diesel E-Class,” says Mike Omotoso, manager of automotive powertrain forecasting at J.D. Power & Associates in Westlake Village, Calif. “BMW is hoping that their clientele will have the same appreciation for the genre’s performance and technology.”

Omotoso estimates that sales of diesels will more than double over the next three years, to 1 million vehicles annually. As a percentage of all new cars and light trucks sold, diesels would increase from 2.6 percent in 2008 to 6.5 percent in 2012.

Volkswagen's’ next generation of fuel-efficient cars will kick off halfway through next year with two diesel versions of the Passat, the company’s largest sedan sold in the United States. The Passat BlueTDI will have a 140-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that gets an estimated 45 mpg in mixed city/highway driving. The Passat BlueMotion will have a less-powerful 108-hp 2.0-liter diesel engine with a stop/start function to shut it down during temporary stops. It will get an estimated 48 mpg overall.

A third new version of the Passat, already on sale, focuses on aesthetics rather than fuel economy. The Passat CC is what Volkswagen calls a “four-door coupe,” which is an oxymoron because coupes have two doors.

For the Sake of Style

German automakers appear to be enamored with the contradictory “four-door coupe” designation. Besides Volkswagen with its new CC, Mercedes uses this designation for its CLS-Class and BMW for its X6 crossover utility vehicle.

“The design objective for the CC was to create an accessible entry-level luxury vehicle with the visual power to make an emotional connection over and above the rational connections our brand tends to generate,” says Brett Scott, product planning manager Volkswagen NA. “It makes a compelling and powerful design statement.”

Simply put, these vehicles are sleeker than most four-doors. “Designers are imparting greater style into four-door cars, and the 'coupe' look is just the next iteration,” says Leo Parente, an auto industry consultant based in New York. “At least we've moved on from the vinyl roof, the opera window and the stand-up Rolls-Royce-wannabe grille.”

Unfortunately, these models’ svelte silhouettes present some serious drawbacks. For starters, their low, sweeping rooflines make getting in and out more difficult than in “regular” four-door vehicles, and the extreme slant to their windshields and rear windows can hamper outward visibility.

“Buyers will choose these cars as expressions of elegance in the luxury or near-luxury markets,” says Tom Matano, a car designer and executive director of the School of Industrial Design for the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

But the cramped interiors and narrow trunk openings of these swoopy “coupe” wannabes limit their practical appeal. “Really, these cars are for the owner with occasional full-passenger-capacity needs,” Parente says.

Jaguar’s all-new XF and Maserati’s updated Quattroporte are two other examples of sedans with sexy profiles, but they’re not called “four-door coupes” and both do a good job of balancing practicality with aesthetics. The Jag XK has a large trunk, for instance, and the Maserati Quattroporte’s interior is ample enough to comfortably accommodate four or five adults.

Sports-car makers are also showing interest in super-sleek sedans. Porsche, for one, plans to unveil a sexy four-door called the Panamera. Aston Martin and Lamborghini are also considering coupe-like four-door cars.