Five Reasons To Get a Sedan Over a Crossover and Five Reasons Not To
When the crossover surpassed the midsize sedan for most new car sales earlier this year, there was much hem-hawing around Motor Trend HQ. Despite the implications of such a milestone, the question of “Crossover or Sedan?” is far from settled. Here we’ll give you five reasons a crossover is a better pick and five more why a sedan is the sane choice.
Crossover – Cargo Space
The crossover, like a hatchback, is almost always more capacious than a sedan. The Honda Accord claims 15.8 cubic feet of cargo capacity in its trunk, but the similarly priced CR-V boasts an astounding 37.2 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 70.9 cubic feet with them folded down. If you routinely have to haul people and their things (who doesn’t?), then it’s an easy point in favor of the crossover.
Crossover – 4WD/AWD
Live somewhere with less-than-stellar weather? Maybe snow? A decent all-wheel-drive system paired with proper winter tires is indispensable. Although there are a few sedan available with AWD, it’s a de facto requirement for the crossover segment. If you need that all-weather capability, then you can shop the whole range of crossovers instead of just a small sampling of the sedan segment.
Crossover- Seating Position
The high-riding seating position of the SUV was one of the reasons they became so popular. That seating position, which places drivers higher than in a comparable sedan, paired with fuel economy that’s far better (relatively speaking) than the SUVs of yesteryear makes the crossover a recipe for frugal confidence. Especially in urban environments, a little more visibility in the sea of traffic can go a long way toward feeling comfortable as you drive, which is an admirable goal for any automaker.
Crossover – Off-Roading
Do you frequently go splashing through streams? Do you often tear up the dirt trails deep in the forest? Nah, neither do we, but sometimes you want to be able to imagine doing it in your grocery getter. If you had to take a scenic detour while taking the kids to school, it’s nice to know you could. What about sedans? No such fantasy unless you’re driving a WRX.
Crossover – Cool New Offerings!
By being the best-selling platform, the sedan has seen more than a few cool breakout examples over the years. Think Chevrolet SS and the absolutely insane SRT sedans from Dodge. When it’s popular, the accounting department lets you take some chances. The sun is setting on many of those performance sedans (Chevrolet SS is set to end production after 2017), but a new day is dawning for the crossover. The upward trend in popularity will continue, and crossovers will no doubt spawn their fair share of high-performance variants.
Sedan – Fuel Economy
Although the crossover has come a long way from the gas-guzzling ways of the full-size SUV, the high-riding hatchbacks haven’t taken the fuel economy crown from the sedan. The forthcoming Toyota RAV4 Hybrid will boast an EPA-estimated 34/31 mpg city/highway, but the Ford Fusion Hybrid posts an EPA-estimated 44/41 mpg. If you’re racking up the miles, you can’t afford to ignore to fuel economy, and the sedan market handily beats all comers from the crossover corner.
Sedan – Seating position
The seating position for crossovers is one of their selling points. If you find yourself to be vertically gifted, as several of the Motor Trend staffers are, you might find that raised seating position reveals a bit of a problem: headroom. Although the base measurements won’t differ much from their sedan counterparts, the problem is real. For many six-footers (and above) a crossover just won’t do. Taller drivers might fit nicely into the Honda Accord, but on many crossovers (CR-V included) a different hairdo would put them in touch with the headliner.
Sedan – Proven Platforms
Some might see the word “proven” and think “old,” but there are some who see it for what it is. You know what you’re getting. Walk into an American diner, and order a cheeseburger; you know what you’re going to get. The sedan, whether a Toyota Camry or 707-hp Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, is a known quantity. The crossover, though? Is a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid going to feel like a high-riding Prius or more like a “regular” crossover? There’s an answer to that (“regular”), but the point remains. You don’t know what you’re going to get.
Sedan – Visibility
You know all those really cool advances in backup camera systems that have come out recently? Surround view, 360-degree view, bird’s-eye, etc. Tell you what—the development of those systems and the fact that they show up on all the crossovers isn’t because the crossover is a miracle of outward visibility. The challenge of those first-generation full-size SUVs was visibility, and applying the same formula (lift, high seating position, rugged styling) to the passenger car platform have yielded similar visibility-impaired results. Not every sedan is the absolute pinnacle of visibility (Mercedes-Benz CLA, we’re looking at you), but you shouldn’t have a problem backing the Honda Accord into a parking space if the camera system goes out on you.
Sedan – Styling
Sure, there are some people who like butched-up hatchbacks with a mild lift kit. There are also people who like velvet sport coats. They’re not for everyone. For the rest of us, there are sedans: Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class, Ford Fusion, Kia Optima, Jaguar XF, Dodge Charger, BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe … should we continue? Basically, if you want a nice-looking ride, the sedan probably has a lot more going for you.
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