Topic: Family Sedan Suggestions

[rrocket]

Some space is good.

But like money, more is usually better.

Yea, but at what cost to you, the driver?  I'd rather roll around in an IS (or other sport sedan) with slightly less leg room for the kids in the back (which they could care less about) than a Camry, Accord, etc..

[Northernridge]

The space question is a good one. If one is looking for a family sedan than I'd agree the mid-sized segment is the way to go, especially as the kids go through their teen years – our Accord and the 2 E Classers were the right size for us and our 2 man-sized boys.

However, these days I rarely have more than 2 people in my car (rarely more than just me actually) so I'm rethinking the size thing.

IS sized cars strike me as decent for a single or a couple who rarely ever need a back seat. As RR points out, the smaller, lighter car comes with handling advantages.

[mmret]

Some space is good.

But like money, more is usually better.

Yea, but at what cost to you, the driver?  I'd rather roll around in an IS (or other sport sedan) with slightly less leg room for the kids in the back (which they could care less about) than a Camry, Accord, etc..

IS vs Accord is not really the correct comparison though for most people.

Anyways, to each their own. Pretty much every car has to do a balancing act of compromises. If you find the IS350 is the right balance for you, then great. For my needs the TL and the V60 come closer to hitting the right balance (both individually and as a complementary pair) than either the current or previous generation IS.

[rrocket]

IS sized cars strike me as decent for a single or a couple who rarely ever need a back seat. As RR points out, the smaller, lighter car comes with handling advantages.

Our IS is used daily with the young lad in the back seat.  He's 11 now and there's plenty of legroom for him....I mean, how much legroom is needed for a trip to school, sports, etc??  In all the years of him traveling in the IS (with many trip to TO to visit family), I have yet to hear him complain about legroom.  We even take him to school/sports in the 911, which he likes.  Now that car is definitely lacking in legroom (obviously), but again..more than enough legroom for a kid for a trip to wherever he needs to go.

YMMV.

[me_2]

It is not exactly a sedan by definition, it sits only 4. May I suggest you to give a test drive to a Chevy Volt ?

I'm a former Volt owner, I drove that incredible car for 2.5 years and the only way to understand how different it is, you have to drive one yourself.

Instant torque responsiveness, road handling & braking, absence a NVH (Noise, vibration, and harshness) when you're stalled in traffic = quietness, very good traction control in the snow, low center of gravity, operating cost for me was a $1 hydro-electricity / day (YMMV). I averaged a lifetime 0.8 L/100 km because 88% were e-km, the balance on gas were for long drive week-end. I now switched to full EV with the DCFC option (DC Fast Charger) as much I delighted the e-drive behind the wheel of the Volt...

Ok, you wrote $33K all in. If you took out the 15% HST, it is +/- $28.7K before taxes. Within this price range, a lightly used, devaluated Volt is a good option imho.

If I do a quick check at my preferred Chevrolet dealer (they sold one Volt to a guy in BC, he flew in and drove across the country back to home), their online inventory shows 24 used Volt below $28K (28 under $30K). They are very good at it.

Think about it !

By definition a sedan has to seat 5?  Or do you mean it's a hatch due to the way the trunk opens?

I'm in the market for a new mid-sized sedan as a replacement for the Pointblank-mobile (my RAV4).

Details: My budget is around $33,000 all in. I'm driving it primarily to work and back in Vancouver, about 11km one way. I'm looking for a quiet, fairly roomy sedan that handles well within the budget range.

He is looking for a mid-sized sedan ... I meant, obviously the Volt is not a sedan, it is a hatch with 4 seats, just in case he had 5 in his mind 

[Great_Big_Abyss]

IS sized cars strike me as decent for a single or a couple who rarely ever need a back seat. As RR points out, the smaller, lighter car comes with handling advantages.

Our IS is used daily with the young lad in the back seat.  He's 11 now and there's plenty of legroom for him....I mean, how much legroom is needed for a trip to school, sports, etc??  In all the years of him traveling in the IS (with many trip to TO to visit family), I have yet to hear him complain about legroom.  We even take him to school/sports in the 911, which he likes.  Now that car is definitely lacking in legroom (obviously), but again..more than enough legroom for a kid for a trip to wherever he needs to go.

YMMV.

Fair enough.  Your kid's only 11 though.  He probably hasn't hit his first growth spurt yet.  My boy is 13 now.  He's grown substantially in the last couple of years and does find legroom to be an issue.  Well, at least he did in our old car, especially seeing as I'm 6'1" and have the seat almost all the way back.  I would consider his legroom in the Altima to be sufficient.  More would be nice, but I don't think we could stick him with any less.

Also, we only have the one car.  When we did our trip from Winnipeg to Calgary in November, we sure were glad to have a little extra space.  For my budget, I will sacrifice some driving dynamics in order to have enough room for the entire family.

[rrocket]

IS sized cars strike me as decent for a single or a couple who rarely ever need a back seat. As RR points out, the smaller, lighter car comes with handling advantages.

Our IS is used daily with the young lad in the back seat.  He's 11 now and there's plenty of legroom for him....I mean, how much legroom is needed for a trip to school, sports, etc??  In all the years of him traveling in the IS (with many trip to TO to visit family), I have yet to hear him complain about legroom.  We even take him to school/sports in the 911, which he likes.  Now that car is definitely lacking in legroom (obviously), but again..more than enough legroom for a kid for a trip to wherever he needs to go.

YMMV.

Fair enough.  Your kid's only 11 though.  He probably hasn't hit his first growth spurt yet.  My boy is 13 now.  He's grown substantially in the last couple of years and does find legroom to be an issue.  Well, at least he did in our old car, especially seeing as I'm 6'1" and have the seat almost all the way back.  I would consider his legroom in the Altima to be sufficient.  More would be nice, but I don't think we could stick him with any less.

Also, we only have the one car.  When we did our trip from Winnipeg to Calgary in November, we sure were glad to have a little extra space.  For my budget, I will sacrifice some driving dynamics in order to have enough room for the entire family.

Yea...not sure what the growth spurt will hold.  Even so, I can't see us replacing our cars because of a growth spurt. I guess we're horrible parents.   

[Erik]

It is not exactly a sedan by definition, it sits only 4. May I suggest you to give a test drive to a Chevy Volt ?

I'm a former Volt owner, I drove that incredible car for 2.5 years and the only way to understand how different it is, you have to drive one yourself.

Instant torque responsiveness, road handling & braking, absence a NVH (Noise, vibration, and harshness) when you're stalled in traffic = quietness, very good traction control in the snow, low center of gravity, operating cost for me was a $1 hydro-electricity / day (YMMV). I averaged a lifetime 0.8 L/100 km because 88% were e-km, the balance on gas were for long drive week-end. I now switched to full EV with the DCFC option (DC Fast Charger) as much I delighted the e-drive behind the wheel of the Volt...

Ok, you wrote $33K all in. If you took out the 15% HST, it is +/- $28.7K before taxes. Within this price range, a lightly used, devaluated Volt is a good option imho.

If I do a quick check at my preferred Chevrolet dealer (they sold one Volt to a guy in BC, he flew in and drove across the country back to home), their online inventory shows 24 used Volt below $28K (28 under $30K). They are very good at it.

Think about it !

By definition a sedan has to seat 5?  Or do you mean it's a hatch due to the way the trunk opens?

I'm in the market for a new mid-sized sedan as a replacement for the Pointblank-mobile (my RAV4).

Details: My budget is around $33,000 all in. I'm driving it primarily to work and back in Vancouver, about 11km one way. I'm looking for a quiet, fairly roomy sedan that handles well within the budget range.

He is looking for a mid-sized sedan ... I meant, obviously the Volt is not a sedan, it is a hatch with 4 seats, just in case he had 5 in his mind 

The Volt is MUCH more roomy inside then the IS.

[Agiledood]

Some space is good.

But like money, more is usually better.

Yea, but at what cost to you, the driver?  I'd rather roll around in an IS (or other sport sedan) with slightly less leg room for the kids in the back (which they could care less about) than a Camry, Accord, etc..

 

My 9, soon to be 10, year old is a few inches shy of 5' and my ATS has enough room for him and the other little one. It's a worthwhile tradeoff for sure.

[rrocket]

The Volt is MUCH more roomy inside then the IS.

That's not my recollection...

[wing]

Legroom is tight in the IS but the trunk is pretty large actually.  Far more than just weekend getaway space for sure, actually we fit 2 weeks luggage for two easily.

But for kids. Leg room is fine,  but a little tight for adults.

Heck when I was younger I remember squishing in ultra tight back seats.  I was just happy to not have to walk.

[rrocket]

Legroom is tight in the IS but the trunk is pretty large actually.  Far more than just weekend getaway space for sure, actually we fit 2 weeks luggage for two easily.

But for kids. Leg room is fine,  but a little tight for adults.

Heck when I was younger I remember squishing in ultra tight back seats.  I was just happy to not have to walk.

Yea, back leg room is tight.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Legroom is tight in the IS but the trunk is pretty large actually.  Far more than just weekend getaway space for sure, actually we fit 2 weeks luggage for two easily.

But for kids. Leg room is fine,  but a little tight for adults.

Heck when I was younger I remember squishing in ultra tight back seats.  I was just happy to not have to walk.

A little tight?  When I 'sat behind myself' in the IS, well, I couldn't sit behind myself.  I couldn't physically get in the back seat.  I'm 6'-1", which surely is an average height for a Caucasian male these days...

I could fit in the TLX, but just barely.  The TLX is what I would call 'a little tight', as in I had some difficulty getting my shoes in and under the driver's seat, but I eventually got in.  An Accord is 'adequate' as I fit in with zero problems whatsoever.  All these 'descriptions' are sitting behind the driver's seat with it set to my dimensions.

[wing]

Average male is 5'-9"  And why must you sit behind yourself?  I don't get this.   Is everyone you know 6-1? 

Snowman is .. 6-3??  He fit in my ISF no problem.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Average male is 5'-9"  And why must you sit behind yourself?  I don't get this.   Is everyone you know 6-1? 

Snowman is .. 6-3??  He fit in my ISF no problem.

Not everyone I know is 6'-1".  HOWEVER, it's my standard, especially considering the 13 y-o who lives in my house and eats all my food will probably be 6' once he turns 15.

When you're a single car family, and you insist on driving Sedans, rear seat space is a rather large consideration.  My point is, there's a decent selection of both Mid-Size Mainstream, AND Mid-size Luxury sedans behind which I CAN sit behind myself, allowing me to rule out the ones in which I can't and still have decent choice.

For the Record, the Fusion was one in which I had difficulty, so it would likely be ruled out on this basis alone as a family car for my family.

[wing]

He could sit behind the passenger you know

[Solstice2006]

He could sit behind the passenger you know

^ Exactly.  6'1 is even close to being the average.  With a single car family, a little extra space in the back is understandable, considering you, and your family, are above average height.  But who is in the passenger seat?   I would bet, there are few mid sedans where you can sit behind yourself.  Go for a Passat, Impala, or Avalon.

[wing]

Average mid-sized car in Italy.  lol

[Great_Big_Abyss]

He could sit behind the passenger you know

^ Exactly.  6'1 is even close to being the average.  With a single car family, a little extra space in the back is understandable, considering you, and your family, are above average height.  But who is in the passenger seat?   I would bet, there are few mid sedans where you can sit behind yourself.  Go for a Passat, Impala, or Avalon.

I did mention there are mid-sizers behind which I do fit.  The Accord, Altima, Camry, TLX, etc. are all vehicles which meet my requirements. 

[Solstice2006]

He could sit behind the passenger you know

^ Exactly.  6'1 is even close to being the average.  With a single car family, a little extra space in the back is understandable, considering you, and your family, are above average height.  But who is in the passenger seat?   I would bet, there are few mid sedans where you can sit behind yourself.  Go for a Passat, Impala, or Avalon.

I did mention there are mid-sizers behind which I do fit.  The Accord, Altima, Camry, TLX, etc. are all vehicles which meet my requirements.

Well with the Accord, you said adequate.  So I wasn't sure what that meant.  Around here, adequate never seems to be enough....