Even though I think the best looking vehicles on the road are large full-sized sedans, they may be dying a slow painful death. Why aren't people buying them anymore?

 

Because everybody with the money to buy a large car is buying an SUV, it's as simple as that. So Merc S Class, BMW 7 Series, Lexus, Jaguar XJ, all have fewer sales than a decade ago. Why well-off people want to drive trucks or buses is beyond me, but a lot surely has to be the speed restrictions imposed in the US and also in the UK and most of Europe. Big saloons are still popular in Germany where one can drive much quicker if one wants to.

Drive a tank and bully your way through the traffic seems to be the new mantra.

 

At one time in the US, large sedans were the rule not the exception. Though that was probably back in the late 60's. Many times there is not really that much more interior room in the bigger sedans, the mid sized models are usually big enough. If you need added room the SUV is more convenient, most American SUVs have three row seating. Also I think it has to do with image. The big sedan is seen as as an old man's car. The SUV is seen as an active, adventurous person's vehicle, even if it's not used in any different manner than the sedan.

 

SUV is apparently more comfortable for all the obese people over here (don't like bending to get "down" into a normal car). Nothing to do with speed restrictions.

 

I find the stretch to get into an SUV harder on my arthritis than getting in & out of my Jags.
I also think the Limo & VIP Fleets will keep large luxury sedans in production for some time yet. & with Ford plonking a 4cyl motor in the Mustang (SACRILEGE! ), with apparently only minor effects in difference to the V8 (according to the hype I'm reading). Economy isn't going to be the death of big Limos. Though changing tastes may well finish them off.

 

I agree. It's a generational thing. Jaguar have reacted to the long held perception of their four door XJ ranges as being 'old men's cars' by jumping on the SUV bandwagon to appeal to the younger market. The pricing structure also tends towards that demographic.

It's clearly working - I can't see anything in Jaguar's current range or future model announcements that appeals to me in the slightest.

Graham

 

If you really want to see a sign of the times, take a look at Lincoln's lineup.

6 vehicles and only 2 sedans, both mid-sized.

luxury-vehicles

 

In Texas, the big cats have plenty of space to stretch thier legs. Hundreds of highway miles with 85mph speed limits. And that is the suggested speed.

 

Yep. My wife insisted on the SUV. Her assumption that she's more likely to survive a crash with another SUV is probably true (comparable to my little ole XK). Half those beasts would probably do a Monster Truck roll over on my car.

 

I was very against SUVs for the longest time, but after driving a rental GMC Yukon for 2 months, I was very impressed with the overall character of the car. If I had $60-70k to spend on a new car, that would probably place higher on my list than any full size luxury sedan.

Also, a car like an XJ makes a statement any time you drive it. Sometimes I just want to be anonymous!

 

I've maintained multiple vehicles for most of my life (even when I was single). As Alan mentioned above, an XJ makes a statement. That's fine provided you want to be noticed. Sedans I've owned over the past decade include Lincoln Town Cars, a Rolls-Royce Silver Spur, and my XJL. During the same time period, I've also owned a Cadillac Escalade and two Lincoln Navigators, all 4WD. The SUV's have traditionally offered greater versatility and space with no really significant sacrifice of comfort. They have also been my vehicle of choice in inclement weather, as my sedans have traditionally been RWD. If I HAD to downsize to a single vehicle, it would probably be an SUV; I'm just thankful that I haven't had to make that concession yet. My wife, who was left disabled by a stroke, finds it easier to climb up into the SUV than to slide down into the Jag or Mustang. Also, Gary: don't knock the 4 cyl. Ecoboost engine in a Mustang until you drive one. Mine is putting out well over 300 HP which is plenty considering its weight, it averages 25.5 mpg in day-today use and has turned in 42+ mpg on a road trip. I'm perfectly satisfied with it. My new Navigator has a larger 6 cyl. Ecoboost engine which is peppier and more efficient than the old V-8 one that preceded it. Both offer better fuel efficiency than my Jag; just not the panache.

Dwayne

 

Think so? Check out last week's L.A. freeway crash of a compact sedan vs. Escalade:


A GMC Yukon (=Tahoe = Escalade) would probably suffer the same fake.

I like my low-body Jag for easier loading/unloading of my golf bag. I like my SUV for the utility and visibility on road trips. But I no longer think SUVs are safer than cars.

 

Yes I know they're good engines. I've driven a Falcon with one fitted to it, & I was truly astonished by the power & economy. Though the sound wasn't much. I can't believe it bombed in this market. I though it could actually save our Ford Factories from closing. But they did a terrible job marketing it, with most Punters unaware it existed, & those that did wary of the claims, which is just par for the course for Ford Australia. They've been making world clas RWD sedans for the past twenty years, without exporting a single model back to the States, where they would've sold well, I'm sure. eg GM did very well rebadging Holden's Commodore as a Pontiac G8. & the Falcon is easily a match for a Commodore, with their XR6 Turbo model one of the best cars ever made in this country. It's a crying shame they've closed their factories, which will only be overshadowed when Toyota & GMH close their plants at the end of this year.

 

Been nursing the old x308 along but every little bit of plastic, rubber and vinyl is disintegrating from the Texas heat and sun (unfortunately have to park outside at work during the day). Been looking for a more modern replacement. I've driven everything and concluded that modern sedans just don't ride anywhere near as smoothly as they used to.

A close friend of mine has always driven large domestic cars and has quite a collection of vintage Chevrolets, Cadillacs and Chryslers going back to the early 60s. Just recently he came to same conclusion about time to retire his 96 DeVille from daily driving duties before it totally melted. Modern sedans just didn't come anywhere close so replacement wound up being a 2014 Escalade.

I'm trying to convince myself to go with an XF but the only way I could do it is with suspension modification, ala Spires Comfort kit or a totally custom setup. 20-30 years ago I was buying sports/gt type cars and paying extra to upgrade suspension for autocross racing. Now that I'm older and in need of luxury suspension, I have to buy a veritable race car and pay extra to downgrade the suspension for street use? Seems ironic, but I bet that has a lot to do with the decline of the large sedans. If they'd make them comfortable again instead of trying to appeal to younger buyers who don't have the money, I bet sales would increase.

 

No, the sound ISN'T much (Ford even went so far as to pipe in some synthetic engine sounds), but my Mustang is a convertible so the rush of air makes up for it. I had a six-cylinder Mustang before this one and, believe it or not, the Ecoboost outperforms it in just about every way imaginable. As you said, it is astonishing!

Dwayne

 

Funny, you would bring up this topic. My wife and I are probably going to replace her 04 Jag XJ (75,000 miles) which has been and still is a perfect car; she is just ready for a change is all. Anyway, we looked at vehicles and narrowed it down to the ones we liked: Infiniti's SUV - QX80 (400-hp 5.6-liter V8); Jaguar XJ sedan (340-hp 3.0 liter + turbo V6); and Cadillac's CT6 sedan (310-hp 3.6 liter V6). Have ruled out the SUV only because I have a Hummer H2. We will consider replacing it with a SUV in 5+ years when I pass-on the H2 to my son (now 13). Have decided a new Jag is too expensive; but, we do like the look and 340 HP. A V8 is available except drives the pricing even much higher. So..., the Jag is running as our 2nd choice & would have to be categorized used with very low mileage for us to buy one. The Cadillac CT6 with a luxury or premium luxury package is currently our favorite which can be had new for about $65K. If a V8 were available, I would be attempting to find a barely used one; but, it only comes in a V6 with or without a turbo. The CT6 in my opinion is as sexy looking or more-so than the XJ. I believe if Cadillac were to put a V8 in it and keep the price at the price of the 3.6 liter, Cadillac would rule that segment of the market & take away buyers from its foreign competition such as Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, and Audi. Anyway, my point is for folks to look at Cadillac if considering a sedan; cannot imagine one not liking it.

 

Here is another counter-intuitive example to the contrary --

Prius Destroys Brabus-Tuned Mercedes-Benz G500 4×4²

 

I've seen many examples of smaller vehicles coming out better in a crash. I saw a little Suzuki Alto hit a Landrover Defender Safariwagon on a roundabout, which flipped onto it's side, while the Suzuki only had a dinged bumper bar, & was the only one of the two to drive away from the incident. Likewise a friend of mine had a head on with an MGB, while he was having a country lane blast in the UK, with his GF on a Norton Commando. He & the GF sailed over the entire accident & landed in a ditch full of water, walking away without a bruise, though soaking wet. While the couple in the B had to be cut out of the wreck, as the bike had wedged itself into the middle of the car as far as the firewall. & both of them spent quite sometime in hospital, though thankfully both survived.

 

My love for large sedans has absolutely nothing to do with perceived "safety" or being safer than other cars. My old boss was this type that worried about everything in life. After I bought my 300m he triumphantly told me that he had good news that my 300m was one of the safest cars on the road! I was like... whatever dude....

 

Modern SUVs are as safe as any other car on the road. But that's more to do with the active safety features that all modern cars share, than any weight advantage. In fact the old style 4X4s, with their rigid ladder chassis, were actually more dangerous than their 2WD counterparts, from the late 60s onwards, as they had no crumple zones. So all the impact forces were transferred into the passenger cell, & many died because of that.