What is a sedan?

One promising way to think about a sedan is as a passenger car with a three-box design for the engine, passenger, and trunk. The compartments for the engine, passenger, and trunk are all enclosed and separate from each other. This three-box layout is the most popular body style for a majority of people.

Sedans often feature four doors and two rows of seats. The ability to accommodate four or five passengers makes it a roomy, comfortable car for most drivers. The word "sedan" is thought to come from the Latin word "sedere", meaning "to sit".  Clearly, a sedan lives up to its name as it is most often associated with comfort and smooth ride that makes a journey from A to B extremely enjoyable.

As the car world becomes more sophisticated and complex, the sedans' design has changed accordingly. Although sedans at all levels can be a good fit for most people, it would be nice to have a look at the various types of sedans that will help you make a wise decision that suits you. Broadly speaking, there are four different types of sedans. Here, we have broken down each of their characteristics for you.

Compact Sedans

Small sedans are one of the most common classes of sedans. As you may have assumed, these vehicles are small in size but are packed with excellent safety and comfort features. Compact sedans offer nimble mobility and usually provide better fuel efficiency than bigger-size sedans. Moreover, they are on the affordable end of the spectrum with their own unique charms.

Midsize Sedans

Midsize sedans are the preferred option for a family or those requiring extra cargo space. They provide a roomy interior that can seat five adult passengers comfortably. Midsize sedans can protect passengers more effectively, as their cabin offers extra space that may lessen catastrophic injuries of the knee and head when faced with a crash.

Luxury Sedans

When discussing a luxury sedan, it's important to remember that its biggest advantages lie in its superior performance and a refined design. More specifically, luxury sedans typically come with a mix of plenty of horsepower, a gorgeous interior, state-of-the-art technology, and ample cabin room. As more people think a luxury car is an investment in their quality of life, the sales of luxury sedans have risen significantly in recent years. To put it into perspective, two German luxury car brands sold 893,600 midsize luxury sedans around the world in 2016, which translates to approximately 28% of the entire sales. 

Sports Sedans

The concept of sports sedans implies that they come with 4 doors but also boast a high performance as any other sports vehicle would. Endowed with ample horsepower and torque, sports sedans provide incredible agility along with comfort and luxury. These days, automakers increasingly adopt a turbocharger for their sports sedans, which can downsize their engines and reap the benefit of reduced emissions, as well as better fuel economy.