Design Focus - Sedans

[DFB FGXR6]

This is a subject that I have been thinking about for a while. With car companies focused on the demand for SUV’s, sales of sedans have plummeted over the last decade. With that, manufacturers that have continued to make sedans have tried to style them to grab the attention of the buyers and perhaps distract them from the pumped-up SUV on the other side of the showroom.

Some car companies have been successful to a degree at injecting style into an otherwise boring vehicle. Mercedes Benz hit the bullseye on the original CLS but in an attempt to keep it fresh, they over-designed it. And its the over designing of cars, and sedans in this case, that bugs me. Some cars have so many body lines and creases that they look like they have been in a fender bender.

Take the new Hyundai i30 sedan for example. Ok, so it looks new and different. But good looking? Hell no! The designers didn’t know when to stop!



So, are there any new sedans on the market that have been styled with restraint, good proportions and a lack of styling gimmicks? The Jaguar XE and XF come to mind, as does the current BMW 3 Series. Considering their front drive platform, the Volvo S60 and S90 are very well considered designs too.











These three sedans are my favorites of mine -

The E39 BMW 5 Series was a THE benchmark sedan of it’s time, the BA Falcon and VE Commodore both took inspiration from it in both design and engineering.



The VE Commodore. From a design perspective, the VE Commodore was almost spot on. The overhangs, proportions and glasshouse depth were perfect and every model in the range had a tough, solid look to it. I never want to own one but there is no denying Holden nailed it with the VE, in fact the subsequent VE Series 2 and VF only meddled with the design.



And my all-time favorite sedan design is the 2008 – 2016 Jaguar XF, the 2011 face-lift in particular. I believe this car looked better than the XE and second-gen XF. The proportions, the gorgeous long power dome bonnet, the short overhangs, the sloped roof line, and the shallow glasshouse edged in a thick chrome trim all earn it my admiration. I would love one of these in XF-R guise.





So, what are your sedan design favorites?