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Sports sedan

This article is about road-going passenger vehicles. For the Australian motor racing category, see Australian Sports Sedan Championship.

A sports sedan (also known as a super saloon or sports saloon in British English)[1][2] is a subjective term for a sedan car that is designed to have sporting performance or handling characteristics.[3]

Lotus Carlton

History

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Triumph Dolomite Sprint

The term was initially introduced in the 1930s. Early examples include the Sports Saloon versions of the Rover 14[4][5] and Rover 16.[6][7]

From the 1960s, the term sports sedan was increasingly applied by manufacturers to special versions of their vehicles that allowed them to enter production cars in motor races. These cars contained modifications not usually permitted by the regulations, which therefore required cars to be homologated typically by selling them in minimum numbers to the public. Some of the earlier examples were the Alfa Romeo 1900,[8] Renault R8 Gordini,[9] Triumph Dolomite,[10] Lotus Cortina,[10][11] and BMW 1800 TI.[12]

By the 1980s, the sports sedan was described by Popular Mechanics magazine as being "well-made five-passenger cars that are modest in size, appearance, and appetite for fuel, yet can outperform all but the fastest two-seater cars".[13] Invented in Europe, the U.S. market share of these types of models had grown from 50,000 units per year in 1975, to 500,000 in 1985.[13]

Characteristics

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In the twentieth century, most sports sedans used manual transmissions and rear-wheel drive configurations. However, with other transmission types and drivetrain layouts have become more widespread for sedans in general, and increasing adoption of front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive in motorsports such as touring car racing and World Rally Championship, many sports sedans such as Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution have also used these.

While many sports sedans use notchback designs as their default body configurations, fastback and liftback variations are not unheard of, with some smaller hot hatches with three-box or liftback designs crossing into this territory. Some manufacturers share similar engines and interior features as sports sedans in coupe and convertible body styles; therefore, some rankings of this market segment include those versions.[14]

North American usage

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2016 Cadillac CTS-V

The term "sport sedan" was initially used in North America for luxury import sedans (i.e., BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz). These cars prioritized handling more than the domestic luxury sedans (i.e., Cadillac and Lincoln), which were more focused on comfort. However, since the 2000s, the domestic brands have begun producing sports sedan models such as the Cadillac CTS and Lincoln LS.[15][16][17]

Another term sometimes used to describe sports sedans in the US is muscle car, but that refers typically to V8-powered two-door coupe American cars.[18]

Examples

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References

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  1. ^ "saloon (noun)". Oxford Learner's Dictionaries. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ^ "saloon". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Best sport sedans in America". Autoblog. 1 February 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2021. 'Sport sedan' doesn't have a strict dictionary definition, but we have assembled here our favorite cars with four proper doors and a trunk, not a hatchback.
  4. ^ "Rover Speed 14". classicandsportscar.com. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  5. ^ "1936 Rover 14 Sports Saloon P2 - Superb, Restored cond. For Sale". carandclassic.co.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  6. ^ "1947 Rover Sixteen Sports Saloon". bonhams.com. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  7. ^ "1938 Rover P2 16 Sports Saloon". classicandsportscar.ltd.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2018.
  8. ^ "1954 Alfa Romeo 1900 Super Sprint". Sports Car Market. 1 November 2003. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  9. ^ Heseltine, Richard (September 2008). "Renault R8 Gordini". Motor Sport Magazine. pp. 122–126. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b Kitman, Jamie Lincoln (31 March 2011). "The 20 Best Sports Sedans of All Time". GQ. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  11. ^ McCourt, Mark J. (May 2016). "1966 Ford Lotus-Cortina Mk I - Before BMW's 2002 popularized the genre, Ford imported the original sports sedan". Hemmings Motor News. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  12. ^ "Curbside Classic: 1965 BMW 1800 TI – Süddeutsche Zeitgeist". curbsideclassic.com. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  13. ^ a b "'85 Imports - The Sports Sedans". Popular Mechanics. Vol. 162, no. 3. March 1985. pp. 92–94, 144, 146. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Best Sports Sedans 2024-2025". Car and Driver. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  15. ^ "2004 Lincoln LS review". autoblog.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  16. ^ "2017 Cadillac CTS V-Sport: Continuously Chasing The World's Best Sport Sedans". forbes.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  17. ^ "2018 Cadillac CTS". caranddriver.com. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  18. ^ Mueller, Mike (1997). Motor City muscle. Motorbooks International. p. 13. ISBN 9780760301968.
  19. ^ Grasso, Marc D. (9 November 2020). "A movable feast: Alfa Romeo's Giulia sport sedan". Boston Herald. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  20. ^ Evans, Scott (5 June 2020). "2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia Q4 Ti Sport AWD First Test Review: Yep, Even Better". Motor Trend. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  21. ^ Wong, James (December 2020). "2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sport review". CarExpert. Australia. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  22. ^ "2006 Euro Sport Sedan Showdown". Car and Driver. September 2005. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  23. ^ "Battle of the super-saloons: BMW M5 vs. Vauxhall VXR8". Autocar. 25 April 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  24. ^ Gall, Jared (27 April 2015). "2014 Cadillac CTS Vsport". Car and Driver. Retrieved 18 May 2021. is a sports sedan of singular focus
  25. ^ Hogan, Mack (12 May 2019). "Review: Cadillac's $100,000 2019 CTS-V sports sedan gives BMW, Mercedes a run for their money". CNBC. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  26. ^ Krebs, Michelle (2 June 1998). "1999 Chrysler 300M First Test". Motor Trend. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  27. ^ "2001 Chrysler 300M Review & Ratings". Edmunds. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  28. ^ Kreindler, Derek (22 December 2014). "Capsule Comparison: 2015 Dodge Charger SRT 392 Vs. 2014 Chevrolet SS". The Truth About Cars. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  29. ^ Capparella, Joey (14 October 2019). "2019 Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack vs. 2019 Kia Stinger GT: Which Sports Sedan Packs a Bigger Punch?". Car and Driver. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  30. ^ Veron, Max (5 December 2020). "Here Are The 10 Best Sports Sedans Of 2020". HotCars. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  31. ^ Wendler, Andrew (20 November 2014). "SHO 'Nuff: A Visual History of Ford's Iconic Taurus SHO Supersedan". Car and Driver. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  32. ^ "Mercedes S63 AMG vs Jaguar XJR: super-saloon battle". Auto Express. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  33. ^ "Kia Stinger". torquenews.com. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  34. ^ "The Super-Saloon". City AM. April 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  35. ^ "Tested: 2008 BMW M3 vs. Audi RS 4 vs. Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG". Car and Driver. December 2007. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  36. ^ "MG Rover 45". Autoexpress. April 2003. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
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