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The new sedans rolling into showrooms are meant to get attention. They take passengers farther on a tank of fuel, look more stylish than ever, and keep drivers informed about traffic and weather.
And the deals available are phenomenal, according to a report in Forbesauto.com
As slumping sales pummel nearly every automaker, the effort to create appealing sedans — and get shoppers to drive one home — is at a fever pitch.
Forbes’ annual roundup of new and improved sedans includes design trendsetters like the sleek Jaguar XF, Maserati Quattroporte and Volkswagen CC, which bring fresh appeal to the familiar four-doors-with-a-trunk body style.
A new round of premium diesels, like the BMW 335d, and hybrids, like the Mercedes-Benz S400 BlueHybrid, add greater fuel efficiency to the upper echelons of the market, where it has been sorely lacking.
And the Lincoln MKS ushers in technological innovation that stands out. The advanced system in its dashboard features a high-resolution touch-screen and software smart enough to tell you where the gas station with the cheapest fuel is.
The new Mercedes
S-Class doesn’t look much different than the current model, but it offers a new hybrid system that is likely one of many to come from luxury carmakers. It joins Lexus’s’ LS 600h L and GS 450h in giving buyers an upscale hybrid alternative to the Toyota Prius.
Like Lexus, Mercedes trades some of the fuel efficiency that its hybrid system offers for more power and performance.
The Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid pairs a 15-kilowatt electric motor with a 3.5-litre V6 gasoline engine. The car boasts 299 horsepower with plenty of torque delivered by the electric motor.
It helps conserve fuel the same way existing hybrids do. Its combustion engine powers down at temporary stops, which helps deliver around 1.61 km per litre in mixed city/highway driving. The S400 BlueHybrid is expected to go on sale in the fall of 2009.

BMW is looking to diesel technology as its next step toward higher fuel efficiency. The company’s best-selling 3 Series models will be the first to get it. The BMW 335d maintains the high level of performance and strong acceleration of gasoline-powered 3 Series models, but with significantly better fuel economy. It will get an estimated 1.6Km per litre in city driving and 1.61Km per litre on the highway.
Advanced emissions systems ensure that the new diesel engine will comply with the most stringent standards set by the state of California.
“The average consumer may be wary of diesels, but we have seen Mercedes-Benz have some success with their diesel E-Class,” says Mike Omotoso, manager of automotive powertrain forecasting at J.D. Power & Associates. “BMW is hoping that their clientele will have the same appreciation for the genre’s performance and technology.”
Omotoso estimates that sales of diesels will more than double over the next three years, to one million vehicles annually. As a percentage of all new cars and light trucks sold, diesels would increase from 2.6 per cent in 2008 to 6.5 percent in 2012.
Volkswagens’ next generation of fuel-efficient cars will kick off halfway through next year with two diesel versions of the Passat. The Passat BlueTDI will have a 140-hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that gets an estimated 1.61 km per litre in mixed city/highway driving. The Passat BlueMotion will have a less-powerful 108-hp 2.0-litre diesel engine with a stop/start function to shut it down during temporary stops. It will get an estimated 48 mpg overall.
A third new version of the Passat, already on sale, focuses on aesthetics rather than fuel economy. The Passat CC is what Volkswagen calls a “four-door coupe,” which is an oxymoron because coupes have two doors.
German automakers appear to be enamored with the contradictory “four-door coupe” designation. Besides Volkswagen with its new CC, Mercedes uses this designation for its CLS-Class and BMW for its X6 crossover utility vehicle.
“The design objective for the CC was to create an accessible entry-level luxury vehicle with the visual power to make an emotional connection over and above the rational connections our brand tends to generate,” says Brett Scott, product planning manager Volkswagen North America.

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