15th Oct 2019, 21:15
A big reason that sedans no longer sell is that many of them have become too low, trunks are weirdly shaped, and they can be hard to get in and out of. It's partly aerodynamics, partly a trick to get people into CUVs perhaps, and partly just bad styling.
CUVs generally give people actual headroom (thanks to square roofs), and don't bottom out over driveways; they have many of the traits that family sedans used to enjoy before everything became "sporty".
Likewise, half of the time a wagon's released it has a Dodge Magnum-ish back end that ruins the utility. Space and practicality seems to require an extra cost these days.
16th Oct 2019, 16:46
Thing about it is the Chrysler 300 is the last sedan on the road that has the traditional look of a full size sedan, along with the RWD layout and optional V8. The irony here is that this is a Diplomat review which the 300 is sort of a modern day version of.
17th Oct 2019, 16:04
True, but the styling of the 300 is probably too "sinister" for the author of 21:18.
17th Oct 2019, 16:05
I knew many factory sales guys that preferred sedans with a large trunk. I had many. Drove Caravans and crossovers too over the years. Not as comfortable, and products and brochures tended to slide everywhere. Sometimes carried chemicals, and having them in an open area like a crossover was awful with the smells. I carried electronic equipment worth many thousands of dollars. Security was an issue where locking in a sedan trunk was far better. Some of us had incredibly larger territories with many hours of steering wheel time. And overnights. The company car was like a piece of equipment in itself. Needed to be reliable. This is just an observation. Not everybody uses cars for business. But sedans were my first choice.
18th Oct 2019, 16:43
Agreed. They have become too low. We own a 7 year old Chevy Volt. The car is so low to the ground I can barely get my hand under there and it has to be put on ramps to change the oil. My wife takes it to the mountains on occasion and there's some camping spots she can't use since the car would scrape the bottom. Hence why cars like the ones Subaru makes are so popular: still somewhat of a car form but jacked up.
19th Oct 2019, 14:48
Park at a campground parking lot? Ask the office or another camper to drop your tent and bag off. Slip them 10 bucks.
20th Oct 2019, 14:08
I ran a Diplomat for over 10 years and the honest truth is I could not fault it for what it was in the times it was built in. It had a flat roof and a long hood that you could guide through the tightest of spots. Because of the excellent visibility, backing up was almost as easy as going forward, and although interior space was not great considering the overall length of the car, as a driver you had somewhere to extend your right knee if you were driving a long distance, so you could always get comfortable because of no centre console.
Safety wise, naturally enough it would not compare with modern cars, along with gas mileage, but that is about the only positive modern cars have over any old make. All today's cars give is heartache with plenty of costly problems. Yes sir, bring back the lean Dodge Diplomat and do away with fat, overgrown sports utilities.
21st Oct 2019, 18:37
Your center console comment is spot on. I don't mind a reasonably sized one myself, but due to today's creature comfort expectations, they can become a bit too wide and cut into leg room. An arm rest is about all that I really need between my seats.
22nd Oct 2019, 01:16
The only advantage modern cars have over something like a Dodge Diplomat is safety and gas mileage?
Well, OK. If you say so. Everybody has their own opinion, along with other things...
15th Oct 2019, 16:36
Think the modern day equivalent post means something like a spaceship on tractor tires.