{"id":23315,"date":"2019-01-17T13:23:57","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T17:23:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=23315"},"modified":"2019-01-17T13:23:57","modified_gmt":"2019-01-17T17:23:57","slug":"detroit-auto-show-consumer-guide-sedans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/detroit-auto-show-consumer-guide-sedans","title":{"rendered":"Detroit auto show consumer guide: Sedans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">Sedans have taken a backseat to SUVs in U.S. market share. The iconic BMW 3-series, for example, is now outsold by the boxier X3 sport ute. The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry have\u00a0gotten sexier remakes in recent\u00a0years to emphasize\u00a0the inherent\u00a0beauty of the low sedan shape, but even they are outsold by SUVs in the lineup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">Detroit brands are leaving the U.S. sedan market, but Asian and European automakers\u00a0see an opportunity with sedans\u00a0to bring in new customers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Rfams5W1whY\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/e7ae8d27-dd39-4a80-8921-ebb05c1850d8-2019-0115-dm-naias1130.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Toyota Prius AWD-e\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/e7ae8d27-dd39-4a80-8921-ebb05c1850d8-2019-0115-dm-naias1130.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/e7ae8d27-dd39-4a80-8921-ebb05c1850d8-2019-0115-dm-naias1130.jpg?width=500&amp;height=329\" \/>Toyota Prius AWD-e\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Daniel Mears, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><p><strong>Toyota Prius AWD-e<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>What it is:<\/strong>\u00a0The Prius family gets its first all-wheel drive for northern climates like Michigan. The feat is accomplished by changing from lithium-ion batteries to nickel metal-hydride (better for cold weather) and adding an electric motor to the rear (look ma, no prop shaft to the rear to save interior space). Mileage suffers a bit compared to front-wheel drive, but it still hits the magic 50 mpg number. Other upgrades include refreshed styling for a less-angry face and black console to replace that blinding white-porcelain sink look.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Payne\u2019s take:<\/strong>\u00a0Rejoice, northern tree-huggers, the all-wheel drive Prius has arrived! Don\u2019t expect Jeep Wrangler off-road capability, though. For a $1,400 premium over a standard $25,000\u00a0Prius, the all-wheel drive system is designed to optimize grip on snowy roads, not traverse the Yukon. The all-wheel drive\u00a0system reverts to front-wheel drive (unless necessary for added grip) over 6 miles per hour, and ceases working altogether over 43 miles per hour. With Prius, fuel economy is always the priority.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Rfams5WsDzY\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/51cd330b-0a78-4e9d-819c-7792c930a68f-2019-0114-mo-autoshow2843.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Volkswagen Passat\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/51cd330b-0a78-4e9d-819c-7792c930a68f-2019-0114-mo-autoshow2843.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/15\/PDTN\/51cd330b-0a78-4e9d-819c-7792c930a68f-2019-0114-mo-autoshow2843.JPG?width=500&amp;height=333\" \/>The 2020 Volkswagen Passat\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Max Ortiz, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><strong>Volkswagen\u00a0Passat<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\"><strong>What it is:<\/strong>\u00a0The roomy Passat gets styling and interior upgrades for 2020, though it maintains the car\u2019s aging, eight-year-old NMB architecture rather than shifting to VW\u2019s modern MQB chassis that undergird its Golf and Jetta brethren. Premium styling updates include a new fascia and \u201cPassat\u201d letters across the trunk lid. A big, standard eight-inch screen dominates a redesigned upscale dash. Power comes from the good ol\u2019 174-horse turbo-4 mated to a 6-speed tranny. Alas, the optional\u00a0280-horse V-6 has been put out to pasture.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Payne\u2019s take:\u00a0<\/strong>Detroit automakers are shelving their sedan lineups, the Japanese are all in with all-new cars &#8230;\u00a0and, well, VW is somewhere in between. The Passat is a half-hearted upgrade as VW won\u2019t retool its Tennessee plant for production on the brand\u2019s sensational MQB chassis. Clearly, VW doesn\u2019t see the payback in the U.S.\u00a0market on the investment. I drove the MQB-based version of Passat in Europe a few years back and it\u00a0was sensational \u2014 an Audi in V-dub clothing with nimble handling and digital instrumentation. The new Passat will soldier on in the U.S.\u00a0market, but it\u2019s not the best VW can do.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Rfams5WdvmU\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/78bf4f99-f09a-43bc-b6f3-a5134eace8d3-2019-0115-dm-naias1096.jpg?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Lincoln Continental\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/78bf4f99-f09a-43bc-b6f3-a5134eace8d3-2019-0115-dm-naias1096.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/78bf4f99-f09a-43bc-b6f3-a5134eace8d3-2019-0115-dm-naias1096.jpg?width=500&amp;height=336\" \/>Lincoln Continental\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Daniel Mears, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><strong>Lincoln Continental Coach Door Edition<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"article-body-p-last\" class=\"p-text p-text-last\"><strong>What it is:<\/strong>\u00a0For Lincoln\u2019s 80th anniversary (the nameplate got its start as an exclusive car made for Edsel Ford in 1939), the Continental will produce a special edition on 80 cars with rear coach doors \u2014 popularly known as suicide doors \u2014 which are hinged toward\u00a0the back. The car will be fully loaded to Black Label specs, including 30-way front seats, acres of white leather\u00a0and a 400-horse, twin-turbo V-6. Price: north of $100,000.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Payne\u2019s take:<\/strong>\u00a0Lincoln\u2019s got its groove back with the sexy Navigator and Aviator SUVs, and the flagship Continental is getting in on the action. The sedan joins the Rolls-Royce family (which debuted its suicide door-equipped Cullinan SUV at the exclusive Gallery showing ahead of the auto show) as the only vehicle in production equipped with suicide doors. To prevent the doors from dangerously swinging open at speed, they won\u2019t operate over 2 miles per hour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sedans have taken a backseat to SUVs in U.S. market share. The iconic BMW 3-series, for example, is now outsold by the boxier X3 sport ute. The Honda Accord and Toyota Camry have\u00a0gotten sexier remakes in recent\u00a0years to emphasize\u00a0the inherent\u00a0beauty of the low sedan shape, but even they are outsold by SUVs in the lineup. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23315"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23315\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}