mmarshall

Thanks.....yes, IMO, it's hard to beat its comfort-level for the money, though the Lincoln MKZ and Lexus ES350 come close.

I don't see the new Regal hatchback and wagon getting many sales.....most of that potential crowd will probably be looking at the Encore or Envision SUVs (the big Encore SUV is in a different size-class). Of course, the Opel-based Regal sedan itself never sold in large numbers.....so, we'll see.

Crossovers, though, don't just appeal simply because of a question of driving-dynamics. People buy them for the space efficiency, cargo space, easier entry/exit at chair-height without having to stoop up or down, all-weather traction, and higher ground clearance for deep snow or mud.

One of the most interesting and versatile sedans, BTW, from a utility-standpoint, was the former Subaru SUS (Sport-Utility-Sedan)...a four-door Legacy sedan with the jacked-up suspension, cladding, and extra ground clearance of the Outback wagon. It did not prove popular, however, and was offered only for a short time.

Sulu

I do not believe that crossovers are any more space efficient than a station wagon, especially if that rear cargo floor is especially high, as they are in some of the crossovers (the RX and the NX come to mind but there are others). The higher ground clearance is not used for deep snow or mud; these vehicles are driven in suburban roads and parking lots. What the higher ground clearance gives the driver is a false sense of power. By sitting up high and looking down on the small, efficient Kia Fortes, Hyundai Elantras and Toyota Corollas, the driver of the crossover feels like s/he is lording it over those poor peasants.

Don't we all occasionally wish we could sit high up in a tall-riding truck and think that we could just drive over the Prius that cut you off? That is what driving a high-riding crossover gives you.

mmarshall

The first modern crossovers, like the 1995 Outback (and even the classic 1981 AMC Eagle, if you want to go back that far) WERE essentially jacked-up station-wagons. From them, of course, sprung the slightly higher, car-based RAV-4/CR-V/Escape-class of small SUVs....and the rest is history.

It's true that most SUVs today are used for mall-shopping, but also just as true that blizzards and deep snowstorms don't stop at the boundaries of those malls and lots. All else equal, the higher the ground clearance, the better one can cope with deep snow. My 2006 Outback, for example, was just wonderful in snow...it would laugh at virtually anything nature could send it. Its only significant problem was that snow getting packed up in the wheel wells and impacting on the ability of the tires to turn left or right......in some cases, you had to stop every few miles and clear the excess snow out of the wells with a stick or your hands. That part was a PITA.


I guess my mind just doesn't operate like that....I don't see myself as an automotive bully (though, yes, there are some of those out there). When I sit up high, although modern chassis/suspension engineering and safety-features help, the thing I'm usually most aware of when I'm driving is the laws of physics, what a higher center of gravity can do, and not to overdo it on swerves or sharp turns LOL.