Outback Blue Heated Seats 4cyl Alloy Wheels Awd Automatic Blue on 2040-cars

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Best sport sedans for 2022 and 2023

SUVs dominate the car industry at every size and price level, but some people still prefer the looks, and more importantly, the performance and comfort, of the traditional sedan. With a lower ride height, lighter weight and generally smaller size, they often are much more fun to drive, and can even be more comfortable. Sport sedans of course lean harder on the performance side of things, and are among the best options for sheer speed and fun, thanks to those inherent characteristics. We've rounded up the ones in the segment that do the sporty dance better than any others in 2024 to give you a handy guide when you're shopping for one of your own. You'll find a wide array of cars here including gas, electric and hybrid powertrains. They'll have manual and automatic transmissions and drive the front, rear or all four wheels. Technically a few hatchbacks have slipped in, but they're close enough in look and feel that we wanted to include them. And excluding them means you might miss out on some of the best-driving options available. You wouldn't want that, would you? Alfa Romeo Giulia Why it stands out: Punchy four-cylinder; astounding power from Quadrifoglio; light and nimble character; awesome shift paddlesCould be better: Clunky infotainment; sub-par switchgear Read our Alfa Romeo Giulia review We start this list with one of the most predictable inclusions: the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Yes, it's a stereotype that the Italian sport sedan is fun to drive, but the fact is, well, it is. The Giulia comes standard with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 280 horsepower, making it one of the most powerful four-cylinders in the segment. It's paired with a snappy and smooth eight-speed transmission and either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.  The engine is lively and torquey, if a little short of revs, and the chassis feels super-light. The steering is eager and the car jumps into corners. We also highly recommend getting a version with the enormous and superb aluminum paddle shifters that make clicking through gears much more entertaining. And on the topic of the interior, it's attractive, but the various switches and knobs feels a little cheap, and the infotainment system is clunky. Of course there's also the incredible Giulia Quadrifoglio at the high end. It gets a Ferrari-derived twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 making 505 hp, and it's rear-wheel drive only.

Which Subaru for you? Comparing the 2020 Subaru Outback and Forester

The Subaru Forester and Outback have served similar purposes for years now — hauling families and their gear somewhat off the beaten path to indulge in their favorite outdoor activities — but each goes about it a little differently. Broadly speaking, one is more of a wagon (Outback) and the other an SUV (Forester), but it's certainly more than that. They're also pretty similar in plenty of ways, too. So, while comparisons between cars of different brands are more commonplace, we know there are plenty of shoppers who are in fact comparing this pair of Subaru crossovers. This one's for them.  Subaru updated its Forester crossover for the 2019 model year, and the Outback was renewed a year later for 2020. They donÂ’t look a lot different than their previous generations, but both are far superior to their predecessors in a number of ways. Both the Forester and Outback benefit from the same new Subaru global platform, which has meant a big step up in ride refinement, noise and handling, and there have been improvements in technology and materials as well. WeÂ’ve put many miles on both vehicles, and have opined about them in digital ink and podcast formats multiple times. WeÂ’ve gotten to know our 2019 Forester long-term loaner quite well (there were only minor feature availability changes for 2020), and we had the opportunity to compare it to the 2020 Outback when we had them both in our fleet at the same time. Powertrain The Forester has only one powertrain option: a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter flat-four engine connected to a continuously variable transmission (CVT). It produces 182 horsepower and 176 pound-feet of torque, which feels adequate for the Forester, but there are still some times when we wish the Forester offered a turbocharged engine as it did in the past for better passing power. It returns 26 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway and 29 combined. The Outback comes standard with the same 2.5-liter engine, even down to its output and fuel economy. However, in the slightly larger and heavier Outback, this powertrain feels more sluggish — especially after you try the other available Outback powertrain. The XT versions of the Outback use a turbocharged flat-four displacing 2.4 liters, good for a much meatier 260 hp and 277 lb-ft of torque. The tradeoff is a fuel economy sacrifice of 3 mpg, which is not a lot, considering what you get in return. In the course of a year, the EPA estimates you'd only spend an extra $100 in gas.

The super-sized Atlas isn't the three-row VW should build

In the late '50s and early '60s the Volkswagen Beetle wasn't ubiquitous in my hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska, but it came pretty damn close. Fords and Chevys dominated, but beyond the occasional MG, Triumph, or Renault the import scene was essentially a VW scene. When my folks finally pulled the trigger on a second car they bought a Beetle, and that shopping process was my first exposure to a Volkswagen showroom. For our family VW love wasn't a cult, but our '66 model spoke – as did all Volkswagens and most imports at the time – of a return to common sense in your transportation choice. As VW's own marketing so wonderfully communicated, you didn't need big fins or annual model changes to go grab that carton of milk. Or, for that matter, to grab a week's worth of family holiday. In the wretched excess that was most of Motown at the time, the Beetle, Combi, Squareback, and even Karmann Ghia spoke to a minimal – but never plain – take on transportation as personal expression. Fifty years after that initial Beetle exposure, and as a fan of imports for what I believe to be all of the right reasons, the introduction of Volkswagen's Atlas to the world market is akin to a sociological gut punch. How is it that a brand whose modus operandi was to be the anti-Detroit could find itself warmly embracing Detroit and the excess it has historically embodied? Don't tell me it's because VW's Americanization of the Passat is going so well. To be fair, the domestic do-over of import brands didn't begin with the new Atlas crossover. Imports have been growing fat almost as long as Americans have, and it's a global trend. An early 911 is a veritable wisp when compared to its current counterpart, which constitutes – coincidentally – a 50-year gestation. In comparing today's BMW 3 Series to its' '77 predecessor, I see a 5 Series footprint. And how did four adults go to lunch in the early 3 Series? It is so much smaller than what we've become accustomed to today; the current 2 Series is more substantial. My empty-nester-view of three-row crossovers is true for most shoppers: If you need three rows of passenger capacity no more than two or three times a year – and most don't – rent it forgawdsake. If you do need the space more often, consider a minivan, which goes about its three-row mission with far more utility (and humility) than any SUV.