These Are The Best Sports Sedans Of All Time

There are a lot of candidates for this list, but I’m going with one of the more attainable ones.

Remember the 3rd generation Nissan Maxima? That was a great looking car, had a great engine, was available with a stick, and had a fully independent suspension. Plus, it had that 4DSC (4 door sports car) label!!

Oh, how the mighty have fallen...

Submitted by: Anthony Thornton

1st Gen Ford Taurus SHO. You’ll have to try to get pulled over...

Submitted by: Go Padge (GoPadge)

Recency bias and all that, but damn if this 6MT V8 supercharged V8 is not one of the best sedans of all time.

Submitted by: Sector 7G-Wagen

Got to go with the original. Jag XJ.

Submitted by: thisismyid2

The Maserati Quattroporte V, because this is, as far as we know, the only sports sedan who’s exhaust note has been scientifically proven to be an aphrodisiac.

Submitted by: d3v

E500/500E, hands-down. Stupidly overbuilt and overengineered chassis, speed and handling by Porsche, guarantee that coke was snorted off a hoooker in the back seat.

Submitted by: PostOMatic2000

Fight me.

Son of a bitch...

Submitted by: Sissyfoot

BMW never made an E46 M3 sedan, but they sure did make an E90 M3, and it’s glorious.

Submitted by: James

As you’d expect, I’ve done this properly. The Mitsubishi Evo generations were the best overall. Out the box you could hang with sports cars, even super cars with the FQ series. There were so many one off special editions made like the TME, Zero, There was even a Carbon fiber edition in South America. Excellent both on the road and off, and with racing pedigree. When you give engineers the freedom and drive to succeed, they deliver. Highly well known in the enthusiast world, still very unknown in the domestic/civilian world.

Submitted by: darthspartan117

I prefer the hatch, but for the sake of purity on this list, go for the early GC WRX STi models. Pure sport, rally heritage, instantly recognizable. The very essence of sport sedan. Fine in stock form, even better with some basic bolt-ons.

And you’ll hear it coming! BRAAAAP.

Submitted by: tallestdwarf

Volvo S60R, because my dad had one. Wonderful daily, but would really move when you step on it.

Submitted by: Garland - Last Top Comment on Splinter

A 4.5 second 0-60 in grandpa’s old luxo-barge.

I need these to become cheaper so I can buy one.

Submi9tted by: Go Padge (GoPadge)

14-17 VF Holden Commodore/Chevrolet SS/Vauxhall VXR8

400+hp/tq LS3

Tremec 6spd

Brembo brakes

Magride Suspension

50/50 Weight Distribution

Sub 4000lbs

Developed by members of E39 M5 engineering team

I really need these to be cheaper so I can buy one

Submitted by: TheDoigFactor

The Lotus Carlton , probably the only car on this list that was actively campaigned to be banned from production for being too fast.

Submitted by: Wulf92

The E39 is the obvious answer so I’ll go with something a bit newer but also German- the 2008 Audi RS4 sedan. 420hp at 7800 rpm from an NA 4.2L V8 mated to a 6 speed manual trans. 8 piston Lambo brakes in the front. As long as you have money for the absurd maintenance its great.

Submitted by: klone121

I’ll fully admit that this is a biased answer based on nothing more than that it was my dad’s favorite car and he passed away earlier this year, but damn if it isn’t the Saab c900 - obviously not the NG900 facelift nonsense in the 90s.

My dad was obsessed with those cars, and throughout my life (I’m currently 35), I can remember him having at least 4 or 5 of them throughout the decades, and I know there were more before I can remember. I remember he had an early 80s turbo that was beige, another late 80s one that was silver. There was one red hatch, but the rest of them were the two or four door sedans. If I recall, his personal favorite that he had was an ‘87 tan turbo 16 valve (This isn’t the actual car, just a similar one).

I don’t know if convertibles count in this little slideshow but the last one that he had left when he died was an 89 white convertible. That needed way more work that I was capable of wrenching, so he was actually able to send it off to a family friend.

Submitted by: amb

Since people started suggesting American made sedans I’ll go with the 4-door version of the Hudson Hornet which dominated NASCAR in the early 50's. All the Hornets came with the high output straight 6 and were not that different from the race cars.

Submitted by: klone121

Obviously biased, but I’ll nominate the 2005-2009 Subaru Legacy GT. WRX powertrain in a better chassis with an interior that was actually pretty nice, and of course Subaru’s awesome symmetrical AWD. Mine was a 2005, and I was one with that car like it was an extension of my mind and body, in a way I’ve never been with another vehicle before or since.

Submitted by: WeryPert1

Grounded to the ground.

Submitted by: soloyosh

There’s no other answer. Shortest slideshow in Jalopnik history.

Saving the objective best for last.

Submitted by: FijiST