History of the Sports Sedan Nissan

If you’re a car enthusiast likely your favorite destinations include twisty back roads, curvy mountain passes and HPDE (High Performance Driver Events) at your favorite race track. Years ago, if you wanted performance, your choices were few. You had your choice of a sports coupe, a sports coupe or a sports coupe, practicality was never the issue. As you grow older and more successful if you've decided to have a family and bring a little CO-Driver in to the world, you ran into a few dilemmas.

First and foremost, the baby seat wouldn’t fit, on top of the fact there is no room to put a stroller or anything else "extra" that a family requires. As a dad and a car enthusiast myself, I too faced this challenge. What were daddy car enthusiasts to do?

Back in 1992 Nissan, A company that is no stranger to performance, decided to meet this challenge. Makers of the current generation 370z and the Legendary SKYLINE GTR, released the Maxima SE. With 190hp and sport tuned fully independent suspension in the front and rear, the 4 Door Sports Car was born.  Dads every where could rejoice! While  190hp doesn’t seem like much in today’s standards,  the car was good enough to be mentioned among the BMW 3 series and Mercedes C Class.

After 1994 the Maxima was softened by a new design that catered more towards luxury. Gone was the independent suspension and rear wheel drive and with that, gone was the 4DSC moniker and the thrills the name embodied.

In 1997 BMW saw the opportunity up the ante with a 4 door version of its breath taking M3. A car touted by journalist as the best sports car at any price, often compared to high end sports coupes of Stuttgart and Italy. Sadly BMW removed the 4 door version after 1998 as gas was affordable and overweight gas guzzling SUV’s were taking over the market. They were dark times for the enthusiast that wanted a high performance sedan.

Now for the upcoming 2010 model year, Dads every where can rejoice again!

Nissan is back with a vengeance as the new Maxima has brought back its 4DSC Moniker. Sharing its styling cues from the New 370z and its Infinity siblings, the car is down right beautiful to look at with performance to match. It’s engine is a marvel of engineering, earning awards for its design for the last 15yrs and counting. Touting 290hp and 261lb-ft of torque from the same VQ30DE V6 engine that's shared with much of the Nissan/Infinity line including the 370z and the Amazing SKYLINE R35 GTR, although each is in different states of tune. Combine that with a multilink rear suspension, gorgeous styling in the interior and you'll see that the car is much improved over past generations. If you're looking for a car in this class be sure to take this one for a spin.

If absolute performance with out compromise is what you want, the gene pool of 4 door High Performance sedans has never been so deep. These cars are the pinnacle of engineering excellence and all come fully equipped with GPS, beautiful interiors, amazing sound systems and styling that’s second to none. They are also very safe with excellent traction control and impact protection incase it's ever needed. They cruise with the grace of a super model on the street but are pavement ripping race machines on the track or your favorite back roads (although we encourage you to please obey all speed laws).  What ever your wildest desire, the 3 following cars are guaranteed to satisfy!

First up is the Mercedes AMG C63.  It comes equipped with a hand built 6.3 liter naturally aspirated V8 engine hosting 451hp and 443 lb-ft of torque. It's also equipped with a dual cutch paddle shift transmission taken from formula one racing technology.  AMG has a long history of racing success and as the exclusive tuner for Mercedes,  produces the absolute best Mercedes money can buy. Though weighing in at a hefty 3814lbs, the car is the one of the quickest production sedans in the world with a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds and ripping through the ¼ mile in just 12.3 seconds. Beauty, grace and speed are all wrapped up in this family 4 door.

Next up from Toyota is the Lexus IS-F. Toyota, a company known for rewriting the rules of racing, has had much success in Formula One, IMSA and Indy Car just to name a few. Their racing division TRD has brought the IS-F to market to compete with the best sedans in the world and compete it does. It packs a 5.0 liter, 4 cam, 32 valve v8 with 416hp and 371 lb-ft of torque. Crack the throttle of this beast and you will rip through the ¼ mile in 13.0 seconds flat. On the street it cruises with a low growl. Its looks are distinctive with its 4 rectangular exhaust tip and beautifully sculpted hood.  The lines are aggressive and sexy.  There is nothing understated about this car and if being noticed is what you want, the F on the back of the car says it all.

But topping them all from an enthusiast stand point is the Legendary BMW M3. Orginally produced in limited numbers in 1988 so BMW could go racing, this is THE car that has defined all the rules. It's the most successful car of its class in racing and dominated for almost 22 years. While the competition strives to reach the bar it has set, BMW just raises it again. The M3 has the most technologically advanced production v8 in the world within the fenders of this sedan. It's the pinnacle of Formula One design brought to the street. At only 4.0 liters in size (much smaller than the Mercedes C63's 6.0 liters and the Lexus F's 5.0 liters) it makes 414hp! It is the only V8 in the class to make the coveted 100hp per liter with out the help of forced induction, making it over 100% efficient at maximum output. It turns a mind blowing 8400 rpm with 8 individual throttle bodies and direct injection. You have a choice of either a 6spd manual transmission or 7spd dual clutch auto. An option the other 2 cars don’t give you. This v8 is lighter than the out going 6 cylinder of the last generation helping to give the car perfect 50/50 weight balance. So while the car is down slightly on power compared to the Mercedes and Lexus, on the race track it’s the quickest because of power to weight ratio. The New M3 Sedan is Docile on the street and an absolute terror on the race track. What more does a daddy need? 

When it comes to the street, all these cars make a fantastic choice for the new modern dad. What it really comes down to is your own taste but there has never been a better time for dads and moms alike to purchase a sports sedan!

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