Sports Sedans: Expert and User Reviews

Our AssessmentCar and Driver editors test more than 40 cars to find this year's 10Best. To qualify, cars must cost less than $80,000, and they must be new, significantly updated or previous 10Best winners. Based on performance and value, the BMW 3 Series/M3 and Cadillac CTS-V make repeat appearances on the top-10 list.

Our AssessmentTo stay impartial, ConsumerReports.org buys its own cars. It also surveys its subscribers to get data on owner satisfaction and reliability for most cars on the market. Editors use these ratings -- along with safety data and their own performance and comfort tests -- to rank cars from best to worst. More than a dozen sports sedans emerge as Recommended picks.

Our AssessmentBased on testing by the editors, Automobile Magazine names 10 Automobile All-Stars. Two sports sedans make the cut: the Volvo S60 and repeat winner BMW 3 Series. Each car gets a brief write-up, and road tests and/or comparison tests of each model can be found elsewhere on the website.

Our AssessmentConsumerGuide.com does a terrific job evaluating automobiles. Although editors do put cars through their paces on a test track, they give greater weight to how a car performs in more typical driving on public roads. Cars get numerical ratings with brief explanations in 11 categories, such as acceleration, cargo room and value, culminating in an overall score that editors rank against a class average. Seven sports sedans score a Best Buy rating: the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Acura TL, Cadillac CTS, Infiniti G, Jaguar XF and Hyundai Genesis Sedan. Sports sedans that are Recommended (but not Best Buys) are the Acura TSX, Audi A4 and A6 and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

Our AssessmentAt 28 mpg overall, the 2012 Audi A6 is the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid sports sedan you can buy, according to this government website. FuelEconomy.gov lists sports sedans in three separate categories -- sporty, luxury and upscale sedans -- with charts ranking all cars in each category according to fuel economy.

Our AssessmentCars.com chooses a variety of vehicles that meet a set of minimum standards to qualify as a Best Bet. Each car must achieve acceptable marks for reliability, crash tests and other criteria. There is no sports sedan classification, but worthy cars can be found in the luxury category. Links lead to expert, test-based reviews.

Our AssessmentReviewers don't pull punches here, making the write-ups quite entertaining. Testers have tackled a dozen sports sedans in the past year. Each review clearly outlines each car's pros and cons, but TheTruthAboutCars.com doesn't publish a list of favorites.

Our AssessmentPopular Mechanics is another source that tests most new or revised cars as they hit the market. The well-written reviews cover all the bases, but Popular Mechanics doesn't pick any favorites.

Our AssessmentCNET may be best known for its reviews of consumer and computer-technology products, but it also features a surprisingly strong section of auto reviews. The reviews emphasize technology -- perhaps too much so. It's an interesting approach that covers an unusual niche, but it works for expensive cars better than for budget wheels. Three sports sedans make CNET's list of the top five tech cars: the Audi A7, Audi S4 and Volvo S60.

Our AssessmentThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has toughened its crash tests for 2011 and beyond. The NHTSA tests cars' frontal and side crash protection as well as their rollover resistance. The BMW 5 Series is the only sports sedan with a 5-star overall safety rating, but very few sports sedans have been tested under the new program.

Our AssessmentTwo out of three car critics at The New York Times pick the Volvo S60 as one of their 10 best cars for 2010. James G. Cobb ranks the S60 -- "the most exciting, endearing Volvo I've driven" -- at No. 2 on his list, and Lawrence Ulrich (who also writes a full review of the S60) ranks it No. 9 and calls it "impossible to ignore." The S60 is the only sports sedan that makes any of the top 10 lists -- but it's also the only sports sedan The New York Times has reviewed lately.

Our AssessmentEditors of PBS' "Motor Week" annually choose what they believe to be the best cars based on the previous year's road tests. This year, the BMW 5 Series wins Best Sport Sedan, and the Infiniti M wins Best Luxury Sedan. Each car gets a short write-up. Longer reports can be found elsewhere on the site, but they seldom criticize the cars much.