Five cars that prove family sedans don’t have to be boring

We drivers love sports cars, after all, they’re fast, nimble and look fantastic. What more could you ask for? Well, if you happen to have a family or fancy taking more than one friend with you when you go out, you’d probably be asking for usable rear seats.

Unfortunately ‘usable rear seats’ often translates to a car designed more for taxi duties than a drivers enjoyment, the sort of car that can suck all the fun out of driving and turn it into a chore. While I believe that ditching your friends and selling your children is a viable solution, I’m aware that some people value these things more than their driving enjoyment.

There is a solution that should keep everyone happy: The high performance sedan. The following five cars give you the best of both worlds, so don’t hang up your driving gloves, just trade your coupe for one of these babies.

1. BMW E39 M5

Engine:		5.0l V8
Power:		298 kW
Torque:		500 Nm
0-100km:		5.3s
Top Speed:		250 km/h (electronically limited)

There are many M5 models to choose from, but only one has a V8 and a proper manual transmission. By far the most subtly styled of this bunch, the E39 M5 will provide excellent performance without giving your intentions away. Endless amounts of fun to be had at traffic lights when you pull up next to Porsche Boxters, hot hatches or anything sporting a VeilSide body kit.

2. Mercedes S65 AMG

Engine:		6.0l V12 Twin Turbo
Power:		456 kW
Torque:		Limited to 1000 Nm
0-100km:		4.4s
Top Speed:		250 km/h (electronically limited)

It’s big, roomy, packed with all the latest technology like collision detection and night vision, and when it was released it was the most powerful production sedan in the world. It does only come in auto, but when you’ve got a thousand Newton meters of torque on hand, perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing. Besides, who could say no to a car that sounds like a WW2 fighter plane?

3. Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

Engine:		4.7l V8
Power:		323 kW
Torque:		490 Nm
0-100km:		5.1s
Top Speed:		285km/h

It’s undoubtedly the most stylish car in this list, but don’t let that fool you; the Maserati is not just for show. Designed under Ferrari’s guidance and using a variant of the engine found in the Ferrari F430 and California, the sleek sedan has almost perfect weight balance front to rear and can knock over the quarter mile in just 13.37 seconds.

4. HSV W427

Engine:		7.0l V8
Power:		375 kW
Torque:		640 Nm
0-100km:		4.7s
Top Speed:		250 km/h (electronically limited)

The HSV W427 is like a drunken rugby player in a hot pink polo shirt; Loud, conspicuous and certainly not winning any awards for style, but with that much muscle, whose going to argue? The basis for the most powerful production car ever built in Australia is the humble Holden Commodore, also known as the Chevrolet Omega in Brazil, Chevrolet Lumina in South Africa and the Middle East, and the Pontiac G8 in the USA. The W427 isn’t available to the overseas market, proving once again that Australians like to keep the best stuff for themselves while exporting the average stuff (see also: Foster’s Larger).

5. Audi RS6

Engine:		5.0l V10 Twin Turbo
Power:		426 kW
Torque:		650 Nm
0-100km:		4.5s
Top Speed:		250 km/h (electronically limited)

Understanding that not everyone finds the R8 suitable for everyday use, Audi has given us the RS6. Although the pumped guards and 20in wheels give it a definite sporty look, no one would suspect a twin turbo V10 lurking under the bonnet. Fortunately Audi also understands that you’d like to keep it out of a ditch, and so includes their Quattro all wheel drive system and an optional set of enormous carbon composite front brakes, 420mm in diameter. For the ultimate combination of sensibility and tyre shredding lunacy, it even comes in an Avant model, though there’s something a little bit wrong about a station wagon with high backed racing seats.

What’s your sedan of choice?

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