Sedan

Sedan /suh-dan/ noun (countable)

A sedan is the term used predominantly in American English for a passenger car with a three-box body style, known in British English as a saloon. This is what the Americans, in their curious dialect, call a proper motor car with four doors and a separate boot. It is the transatlantic cousin of the British saloon, the same fundamental shape but often inflated to more generous proportions and fitted with suspension as soft as a marshmallow. The difference is largely semantic, like that between a biscuit and a cookie, but it speaks to a different automotive culture. While the British saloon was often compact and nimble, the archetypal American sedan was a vast, V8-powered land yacht, built to cruise endlessly down straight, wide highways.

The Full Story of the Sedan

While the name is thought to derive from the rather dainty, man-powered "sedan chair", the vehicles it came to describe were anything but. The American sedan of the 1950s and 60s was a magnificent expression of post-war optimism and industrial might. These were not just cars; they were rolling sculptures of chrome and confidence, built by the great Detroit manufacturers like General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. They were enormous, often stretching to nearly eighteen feet, adorned with extravagant tailfins, and painted in cheerful pastel shades. Cars like the Chevrolet Bel Air and the Cadillac Eldorado were symbols of the American Dream, with enough space inside for a family of six and a boot large enough to host a small party.

The engineering philosophy was a world away from the British approach. The heart of the American sedan was a large, lazy, and unstressed V8 engine, coupled to a smooth, slushy automatic gearbox. Performance was measured in effortless, silent acceleration from a set of traffic lights, not in its ability to navigate a hairpin bend. The suspension was engineered to be as soft as possible, isolating the occupants from the road surface entirely, creating a floaty, wallowy ride that would have made a British sports car engineer physically ill. It was a car designed for a big country, for cruising down Route 66 in a straight line for six hours at a time.

From the British perspective, these magnificent beasts were viewed with a mixture of awe and quiet derision. They were impossibly glamorous, the stuff of Hollywood movies, but also seen as hopelessly unsophisticated. They were too big for our roads, too thirsty for our petrol prices, and had all the cornering agility of a canal boat.

The closest the average Briton came to experiencing the American sedan was through Ford of Britain. Cars like the Ford Zephyr and Zodiac of the 1950s and 60s were heavily inspired by their Detroit cousins. They brought a slice of Americana to British high streets, with their transatlantic styling, bench front seats, and column-mounted gear changes. They were a taste of the glamour, scaled down for British tastes and budgets. Today, the lines have blurred. The "global car" means that a modern saloon sold in Britain is often the same car as a sedan sold in America. The term "sedan" is now widely understood in the UK, a sign of creeping Americanisation, even as the body style itself is being slowly driven to extinction by the SUV.

For The Record

What is the origin of the name "sedan"?

It is believed to derive from the Italian 'sedia' (chair) and refers to the 'sedan chair', a portable, enclosed chair for one person carried on poles by two porters. Why this name was chosen for a car in America in the early 20th century is a historical curiosity.

What's the difference between a sedan and a saloon?

In terms of body style, nothing. Both refer to a car with a separate boot. The difference is purely linguistic and cultural. "Saloon" is the correct term in British English, while "sedan" is the standard in American English.

What was a "hardtop" sedan?

This was a popular American body style in the 50s and 60s. It was a sedan designed without a central "B-pillar" between the front and rear doors. With all the windows down, it created a wide, open, pillarless space, mimicking the look of a convertible with the roof up.

Were American sedans sold in the UK?

Yes, but they were always a rare, exotic sight. Their large size, left-hand-drive configuration, and prodigious fuel consumption made them impractical and expensive for most British buyers. They were typically imported for those who wanted to stand out in a very big way.

Is the sedan dying out?

Much like the saloon in the UK, the traditional sedan in the US has seen its sales decline dramatically over the last two decades. Buyers have overwhelmingly shifted their preference to more practical SUVs and crossover vehicles.