Sounds like you want a sports sedan. Here are my 2 cents you can check out.

BMW 3 Series: Best all-rounder
Lexus IS: Most reliable but small rear leg room
Acura TLX: Not as prestigious as the Germans
Audi A4/S4 and A5/S5 Sportback: Not as sporty as 3 Series

Here's my rundown of fun and reliable sedans (not the OP, just a car enthusiast):

The Accord 2.0T is surprisingly zippy. I flash-tuned it which added about 20% more horsepower on top of the turbo 2L that was already pretty quick, especially for an Accord. She was a sleeper.

The Mazda 6 was discontinued last year, but they have a turbocharged 2.5L four-banger that's pretty fun to drive. If you can find a used one, it's not a bad choice.

I don't know anything about Infiniti's current line, but in my late 20s I had a G37 that was by far the funnest car I've ever owned (overall more fun than the Tesla Model 3 even, although nothing beats an EV takeoff). Super quick and nimble. I guess the Q50 is the successor? A quick search says it's a turbo V6 with 300hp, so could be worth a look.

The Lexus ES is cushy but not as sporty as its German competitors. You'd definitely have to go for the V6, not the four-cyl.

I've never met an Acura that wasn't disappointing or a VW that wasn't riddled with problems. I would NEVER buy a VW.

FWIW I currently drive an X5 (need an SUV, need- OK, want- speed). If I didn't buy the car I have, I would have bought the Mazda CX-9 (probably Grand Touring trim because that Mazda ruby red is gorgeous but not offered in the Signature trim).

Hope that helps.

E class with a six cylinder--e400 or e450. Get a certified used one. Cheap to service, fast, not difficult to find parts for, reliable. And a lot cheaper than a new genesis.

Anonymous wrote:Mazda CX-50, not a sedan though.

Yeah, we'd like a sedan or a hatchback. The Mazda3 looks interesting.

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I like the 2023 Camry TRD V6. Fun to drive and surprisingly roomy if you want to put two kids in it.

“Camry” and “fun to drive” don’t go together.

Mazda CX-50, not a sedan though.

OP again. Great suggestions, thanks. The problem is finding some of these cars locally. I'm hearing supply may get better soon, but it's discouraging when you are interested in a car, have multiple dealerships within 30 minutes, and can't find one to drive/buy.

DH is hesitant to buy an EV. Friend's 10 year old Tesla just died this week. And I mean dead. $15k repair. Didn't have a ton of miles. DH thinks this purchase will be our last gasoline car, that the market will change so much by the time we are in the market again.

We haven't driven any VWs in years. We should check them out.

I'll look at the Impreza, too. Also curious about whether the Subaru WRX is too small for us. They seem fun, and come in automatic with AWD, unlike their competition.

I think I'm looking for an alternative to a zippy Audi/BMW. DH is interested in the A5 Sportback or the BMW 4-series. But he'd "settle" for something fun enough, less expensive.

EVs are fun to drive and more reliable since there isn’t that whole internal combustion engine. Don’t know about availability but you might look for a VW ID4 or the Hyundai/Kia EVs.

Mazda models may be worth consideration. For a less expensive German car, consider VW. Honda/Toyota/Subaru/Infiniti/Lexus will be generally reliable and generally uninteresting to drive, apart from some 2-door sporty coupe models.

Personally, I like the 2023 Camry TRD V6. Fun to drive and surprisingly roomy if you want to put two kids in it.

I had a MB E350 sedan for a couple of years as my run around town car. I enjoyed the way it drove, it was well appointed, speedy and got decent gas mileage.
My teen age boys liked driving it too as it was zippy.
It didn't have any maintenance issues it was a 2014 and I had it for about 5 yrs.

Subaru impreza, 4 or 5 door.

Anonymous wrote:Honda Accord 2.0T

OP here. I'll check it out, thanks. I briefly owned an Accord coupe in the early 2000s. I found it to be pretty soulless and couldn't wait to sell it. I was young and bought it without shopping alternatives when my car died. I expected to love it and didn't. But that was 20 years and many engines ago.

Honda Accord 2.0T

Hi! My family of four (kids are 4 and 9) is in the market for a new car. We have a minivan, so we're good on the people mover. We need a second car, primarily for daily office commuting (45 minutes roundtrip). We've preferred cars to SUVs, and are thinking we may be ready for our first sedan in a long while. Our current vehicle needs a bit of work that we'd prefer not to pay for, some of it safely related, and thus we need something in the next several weeks. So no ordering a car that may not arrive for months.

Our three past vehicles: Alfa Romeo Stelvio, X5, Acura RDX.

The only car we've tried so far is the Genesis G70. With the 3.3T model at an MSRP of $57k, we felt we had to go drive other cars. The engine was great, but the interior didn't feel to us like a nearly $60k car, especially given how many Europeans competitors can be had around this price. But we've yet to try the competitors!

Given that the lease market seems especially crummy, we're looking to buy. That makes me wary of another German or Alfa Romeo, as much as we liked driving those, we tend to keep cars for awhile. Our current second car is a 2008.

It's pretty easy to figure out which German cars we should consider. But what if we wants something less expensive, say MSRP $35-45k, and with likely better reliability and lower repair costs? Are there there fun Korean or Japanese sedans with automatic transmissions in that price range? I think we'd be happy in something less posh so long as it had excellent pickup and handling. (We're okay with less posh: our minivan is a mid-range Pacifica.)

THANKS!