Four Doors Are Good, But Are They Right for You?

Selecting the body style that’s right for your specific needs is the most logical starting point for many consumers.

2006 BMW M5 + enlarge image  |  view gallery >

Thankfully, the old notion that coupes are cool and sedans are stodgy has all but evaporated. There’s not a stodgy bolt in the BMW M5’s well-muscled body — in fact, most luxury sedans these days exude style and pack performance that rivals many sports cars. Likewise, some two-door models score high on the functionality scale: The Mini Cooper S demands extra entry effort because of its two-door body style, but once you wriggle in, the rear seat is comfortable enough for a passenger to survive a 45-minute ride through traffic to a hockey game.

There is no such thing as an uncool convertible. The revival of the disappearing roof has progressed to the point that unlimited headroom is available without squandering your offsprings’ inheritance and, in some models, with little sacrifice to comfort and rear seat accommodations — the BMW 3-Series, Ford Mustang, Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class and Mini Cooper convertibles all have usable back seats. The advent of folding hard tops, pioneered by Mercedes-Benz and now found on four-seat models like Volvo's new C70, make owning a drop-top more practical by eliminating concerns over the maintenance of wear-prone fabric tops, as well as improving weather and noise insulation.

If there are kids in the equation, your natural inclination should be toward a car with at least four doors (sedan or wagon). Although many two-doors may have sizeable interiors and trunks, getting kids and a car seat in can be a back-breaking challenge. A few cars, such as Volvo's sedans and wagons, offer integrated, fold-out child seats. Automatic locking systems, now commonplace, have pretty much put to rest fears of small children opening a rear door and accidentally exiting the vehicle while underway.

Wagons have also evolved beyond the ‘station’ days when faux wood paneling, a stay-at-home mom and a suburban address were standard practice. While the extended-sedan style of wagon still exists, there are other, fresher variations of the theme. So-called crossover models — such as the Mercedes-Benz R-Class — purposely blur the boundary lines between wagons and SUVs. The Scion xB blends the functionality of a UPS truck with the look and feel of an i-Pod on wheels. A few with-it wagons combine way too much power — the Audi S4 Avant, for instance — with space for sport gear to stretch summer into a year-round, high-speed pursuit.