2012 Full-Size Car Buying Guide

The 2012 Full-Size Car Buying Guide from iGuida.com spotlights some of the largest sedans on the road for buyers who crave voluminous interiors and large engines. Though only a relative handful of full-size sedans remains on the market the survivors are a living history of what the typical American car was like in the 1960’s and ‘70’s -- before fuel-economy considerations moved buyers into smaller cars and shifting tastes drew them to SUVs.

The 2012 Full-Size Car Buying Guide isn’t a catalog of a particularly fuel-efficient automotive segment. The mass that gives full-size cars their roominess, comfort, and personality is the enemy of fuel economy. That many of the cars in this class offer big V-8 engines compounds the issue. The most miserly of the lot is the Toyota Avalon, which employs a V-6 engine and rates a quite palatable 20/29 mpg city/highway and 23 mpg combined city/highway. At other end of the spectrum are Hemi-V-8-powered versions of the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger, at 15/23 mpg and 18 mpg combined in all-wheel-drive form. (The 300 and Charger also come in hot-rod SRT8 versions that likely are even thirstier, though official ratings were not issued in time for this report.)

Still, there’s hope. The 2012 Buick LaCrosse lineup adds an eAssist model that uses a four-cylinder engine assisted by an electric motor to rate 25/37 mpg (the combined city/highway rating hadn’t been issued in time for this report). The LaCrosse eAssist model is covered separately in our 2012 Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Buying Guide.

Each of the five models in the 2012 Full-Size Car Buying Guide is a big, spacious car that aims to coddle occupants with a comfortable interior and easygoing road manners. As such, cars in this segment tend to have greater appeal among older, conservative buyers. On the plus side, they provide good bang for the buck, particularly when compared to full-size luxury cars such as the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Those high-priced models are covered in our 2012 Premium Car Buying Guide.

Every entry in the 2012 Full-Size Car Buying Guide is a four-door sedan in which four long-legged adults can stretch out in ample comfort with enough room in the back seat for a fifth rider along for the ride when the need arises. Front-bench seats have gone the way of running boards and hand-cranked starters in this segment, however, leaving two bucket seats up front separated by a center console that holds the transmission shifter, cupholders, and a storage bin.

Sadly, full-size station wagons have long given way to SUVs. But a full-size sedan remains well suited for a family vacation in that a pair of young siblings can sit in the back seat without actually touching each other. Road trips are further facilitated by the fact that each of these cars comes with a truly spacious trunk.

Aside from a devoted following among fleet buyers for use as rental cars, taxis, and police vehicles, sales of full-size cars as a segment tend to ebb and flow with the state of the economy and the price of gasoline. Still, automakers are by no means giving up on the segment. Evidence includes recently redesigned versions of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Toyota Avalon – the last being the only import-brand car represented here.

What’s more, Chevrolet recently announced it’ll build a long-overdue redesigned version of the Impala, though it won’t likely arrive until the 2014 model year. This is reported to be a front-wheel-drive sedan that will share its architecture with a future Cadillac, the XTS sedan. Incidentally, that platform isn’t likely to be utilized as the basis for a future Buick Lucerne, which was discontinued after model-year 2011 in favor of the LaCrosse.

Every 2012 full-size car offers a V-6 engine and, except for the aforementioned LaCrosse four-cylinder eAssist powertrain, the only alternative are the 370-horsepower V-8s in the 2012 Chrysler 300C and 2012 Dodge Charger R/T models. Ford takes another tack to deliver added acceleration, equipping the sporty SHO version of the Taurus with its twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V-6. It produces a V-8-like 365 horsepower with only a minor dip in fuel economy.

With stricter federal corporate average fuel-economy regulations being phased in that will require automakers’ fleets to be 40 percent more efficient by 2016, expect turbocharged V-6s to eventually replace V-8s in this segment. Turbo-fours will likewise become more prevalent; Ford will reportedly be offering a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine with its model-year 2013 Taurus.

Most cars in this segment feature contemporary six-speed automatic transmissions that deliver smooth acceleration with improved fuel economy, though the Impala carries on with an antiquated four-speed automatic. You won’t find a manual transmission in the segment.

The 2012 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger continue to ride on traditional rear-wheel-drive platforms. Enthusiasts prefer this configuration for its typically superior handling balance, particularly among larger cars. Rear-drive also allows a powerful car to avoid the annoying anomaly of “torque steer,” in which powerful front-drive vehicle tend to pull to the side in rapid acceleration. Front-wheel drive, as in the Avalon, Impala, LaCrosse and Taurus, locates the weight of the engine and transmission over the tires that propel the car. That tends to give them a traction advantage over rear-drive on wet or snowy roads.

The 2012 Ford Taurus, Buick LaCrosse, Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger are alternately available with all-wheel drive (AWD) to enhance grip when the weather turns foul. The AWD also can benefit handling on dry roads. AWD is standard on the high-performance Taurus SHO model, where it effectively negates any potential torque steer.

Cars in this segment tend to come well-equipped and offer an array of additional luxury convenience options that includes leather upholstery, heated and cooled power front seats, GPS navigation, premium audio systems, remote starters and power sunroofs. And a few truly deluxe features are finding their way into this segment, like the Ford Taurus’ massaging driver’s seat and the Toyota Avalon’s reclining rear seats.

Each model in our 2012 Full-Size Car Buying Guide comes with a full assortment of safety features, including front-side and head-protecting side-curtain airbags. The Avalon further includes a knee-height airbag for the driver. Also available are lane-departure warning and blind-spot detection systems (the one in the Taurus even warns of cross traffic while backing out of a garage). Also on tap are collision-warning systems that sound an alarm and prime the brakes to full force if a collision appears imminent. And rearview cameras to help make parking easier and safer also are available.

Here is our 2012 Full-Size Car Buying Guide:

2012 Buick LaCrosse
Stylish and roomy, it’s now Buick’s flagship model and offers a V-6 or eAssist at the same price

2012 Chrysler 300
A new V-6 and freshened styling rejuvenated this big sedan for 2011; SRT8 returns for 2012

2012 Dodge Charger
Related to 300, but with more aggressive styling, the ’12 edition also gets 465-horse SRT8 model

2012 Ford Taurus
Solid performer with many high-tech features offered, but surprisingly tight rear-seat room

2012 Toyota Avalon
Unexciting but acts like a true luxury car for overall comfort and refinement