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You might find some good deals in the automotive graveyard.
istock
The Grim Reaper is ready to fill up the automotive graveyard, and this year he’s after sedans and coupes, plus a few hatchbacks. Several automakers have consolidated in their lineups considerably for the 2021 model year, while others are bulking showrooms up on the SUVs and crossovers that have proven popular with shoppers.
Here’s a look at this year’s dead list — the cars you won’t be able to buy for the 2021 model year. Many of these cars may be available at steep discounts, making them excellent buys — as long as you don’t need the latest and greatest.
RIP: Acura RLX
Honda’s luxury division is finally giving up on a flagship sedan that can trace its roots back to the legendary Legend. The current RLX is a high-tech sedan almost totally devoid of personality, and it sits in showrooms across from like-priced MDX crossovers that have long proven more tempting to buyers. It’s not likely anyone will notice the RLX’s demise, though. The Grim Reaper will probably have a hard time finding an RLX since many dealers don’t have a single one in inventory, though maybe he should look on Autotrader.
RIP: Alfa Romeo 4C
The Alfa Romeo 4C
Alfa Romeo
After puttering out of the US market in 1995, Alfa Romeo slipped back 20 years later with its go-kart-like 4C. OK, admittedly, the ultra-limited 8C was first, but it was the 4C that really tried to pave the way for the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUVs that Alfa Romeo hoped would jump-start its return. A 4C coupe was first, followed up by the Spider droptop that you can still buy today if you’re quick.
RIP: BMW i8
The BMW i8
BMW
If there’s one car on this list that still gets a tremendous amount of attention whenever it whirs past, it’s the BMW i8. BMW BMWYY, +0.23% is still tweaking its i range of eco-friendly cars, which have never really caught on. The outlandish i8 plug-in hybrid looks like a show car for the road, though it’s not as thrifty as BMW would like you to believe. Its 18-mile electric-only charge makes it an acceptable commuter, but after that, even its slippery shape won’t top 30 mpg.
RIP: Buick Regal
Oh, how we barely knew the Buick Regal. Like an American who backpacked around Europe for a few weeks one summer in college, the Regal brimmed with hints of European sophistication while maintaining wholesome American sedan values. Buick’s last try with the regal resulted in an unusual lineup of performance-oriented Regal GS, surprisingly practical Regal Sportback hatchback, and Subaru-like Regal TourX. They were all remarkably good, especially the SUV-alternative TourX.
RIP: Cadillac CT6
The Cadillac CT6
Cadillac
It has been a long time since car enthusiasts associated Cadillac solely with big sedans, and it’s not likely that is going to change any time soon. That’s a real shame since the CT6 is hardly a floaty Fleetwood. This big, rear- or all-wheel-drive sedan boasts as much as 550 horsepower, sublime handling, and a high-tech interior. Plenty are still in dealers, with discounts as high as 20% off list price.
Review: The new Mercedes-Benz S-class
RIP: Chevrolet Impala
Like Cadillac, Chevy was once the brand of big sedans. The Impala was long at the top of the heap, and its nameplate was reborn in the mid-1990s with V8 power and rear-wheel drive. Subsequent Impalas weren’t as sinister, though the stylish 2020 remains a good-looking car with a comfortable interior and uncanny refinement. The Impala was an early victim of the Grim Reaper, but there are more than 1,000 new ones on Chevy lots.
RIP: Chevrolet Sonic
At the opposite end of the bow tie, Chevy has dropped its little Sonic. This pint-size city runabout is actually a hoot to drive, and it has a nice array of features for the money. Dirty secret: the Sonic was born from the underwhelming Aveo, albeit with a huge host of refinement upgrades. It also had the distinction of being the only US-built subcompact car, at least until it was dropped earlier in 2021. There are plenty of Sonics still in dealers, though, so you have time to get your city-car fix.
RIP: Dodge Grand Caravan
Chrysler FCAU, +1.22% turned the market upside down when its Dodge Caravan rolled into nearly every suburban driveway in the early 1980s. If you grew up in the ’80s, ’90s, or early ’00s, you certainly rode in a Grand Caravan at some point. The current van is a relic, especially compared with the far superior Chrysler Pacifica and the new budget-friendly, less-opulent Chrysler Voyager that effectively replace the Grand Caravan. Still, we can’t escape a little sad nostalgia in announcing the Grand Caravan’s demise.
RIP: Dodge Journey
In the bleak days of Chrysler’s early revival, the Dodge Journey was one of the automaker’s de facto flagships. This early crossover boasted seating for seven (in a pinch) plus a car-like ride. That was more than a decade ago, and the Journey was quickly eclipsed by far better crossovers. For 2020, the Journey was pared down to just a front-wheel-drive version with a pokey inline-four linked to a comically-dated four-speed automatic transmission. You are likely to be offered a Journey as an “upgrade” from Avis for the next several years, though.
RIP: Ford Fusion
The demise of the American sedan is upon us. With the discontinuation of the Fusion, Ford F, -0.60% dealers will be passenger-car free (aside from the Mustang, which we can only halfheartedly recommend as a practical family car). What a bummer. the pretty Fusion, with its Aston Martin-lite looks and its balanced platform, has fallen victim to a major consolidation at Ford. Still, a Fusion Hybrid remains a great choice for those with longer commutes. There are likely to be plenty in dealers for the foreseeable future, too.
Read: Check out the Mustang Mach-E, Ford’s electric SUV
RIP: Honda Civic Coupe
The Honda Civic coupe
Honda
Everyone knows that sedans are disappearing quickly, but what about coupes? Two-door versions of sedans have had a slow march toward obsolesce since the mid-1990s, and with the discontinuation of the Honda Civic coupe for the 2021 model year, the last door is closed. With the Civic Coupe goes the Civic Si, too, though a sporty Civic sedan will revive that name in early 2022. Additionally, Honda HMC, +0.73% swiped the six-speed manual from the Civic lineup for 2021. Damn you, Grim Reaper!
RIP: Honda Fit
The Honda Fit
Honda
Arguably the most rational new car around, the small Honda Fit hatchback boasted a spacious, flexible interior paired with a frugal powertrain and sporty driving dynamics. Ah, well. After more than a decade, the Fit nameplate has been put out to pasture, taking with it the innovative rear seats that folded up to make a flat cargo area. Some of the Fit lives on in the HR-V, a slightly taller Fit with available all-wheel drive.
RIP: Hyundai Elantra GT
Compact hatchbacks have always been our jam, so it is with considerable sadness that we write the obituary for one of the most underappreciated five-doors around. The Elantra GT added a dose of practicality to Hyundai’s HYMTF, +0.28% versatile compact, and it could be had with as much as 201 horsepower underhood. A reworked Elantra sedan arrives for 2021, bringing with it little sign of a hatchback companion.
RIP: Jaguar XE
The Jaguar XE
Jaguar
Compact sports sedans used to be the default choice for enthusiasts who occasionally needed to haul around clients, the family, or just the groceries. The Jaguar XE jumped onto the scene in 2017 with strong turbocharged or supercharged power (and even a short-lived turbodiesel) paired with excellent handling and a great ride. Consumers didn’t notice then, and they’ve all-but-forgotten about the XE since. That’s a real shame, so you’ll want to act quickly to pick up one of the leftover XEs still around.
RIP: Jaguar XF Sportbrake
The midsize European luxury segment was flush with wagons in 2020, but it will be down to just one for 2021. Mercedes-Benz DMLRY, +0.63% is repositioning its venerable E-Class wagon as a quasi-off-roader, while the Jaguar XF has hit the chopping block. Bummer! The XF is a slow-seller as a sedan and even rarer as a wagon. Though stylish, the XF Sportbrake was not especially practical compared with an SUV or even other wagons. The one remaining conventional European long roof? The Volvo V90. Better get one soon.
RIP: Lexus GS
Lexus rarely swings and misses, but it has repeatedly done so with its midsize GS, at least as far as sales are concerned. What consumers have been missing ever since the originally GS (fun fact: it was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro!) went on sale in 1993 is an excellent luxury sedan with traditional rear-wheel-drive dynamics. The GS reached its zenith with the ferocious GS F, an absolute used-car bargain if you are able to find one.
Also read: A first look at the new electric Volkswagen ID.4
RIP: Lincoln Continental
After attempting to revive its fortunes with a stylish sedan and a vintage name, Lincoln is following parent company Ford’s footsteps in dropping sedans to focus on SUVs and crossovers instead. The Continental arrived with much fanfare a few years ago, but sales of the stylish sedan never met expectations even with plenty of twin-turbo V6 power underhood.
RIP: Lincoln MKZ
The smaller of Lincoln’s two sedans boasts a stylish sloping roof and a clunky, but unique, massive glass sunroof. It’s closely related to the Ford Fusion, so it’s no huge surprise that the slow-selling MKZ is headed to the automotive graveyard in the sky. We’ll miss the Continental, but the MKZ was ripe for a replacement anyway.
RIP: Mercedes-Benz SLC-Class
Channeling the classic Mercedes SL roadsters of the 1950s and 1960s, the SLC (which was called the SLK up until a few years ago) is a gorgeous droptop with decent handling and plenty of underhood punch. It’s also quite expensive (think $50,000 or more), which has kept sales slow. Mercedes is in the midst of a moderate consolidation of its nameplates as it seeks to streamline its lineup to focus more on what sells than what doesn’t.
RIP: Toyota Yaris
The Toyota Yaris
Toyota
It feels like we’ve written this obituary before, and that’s because the Toyota Yaris is really a Mazda 2 with different badges. Mazda dropped the 2 from the US market but kept building the little car first as a sedan and more recently as a hatchback under contract for Toyota TM, -0.10%, and it quickly became an underappreciated gem of a subcompact. Toyota and Mazda MZDAY, +2.11% have more cooperation on the way, but we don’t expect to see either brand offer a subcompact for the U.S. market.
Read next: The 2021 Chevy Corvette: It looks, and drives, like an exotic supercar
This story originally ran on Autotrader.com.
