More coverage from the LA Auto Show. Our ongoing discussion of two new or significant options in most every category.  In this case, we visit the segment trying to offer fun to four door usability.

SPORTS SEDANS:

AUDI A4 – Redesigned for the 2009 model, with all the standard trends of larger and more powerful:

Todd: Look, Audi’s are awesome, with the most amazing interiors in the business… but this new A4 – I can’t tell it’s an Audi from the outside. Yes, it’s got the Audi Corporate front end with the huge grill and eye-liner LED driving lights. But from the side –

“What’s that, the new Honda Accord? No? A Bimmer? No?… wait… that’s an Audi?” I just don’t care, it’s completely uninteresting and I liked the last A4 better.

Oh, and the more room being advertised for this new model… the back seats are still unusable. And it costs more. Go buy a used one, and you’re better off.

Paul: I’m a fan of Audi, evidenced by the fact that I own an A4 avante and find Audi’s to be the best-looking, best-built and most engaging cars available. When I saw the new A4, however, I mis-took it for a Corolla from the rear angle. What happened to the logical and refined styling?

Shoehorning corporate styling cues onto all shapes and sizes is not always the recipe for success. The new A4 is a slightly larger car, and the fierce grille and headlights work great on the big A6 & A8, but in this case, it turns out to be a bit uninteresting, like vanilla ice cream missing its chocolate sauce.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, though, I feel like I’m inside an expensive car. The materials and fit & finish are unassailable. Car ownership is about interaction with the machine, and if things just don’t feel right, then you don’t like it. But the interior quality is fantastic—I feel like a million bucks. How can I not like it?

VW Passat CC: – Volkswagen follows the trend started by the Mercedes CLS and makes a sweeping coupe-like four-door.  The most interesting VW in years.

Todd: I don’t think this has ever been said before – what we have here is a sexy VW sedan! I like this car from every single angle. The Audi connection is clear here, but I like this more than the A4 or A6.

A driver focused interior, with fantastic materials, fit, and finish. Plus, great seats for passengers front and rear! Actual adults with legs can sit in the back, ideally they should be under six-feet tall, but even I’d rather ride back here than the back of an A4 or 3 series BMW.

Loaded, with the full 4motion AWD and all the options it comes in a few thousand less than a similar A4. I can’t say I’d tell anyone to get the A4 instead.

Paul: I really like the styling direction VW is going with the CC. Never before have you been able to call a VW beautiful. Functional and cool-looking, yes, but this car finally brings style to the party. The CC could be painted in colors inspired by the local landfill and it would still be gorgeous.

After sitting in the CC, though, it fear it’s going to be like a leftover Valentine’s Day chocolate—all soft and gooey on the inside. I don’t perceive any sporting intentions about this car at all, so in what market is the CC positioned? Maybe VW is chasing aspirational Lexus buyers, which is odd. Is it a 5-series competitor? A Jaguar XF alternative? Something to poach sales from Infiniti or Volvo?

Whatever the case, the driving position feels like a spa chair, ready to magically conjure up new road-trip destinations. I can sense the breeding in the build quality, so maybe the CC is the new reason to use gasoline! I can’t wait to drive it, and feel what it’s really like…

That wraps up our two sedans of note from the 2009 LA Auto Show. Look for other market segment discussions here.