Comfy Commuter?

[Concordia]

No need to order one yet, but some day the Saab 9-5 will need a replacement or supplement. I actually like almost everything about this car except for the length, which sometimes makes it hard to park in Boston.

So what is there that offers just as good a balanced package but is a few feet shorter? Quiet ride is a good thing-- I'd like to hear the stereo without going deaf. If there is a back seat, it needs to be adult-sized. If not, the two-seat world has a lot of pleasant convertables, Minis, and the like.
AWD would be a nice bonus for snow and ice, not cow flops. Un-fussy driving (and automatic transmission) a must. The Saab is not the ultimate sports car, but I deliberately passed on the Aero to get the Arc, which serves its purposes really well.

GTI/Autobahn? Loaded Countryman? Wait for the Aston Martin Cygnet?

 

[whiteslashasian]

I'm a fan of the refreshed Volvo S60.

Though I imagine it's not much smaller than the 9-5 (at 182 inches long, the S60 is about 8 inches shorter from what I can gather).

 

[Vaio]

I'd get the GTI. I have a mk6 golf and it's quiet, comfy, and decent sized.

I'd get it with four doors. I have two and i sorta regret not buying the four door version.

and parallel parking a cinch.