Need help on deciding system setup

[rjay 10+ year member]

I have a 09 Nissan Sentra with factory radio and speakers (not the Rockford setup). I am wanting to keep my factory headunit, but get better sound quality and bass. I've thought about three different setups, but wanted others input on which one would be the best. Also I haven't exactly decided on which speaker brand/models to choose, just tryin to get the configuration down first!

One: Change out front door and rear panel speakers to a decent aftermarket set up, have them powered by an appropriate 4 channel amp. (btw speaker sizes are 5 1/4 and/or 6 1/2 for front doors and 6x9 for rear panel).

Two: Just change out rear 6x9's and have it powered with a 2 channel amp.

Three: Keep factory speakers and just add a single 8" sub and mono amp.

I kind of would like to keep the trunk empty so was leaning towards the 6x9's to give me the bass I am looking for (obviously nothing too crazy). I am liking the first idea, thinking I will get overall better sound quality from changing out all of the speakers and again getting enough bass from the 6x9's.

I know a long post, but appreciate an insight you may have. Thanks

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[trumpet 5,000+ posts]

With an 8" sub in a sealed enclosure you can take up so little trunk space it's trivial. There are subs that work in a box about the size of the carton it ships in. I would consider a 4th option. Upgrade the front and rear speakers, add an 8" sub in a sealed box, and get a 5-channel amp. If you want to do it in stages, upgrade the speakers first, add a 4-channel amp, then finally add a mono amp and a sub. 6x9s can do ok on bass, but a subwoofer excels at the low frequencies as that is the only job it has.