So coupe vs sedan, your opinions on it...

[hans007]

So i've had one coupe in my life (and i posted it here ... almost 12 years ago). IT was a 2005 G35. It was amazing given at the the time i was 24 and paid for it in cash from summer hustling. then i got in an accident and ended up with a sedan.

ever since then i've had sedans. I suppose i'm a pretty practical guy, and maybe that car was fun but i kind of felt like a douchebag in it....

my personal opinion these days is i'd get a coupe if it has 2 seats, but a 2+2 with an equivalent sedan i'm probably going sedan. and i recently had to make that choice again and choose sedan.

So anyway, what car would you get if they are roughly equivalent (like say 3 vs 4 series, or civic coupe vs sedan etc)?

 

[agent00f]

Coupes look better but parking in tight spaces and the reach for the seatbelt is always annoying, esp. in a manual w/ properly adjusted seat.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I'm single and prefer coupes but my last few have been 4 door hatches/wagons. I like to drive with the windows down and the airflow on coupes is much MUCH nicer. Sedans tend to slam air right into the side of your head making them shitty to drive at higher speeds with the windows down.

 

[repoman0]

Coupes look better but parking in tight spaces and the reach for the seatbelt is always annoying, esp. in a manual w/ properly adjusted seat.

Agreed all around. If I remember to hang the seatbelt on the seat latch, it's no problem but if I forget .... :twisted:

I have two similar cars, one coupe and one sedan and generally prefer the sedan shape and form factor.

 

[tsupersonic]

Why not both? There is a market for 4 door vehicles that have coupe like styling (ex: Mercedes Benz CLS, BMW 4/6 series Gran Coupe, Audi A/S/RS7, VW CC). Sure back seats are compromised, but they're very comfortable compared to a traditional 2 door coupe.

I've had both, and like both. Sedans for practicality, and coupes for styling. In a coupe, it's nice to be able to reject people rides since you can seat one other person comfortably

 

[SearchMaster]

Why not both? There is a market for 4 door vehicles that have coupe like styling (ex: Mercedes Benz CLS, BMW 4/6 series Gran Coupe, Audi A/S/RS7, VW CC). Sure back seats are compromised, but they're very comfortable compared to a traditional 2 door coupe.

I've had both, and like both. Sedans for practicality, and coupes for styling. In a coupe, it's nice to be able to reject people rides since you can seat one other person comfortably

Yeah, you shop in a much nicer market than me

Like most people I prefer the look of a nice coupe but with 3 kids there's just no way. I still may pick up an older Miata one day as a second car but until then it will be 4 doors for me. By the time the kids are gone I'll be old enough I doubt I'll care any more.

 

[SithSolo1]

My '05 G35 coupe is still my daily driver, it'll have had it for 11 yrs in September.

I'm still single but at this point in my life I'm finding it harder and harder to justify the impracticality of a coupe as my only ride. I still love my car but my next vehicle will more than likely have four doors.

 

[Riverhound777]

I use to favor coupes when I was younger, not surprisingly. But back in 2005 I decided I wanted a Mazda 3, which only came in sedan or hatch. I went with the sedan because I thought the hatch was just too ugly. After that I felt silly for my coupe bias, and a few years after that I felt silly for my hatch hate. Current car is a 2013 Focus ST and I love the look and wish it had even more storage (stupid full size spare...).

 

[Yakk]

Made the coupe mistake once when I was younger and I learned to dislike it then.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Depends on the looks. Alot of coupes these days are sedan derivatives rather than blank slate coupe designs. Caddy ATS and Civic coupe are good examples of coupes done badly. On the opposite spectrum G35/37/q50 coupe is sexy and has alot of appeal over the just good looking sedan. In the middle are Bimmer coupes that look so similar to sedan it really doesn't matter, might as well get the extra doors.

 

[hans007]

Why not both? There is a market for 4 door vehicles that have coupe like styling (ex: Mercedes Benz CLS, BMW 4/6 series Gran Coupe, Audi A/S/RS7, VW CC). Sure back seats are compromised, but they're very comfortable compared to a traditional 2 door coupe.

I've had both, and like both. Sedans for practicality, and coupes for styling. In a coupe, it's nice to be able to reject people rides since you can seat one other person comfortably

I gotta say those 4 door coupes a lot of them just don't look quite right. The 6 grandcoupe and CLS seem to pull it off he best. Something about the Panamera and the rs7 look odd to me. I suppose the new civic is kinda in this same bizarre pseudo coupe/lift back world too.

From the responses I guess a lot of us have had the one coupe thing. And I also want a second car miata done day,!

 

[tsupersonic]

I gotta say those 4 door coupes a lot of them just don't look quite right. The 6 grandcoupe and CLS seem to pull it off he best. Something about the Panamera and the rs7 look odd to me. I suppose the new civic is kinda in this same bizarre pseudo coupe/lift back world too.

From the responses I guess a lot of us have had the one coupe thing. And I also want a second car miata done day,!

The CLS started it all, and looks nice. I do think the 6 series Gran Coupe looks the best in its segment. They are just absolutely stunning in person...I'm not a big fan of the Panamera, but the new one looks amazing in pictures.

 

[ElFenix]

coupes signal that you have no kids.

the 4 series 4 door looks weird. how horrible of BMW to break up that nameplate into the 3 and 4 series just so they can sell an ugly 4 door with a chopped roof. bad marketing is bad.

iirc, sedans usually have stiffer bodies and don't weigh much more than the coupe based off the same platform, so would be a better start to build out a track car from.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Do insurance companies still charge $++ for coupes?

 

[Midwayman]

I figure if you have anything more than vestigial rear seats you should have 4 doors. I like the look of coupes, but they just fail on practicality on a lot of levels even if you never use the rear seats.

 

[vi edit]

With the ever growing size of the American Land Barge and the ever diminishing ability to actually park them...the door sizes of coupes make them a major pain in the ass to get in and out of in tight parking spots. I'm not a big guy by any means but trying to open the long door of a coupe and climb out in some of the spots (including my own garage) is a circus act.

 

[hans007]

The CLS started it all, and looks nice. I do think the 6 series Gran Coupe looks the best in its segment. They are just absolutely stunning in person...I'm not a big fan of the Panamera, but the new one looks amazing in pictures.

Yeah the new one looks better. and the mission-E.. well that is a coupe sedan i can get behind.

 

[agent00f]

The CLS started it all, and looks nice. I do think the 6 series Gran Coupe looks the best in its segment. They are just absolutely stunning in person...I'm not a big fan of the Panamera, but the new one looks amazing in pictures.

I think it's a harder shape to pull off on a smaller car. The CLA for example doesn't look quite right (a bit downy in fact), esp compared to the CLS. However take a look at the CLA shooting brake (really a wagon) and the longer profile of the roofline brings out the sexy again.

That design in generally is also compromised in interior space due to the way the roofline has to be shaped.

 

[ItsMeeYourDaddy]

Get a wagon! Still own my '07 BMW 335i coupe but I got the opportunity to get a '14 BMW 328d M-sport wagon. Its sporty (not as sporty as a 470hp 335i with a bulletproof n54 engine, but still sporty), comfortable, fits 5, and since its a wagon, it has a buttload of space, especially once you put down the 2nd row seats. Just my 2 cents.

 

[tsupersonic]

Yeah the new one looks better. and the mission-E.. well that is a coupe sedan i can get behind.

Indeed, that looks stunning. Can't wait to see it in person.

I think it's a harder shape to pull off on a smaller car. The CLA for example doesn't look quite right (a bit downy in fact), esp compared to the CLS. However take a look at the CLA shooting brake (really a wagon) and the longer profile of the roofline brings out the sexy again.

That design in generally is also compromised in interior space due to the way the roofline has to be shaped.

When I had a CLS, I always wanted MB to produce a smaller version. You're right, it just doesn't work on a smaller car. The CLA just looks wrong... I sort of want a 6GC after all this talk.

Sent from my Nexus 6P

 

[hans007]

Get a wagon! Still own my '07 BMW 335i coupe but I got the opportunity to get a '14 BMW 328d M-sport wagon. Its sporty (not as sporty as a 470hp 335i with a bulletproof n54 engine, but still sporty), comfortable, fits 5, and since its a wagon, it has a buttload of space, especially once you put down the 2nd row seats. Just my 2 cents.

when i had an audi i got a b8 avant as a loaner once. i'm a single guy, but the wagon format wasn't a turnoff at all. had the pano roof too and that car just had everything. too bad audi doesnt make them for america anymore . its really a shame america didn't like wagons they are probably the best most practical cars.

the choice i am making is C class sedan vs coupe. and well the wagon version of it (That they dont sell here) i'm not sure i'd get that , but it does look quite nice

 

[Tormac]

Are you regularly going to carry people in your backseat?

If yes then get a sedan.

If no then get a coupe.

 

[Yuriman]

Neither?

I find both coupes and sedans to be less interesting than most two seaters (I'm assuming we're not considering cars like Miatas and S2000's as "coupes"), and less practical or useful than most hatches and wagons.

 

[RichieZ]

i have a 911, technically it is a 2+2 but lets face it its a 2 seater with some nice storage space in the back

i also have a prius for commuting and moving things

if i could only have one car? probably a sedan of some sort, maybe RS7 or the new non-hideous looking Panamera?

 

[z1ggy]

The answer, as always is :

It depends.