Why Coupes?

[johnnyb82]

Can someone explain the appeal of coupes? Is it the sportier feel, the cheaper price? To me they just seem less useful with cars that can use 4 doors (the Focus, the Fusion, etc).

[mustang84isu]

I like them because of the design...they're typically sleeker, and cars with two doors just look better to me. Less door cuts make them look better, and you get a big area of uninterrupted sheet metal on the rear quarters where you can do some stylistic elements like curves, character lines, and swept back greenhouses. You're given more flexibility in coupe design than sedan design, IMO.

[pcsario]

Some people rarely travel with more than one passenger with them. A coupe offers them a more personal vehicle with sleeker styling.

[xr7g428]

I like the idea of a coupe because I am finally reaching the point where I can buy the car for me, not for carrying passengers. It may be hard to understand, but part of the beauty of a coupe is that people don't want to ride with you. Noise, vibration, and harshness, are nothing compared to obnoxious backseat passengers.

[Watchdevil]

Because if a Mustang was a four door it would suck!

[hoss96racing]

because sedans just aren't sporty.. some try but to me they only get close.... that and I am tall and feel cramped in most sedans..or if i'm not cramped the seat behind me is useless.... the rear seat is already useless in most coupes so there is nothing lost when I get comfortable....

[swenson88]

Exactly. Sure if you have a family and have to tote kids or other people around a lot it would be pretty selfish to buy a coupe, but if you're young and don't have a family or older and the family is back to you and the wife then two seats are all you need. Coupes generally look better in most people's eyes, are sportier, and often are better performing. They're not for everyone, hence the smaller sales, but clearly they appeal to many.

[icechips]

I've had a coupe all the time I've been driving.... 26 yrs.

 

I like coupes for the same reason that people have mentioned loving theirs. I'm alone, no family. The few times I drive people it's short distances. I'll mention another reason... it's the pillar (C?) that's on the 4 drs are right behind the driver... Hate those things, they're thick and get in my line of vision.... coupes, no pillars, so no lack of vision.

 

I cried when I had to get rid of my 88 Tbird. Loved that car, but the mechanic told me she was on her last legs (it lasted another 3-4 yrs with someone else and could be still going for all I know). I bought a competitor's car, had to, Ford no longer had a larger coupe. Of course if someone figures out how to get rid of the pillars, I'd try a sedan.

[hoss96racing]

coupes used to be very popular... every car had a coupe or sedan option... I think the only reason coupes are dying is because child car seats are constantly getting bigger... I would rather have a coupe with a half door like a saturn than have to have a sedan.... also explains the popularity of mini van's where years ago there was no need for them....

[waymondospiff]

A coupe's claim to fame is style. It's less practical and, in my opinion, cumbersome with long doors to try & crawl around in tight parking spaces & garages. In the 1990s SUVs became the high-style option, showing you are rugged and tough, even if all you do is drive to work & the grocery store. As styles changed, coupe sales fell.

 

Midsize & fullsize coupes may come back one day. But I wouldn't hold my breath. The Mustang & Eclipse sporty coupes and the compact coupes like Civic & Cobalt cover most of the demand for mainstream coupes.

 

Scott

[NJSteve3]

I find that, with small kids, 4 doors is the way to go. I do recall, many years ago, hearing a safety argument that favored coupes: No back doors for kids to open, dart out of, swing into other cars, etc.

 

I'd be real keen on a Fusion coupe, 4 cyl with stick, as a price leader, fun, stylish, personal car - picture the '65 Mustang / Falcon coupe...

[calypsocoral]

I'll mention another reason... it's the pillar (C?) that's on the 4 drs are right behind the driver... Hate those things, they're thick and get in my line of vision.... coupes, no pillars, so no lack of vision.

 

Actually, those would be the 'B' pillars. The 'C' pillars are the one your rear window is set into.

 

Anyway, I like coupes because they are typically lighter and more rigid than their sedan siblings. Two doors allow for a more raked-out roofline than sedans as well.

 

I know that "sport sedans" are all the rage nowadays, but the modern theme of shorter overhangs doesn't really fit the sedan greenhouse particularly-well.

 

A coupe, on the other hand, is meant to have short overhangs. It is a sleeker, more "muscular" body style to begin with.

 

To date, the only sedan made nowadays that I consider "cool" is the Dodge Charger.

[Mustang_Marty]

In my 25 years of driving, I have always owned a 2dr coupe or hatch. I Even when I was married, my wife's cars were a 2dr Jetta, 2rd Cherokee and a 2dr Mirage. We only had one kid so it wasn't too bad. There hasn't been a 4dr that I ever thought was attractive. I liked the Lincoln LS, but it's 2 extra doors prevented me from buying it.

 

My brother has an M3 4dr and he admittedly said that he bought it because the insurance was nearly half the cost than the 2dr. Up to that point, he had only had a 2dr. His wife had the minivan to drive their 4 kids around in.

 

 

 

My son is 15 and he will be driving a Mustang Coupe. Back seat is worthless, so we will be doing a rear seat delete kit on it.