A coupe, in the traditional sense of the word in relation to an automobile, is a two-door vehicle with a fixed roof and three-box design. It may be as simple as that, but of course, the automotive world is rarely that simple, and vehicles often fall outside of definitive, limited boxes.
For example, the “coupe” class has many subcategories that are even more specific than the broad term coupe. One should consider a targa with a removable roof panel, like the standard Chevrolet Corvette, becomes a coupe. A two-door fixed convertible with a hatchback or liftback would also fall into the “coupe” category. Prominent examples of these coupes include Toyota GR Supra and Nissan Z.
Meanwhile, the coupe class is still filled with traditional three-box coupes with traditional trunks and conventional hardtops – you know, the cars you immediately think of when the term “coupe” appears. Cars like Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupe, Ford Mustang, Subaru BRZ/Toyota GR86 and more that make up this side of the coupe world.
On the other hand, manufacturers have stretched the definition of a coupe to them for a long time. When you visit Mercedes-Benz website and click the “Coupe” tab, six separate models will appear on the page. Only these three “coupes” fit the definition of what we call a coupe. The remaining three (CLA, CLS, AMG GT Coupe 4 Doors) are four-door sedans with roofs that fold faster than usual. While the cars may have a more coupe-like appearance, calling them “Coupes” would confuse and deeply confuse what a coupe and sedan are all about.
Why Mercedes, and many other manufacturers, use this naming for fast sedans, you ask? For one, it’s a marketing exercise. A coupe has historically been sportier, and in no better term, cooler than a traditional sedan. If someone wants the practicality of a four-door sedan, but also wants the look/presence of a coupe, now the auto companies have vehicles they can guide you through. BMW car Mercedes is right there in this confusing nomenclature, but instead uses the term “Gran Coupe” to denote when a “coupe” has four doors. To be 8 Series Gran Coupe a sedan in every sense of the definition? Yes, but BMW will still tell you it’s a coupe.
The definition of a coupe expands even further as we enter the territory of “intersection coupe “or” SUV coupe. ” We’ll use Mercedes as an example again, because that’s the most obvious cut. You can buy vehicles officially named as Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe or GLE Coupe. Of course, these cars aren’t two-door – they all have four doors and a trunk lift. So what makes them coupes? All are on the roof. Compared to traditional GLC or GLE The SUV and Coupe versions have a quick reverse style to the rear of the car. This gives the car a coupe-like silhouette, good enough for Mercedes to attach the “Coupe” nomenclature to the model name. Many other manufacturers produce similar vehicles that we call crossover coupes. A few examples include BMW X6, Porsche Cayenne Coupe and Infiniti QX55. They all aim to look sportier than their upright counterparts and have a more traditional silhouette, a quality that remains faithful to the original stance of a coupe.
The history behind the “coupe” vehicle is a long one, and it may well help explain many of the vehicles that automakers technically consider coupes today. The term, which refers to a mode of transportation, is derived from horse-drawn carriages. It refers to a shortened version of a carriage with no rear seats. The word “coupé” is of French origin and literally means “chariot”, according to the Oxford dictionary.
Until much later, its original use on cars was to refer to vehicles with two doors and one row of seats. In the decades since, it has evolved, but eventually became a term for an automobile with two doors and a fixed roof. With the continued proliferation of what is and isn’t a “coupe” these days, it’s hard to draw a line that everyone will agree on. That said, we will continue to use “coupe” where appropriate and call it out as automakers have more freedom with their naming schemes.
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