[aem]

Drive a e46 m3 (or the one that's coming out) and find out...

[Brunotheboxer]

Originally Posted by human

Can someone help me understand the appeal of buying a coupe? It only has 2 doors (that are heavier!), the back seats are harder to access and there is much less rear headroom. The car is just as long and wide so it's not like the car is easier to park or is more nimble in size. (Or is it?).

After all, you could make the 4-door lower in rear headroom and you could lower the car, add 19" wheels, options and all of that other stuff to make it a lot sportier.

Is it just me, or does the coupe concept seem like a waste?

Please don't get angry with my question - I am just really curious to know!

Thanks you guys...

based on the fact that you have the step, i would say you are a sedan person. in my opinion if you get the coupe you should have the manual.

[human]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

based on the fact that you have the step, i would say you are a sedan person. in my opinion if you get the coupe you should have the manual.

My next car is going to have manual for sure (first 2 cars were manual... this is the 3rd car that I've owned). The step is great, but I'm ready to go back. In e46 form, I'd get the M3 coupe, but for this car I would opt for the e90 4-door. If the e90 gets the 302 hp turbocharged engine in September, I'm trading up. It's gonna be an amazing car if and when it happens.

[desinole]

Well a coupe normally handles better than a sedan. This is because the structure of the car is more rigid and intact. Think about why there are no 4 door convertibles, it is almost impossilble to make then given the current safety standards required.

But again, its all about what part of your life you are in. A bachelor would prefer a coupe, someone getting married / starting a family / having a kid would pick a sedan, easier to load unload things in your backseat.

So its a very personal preference, just like I like the Terra (which will probably be my pick for my 325 in the next couple of months) and my friends think that its salmon pink.

[JB 330ci]

Coupe hands down

- Like others have said it gives the appearance of a sportier look and appearance. Most responses of "nice car" are given to what type of cars...2 door cars.

- The sedan gives you the family concept and the idea that you lug things around in it. The coupe is just the opposite, just yourself and a passanger.

- IMO The coupe always looks better than the 4 door version of a car.

- Coupe are more exclusive and expensive comapred to sedans. Granted it's because of the production numbers (sedans vs coupes) why this to true however you will see less coupes on the road than sedans.

- When you think BMW do you envision a 2 door sport coupe or a sedan? be honest here.

- More options available on the coupe. (usually)

- The sedan's doors I can stand the doors on any sedan. They are too small. Everytime I want to put my arm on the doorsill my elbow bumps up aganist the pillar. On a coupe it's a none issue.

- I'm 6'1 and weight 177 lbs so the only downside on certain vehicles is headroom. However even in my E46 Coupe I've had no problems.

- Personal Preference as well

[CnoteMD]

I agree that in most situations a coupe is more "sporty" than a 4 door sedan. However in the case of the 3 series, I have never really understood the appeal of the coupe. In my opinion the 3 series looks better as a 4 door sedan. I guess it's because there is so little to differentiate the two that the coupe looks more like a sedan with missing doors.

Now the 6 series is a different story. That is a very nice looking car that was expressly intended to be a coupe. I've never been a fan of the Infiniti G35, but it has more of a distinction between the coupe and the sedan. So much so that they seem like two totally different cars. Hopefully BMW will make the E92 coupe more distinctive in relation to the E90 sedan.

[JB 330ci]

Originally Posted by CnoteMD

I agree that in most situations a coupe is more "sporty" than a 4 door sedan. However in the case of the 3 series, I have never really understood the appeal of the coupe. In my opinion the 3 series looks better as a 4 door sedan. I guess it's because there is so little to differentiate the two that the coupe looks more like a sedan with missing doors.

Now the 6 series is a different story. That is a very nice looking car that was expressly intended to be a coupe. I've never been a fan of the Infiniti G35, but it has more of a distinction between the coupe and the sedan. So much so that they seem like two totally different cars. Hopefully BMW will make the E92 coupe more distinctive in relation to the E90 sedan.

I would agree to an extent to what you said. But I think both of us is biased aganist the other car. I would only buy a sedan if I had a family. I think they are useless since they look "fat" or "bloated" IMO. It may have nearly the same sporty drive, HP, speed, etc. but still you would never find me in a sedan unless I had a family or had kids.

On the other hand you cannot understand why people would pay a higher price for a car that has less room.

Think of it this way, the sedan and coupe are marketed towards different kinds of people with different priorites in life. You are bound to see more 20 somethings in a coupe and more older folk in the sedan.

[england1987]

Originally Posted by BMW0

Extra Sportiness i'd say.

usually the coupe adds weight because the B-pillar is farther back and the structure needs more support. they by definition have 2 less doors so are not as practical, and they cost more for less. So, they aren't as fast, aren't practical, cost more. lets not for get though, they are super "SPORTY" sports car.

[barrett9699]

Originally Posted by JB 330ci

The sedan's doors[/B] I can stand the doors on any sedan. They are too small. Everytime I want to put my arm on the doorsill my elbow bumps up aganist the pillar. On a coupe it's a none issue.

Bravo, JB. Excellent point.

I haven't had a coupe in a decade (90-something Camaro). And come to think of it, my elbow hasn't been perfectly positioned in as long.

[JB 330ci]

Originally Posted by england1987

usually the coupe adds weight because the B-pillar is farther back and the structure needs more support. they by definition have 2 less doors so are not as practical, and they cost more for less. So, they aren't as fast, aren't practical, cost more. lets not for get though, they are super "SPORTY" sports car.

If that was the case everyone would have bought a KIA and be done with it. It serves the same purpose of a BMW cost less, has the same room, and is cheaper.

2 less doors= not as practical...maybe for you but not for me. I don't need a car with more than 2 doors. Apparently you need one with more than 2 doors. Same concept if I'm going to be carrying stuff back and forth. I would have opted for a SUV or a truck and not a car.

Cost more for less= supply vs demand and the amount produced (coupes) vs sedans. If BMW sold as many or more coupes than sedans the prices would be the other way around.

[lux.sh]

Originally Posted by Brunotheboxer

based on the fact that you have the step, i would say you are a sedan person. in my opinion if you get the coupe you should have the manual.

Auto and Manual has nothing to do with Sedan/Coupe in my opinion.
Thats a huge generalization. You saying all 4dr M3s should have auto tragics?

There are cars that NEEDS manual, while other calls for Auto.
Ex. 350Z, driving an auto would look STUPID in that car.
While practically the same car, G35, would look luxurious with auto.

As for BMW, I think its the car that least shows differences between coupe and sedan.
Thats how sexy the sedan looks. If you look at other cars, there are distinctive differences between the coupe and the sedan.
Ex. Take a quick look at Accord Sedan and Accord Coupe. They look so much different.

I would never settle for 4dr, unless it looks as nice as BMW 3 series.
5 series sedan looks too much of a "family" image.
In my opinion, 3 series are compact enough to pull off that "sporty" image even with 4 doors. One of the few sedans that looks real good in the market. (Audi A4 sedans look sweet too IMO)

[Nikki]

Coupes used to be sportier, faster, more fun to drive, but the sedan has evolved. Look at the Sti and the EVO. I don't think there is a point to buying a coupe anymore unless someone simply likes the stlying better.

[JB 330ci]

Originally Posted by Nikki

Coupes used to be sportier, faster, more fun to drive, but the sedan has evolved. Look at the Sti and the EVO. I don't think there is a point to buying a coupe anymore unless someone simply likes the stlying better.

I guess we will have to wait on the arrival of the E92 in order to judge it against the E90. It would be interesting to see the comparisons and see which one is indeed "sportier".

The STI and EVO are made for that specific kind of handling and "fun to drive" factor. If Suburu or Mitsu produced a 2 door coupe of the same vehicle it would blow the 4 door versions out of the water.

However there is no need for this because of the reason why the STI and EVO were made in the first place. No need to make a coupe version of those particular vehicles.

[JazzEKline]

I love that in a coupe the enite window retracts into the body of the car leaving no metal connecting the top and bottom of the car.

This is not the case for the E92 but it is worth mentioning. In some coupes there is one solid plate of glass for each window. If you lower the window in these types of cars the entire side is open. I love the way this looks, from the outside and inside, and I love the way it feels to have the windows down in cars like this.

Also when you open the door on a coupe there is only one solid peice of metal body work - nothing sticking out of the top for the windows surrounds.

[aem]

Originally Posted by Nikki

Coupes used to be sportier, faster, more fun to drive, but the sedan has evolved. Look at the Sti and the EVO. I don't think there is a point to buying a coupe anymore unless someone simply likes the stlying better.

Like i said earlier, it may not be all about sporty looks, it could be a tradition of how people see themselves when driving their car. People think and feel that they are driving a sports car when they drive a coupe and that it makes them feel good.

The only thing is some people overthink and just think any coupe/convertable is a sports car when not all are. It's then that they need to think about buying which car.

Are you clueless in car Human?

[r3amir]

Looks I guess and feeling yourself sporty and young and ofcourse bachelor.

In my opinion 6 series does not appeal to my eyes. It is too big to be a coupe, something like Camry Solara

[aem]

Originally Posted by r3amir

Looks I guess and feeling yourself sporty and young and ofcourse bachelor.

In my opinion 6 series does not appeal to my eyes. It is too big to be a coupe, something like Camry Solara

I haven't seen this in real life yet but if you think the 6 series is a big car, this has gotto be bigger and it's a coupe lol!



This is when it gets real blurry as to why you would want to buy a coupe. The sedan is hell fast as it is...

[shimshimhada]

I think it's hilarious that some people think that the modern 3 series coupe will outhandle the more rigid sedan counterpart.

[roppongicorolla]

3 and 6 series coupes are really two doors on a 4 door chassis, they will not handle any better than the 4 door. something like a Z4 coupe/ M coupe, on the other hand, are designed to be 2 doors from the beginning. They exist only as 2 doors, and therefore well worth not having the conveninence of extra doors.

[lux.sh]

Originally Posted by aem

I haven't seen this in real life yet but if you think the 6 series is a big car, this has gotto be bigger and it's a coupe lol!



This is when it gets real blurry as to why you would want to buy a coupe. The sedan is hell fast as it is...

I saw that car when I was at a drapstrip(yes, a college kid who seems to be about 7'2 tall had it. probably a rich basketball player or something).

It didn't look that nice. I would go for M6.

[Squawks]

There are like 10 GT's around La Jolla. I saw one parked between a corrola and a pickup in a rundown parking lot by Jasmin's a dimsum place. They're nice - and fast as hell, despite their weight.

Nobody mentioned, to my surprise, one of the main benefits of the coupe over the sedan: the lousy door pillar that gets in your way when you're checking your blind spot and/or your left side. Obviously this doesn't apply to everybody but my seating preference is quite peculiar.

Maybe that's why there are so many dumbasses who can't even check their blindspots and routinely get close calls in swiping other vehicles while changing lanes. They need coupes. Dumbasses.

[mmeads]

I'm single, young 20's -- and I prefer the sedan.

I drive a large american coupe right now, and I'M SICK AND TIRED of the two doors. I do have a lot to carry around, AND I want to haul my friends around. I just can't do it with 2 doors. I had a SUV before that, and I really miss the extra room. Plus, I think the 4 door looks amazing (maybe better than the coupe -- b/c of proportions).

It is a priorities thing. I DON'T want to tell everyone my car is the most important thing in my life, b/c it's NOT. There are many more things that are way more valuable to me.

Just my two.