To many, coupes are an indulgence: a car for yourself and an expression of your personality. To carmakers, they’re an opportunity to demonstrate styling and engineering cleverness, like the gorgeous Peugeot RCZ or Alfa Romeo Brera. To dealers, coupes are halo models that entice buyers into their showrooms.
There are several options in the coupe sector to choose from. Most buyers look to European brands for a coupe and many like Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Aston, Martin, Ferrari, Lotus, Maserati, Mercedes and Porsche have forged their reputation in this segment.
More recently, the Koreans have joined the coupe set with models like the Kia Cerato and Hyundai Veloster.
Coupes were once exclusively two-door, two-seaters, but like everything else in this world, things have moved on and there are now three and four-door coupes available like the VW Pasat CC and the Mercedes-Benz CLS.
Prices vary as much as models. The cheapest is the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder Smart ForTwo Pulse MHD model at $19,990 and the dearest, the 6.7-litre, V12 Rolls Royce Phantom 3C68 at $1,260,000.
Most coupes are petrol powered but there are a few high-performance diesels creeping into the segment and even a hybrid; the Honda CR-Z, which won the 2011 Wheels Car of the Year.
Coupes often share their architecture with a sedan or hatch in the manufacturer’s range. Many focus on high supreme levels of luxury and comfort while in the case of the Porsche GT3, you get a slightly detuned race car, complete with a roll cage.