RIP? Is It Game Over For Four-Door Sedans Now Four-Door Coupes Are Here To Stay?

RIP? Is It Game Over For Four-Door Sedans Now Four-Door Coupes Are Here To Stay?
I feel as though I should be writing a eulogy. Or, in the words of Derek Zoolander, a eulogoogilie.

Without question, probably the most familiar automobile shape is the sedan. They're practical, can be sedate or sporty, and come with spacious cabins. But what may have been interpreted as a car that "wasn't going to sell," or a "trend," the original Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class changed all of the rules.

The four-door coupe phenomenon was born.

Now it seems that plenty of autos, even sport-utility vehicles, are getting in on the act. We see cars like the Audi A7, BMW X6, Volkswagen Passat CC, Porsche Panamera and there may be more on the way.

Recent rumors are speculating that Ferrari, Toyota and De Tomaso may be getting into the act with cars of their own. With this in mind, we want to know:

Is the four-door sedan dead?

Of course the car will be around but it appears that with all the buzz and hype surrounding these stylized four-door coupes, the sedan's days are getting shorter. Will they be regulated to grandpas with column shifters or is the four-door coupe movement merely a phase for the automotive world?

Let us know in the comments below.








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tangotango - 9/11/2010 10:16:26 PM
+9 Boost
The 4-door sedan is timeless. No matter how many new-comers there are to the throne, there will always be a major market for them. The four-door coupe is a fad that the masses will tire of. Quite a fickle bunch, car buyers are.


NostradamusNostradamus - 9/11/2010 10:23:26 PM
+16 Boost
4-Door Coupe = Marketing Hype.

Nothing but a regular 4-dood sedan with a lower roof and worse visibility out - Nothing More


AudiphileAudiphile - 9/12/2010 1:13:14 AM
+5 Boost
As someone who is too tall to fit in either the Mercedes CLS or VW Passat CC, all I can see is

- Amen, brother!


BrownStigBrownStig - 9/11/2010 10:45:18 PM
+3 Boost
I guess the fabric roof convertible idea should be tossed out too. Hard top convertibles are so much better than those light easy to operate tops. And while we are at it all SUVs will be sandstone beige, all sports cars Guards red and TDIs with CVTs will be the only drivetrain options.


Chaordic1Chaordic1 - 9/12/2010 2:26:34 AM
+3 Boost
Don't be ridiculous. Lots people buy sedans for room and comfort. In particular, they buy them for their head room, though it's gotten to where most motorists can no longer wear their hats while they drive.

The only people who buy 4-door coupes are short. Very short.

I suppose a 4-door coupe might be appropriate for those people that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer claims have been found in the deserts of her state or for certain horsemen.


pcar4evrpcar4evr - 9/12/2010 6:15:25 AM
+1 Boost
The Panamera is the only 4 door coupe that doesn't compromise rear seating and headroom. Because of that, it looks like shit. The 4 door coupe is a marketing gimick but likely here to stay.


t_bonet_bone - 9/12/2010 11:01:40 AM
0 Boost
My guess is that the next version will reduce headroom and look a lot better. Did you know the headroom was mandated by 6'4" former CEO Wendelin Wiedeking? He demanded that he could sit in the back. That's why the roofline makes it so ugly.


Yonder7Yonder7 - 9/12/2010 10:10:48 AM
0 Boost
Nostradamus: I agree with you. All 4 doors coupes won´t replace the the traditional sedan. I am 6.3 and I do not fit in any back seat of any 4 door coupe. However the 4 doors coupes are so beautiful thay they came to stay.


DoukasDoukas - 9/12/2010 12:13:19 PM
+2 Boost
Stupid question. It's like asking, will Mercedes Benz stop making or selling S-Class's because there is a CLS in the line up. Truth be told, way more S-class's are sold than CLS's.


dotunodotuno - 9/12/2010 12:41:54 PM
+6 Boost
Coupé (definition from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coupe):

1. : a four-wheeled closed horse-drawn carriage for two persons inside with an outside seat for the driver in front
2 usually coupe : a 2-door automobile often seating only two persons; also : one with a tight-spaced rear seat — compare sedan

(Definition 2 obviously applies to cars).

Hence a 4-Door Coupe: a 4-door 2-door automobile.

Like the chicken or egg puzzle, I don't know which comes first: stupidity in marketing, or stupidity to which marketing sells.


mikeydred20mikeydred20 - 9/12/2010 1:32:40 PM
-2 Boost
Typical of "Autospies", no mention of the ZDX which looks just as good and plays the 4 door coupe role better than the above mentioned.


I95SPEEDINGTICKETSI95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 9/13/2010 7:06:32 PM
-2 Boost
WTF ???


freeagentfreeagent - 9/12/2010 5:11:39 PM
+4 Boost
the 4 door coupe is marketing BS. the CLS is just a 4 door sedan that is swoopier than the more upright E class, but both are 4 door sedans.


chemochemo - 9/12/2010 11:26:01 PM
+2 Boost
if you can sit in the back of a cls, you could be a jockey.


MeanVulcanMeanVulcan - 9/13/2010 9:56:43 AM
+2 Boost
The headroom issue with these coupes is not really an issue, unless you expect to drive around with 4 tall adults in your car. For most people, these cars offer styling and practicality that sedans do not offer (if a hatchback option is offered) at a premium price. For families of four (2 adults, 1-2 kids) these cars are ideal and do not compromise styling. I think the sedan market will shrink a bit but IMO it will not disappear. There will always be those that buy sedans because they can't afford the "Coupes" or just because they use cars as AtoB pieces of equipment, aka, Camry drivers.


thstonethstone - 9/13/2010 5:15:06 PM
0 Boost
Four door coupes might remain a niche market but there is no way that they foretell the end of the traditional sedan. And the GT-Hatch-Kammback will be gone in 3-5 years (as soon as this current design iteration is replaced).


DenaliDenali - 9/13/2010 8:46:50 PM
+1 Boost
the Panamera is more of a wagon like dodge charger is to the magnum...FACT


holmstarholmstar - 9/14/2010 5:33:00 PM
0 Boost
So what if it has a swoop-y rear end. Its a car with four doors, and thus a sedan. The 4-door coupe business is a bunch of marketing huey.
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