QOTD: Are You Missing the Coupe Yet?

by Matthew Guy

Published: July 17th, 2017

It won’t have escaped your attention that Honda hauled the wraps off its 10th-generation Accord on Friday. Some good things were added: trunk space, a ten-speed automatic, and turbocharged engines. However, as Soiricho gives, Soiricho also taketh away: the V6 disappeared, as did the coupe.

The move wasn’t surprising, as coupes (and non-crossovers in general) are currently enjoying the popularity of fish-flavored toothpaste. With their numbers dwindling, what car currently on sale today would you like to see as a coupe?

In 2005, I bought a three-year-old Accord Coupe, finished in silver with black leather seats and powered by the four-cylinder engine of the day. Back then, the Accord Coupe looked significantly different from its sedan brother, at least once one got aft of amidships. Designing a completely different (and, in my mind, wonderful) set of taillights for a low-volume Accord variation couldn’t have been cheap. This means I held the keys to a brace of silver two-door cars at one time: the Accord and the Mark VII. I’ve never fully considered that choice until this very moment.

The current Ford Fusion is a fetching looking thing, one which I think would be made even prettier if it shed two of its doors. The thought of the current aggro-Camry in coupe form would surely make Steph Willems weep, just as a twin-doored Malibu would arouse some of the Bowtie fans amongst us. A two-door Chevy SS would’ve been cool, but there’s an argument to be made that one is available in the form of a Corvette.

Of course, none of these dreams will ever come to fruition. The market has voted with their wallets and, with one notable exception, most buyers in search of a midsized car want them with doors that are four. How about you? If given the chance to coupe-ify a current model, what would it be? Or would you even bother?

#Accord #Camry #Coupe #Honda #QOTD #QuestionOfTheDay #TwoDoor

Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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4 of 97 comments

George B on Jul 17, 2017

What I like most about Coupes is the position of the B pillar further back. The forward position of the B pillar is a major annoyance if you have long legs. However, a relatively long wheelbase 4 door sedan achieves this result with the added utility of 2 additional doors for rear seat passengers.

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- Vulpine on Jul 17, 2017
  
  "However, a relatively long wheelbase 4 door sedan achieves this result with the added utility of 2 additional doors for rear seat passengers." Which for most of the people wanting coupes simply will never be used as seats, but rather repositories of trash and junk if they're even left upright at all.
  
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Pete Zaitcev on Jul 17, 2017

My daily driver is not only a coupe, but it's also a convertible and RWD! (from certain point of view, as Obi-Wan Kenobi used to say). Take that, Honda!

1 Reply
- Dr Mindbender on Apr 09, 2024
  
  Yes to this. I chose the same thing. Don't need to carry a bunch of extra car with me if it's myself or +1. Traded the back seats for a trunk. Engine in the middle, where it's supposed to be. Coupes are necessary, but I like taking it to the next step...mid engine. That is what's sorely missing from the US market. Thankfully there are Porsches and Corvettes for sale!
  
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