Question: What was the last "practical" commuter coupe?

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2) 03/17/2020 at 15:12 • Filed to: question, Coupe, Commute

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Sedans are dying in the United States, which is not news. However, one segment seems to have completely died off without anyone noticing: The commuter coupe. Obviously, small cars make more sense as hatchbacks. Despite this anarchism, two door sedans have been produced with aspirations of pure utility, including the Toyota Echo.

The Echo itself was interesting because no one really thought a car with no pretense of status or sportiness could succeed in the United States in the early 2000s. Essentially a rebadged Yaris, it really only made sense in its two and four door hatch versions. However, the US got some very strangely proportioned sedans instead, for reasons which are beyond me.

Spotting a decrepit example of the two door on the street got me thinking. There is a reason no one bought these; such boring and utilitarian cars make more sense with four doors. Scanning the two doors currently for sale does not turn up anything that meets these requirements. As I see it, a true utilitarian sedan must have a semi-upright rear window for rear passenger headroom and no pretensions of sportiness or style, just commuting. So what was the last of this breed?

The Civic coupes are too sporty. That stylish sloped rear window really isn’t utilitarian at all.

Then I thought of the ultra rare Hyundai Elantra Coupe. This could be the last, but I think it has too many sporting pretensions to be in the same class as the Echo.

Maybe the two door Ford Focus sedan. There really wasn’t anything stylish or sporty about it. It was about getting from point A to point B without frivolous extra doors. Of course to people at point C, lying in between points A and B, omitting rear doors seemed exceedingly strange.

So when was the last of the era of two door commuters? In the late 80s and early 90s, you could get coupe versions of your everyday Sentras and even Jettas.

And if we go further back, we get into the era where such designs were actually commonplace, with designs like the Ford Anglia taking utility so seriously as to be its defining characteristic.

And some of the oldest practical two doors were business coupes, which had very large trunks for salesmen to store their samples and dead bodies.

So when did the commuter coupe die in the USDM? I would probably go with the Focus as the last, but the evolution of this now dead segment is simply fascinating. Any thoughts?

UPDATE: I think we have a winnner: the V6 Challenger. It is basically just a large premium coupe with only vague sporting aspirations. In practice, it’s just a big comfy cruiser with a usable back seat. And it’s still on sale. Can we call this the last vestiges of the personal luxury coupe? Thank you,   !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , for your suggestion.

jimz > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 15:24

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I’d say the death knell was in the early ‘90s. People my dad’s age (And a bit older) used to scoff at four-door sedans, because that’s what their parents drove.  they wanted the two door GTXs, Chevelles, etc.  That stigma went away with Gen X since our parents had driven either wagons or minivans.  

sony1492 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 15:25

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Every car attempts to be sporty these days, I'd say the Kia Forte koup counts. It's still a super low level commuter

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 15:27

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The 1 series and the 2 series

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 15:27

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I grew up on sedans. Four doors, four comfortable seats for humans. My preference. That is why my most desired car would be the Cadillac CTS-V. Maybe with a Rousch kit...

Ash78, voting early and often > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 15:29

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I was gonna say Solara or maybe Altima Coupe. Pontiac G6 coupe? There were a bunch of semi-practical coupes in the early 2000 s, but all of them were a far cry from early 90s Jetta or Camry 2-door models, which much more closely resembled sedans with a couple big doors.

The general attitude in cars right now is “2 doors only if absolutely necessary.” And that trend gets even more extreme with all the 4-door coupes. We’re moving in the opposite direction...

nerd_racing > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 03/17/2020 at 15:33

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Having owned a 1 series, I would say this is the correct answer.  

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > jimz 03/17/2020 at 15:35

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Interesting. I actually predict a resurgence in two doors eventually as less people can afford to own their cars. The ones that do will want to visually declare they are above ridesharing and also four doors are for old people (like their parents). 

Thomas Donohue > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 15:35

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Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > sony1492 03/17/2020 at 15:36

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Your are exactly right. The Koup is borderline, but that upright-ish rear window does prioritize rear passenger headroom and it was very cheap to begin with. We may have a winner here!

sony1492 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 03/17/2020 at 15:38

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But reliable though?

jimz > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 15:38

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I highly doubt that. two door vehicles are dead outside of sport/supercars (Miata, Mustang, Corvette.)  the loss in practicality/flexibility is killer.  It’s why regular cab pickups have also pretty much disappeared from private ownership.  

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire 03/17/2020 at 15:39

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Perhaps you could classify those as premium two door commuters rather than sporty coupes which happen to have an upright window. Borderline, but these are a far cry from the old definition of the commuter coupe.

Upon reflection, I think these are just “ practical” examples of the premium sporty two door class rather than premium commuters.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Ash78, voting early and often 03/17/2020 at 15:41

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Exactly. Eventually two doors will have a resurgence as they have become almost exotic simply based on door count. People will realize that they can have that “status” of not needing extra doors without sacrificing practicality eventually, though the necessity of ridesharing to many will probably dampen that trend.

Nom De Plume > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 15:44

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The problem was the only ones making them were people like Daewoo that had no chance in US market. The problem is this class, cheap efficient commuter, cars tended to be deathtraps in an accident. SUV are awful but they can manage the posted speed limit and offer some protection at today’s speeds.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > jimz 03/17/2020 at 15:46

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But just as people moved away from wagons because of the mom stigma, CUVs are already getting a bad rap. Perhaps one day in the future, two door SUVs will see a brief resurgence when aging people a few generations down the road need the practicality less than they want to escape the stigma. Convertibles have seen this cycle of waxing and waning, why not coupes and two door SUVS?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Thomas Donohue 03/17/2020 at 15:47

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I somehow doubt that personal luxury coupes will come back, since people who don’t have to work with their hands want to pretend they do so they buy SUVs. 

Darkbrador > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 15:48

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“ Practical” and “ 2 doors” are not words that go together well, my Michelle. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Darkbrador 03/17/2020 at 15:50

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It is an anarchism, but that hasn’t stopped people from trying. The Echo wasn’t anything else, so we are left with practical, just with the limitation of for two people only. The car-buying public seems to have got over this fad, so I am simply trying to trace the last farce.

Darkbrador > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 15:58

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easy then :

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Darkbrador 03/17/2020 at 16:03

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Hmmm. Perhaps the entry level Challenger is an unholy mashup of the remnants of the personal luxury coupe market and some soft core muscle coupe, but I’m not sure it is sufficiently commuter oriented to be called a practical commuter coupe. I think the closest we’ve gotten is, as someone pointed out, the BMW 3 series was sort of a premium commuter coupe with vague sporting pretensions. Then the Kia Forte Koup was the last budget commuter coupe. Do you think the Challenger ousts the BMW for premium practical two door? It certainly has a more usable back seat.

Darkbrador > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 16:06

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Challenger for the win . It’s basically the 2-door sister of the 4-door Charger. It’s practical with a large trunk and lots of interior space.

Long_Voyager94 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 16:07

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2-door + sedan.......This word combo does not compute.

Long_Voyager94 > Darkbrador 03/17/2020 at 16:08

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Modern cars no. Cars from the 90s, they go together perfectly.

Thomas Donohue > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 16:09

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Maybe the SUV coupe thing will morph into a 2 door.

Long_Voyager94 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 16:09

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The Challenger is a good pick actually.

It’s a 2 door car with a useful interior and back seat. It has some sporting pretensions. It’s efficient in V6 form.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 16:11

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Based on Euro-commuter hatches, and the rear seats could actually fit 2 adults for short trips

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > sony1492 03/17/2020 at 16:12

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Reliable wasn’t a qualifier

ToyotaFamily > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 16:12

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Our Lord and Savior Camry coupe

jimz > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 16:15

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because it’s a bitch getting people and stuff into and out of the back seat of a two door vehicle. period. There is literally no good reason in terms of usefulness/practicality to buy a two-door vehicle when a four-door version of it exists.

jimz > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 16:16

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“People will realize that they can have that “status” of not needing extra doors”

Nobody younger than my dad sees that as a “status” symbol. you desperately wishing it come true doesn’t change that.   

jimz > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 16:17

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Yes, and you can still get a manual transmission in the Genesis G70.  I’m sure the three that they sell will make it worth the investment. 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Long_Voyager94 03/17/2020 at 16:20

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Wait, was that the title this whole time? Fixed! Thank you.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Thomas Donohue 03/17/2020 at 16:22

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Some designers will not quite get the memo. “ It said “coupe,” not coupe, you idiots!” m anagement will yell.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > jimz 03/17/2020 at 16:24

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Not today, no. This is just hypothetical that it could become a status symbol if few people can afford less practical cars. The ones that can would rub it in and eventually the bottom end of the segment might try it out. I don’t think it would stick.

Long_Voyager94 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 16:38

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I was very confused. Reads much better now.

Long_Voyager94 > jimz 03/17/2020 at 16:42

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False.

Examples: Acura Integra, Monte Carlo/Lumina.

A 2 door Integra and Monte Carlo are actually easier to use the rear seats (especially with car seats) due to the passenger seat folding/sliding all the way to the dash combined with the huge door openings.

Their 4-door variants have smaller door openings which make car seats and general ingress/egress much harder.

Source: I have owned, used, and loaded children in the back of each.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 17:16

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Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 03/17/2020 at 17:28

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Hatchback means baaaaaack away

Thomas Donohue > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 03/17/2020 at 18:51

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lol......management yells, hilarity ensues.