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Both a saloon and a coupe provide notable advantages to their drivers, but which one comes out ahead when you compare them? You should get to know both of these car types if you want to buy or rent a car. Let’s see who comes out ahead in a saloon vs coupe battle.
Table Of Contents
- 1 Understanding The Differences Between A Saloon And Coupe
- 2 Saloon Vs Coupe: Detailed Comparison
- 3 So Should You Hire A Saloon Or A Coupe?
- 4 Frequently Asked Questions
- 4.1 What Is The Main Difference Between A Saloon And A Coupe?
- 4.2 What Factors Should You Consider When Choosing Between a Saloon And A Coupe?
- 4.3 Which Car Type Generally Offers Better Performance: Saloon Or Coupe?
- 4.4 Can A Coupe Have 4 Doors?
- 4.5 Is There A Crossover Variant Between A Saloon And A Coupe?
- 5 Conclusion
Understanding The Differences Between A Saloon And Coupe
There are a few differences between a saloon and a coupe. The key ones to remember are the number of doors on the car body as well as its interior volume. A coupe has a two-door body, while a saloon has a four-door body.
In the past, this was more of a clear-cut distinction, but nowadays the lines are blurred. Car manufacturers now borrow design ideas for their models, making it more difficult to differentiate them.
What is a coupe, exactly? A coupe is a closed-roof passenger car with two doors and a three-box design. The interior compartment of a coupe is under 33 cubic feet and it can have either one or two rows of seats. They have sloping roofs and saloon-style boots. Some models, however, have hatchback-style boots.
What is a saloon, exactly? A saloon, also called a sedan, is a fixed-roof, three-box car with separate compartments for the engine bay, passengers, and cargo. It has two rows of passenger seats and a closed body and boot. A saloon has an interior volume of 33 cubic feet or more and a longer boot space than a coupe with a generally less sloping roof.
Saloon Vs Coupe: Detailed Comparison
Let’s dive into a comprehensive comparison of these two attractive body types.
Aesthetics, Stylishness And Prestige
Saloons and coupes share a lot when it comes to body style, but there are some key differences when it comes to aesthetics and stylishness. Saloon cars are made to be practical while being elegant. You can comfortably seat four people in a saloon and still have room for some luggage in the appropriate segment.
A coupe is the stylish option that sacrifices practicality for aesthetics and sportiness.
Coupes were made to impress, and their drivers don’t care about not having extra room for luggage. A good example of a stylish coupe is any Mercedes Benz E-class model, which comes also in a saloon variant.
Performance And Handling
Performance is the name of the game when picking cars to buy or rent. A saloon car might have an edge when compared to an SUV and alike, but it doesn’t compare to a sporty coupe.
Coupes are small and lightweight vehicles, and this lends itself well to high speed and manoeuvrability. They are more responsive and provide a smoother driving experience. A performance car enthusiast will lean towards getting a coupe over a saloon any day of the week.
Comfort And Space
When comparing these car types, you can immediately notice that there’s a difference in size between these body styles. Saloons are bigger, longer, and have more space. Both the boot and passenger compartment are spacious, so there’s more than enough room to go around.
The extra legroom and headroom make for a more comfortable driving and passenger experience. Many saloons can seat up to five people without sacrificing comfort in the rear seats. Compare this to a sports utility vehicle that has seven seats and it doesn’t seem like much, but it’s plenty compared to a coupe with two seats.
When it comes to cargo space, saloons have an obvious advantage over coupes. The cargo area can’t compare to estate cars or a hatchback boot, but it’s still significant. If you want to go on road trips or store sports equipment in your car, a saloon (sedan) is the obvious choice.
Safety
The larger size of saloon cars makes them the safer option compared to coupes. Bigger cars fare better in crashes and collisions than smaller cars, according to the IIHS. With that in mind, saloons aren’t that much bigger than coupes. The modern safety features in both of these car body types help them maintain high safety ratings.
Fuel Efficiency
Comparing fuel efficiency between coupes and sedans is a bit challenging. Both of these body styles come in variants that can be more or less fuel-efficient.
Some manufacturers put more emphasis on performance for their saloons than others. The BMW M5 is a good example that returns around 20mpg. On the other hand, cars like the 2024 Toyota GR Supra return 27mpg, a pretty high mark for a coupe. It’s one of the best coupe cars in this regard.
A high-performance coupe may use more fuel than an equivalent saloon, but there are exceptions. In the sedan vs SUV debate, the difference is a bit more clear-cut, and sedans take the obvious lead over this body type.
Price & Maintenance Costs
Price and maintenance costs are important considerations if you’re in the market for a new car.
Coupes tend to be pricier than saloons, but both body styles have cheaper and more expensive models.
There are coupes on the cheaper end of things, such as the 2024 Toyota GR86, which costs $29,450. Then there are coupes from premium manufacturers, such as the Mercedes Benz E 450 Coupe, which costs $69,750.
Cheaper saloons include the 2024 Nissan Versa at $17,000. Premium brands will obviously cost more, like the 2024 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which starts at $57,900. The coupe version is more expensive, lending credit to the notion that this body type is more expensive overall.
Coupes are more expensive maintenance-wise. Unique design elements and exclusive parts make repairing these body types a bit more challenging.
In addition to the coupe and saloon, check out the range of other car body types available.
Saloon Vs Coupe: Overview Of Pros & Cons
Saloon | Coupe | ||
Pros | Cons | Pros | Cons |
Four doors on most models | Less sporty body styles | Attractive body style | Only two doors on most models |
Spacious | Slower acceleration | Good handling | Expensive |
Fairly flexible usage | Usually a bit worse handling | Fast acceleration | Limited seating capacity |
Affordable | Bulkier than a coupe | Fun vehicles to have | Less room for cargo |
So Should You Hire A Saloon Or A Coupe?
You should hire a saloon if you’re looking for an elegant, good-looking but flexible car that offers both storage, driving comfort and solid performance. You can both use it to drive around the city and go on road trips. Most families would opt for a four-door saloon over a coupe. Also, business people love them since they are the embodiment of ‘turning up in style’.
All our saloon cars for hire are luxury ones, so you will make a lasting impression everywhere you go.
You should hire a coupe if you want a fast and agile car that feels good to drive. If you think going fast rules, go for a sports car coupe. They’re more prestigious and luxurious than typical cars, though only having two doors might not suit everyone’s preferences. Luckily, these days you can also find four-door coupes on the market, so you shouldn’t count out this body style.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Main Difference Between A Saloon And A Coupe?
The main difference between a saloon and a coupe is the number of doors and the interior volume. A saloon typically has four doors, while a coupe typically has two. Classifying body styles with this metric isn’t accurate, as you can find examples of a four-door coupe. Both have a three-box design and a fairly similar body style with a separate boot lid. However, coupes are sportier while saloons are more elegant.
What Factors Should You Consider When Choosing Between a Saloon And A Coupe?
When choosing between a saloon and a coupe, you should consider factors such as cost, speed, handling, comfort, passenger capacity, and available cargo space. For most people, the extra spaciousness is a crucial factor. A saloon or sedan has plenty more than a coupe, but not as much as a multi-purpose vehicle, for example.
If you want more legroom and the ability to transport lots of passengers, think about SUVs, estate cars and people carriers. When it comes to three-box cars, saloons are great middle-of-the-road choices.
Which Car Type Generally Offers Better Performance: Saloon Or Coupe?
A coupe generally offers better performance than a saloon. On average, it has the superior engine, faster acceleration, better aerodynamics (due to the sloped roof), and more raw power. The rear-wheel drive on these lightweight cars leads to better handling than rear-wheel drive on sedans.
Can A Coupe Have 4 Doors?
Yes, a coupe can have four doors. A four-door coupe is not the most commonplace option, but more and more manufacturers are including rear doors on some coupe designs. If you really want to buy or rent a coupe, but aren’t satisfied with two doors, four-door coupes are the ideal choice.
Is There A Crossover Variant Between A Saloon And A Coupe?
There is a crossover variant between a saloon and a coupe. However, classifying this type of car body style can be challenging. Many new saloon cars, like the Mercedes-Benz CLS, can be considered coupe crossovers. They have four doors, but they also have smaller interiors, so they’re sort of a combination of the two.
Conclusion
To summarize, there’s no clear winner between these two car body styles. They both offer different benefits that suit different kinds of drivers. You should know which one to pick once you examine the advantages and disadvantages that we’ve covered. When it comes to saloon vs coupe — It’s a matter of preference.
