In Defense of the Four-Door Coupe

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Just about a decade ago, the mainstream introduction of the contradictory phrase "four-door coupe" angered me. I distinctly remember testing the Mercedes-Benz CLS at its press launch thinking, "This is a pretty car, but why not just call it a sedan?" I doubted the long-term viability of the genre, but the world's oldest automaker enjoyed the last laugh, as countless imitators have since carved a niche for themselves by building similarly-themed slope-tailed sedans.

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Last week I tested the $76,000 BMW 6-Series Gran Coupe, an attractive (if pricey) alternative to run-of-the-mill Bimmers. But I didn't fully grasp the genre's potential until I borrowed an Audi A7 the following week back at home. The key differentiator? This time I was able to strap in a baby seat and shuttle my six month-old around town... and in doing so, I didn't feel old. The Audi seemed strangely sleek for its size, and the surprising steering feel and transient handling response actually made this 4,210 lb four-door fun to drive.

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If that's not a great excuse to buy into the silliness of an oxmoronic marketing phrase, I don't know what is.

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