A coupe is a two-door car with a sporty roofline and compact rear seating. The word comes from the French couper, meaning to cut. Early coupes were horse-drawn carriages with a shortened cabin. The term carried over to cars, where it describes a body style with a sloping roof and a focus on style over practicality.

The definition has blurred. Some manufacturers call four-door cars coupes if they have a sleek roofline. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi have all done this. Purists object. The Society of Automotive Engineers defines a coupe as a car with less than 33 cubic feet of rear interior volume. That definition is technical and rarely used in marketing.

Coupes are typically more expensive than sedans because they sell in smaller numbers and are positioned as sporty. They often have less rear headroom and smaller trunks. But they look better, and they usually handle better because the body is stiffer and lighter. A coupe is a choice of style over space.

Some coupes are practical. A hatchback coupe like the Volkswagen Golf GTI offers two doors and a usable rear seat. Others are pure indulgence, like the Ferrari Roma or the Aston Martin DB12. Either way, the coupe is about driving pleasure.