[schulkw]

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content.mv?port_code=autoweek&cat_code=carnews&loc_code=index&content_code=09776662

 

[mz6zoomzoom]

Hmm, interesting.

 

[schulkw]

I thought so.

 

[anamnesis]

I think I made mention of this some time ago, but I've always thought Mazda should have a two-door coupe. I've heard people disagree with me, saying the Protege sedan was "all Mazda needs". I don't see how that's true. I'm sure a Mazda coupe would sell great; this is another reason I was really intrigued by the rumors of a MZ3 Coupe. I find it a little surprising that Honda and the entry level Korean brands all have small coupes, but Nissan, Toyota, and Mazda do not. VW even has the Golf and that sells plenty also. Is the market demand for small coupes somehow brand-selective, without favoring the Japanese brands? Even the Focus ZX2 is being phased out, and now I've heard suggestions that the ZX3 will follow the same route due to very slow sales, which surprised me. I also heard the handsome little ZX5 hatchback sedan is selling slowly in NA also, which is a shame because it's a nice design. The wagon and sedan are big sellers though. I find this surprising because I see a ton of Civic coupes, and little Hyundai and Kia coupes. Toyota and Nissan used to have coupe versions of the Corolla and Sentra but dropped them years ago. So why is Honda the only premium import brand with a small coupe?

 

[dinu01]

Don't confuse coupes w/HBs. You mentionned the Golf and Focus....

 

[anamnesis]

Yes, well, there is no Corolla or Sentra hatchback, and the only Civic hatch is the Si (which a lot of people don't even like the look of). Nevertheless, they are all two-door compacts. I'm not intent on splitting hairs over the definition of two-door body styles, my point was the curious lack of two-door compacts -- be they in coupe or hatchback form -- from the Japanese automakers. Supporting my point, I think Honda lost a LOT of sales of the Si with the hatchback body ... I used to see a lot of the 01-02 Civic Si's all the time, and I rarely see the new ones. They just don't sell here in America; Americans obviously don't much care for the shape of small HB's. I even wonder whether or not VW will continue to offer the Golf with a two-door body in NA ... you would think so, but it seems to be a very dwindling market here. :?

 

[Dru212702]

I find it a little surprising that Honda and the entry level Korean brands all have small coupes, but Nissan, Toyota, and Mazda do not.[/quote]

Hmmmm ever heard of the Toyota Celica? guess not, but anyways I PERSONALLY don't see the point of a sub $30k coupe. Its NOT a sports car..sure if you mod it and make it a performance car I'll give you your respect, but in general...for example a civic coupe Si (not SiR) Is just an economy car with 2 doors!. I reserve coupes for true sport cars the cheapest being RX-8, Nissan 350Z and those 35k+ cars. Of course there are always a few on the fence cars in my mind, the RSX Type-S is nice. Then again if your middle aged and that's all you can afford to get a thrill when you drive I'm not gonna hate either. I'm just biased because the damn insurance in Ontario for anyone under 25 is rediculous (Even for those 25+)

 

[mz6zoomzoom]

Celica is not a coupe, it's a HB.

 

[Dru212702]

ok...so the old integra is a hatchback because of the back window that goes up? whatever my head hurts too much to go into this technical crap. I meant the typical hatchback shape...i.e. golf, civic SiR etc.

 

[Ahura]

Celica is not a coupe, it's a HB.

Yeah right... so the MX-3 was a hatch too? lol

"www.autoweek.com"]He has said Mazda wants two-seat coupe and convertible versions of the RX-8 as well.

Ofcourse he means the new RX-7..

 

[mz6zoomzoom]

CELICA
GT Styles (MSRP: $17,905 - $20,295)
2dr Hatchback Manual 1.8L 4cyl TMV Price
2dr Hatchback Auto. 1.8L 4cyl TMV Price
2dr Hatchback w/Action Package Manual 1.8L 4cyl TMV Price
2dr Hatchback w/Action Package Auto. 1.8L 4cyl TMV Price
GTS Styles (MSRP: $22,570 - $24,750)
2dr Hatchback Manual 1.8L 4cyl TMV Price
2dr Hatchback Auto. 1.8L 4cyl TMV Price
2dr Hatchback w/Action Package Manual 1.8L 4cyl TMV Price
2dr Hatchback w/Action Package Auto. 1.8L 4cyl TMV Price

 

[dinu01]

The MX-3, MX-6, Celica, Golf, Accent are all HBs.

If only the trunk opens it's a coupe, if the rear window does too, it's a HB.

 

[Ahura]

That's kinda simple to say....

If only the trunk opens it's a sedan...

 

[dinu01]

But we're talking about 2DR cars, so in this case my statement holds.

 

[Ahura]

Mine too

 

[mz6zoomzoom]

Yeah, 2dr or 4dr has nothing to do with whether or not it's a HB. The Celica is a 2dr hatchback, the MZ6 is a 4dr hatchback, for example.

 

[AusAstina97]

I think the Celica is technically classed as a Liftback, which is usually reserved for 2 door cars which have a rear "hatch" opening from the roofline which has a heavy slope to it. Eg Celica, Integra/RSX, Eunos 30x/MX-3 etc.

I have never heard anyone call any of these cars hatchbacks before. But I've heard them called coupes plenty of times.

 

[mz6zoomzoom]

Liftback is another hatchback type term... and most classification systems don't have a "liftback" classification.

 

[schulkw]

Good lord. Here's my two cents:

A coupe is a two door sedan: Monte Carlo, Civic, Solara, Accord.

A hatchback has the rear glass that lifts up: Protege5, Vibe, Matrix, Celica, Mazda6 5-door.