The crossover coupe combines the space and usability of an SUV with the dynamic styling and handling of a two-door coupe
Coupe. If there ever was a word that felt like it had just come from a yoga session with a sadistic instructor who had stretched its muscles to the limit and left it as limp as a day-old croissant, it would be the coupe.
Coupe is generally understood as a sporty car with two doors. But its meaning has since been mangled more badly than the lyrics of an off-tune rendition of Unchained Melody during a karaoke session.
First, a sedan was described as a four-door coupe. Until then, a sedan or saloon—to the average motorist anyway—was a car with four doors. The difference, however, was that the four-door coupe looked a lot sportier with slick styling. And as soon as that term was coined, naturally it was the SUV’s turn to adopt that suffix too.
But unlike the four-door coupe, the SUV coupe came with more than an aesthetic difference.
Most SUVs or sport-utility vehicles have a spacious and practical interior—hence the word utility. This is down to their boxy shape and, more pertinently, their height. But because the SUV is tall, its handling is often compromised.
The SUV coupe, though, has the dynamic surprise; the crossover coupe with a sloping roofline not only looks sportier but feels it too. These are three of the latest.
1. BMW X6
Like an all-you-can-eat hotel buffet with a huge spread, the SUV is a big vehicle with a practical cabin. But like most hotel buffets serving average-quality fare, the SUV’s boxy styling and wobbly handling didn’t satisfy everyone.
Until the creation of the BMW X6, the very first SUV coupe. When it debuted as BMW’s Sports Activity Coupe over a decade ago, its styling sparked more controversy than the lyrics of a Kanye West song.
Based on the more staidly styled X5 but with a lower centre of gravity, the X6 exploited its all-wheel-drive system for maximum chassis control through a more dynamically tuned suspension. Now, there is a third generation of the X6. Due to arrive in Singapore in 2020, it looks sharper and more proportionate with its steeply raked rear windscreen to give that distinctive coupe profile.
In front, the large, single-frame BMW kidney grille is available, for the first time, with an illumination option. It also looks more planted because of its wider front track, up 44mm to 1,684mm. With alloy wheels up to 22 inches (55.88cm), this new model promises optimum head-turning impact. Overall, the latest BMW X6 is 26mm longer than its predecessor at 4,935mm, 15mm wider at 2,004mm but 6mm lower at 1,696mm.
