Centurion

The RX8 isn't really a four door coupe since it doesn't have four individual doors.

Guibo

And how does the individuality of the doors determine if it is a 4-door coupe? If you follow strict or classical definitions, the CLS is not a coupe either. (Nor would the RX8 be a sportscar, for that matter.)


And whether the CLS is a prestige brand or looks gorgeous (I personally think it looks great, but style is a subjective matter and some people are in their rights to think it is ugly) is not the point. The point being that MB market the car as the first 4-door coupe, which it is not. Adding all of those other qualifiers is exactly the reason we have companies scrambling to fill every niche in the market, whether there is a need for the vehicle or not. It's like when an Evo columnist wrote about dubious winners in COTY awards:
"As for the 1993 Nissan Micra, reasons for its victory included: 'Micra had as a technical distinction the first DOHC 16 valves engine under 1.0 liter available in Europe.'
So what? Will the next winner be on the basis that 'it is the first direct-injected car, from a country led by an international tyrant, with self-levelling suspension and a 2-year warranty?"

If you are going to allow all of these qualifiers to determine the value of the CLS as a trendsetter, then it stands to reason that you can apply qualifiers as well to the X5 and then it too would be a trendsetter.

Cars like the Altima, newer Passat, and other Mazdas have very unsedan-like profiles and rooflines as well. Example:


It will be interesting if Mazda markets these as 4-door coupes. The overall shape with the roofline as a major component is not all that different from the CLS. I'm guessing they will not.

SDNR

I have mentioned it before but the Alfa 156 was intentionally designed to resemble a coupé ...they even gave it "invisible" rear door handles to emphasize the illusion.
So Mercedes did not invent the concept of a 4-door coupé.

Kowalski

The CLS indeed did, I mean, made something; it made a lot of money for Mercedes-Benz, specially in North America.

Volkswagen wants to join the party:



And soon BMW...



And rumoured Audi will also join both of them with the A7.

The CLS is also source of inspiration for the new Jaguar XF's styling, Opel admitted they took inspiration on the CLS for the styling of the Vectra replacement.

Centurion

Yeah the whole definition thing is a bit tricky but if I was to break down the CLS into it's core definition it's a sedan with practicality compromised for design in terms of a low coupe shaped roof.

The success itself lays in the execution which MB pulled off in the best way possible. All the design cues like the sloping rear, long and sleep lights and the character lines creates the perception of a coupe with four doors. MB's design department did all the magic and the marketing department took care of the icing on the cake. Even if you don't want to embrace the idea of a 4 door coupe, you can't deny that the CLS doesn't look like an average sedan. The CLS would most likely have flopped if it was an E-class with nothing but a modified roof.

The niche market will only get bigger and bigger now when the BMW F5 is on the way and everyone is trying to develop their own "unique" car models.

coolraoul

The thing is that MB already had the E-Class, so the coupeish shape of the CLS was emphasized by this comparison between it and the E-Class, also as they had the E-Class they marketed it as a four-door coupe given its coupeish form. That made it a trendsetter. It was not the first, but it was the more typical, and its success along with brilliant marketing let it appear as a "revolution". Therefore it was followed by others, whereas the Alfa or the RX8 did not inspire too much.

Centurion

The RX8 is like the Maserati Granturismo but with a latch to make it easier for people to get in and out of the back seats. You can't open the two "doors" unless the front doors are opened, and hence doesn't have the same usability as the CLS. So they are a bit different.

Guibo

The only difference with the Maserati is the latch? No. You forget the swinging piece of metal that, when opened, removes physical impediment for rear passengers. It is not the latch that makes it easier for people to get in and out; it's the lack of a physical obstruction in the car's body. Such a device that creates this aperture is commonly referred to as a "door."
That is only a minor difference, and not one that would affect the definition of a coupe. Speaking of which, one classical definition of the coupe held that the car should not have a B-pillar. The CLS doesn't pass this, while the RX8 does. So that leaves only the question of what constitute a "door." But if in doubt, refer to a simple dictionary:
- ONLY REGISTERED AND ACTIVATED USERS CAN SEE ALL LINKS - CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Now, imagine if the RX8 did not have those rear doors. I'd say that is a lot different compared to the RX8 rear door vs CLS rear doors, wouldn't you?


So, the CLS is a coupe or a trendsetter because there is an existing E-Class, and because they successfully market it as the world's first 4-door coupe? Sorry, I don't see the logic in that. The existence of the E-Class is irrelevant, as would be if MB decided to introduce a coupe-ish roofline to the S-Class and then proceed to call that a 4-door coupe. Plenty of reviewers have called out MB on its classification of the CLS, that it is a sporty-looking sedan, and that it sells on the appeal of the look, not the classification.
The RX8 may not have had as much influence as the CLS on the market, but keep in mind it did predate the CLS. And if you look at the quasi pontoon-fender of the new CL in conjuction with the shape of the headlights, there looks to be a definite RX8 influence there.

Kowalski

RX-8 or CLS? Forget it.

The world's first four-door Coupé was the very British Rover P5.



Launched in 1962, the queen of England actually had a Rover P5 Coupé.

-It was called the Coupé, because of the lower roof.

So there you are, a four-door Coupé is a four-door Saloon car with a lower roof or a four-door Saloon car with a lower roof and sleek rear-end (CLS).

SDNR

^ ...and it was no beauty.