Are Coupes Faster Than Sedans? The Stats Revealed

Grey Porsche Cayman sports car parked on an architectural modern bridge

Coupes and Sedans have a long history of racing and competing. They each have their advantages and disadvantages, and people love how each type of car handles and drives. So what cars are faster, Coupes or Sedans?

Coupes are the fastest cars on the planet. Their small size and large area for an engine bay make companies like Bugatti create beastly Coupes that can reach over 300 miles per hour. Sedans have large engines to offset their larger size but have trouble competing with sportier Coupe models.

Choosing between a Sedan and a Coupe could be a massive decision for some folks. However, not knowing which is the faster car can also be an issue, and combining the two can send people into a full-blown panic attack. So read and learn which cars are faster, Sedans or Coupes!

Coupe Stats & Advantages

Regarding speed, Coupes are the platform chosen by elite racers and billionaires. They have several advantages over Sedans, and people are gaga for how they look and drive. By getting behind the wheel of a powerful Coupe, you feel like you are in the cockpit of a small airplane and not a street-legal vehicle.

Some advantages of driving a Coupe are:

  • Weight – Coupes are speedier cars because they have large engines compared to weight. The cars are much smaller, under 33 cubic inches in the cab, which means they have less total weight than a Sedan. Large engines create horsepower that sends light cars down the road at incredible speeds.
  • Speed – When you have a large engine and a low weight to push with it, you get a car that reaches higher speeds easier. Speed is an advantage in racing as well as on the road. The extra boost can get you through tiny gaps or allow you to pass another car that is losing control.
  • Size – It should be no surprise that having a smaller car benefits some people. Parking a vehicle in a crowded city or overcrowded parking lot will teach you that having a large vehicle isn’t always convenient. Coupes are much easier to park and store when they aren’t in use.

Coupes stand up to Sedans by being faster and more agile. Sedans aren’t slow cars. However, they must add extra weight that slows them down and forces some to have the largest engines in their class. This excess weight is often a tradeoff for more fuel or passengers, which is suitable for families who like to travel in style.

Yellow BMW sports coupe parked
BMW M4

Some of the Fastest Coupes are Bugattis

One company stands head and shoulders above the rest of the sports Coupe world.

Bugatti has made some of the fastest cars driven on the street for a few years:

  • Their Chiron Super Sport has a top speed of 303mph with a 0 – 60 time of 2.4 seconds. The quad-turbo engine also has over 1575 horsepower, more than enough to peel them off.
  • Another great product that Bugatti delivers is the Chiron Sport. It is the lower-class version of the Super Sport but reaches 261 miles per hour. In addition, it has 1750 horsepower and a zero to sixty time of 2.6 seconds.

Unfortunately, these cars come with jaw-dropping price tags and are often extremely hard to acquire.

Bugatti Chiron
Bugatti Chiron

Sedan Advantages & Stats

The Sedan is the family car we all know and love. It has four doors, usually, and is a beefier ride than a Coupe. Some sedan four-door models also offer a coup two-door variant. The cab size of a sedan has more than 33 cubic feet of space. This doesn’t always mean they have more doors but more space inside the cabin for passengers.

Some advantages of driving a Sedan are:

  • Passengers – If you have a family and still want a fast car with a beefy engine, then the Sedan is for you. Passengers in the vehicle have much more room than in a Coupe and could have enough space to relax for a long drive. In addition, comfort is sometimes a higher priority than speed for some people, and the Sedan is proof.
  • Strong Engine – While Sedans might not reach the top speeds that some Coupes do, they still have extremely strong engines. These engines are designed to pull more weight due to the car’s larger size. Which means they have enough power to move around 200mph.
  • Bells and Whistles – Though it doesn’t affect how fast the car goes, Sedans often have more options. The extra room allows for things like reclining seats or video monitors in the headrests.

Driving a Sedan might be slower, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a better traveling car. The amenities provided to larger cars make passengers safer and more comfortable. This is an excellent trade-off for a person with a family that still wants to drive fast on the open road.

Black Audi A8L sedan D5 driving fast down the road
Audi A8L D5

Bentley Makes the Fastest Production Sedans

It should be no surprise that Bentley makes the fastest Sedans on the market. They are a company with a considerable reputation for producing stunning rides.

For example:

  • Their Flying Spur Mulliner has a top speed of 207mph and 626 horsepower. That is nice for a four-door car, and it even has a 0 to 60 of 3.7 seconds.
  • The main competitor to Bentley’s stranglehold on the industry is the BMW Alpina B7. This Sedan will make 205mph with 600 horsepower under the hood. The Alpina screams through the quarter mile with an 11.6 second time and goes from zero to sixty in 3.5 seconds.

Now you know the difference in speed between Coupes and Sedans.

Blue Bentley Flying Spur 2020 at a car dealership in Kiev, Ukraine
Bentley Flying Spur

Conclusion

Going by the statistics, it is easy to see why Coupes are faster cars. They have less weight and have engines that are often some of the most elite builds in human history. Coupes reach over 250mph regularly, while Sedans have trouble getting past 200mph.

Sedans are larger cars with heavier parts and engines. This makes them less agile but still able to gather speeds over 200mph. Their extra weight is attributed to larger cabin spaces and passenger amenities like heated seats and sunscreens.

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References:

U.S. News – Cars

The Fastest Sedans

Hot Cars

10 Fastest Sports Sedans On The Market In 2022

Ernest Martynyuk

An automotive enthusiast who's been tinkering with vehicles since I was 15-years old. Repairing automotive electronics has been my main job for over a decade now and have a passion for everything technical regarding cars.

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