(first posted 3/27/2018) The conservative coupe and the two-door sedan seem to be peculiarly American phenomena. To an Australian, the idea of sacrificing two doors for a negligible amount of extra style (if any) is a foreign and puzzling concept. What’s the point of a coupe that looks so much like a sedan?
In the 1970s, Americans were building and selling personal luxury coupes in the hundreds of thousands. In Australia, we built one: the Ford Landau. It was a huge flop. To make Aussies sacrifice practicality and ditch the two back doors, a coupe has to really offer something. Rakish good looks, perhaps, like the Toyota Celica, preferably combined with V8 performance, as in the Holden Monaro and Ford Mustang.
Even sexy styling doesn’t necessarily sell here, as was the case of the beautiful Holden Calibra. We had a wide variety of coupes – or, as we call them here, coupés – in the 1990s, from the Ford Probe to the Honda Prelude, but the fashion-conscious nature of the segment means any coupe is bound to run out of sales steam pretty quickly. If it gathers any to begin with.
While we had plenty of attractive coupe offerings, what’s more notable is how many two-doors we didn’t get. No generations of Honda Accord coupe, for example. No Toyota Camry Solara. The Honda Civic coupe was only offered briefly, while the two-door versions of the Hyundai Elantra and Nissan Altima never reached our shores. Why bother? They all looked so similar to the sedans, anyway. So, it was with great surprise when I saw my first Mazda 626 coupe, and with even greater surprise when I found out it was actually sold here.
I figured it was a rather left-field JDM gray import at first. Our streets are filled with old Nissan Silvias and Skylines, brought over used from Japan, so it seemed plausible somebody might have brought over a 626 coupe. But no, this 626 coupe was purchased new from a Mazda dealership in Australia and, in fact, Mazda would sell you a two-door 626 here throughout most of the 1980s. Despite this, and despite the fact the 626 was one of the better-selling (and better) mid-size cars here in the 1980s, I’d never seen a 626 coupe before.
Hey, maybe we’re the weird ones. Germany and Brazil enjoyed their two-door sedans for many years, for example. But to an Aussie, it just seems so strange. A Mustang? I get it, there’s no Mustang sedan. A Prelude? Sure, they were shapely and had a sporty image. But a 626 coupe? Don’t get me wrong, this is a decent-looking vehicle but it doesn’t really look all that different from the sedan. By the time Mazda released their second-generation MX-6, this car’s descendant, they’d figured out it didn’t hurt to make it look a bit different from a 626 sedan. Funnily enough, I still see the odd MX-6 around.
I don’t think I’ll ever see another 626 coupe around.
I haven’t seen one of these in quite a while but was surprised to see an example of the following generation for sale on a Craigslist near me.
As I understand it, the Civic and Accord coupes were originally developed and built in the US, as was the Camry coupe and the Solara coupe and convertible. The Civic coupe, at least in it’s 1st generation was mildly successful in Europe, succeeding generations? Not so much. The Accord coupe was probably saddled by the stodgy image of the sedan.
A coupe used to be THE car for folks who wanted sporty, personal transportation. Nowadays, they buy a “cute ute”. Even 4 door sedans are falling out of favor.
I always found these attractive. I am just now learning about Australia’s aversion to 2 door cars. Which is odd as popular as the Ute was there. But I suppose if a guy (bloke?) is going to settle for 2 doors he may as well get the utility of a ute to go along with it.
Long socio-philosophical rambling here.
I think it goes back to the early days of the car. Australia hadn’t been settled as long as the US remember, and when the car came along many Aussies were still of the pioneering mindset, and/or battling to make a living. They would often do without anything that wasn’t absolutely essential, and it would simply never occur to them that they missing out on anything, or indeed that they could even buy X, Y or Z. Oh there was plenty of advertising, don’t get me wrong, but that went against the Aussie mindset of the times. And even in the seventies I knew several city families (not only poorer ones) who didn’t own a car yet. Two-car families were rare; I can’t think of any I knew then. Unless you needed a car to take you around from place to place during the working day, you’d catch public transport to get to work, or ride a bike – they were everyday transport then. None of this driving to work and leaving it in a car park all day.
So the car wasn’t widely viewed as a plaything. It had to be practical, a multi-purpose vehicle. And apart from the infamous Sunday drives it was only used when essential. We often had extended families in those days, with older relatives looked after in-house or nearby rather than being consigned to a home. They often were taken along on outings, so the car had to be able to admit several older people plus the (younger) driver. Obviously four doors were practical for this.
And, as has often been mentioned here, when two-door cars are offered, they just don’t sell. Even on cars as small as an Austin A30 – Auntie Merle’s car in which she drove my grandparents around, had four tiny doors. The two-door A30 was sold here, but was a very rare sight.
Others may want to chime in, but they’re my observations.
I’ll chime in by agreeing entirely. I’ve mentioned here before that in the outer-suburban street of 14 houses where I grew up in the ’70’s, there were at least 4 households (of older people) who were carless. Two households only had two cars. So yes, none of this 2-door frivolity.
I think too that we were simply a much poorer country then, marvelling in vague horror (and probably secret envy) at the sheer excesses of American consumption. Now, ofcourse, we are vastly wealthy, a very different place. But in an odd hangover, I still can’t think of a 2 door – Mustang aside – that sells in any numbers.
My father bought an 86 626 GT Coupe used in about 88. It was black over grey, with a turbo and 5 speed manual. It was a nice car, had a lot of neat features like an electronically adjustable suspension, oscillating center vent, graphic equalizer stereo, moon roof, power rear opening side windows, and headlamp washers. It did not have a rear spoiler like this one, fortunately.
It had good performance for the day, once the turbo spooled up. There was a turbo light on the dash that illuminated when you were in boost. He drove it for a few years, and then it passed to me to drive.
It was reliable for the most part, the only time it left me stranded was when a small cooling hose that I neglected to replace (I did replace the top and bottom rad hoses) burst on the highway. I didn’t notice the temp climbing, until the car started surging and eventually stalled. The car was OK, but I needed a tow and a new hose and coolant installed.
When the Mazda 626 coupes and sedans were introduced in 1983, I considered them among my favourite mid-sized cars available at the time. I though they were very attractive compared to the competition. And they were collecting rave reviews in the automotive press.
This is purely anecdotal, but unless you regularly carried more than two people, a coupe/two door version was often seen as more desirable than a four door sedan. Mostly due to generally being more stylish, and lending the appearance of greater luxury/affluence. Many domestic cars of the 70s/80s looked significantly more attractive in coupe form. The practicality of a four door sedan didn’t seem to be as valued or appreciated as it is today.
I still well recall the 1983 Motor Trend Import Car of the Year competition from the time. And I thought the 626 well deserved the honour. It was one of my favourite styled and packaged cars of the 1980s. Regret not buying one at the time.
https://mazda626.net/topic/40998-april-1983-motor-trend-mazda-626-import-car-of-the-year/
Opinions are certainly subjective but 2 door coupes are one of my favorite body styles and I like them a lot more than any 4 door variant. Unfortunately, they’ve really gone by the wayside here in America.
Some of my favorites:
2 door post Chevy Biscanye
’64-’65 Ford Falcon 2 door post
’70-’72 Chevy Malibu
Fox body notchback Mustang
If I felt like buying a classic American car, I would almost certainly buy a 4 door “post” sedan. To my eyes they often look better than the 2 door version – and are incredibly good value.
I’m trying to think whether this is a case of an Australian obsession with 4 doors or an American obsession with 2.
classic American … 4 door “post” sedan … incredibly good value.
I call it the Four-Door Discount.
I’ve often had similar feelings of puzzlement about the popularity of the “coupe” bodystyle. Historically it seems to be sort of blending of the single seat coupes from the 1930s and before, and of the 2-door sedan. I was always puzzled that certain European models were only available as 2-door sedans, the Volkswagen Beetle, the Volvo 444, and the 1960s Ford Anglias, in particular.
As a child I recall many “personal luxury coupes” and other hardtop coupes owned by families with children as their only car. (Of course they could still seat six people.) In the days before seat belts and child safety seats 2-door cars were supposedly popular with families because there was a fear of children in the back seat opening the doors of a moving car and falling out.
It is curious that in wealthier countries, as the number of single people has grown, the number of 2-door cars as gone down.
…”2-door cars were supposedly popular with families because there was a fear of children in the back seat opening the doors of a moving car and falling out”…
That’s how I remember it too; 2-door sedans / family cars were still common way into the seventies. Prime examples: Opel Ascona and Ford Taunus. Even the Ford Granada Mk2 (an “executive car”) was also offered as a 2-door.
Audi also an uncommon two-door version of its second-generation 100 – the long rear side windows give it somewhat awkward proportions.
I liked coupes until I got to the age where having to get in and out of your seat so your rear seat riders could come and go became a pain (literally!)
I noticed the same thing with club cab pickups. When the first came out no door for the back was ok. Now I don’t think they even make a true club cab anymore. If it has a back seat it has a door for it!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these before. It looks vaguely similar to the 1987 H-body Oldsmobile Delta 88 coupe.
In any event, I’m a fan of coupes. I rarely carry rear-seat passengers and if I do it’s only for a short period of time. I generally prefer the looks of a coupe, and having had a somewhat largish sedan, the back seat went totally to waste.
Actually coupes were/still are really popular in Australia, they just go by the name ute (Coupe Utility) and they happened to have a bit more trunk space then your average coupe and the trunk just happens to be covered with a tarp rather then a trunk lid but those are just minor details…………………………………………………..:)
All joking aside, that Mazda does look attractive and gives off a Plymouth Sapparo coupe. Mitsubishi Galant Lambda coupe.
“All joking aside, that Mazda does look attractive and gives off a Plymouth Sapparo coupe. Mitsubishi Galant Lambda coupe vibe”
William, I keep forgetting how young you are. This article reminded me!
Yes, they were sold here new, as the earlier 626 hardtop was too, going back to the earlier Capella coupe (though IIRC that was rotary only). Likewise the Mazda 929/RX4 coupes. The Mazda coupes were never huge sellers, but they weren’t unicorns either. Mazda seemed to like offering them and letting the market decide, rather than keeping all the good stuff in Japan.
To echo some of the other commenters, I always thought this generation of 626 was great-looking, and the families of three different friends all really liked theirs.
With that said, your post just made me realize just how un-coupe-like these are. Whatta find, on any continent!
I had one of these that I bought about a year after I graduated from high school, it was an ’85 coupe with a 5 speed and about 60k miles on it that was a pretty light blue. I never really had any problems with it and only being 19 at the time it would be an understatement to say that I beat the hell out of it. It performed many smokey front wheel burnouts and several 100+ mph runs. I really liked it but at that time in my life I got tired of cars pretty fast, after 2 years and 3 girlfriends I traded it with 105k on it for a brand new 92 Chevy S-10. It was the first really nice car that I owned after a half dozen junkers and it must have really made a lasting impression on me because 25 years later I still occasionally have dreams about it.
These were fairly popular in the US back in the day. I remember getting a ride in one, and thought the motorized oscillating vents were a pretty neat. It was a gimmick of course, but still neat. I always liked the styling too – pulled off the boxy 80’s look very well.
It’s been many years since I’ve seen one on the road, let alone one in that good of shape.
The Brazilian obsession about coupes came to the point that everything must be 2 doors; even station wagons. That craziness created some exclusive cars for our market like the 2 doors Fiat Tempra.
It took untill mid 90s for us to start accepting the practically of the 4 doors cars.
A 1985 Mazda 626 coupe was my second car during a particularly impecunious time of my life. It was mechanically superlative in every meaningful way especially compared to the VW’s I grew up with. Even the cruise control worked which, was, well, wow. On the other hand, the Mazda rusted like no car I had ever known. Which all in all, was fine because you can get a lot of Bondo, sheet metal, pop rivets and brake lines for the price of “real” spare parts.
I like this 626 coupe, which of course you hardly see around these days. But I do prefer the preceding RWD 626 hardtop. If only Mazda made a rotary version.
I love coupe and 2 doors hatchback for theirs larges doors simply cause I’m tall and my seat are allways at their rearmost – if not mods with extension braketery – position . With a 2 doors you don’t have the B pillar osbtructing your side view as in a 4 doors . Since I never carry rear-seat passengers I delete all the rear seat of all my cars specialy 3 doors one ( hb ) for max cargo . The downside of large doors is in a parking lot . Even if you park very far and alone , there always someone who park too close to you and thus prevent you from having a full door opening .
In the US, for many Japanese imports there seemed to be a transition from 2 door hatch to 2 door coupe in the late ‘80’s. I always thought the hatchback was far more practical, but the term “hatchback” became synonymous for a cheap small car, and at some point I think it became pejorative. “Oh, she drives a little hatchback”. Whereas a coupe brought to mind T Birds, Cutlasses and other more prestigious cars. It does seem that finally hatchbacks have made a comeback.
They have, and quite often they’re on very upscale cars (Audi, BMW, Porsche, Tesla). I’ve noticed though that manufacturers are reluctant to use the term “hatchback” to describe them. Instead it’s a “5 door” or “sportback” etc.
I bought a new 1986 Mazda 626. Funny, I bought a 4 door because it was a couple of hundred dollars less and I felt the extra doors would be better. I would have liked the hatchback but that would have been over 10K and I was determined to stay below that price point. What ever since the actual car was probably one of my all time great cars. Mechanically superlative through 20 years and 375,000 miles. Can’t ask for more.
These weren’t quite such a unicorn, but if I remember correctly, they were the top of the range, which would also limit numbers. As a manual, these were revelation, comfy, good-handling, and quicker than any Commodore except the 5-litre. (I should add the only one I drove was a five door). They also had very flexy bodies, and all took up smoking at about 100,000 miles.
Coupes and 2-doors here seemed to have a very specific demographic in Oz, which was certain women from their mid-twenties to mid-fifties. Lots of makeup, fashion-conscious. Normally driven very conservatively. Yes, that’s entirely my perception, but I can’t picture one that wasn’t so occupied. Secretaries and hairdressers. Very occasional single guy with tight jeans and big early-80’s hair, with either lots of girlfriends or, er, no girlfriends.
I’m with William in not seeing the point of a non-sporty car in 2-door form, particularly these Mazdas. The 626 was fairly dull and this looks even more featureless. It’s also missing the only distinctive feature, a set of “brushed aluminium” dustbin lids, amongst the yukkiest wheelcovers of the era.
Yeah those were sold i Aussie a friend bought a used one after her previous 79 626 expired it was nothing but trouble, and very savage on petrol for the lack of performance on tap, her previos 626 had been reliable and economical and she was quite disappointed in the newer car.
The Ford Landau in the second picture reminds me of the fastback version of the first generation European Ford Granada. I have not seen a 626 coupe in years; back in the early-mid-80s they were just as commonplace as the sedans though they catered to a slightly different demographic (women, and boy racers who modified them as RX7s were never officially imported). On closer inspection, you will see the bonnet was actually a bit longer and lower than the sedan’s.
Our current family fleet consists of a ’16 Honda HRV (stick) and ’17 Mazda 6 (also stick), so I have to dig that an HRV is in the frame behind that there old 626 coupe. I nursed a crush on the 626 from ’83 until I was able to acquire a mint-condition white one in ’91 (5-door/stick). I bought it from a Weyerhaeuser employee at the corporate HQ outside Seattle and drove it back to Michigan. As fond as I am of our 6, I doubt if I’ll ever enjoy a car as much as I enjoyed that 626. Living in salty Chicago these days leaves me doubting I’ll ever see another one in the wild. Gone, but definitely not forgotten!
The 626 coupe actually wasn’t just a 2 door sedan; it had a substantially lower roofline (about 2″ lower IIRC) than the sedan, which limited headroom despite lower seats. A sunroof was optional, and headroom was quite tight on cars so equipped. The ’83-’85 coupes also had a few other distinctions: a full-width taillight cluster rather than smaller separate units on the sedan, and a somewhat different dashboard with close-at-hand switches and buttons rather than stalks for wipers, lights, and accessories. Digital gauges were optional on the coupe but not on the sedan. The rear seat on coupes had distinct styling, vinyl on the upper portions of the seatback and cloth elsewhere, smoothly wrapping around the sides to form the armrest and side panel.
The 5 door hatchback also had the lower roofline and seats.
IIRC, the Ford Landau was the first Australian car to have hidden/retractable headlights.
The Ford Capri was a two-door coupe that had lasting success in a number of continental markets. The BMW 02 and 3 series were also popular when they were only available as two door sedans. The rear wheel drive Opel Asconas, Ford Escorts, and Ford Cortinas were also very often seen as two-doors. I’m sure there were others.
So sorry, but I like four door cars over two door cars. I like efficient design and I think a two door coupe is an enormous waste. Why have a rear seat if you can’t get to it? I grew up with four door family vehicles, and my first cars were all four doors, except for the Festiva, which didn’t offer the four door here in the States, and what I would have bought if it was offered. And Jeeps, sports cars, and pick ups.
I grew to detest the two door road barges of the 1970s, festooned with faux luxuries and I still associate two door cars to those Brougham beasts of Yore.
As to Mazda, they make good cars. Always have. How in the world have they not had the success here in the States that they have elsewhere has always puzzled me. the 626 was a nice improvement over the shockingly plain Legacy.
There was a second Australian-designed and built personal luxury coupe: the CH series Chrysler by Chrysler (to those who haven’t heard of them, yes that was really its name!). The sedan version was built from 1971 to 1976; the 2-door hardtop for only 18 months (November ’71-May’73). I’ve only seen a couple of C-by-Cs, they’re a tad bloated and blobby in the metal, unlike the Mazda 626 Coupe which is crisp and clean.
There are only 4 doors now and it’s deplorable when you’re very tall. The ‘B’ pillar of any 4 doors is not my friend: it blocks my side view, hurts my elbow and prevents me from getting in and out properly. All amplified by the fact that I have always modified my driver’s seat with brackets to maximize their rearward adjustment .The only problem with 2 doors is that they are obviously long and you must warn your passenger not to hit it on the sidewalk. Passenger access to the rear seat difficult ? Which passenger there ? I practice rear seat delete on all my vehicles to maximize cargo & I prefer hatchbacks anyway .