I voted sedan. the Oxford dictionary says:

Until they change the dictionary definition, coupe = 2 doors.

I agree with hussein..its a new kind of car..but if i have to chose id say sedan..but with coupe like lines..

Warot, I doubt dictionary definitions are ever set in stone, they are most certain subject to change in order to keep up with the times. Which actually can be seen with your definition since there is more than one for the word. Certainly the term "coupe" hasn't been with us forever neither has (for example) the "targa" name and that seems to be a well understood and accepted car type which could have been confused with cabrio or coupe. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if a new term distinguishing the likes of the CLS and its future competitors (coming from VAG and Porsche) reveals itself in the automotive world with time.

++ bum-man

I hope so, that would end these types of threads for all time. Whoever is here wanting some closure or for people to accept their viewpoint, best go somewhere else already.

That said, I'd like to second bum-man's comments - dictionaries get their meanings by cataloguing what people come to use a word for over time. It's not that their definition is the only acceptable usage and everyone must follow them. For example, the word 'cool' really means something that is lowish in temperature, or someone who is calm or unenthused. However, no dictionary these days would be complete if it didn't say that 'cool' can mean something that is fashionable, good looking, attractive or whatever - such as, "that t-shirt is cool!". This wasn't always the case, but perhaps from the 60s onwards. Dictionaries change with the times, so don't take their word as final - people are the arbiters and agents of language change and use, not dictionaries.

That said, I would have no problems calling the CLS either a sedan, but I can see where they're coming from with the 4-door-coupe thing. I'd humour them and call it that; but since the poll doesn't have that as an option, I decline to vote. It's a coupe of sorts, but definitely not like a 911.

I understand Bum-man, but there is no double meaning to the word Coupe (unlike cool). Coupe in french means cut. A coupe is a car that has been "reduced", which is why it has 2 doors and a short wheel base. That's the literal translation.

I know there won't be closure to this, but let me ask it anyway. How is a CLS a coupe? In your view, what would make this a coupe and not the E for example. It has 4 doors and is in no way a "compact" car. We aren't just going to accept that it's a Coupe because Benz says so right?

You can call it what you want. Who cares. Its a four door with a low roof line. Coupe, Sedan, it doesnt matter. I call it a Soupe. or Coupedan. or what ever. Who cares.

i think as it as a sport sedan cause it dosent fit into my picture as a coupe
looks good whatever the heck the thing is..im sure we can al agree on that

To me it's a sedan. To make my life easier it's a sedan.
It doesn't matter what you say, doesn't matter what my neighbour says...and it certainly doesn't matter what Mercedes-Benz call it.... I like to keep it simple.

..and if you think that's just my BMW biased talking, ..well, it's not, ..because although BMW call the X5 an SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle)... I still keep it simple and call it a 4WD..!! Simple !

I believe a real "four door" coupe should be a car w/ a coupe like silhouette and proportions, as well as rear doors that are rear hinged, not front hinged. I will say that however the Panemera is constructed I won't care, the fact that it is a Porsche gives me enough reason to believe that it will whole heartedly fulfill the roll of a four door coupe.

I must say, I would be surprised if Porsche market the Panamera as a "four-door coupé" - I think they will consider it to be a sedan - Porsche is a far more black and white, down-to-earth company than Mercedes - who, far too often, get caught-up in their own image if you ask me.

BTW - on registration papers - what do the "authorities" consider the CLS to be - I bet they don't fall for the 4-door coupé thing - hehehe.