Re: a rose is a rose . . . (not WOB)

[pveltri <pveltri@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> The recent discussion of the M coupe has made me
> wonder whether this car is a coupe at all. Isn't
> it really a hatchback? Or a station wagon? (just
> kidding on the latter one). Doesn't a coupe have
> to have a rear deck with a trunk lid that isn't
> part of the rear window?
>
> I'm not claiming to be an expert on this stuff;
> until about 6 months ago I thought a sedan had to
> have 4 doors, but I read in a car magazine it was
> actually the interior size, not number of doors,
> that determines whether a car is a coupe or sedan
> (assuing it has rear seats).
>
> Andy '95 M3 coupe

Your half right....

A sedan is:
- -"A closed automobile having two OR four doors and a front AND back seat capable of
seating four to six persons"

A coupe on the other hand is:
- - "A closed automobile with two doors and seating two to six persons"

So the difference is both the seating capacity, seat arrangement (eg. back seat to be
a sedan) and number of doors. Its sort of incomplete definitions as they both overlap
to some degree, for example a 2 door M3 could technically be called a sedan as it
meets all the requirements. Also the coupe definition makes no requirements about a
having a front and back seats. If you want to get really anal we could change these
definitions into a strict quantitave format, a quasi boolean function....

Sedan Conditions:
    Seats: Front AND Back
    Capacity: 4-6
    Doors: > OR = 2

Coupe Conditions:
    Seats: Front OR (Front AND Back)
    Capacity: 2-6
    Doors: =2

If one of the conditions in either definition is not met than that definition is
considered invalid. The current definitions have no qualifying factors about whether a
rear deck or trunk lid etc. is necassary to call it a sedan or coupe.

- -MR. SUPER ANAL
98 M3 blue/grey

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