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by Editors of Edmunds.com
Edmunds.com tests new cars as they hit the market, evaluating them for the usual performance and comfort factors and often making comparisons to the competition. This list is the editors' top choices for… coupes, divided into five price categories. Clicking on a model goes to a model/price list and summary review. The Honda Civic Coupe, the Ford Mustang, the Honda Accord Coupe, the Infiniti G37 and coupe variants of the Nissan Altima and BMW 3 Series all make the list.
by Editors of Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports does in-depth testing of new vehicles as they come to market. Road testing is conducted, but reviews are not as colorful as they are at other publications. However, the magazine's… information on long-term reliability, which is drawn from annual subscriber surveys, is unmatched. There's also good information on safety and practicality, details that are sometimes glossed over by others.
by Editors of ConsumerGuide.com
At least four test drivers evaluate every rated model for Consumer Guide, and special consideration is given to how each performs in real-world, everyday driving. Cars get objective ratings in ten areas,… and those ratings are compared to the average rating of similar models. We'd like to see a little more discussion, but there's enough here to get a good grip on what the editors like -- and dislike -- about each car they review. Best Buy coupe selections include the coupe versions of the Honda Civic, Honda Accord, BMW 3 Series and Scion tC, along with the Infiniti G37.
by Csaba Csere and Tony Swan
Every year, Car and Driver's editors evaluate and reevaluate cars to name the ten they consider to be the very best overall. New cars or those considerably updated are tested, and past winners are… reevaluated. To qualify, cars are judged on how they perform their intended purpose, whether or not they are "engaging" and, finally, value. For the 17th time, the BMW 3 Series makes the 10Best list. The Honda Accord sedan and coupe also earn a place on the list for an impressive 22 out of the last 25 years.
by Edward Loh
Motor Trend editors pit three similarly priced front-wheel-drive, manual-transmission, V6 sporty coupes against each other in a well-executed comparison test. Top-rated is the Honda Accord, narrowly beating… the Nissan Altima coupe. The Accord coupe is the best performer at the track and gets the most praise for its attractive styling which editors say is "worlds better than the sedan version." The responsive engine averages 17.3 mpg in aggressive driving, the highest mileage in the test.
by Erin Riches
These two rear-wheel-drive coupes feature similar specifications, but the BMW 335i is almost $4,000 more expensive than the Infiniti G37, as tested. Despite the advantage in value, the Infiniti loses the… comparison to the BMW couple. Editor Erin Riches notes, "The Infiniti G37 is an impressive car and a lot of fun. But it isn't as quick as the BMW 335i, nor does it engage its driver with equal commitment."
by Chris Walton
Both of the sedan-derived front-wheel-drive coupes debuted for 2008, and offer a sportier alternative to popular family sedans. The detailed comparison test is quite comprehensive, including both… track-testing and driving on public roads. The highest rating goes to the Honda Accord Coupe, soundly beating the more expensive (as tested) Nissan Altima Coupe. Editors say, "The 2008 Honda Accord Coupe felt like it was engineered, designed and built to an entirely different, higher and better standard."
by Editors of Motor Trend
Motor Trend reviews coupes in detailed single-car reviews. Like Car and Driver, the emphasis here seems to be more on high-performance and luxury choices, but there's plenty of information on a variety of… coupes to fit most budgets. While Motor Trend identifies winners and losers when it conducts multi-car comparisons and is not bashful about identifying strengths and weaknesses in the cars it reviews, there is no overall ranking of coupes.
by Don Sherman
Automobile Magazine provides excellent enthusiast-oriented car reviews and comparison tests, such as this one between the BMW 335i coupe and Infiniti G37. Editors drive the pair more than 1,300 miles on… mostly back roads and writer Don Sherman gives a good description of both. He concludes that the Infiniti G37 "easily tops the value chart," but the BMW is the superior car, with handling that helps "make even mediocre drivers feel like road stars."
by Editors of MyRide.com
MyRide.com, the enthusiast and blogging site for the Autobytel.com car buying service, delivers a list of what they believe to be the best cars for the current model year, placing each vehicle into a… variety of categories. We appreciate that the selection criteria for making this list is clearly spelled out, including a requirement that at least one staff member had to have driven a given car for it to even qualify. Write-ups about the individual cars here are brief, but links take you to longer reviews elsewhere on the site. Among coupes, the Audi S5 is the "Best New Sports Car Under $75,000" and the Honda Civic is named "Best Car for Teen Drivers." The Infiniti G37 is rated as "Most Fun New Car for 2008."
by Josh Jacquot
Edmunds.com also publishes InsideLine.com, an online car enthusiast site with numerous single-car reviews and head-to-head comparisons. In an interesting three-way test, Edmunds.com compares their own 2002… BMW M3 long-term vehicle against a new BMW 135i and 335i coupe. The heavier, more expensive 335i comes in third. First place is a tie between the M3 and 135i, which have remarkably similar lap times at a race track. Despite several drawbacks, such as its impractical rear seat, the 1 Series offers "the perfect combination of nimbleness, suspension compliance and tractable power delivery."
by Editors of American Auto Press
Not to be confused with Automobile Magazine, the Automobile.com website also has well-written reviews and a few comparison tests, such as this one between the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima coupes. The… writer offers detailed descriptions of both cars with plenty of plusses and minuses. He says both are sporty, handle well and are nicely equipped, but are very different. He chooses the Accord as the better coupe, saying it is "one of the roomiest two-door vehicles around" and "is the better to drive day in and day out."
by Editors of KBB.com
KBB.com is the online home of Kelley Blue Book, long regarded as the top resource in determining the value of both new and used vehicles. However, the website also delivers a wealth of automotive research… and opinion for consumers -- including lists of cars that the editors recommend. Although there's no list of recommended coupes, you'll find two-door models on the lists of recommended compact, mid-size and luxury cars. Those include the Ford Focus, Pontiac G5, Scion tC, Honda Accord, Nissan Altima and BMW 3 Series coupes.
by Editors of Cars.com
While the reviews at Cars.com are sometimes short, they are easy to read. In addition, editors often reprint reviews from other publications in the same section for each car, so it's possible to read six or… seven reviews in succession. Each year, Cars.com editors choose a number of "Best Bets" in various categories. Coupes that win for 2008 include the Audi S5, BMW 328i and 335i, Ford Mustang, Honda Accord, Honda Civic and Scion tC coupes.
by Chris Walton
The high-performance version of the Audi A5 is the S5, and it earns one of Inside Line's inaugural Editors' Choice Awards. This comparison pits it against the top performing coupe version of the BMW 3… Series, the M3. Both are V8-powered, although the all-wheel-drive Audi has only 354 hp to the rear-wheel-drive BMW's 414 hp. Editors are impressed with the S5, but the M3 soundly wins the contest for its "undeniable dominance on the test track and an incongruous ability to do so while remaining perfectly capable as an everyday car."
by Editors of Road & Track
This feature article from Road & Track spotlights four pairs of coupes, including the BMW 335i vs. Infiniti G37 and Nissan Altima 3.5 SE vs. Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, as well as some more exotic, high-dollar… sports cars. The evaluations are shorter than full road tests, but are a good recap of each car's pros and cons. The individual articles make some good contrasts, but they don't strive to rank the cars or choose winners. Some of the cars are 2007 models, although none have significant changes for 2008.
by Matt Davis
Winding Road is an online car enthusiast magazine, presented in an electronic format that copies the appearance of a printed magazine. This review is an excellent road test of two similarly priced coupes,… the BMW 135i and Infiniti G37S. Editor Matt Davis compares the two and gives detailed descriptions of driving each car. Unfortunately, he does not conclude which he prefers, but rather provides strengths and weaknesses of both coupes.
by Jim Gorzelany
Attempting to help their readers make the most intelligent financial decisions possible, ForbesAutos.com publishes a list of what they believe to be the most significant coupes for the current model year.… The Audi A5 and S5, BMW 1 Series, Dodge Challenger and Infiniti G37 all get nods. Forbes nicely identifies what makes each car stand out among its peers and provides links to longer individual vehicle reviews.
by Wayne Cunningham
CNet.com reviews cars from a technology point of view. That's both good and bad. On the upside, editors do an excellent job of covering automotive technology both under the hood and in the cabin. The… downside is that performance, comfort and other details that car shoppers may want to read sometimes get glossed over. Editor Wayne Cunningham's personal ratings of five best tech cars includes the BMW 135i Coupe, M3 Coupe and Audi S5. His separate list of five "best affordable tech cars" includes the Nissan Altima Coupe.
by Steve Siler
This unusual web-only road test compares the new supercharged Chevy Cobalt SS coupe against five other performance compacts, including the Honda Civic Si coupe. The other cars are hatchbacks and sedans.… This report is not the usual comprehensive evaluation, instead including rather brief descriptions of each car. Writer Steve Siler is impressed with the Chevy's strong performance, but disappointed in its exterior and interior styling, commenting, "The Cobalt is fast first; everything else second." While this article is a good read for some insightful comments, it fails to rank these cars or choose the best.
by Editors of Consumers Digest
Consumers Digest tests and reviews a wide variety of consumer goods, including vehicles. Each year, staff editors work with four respected automotive editors from various publications to select a group of… Best Buy vehicles. The 2008 Best Buy list features 48 cars and trucks, including the Honda Accord and Civic, Ford Mustang and Toyota Camry Solara. Unfortunately, the poorly organized website provides very little additional information.
by Editors of IntelliChoice.com
Every year, IntelliChoice reports on the vehicles it feels offers the best value in their class based on practical aspects like long-term costs and predicted resale value, an interesting point of view not… often considered in other reviews. No testing is done . Coupes -- or cars available as coupes -- include only the Honda Civic for 2008. A separate award, the Motorist Choice Award, also takes owner satisfaction into the formula. The Ford Mustang wins in the "sporty car" category. Discussion is brief and does not provide much insight beyond manufacturer-supplied information.
by Staff of AskMen
AskMen.com is a lifestyle-based website for the average guy, and of course this means that part of their coverage includes automobiles. Though many of the reviews here are sourced from Car and Driver,… AskMen.com also includes some original content that makes a visit somewhat worthwhile. Perhaps the most useful are car vs. car comparison tests that rank two competing cars on a 0-100 scale and pick a winner. For example, the Scion tC edges out the Mitsubishi Eclipse. However, model years are not always provided, and good objective information is often hard to find.
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