What’s in a name? The dictionary defines a coupe as a car with a fixed roof, two doors, and a sloping rear. But 150 years ago, the same word was only used for a carriage designed for two passengers and a driver. I riled against BMW calling its four-door X6 crossover a “sports activity coupe” (or SAC) back in 2008. But today, the segment is thriving. And you know what they say: two is company and three’s a crowd. The X6 competes against the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, the Range Rover Evoque Coupe, and the newest kid on the block: the Genesis GV80 Coupe–which I just reviewed. It may not be for me, but I think I get it.

There once was a segment called the “personal luxury car.” My favorite example is the Ford Thunderbird which was a large, luxurious coupe (yes, with just two doors). Lesser-known examples include the Packard Caribbean and Buick Riviera. The most famous entrants may be the Lincoln Continental coupes and the Cadillac Eldorado.

Most of these had powerful V8s. But they weren’t designed for beating a roadster through the twisties. They were stately cruisers that could have a bit of fun. Many came as either coupes or convertibles. They had oodles of space for two people and luggage. But they also had presence. And of course they had opulent luxury features.

I imagine they were popular with drivers who wanted to get something nice to treat themselves, after their kids moved out. You could call them a sort of Grand Tourer (GT car) designed for trips on the wide-open roads of America instead of through the mountains of Europe.

So whatever happened to the personal luxury cars? Well during the personal luxury cars’ heyday, sports cars were downright uncomfortable. But today, even a supercar is relatively drivable. So I suspect marketing departments pushed would-be personal luxury car buyers into Corvettes, Ferraris, and the like. I don’t think us automotive journalists helped. We rave nonstop about 0-60 times and skidpad numbers that honestly don’t concern the average driver.

Decades after the death of the personal luxury car, BMW made a unique gamble, sculpting a four-door SUV into a sporty fastback. Again, we automotive journalists probably didn’t help. I was quick to call coupe SUVs the “DVD/VCR” player of vehicles because they lack the handling of a coupe and the storage/passenger space of an SUV. And though that’s true, many drivers don’t truly need either feature.

What the X6 Coupe does have is ample straight-line speed, plenty of luggage room for 2-4 passengers, stylish looks, and all the luxury features BMW buyers expect. Sound familiar? You might call it the personal luxury car of the 21st century. In addition, it offers more ground clearance than the personal luxury cars of yesteryear and you can get it with AWD. Not too shabby.

BMW’s “sport activity coupe” proved a popular vehicle. It sold so well, Land Rover launched the Evoque Coupe (a proper two-door) in 2011 and Mercedes-Benz introduced the GLE Coupe (a four door) in 2015. The segment isn’t slowing down. Genesis rolled out its first crossover–the GV80–for the 2021 model year. It introduced a coupe (four door) version for 2025.

I tested the GV80 Coupe on the wide-open roads of Minnesota. I imagined being a local who needed a vehicle with some ground clearance and AWD to navigate the winters, but wanted an attractive and speedy luxury car. From that point of view, the GV80 Coupe killed it. It has an array of luxury features and cutting edge technology. It looks good enough to draw a crowd in some places. It has plenty of power to zip past slower vehicles. It will never corner like a proper coupe–or even a sedan. But few vehicles sold today do. So if you want a personal luxury vehicle, consider a coupe SUV.