Coupes

The BMW 2 Series combines keen rear-wheel drive handling with an upmarket cabin and one of the best infotainment systems on sale. It’s available with lots of different options, too, catering for buyers after smaller fuel-sipping diesel and petrol engines as well as performance-car thrills.

If it’s style and quality you’re after, few coupes do it better than the Audi TT. All three of its generations have nailed the traditional coupe brief - two doors, two seats and a low sleek roofline. Add to that the latest car’s superbly well-built cabin, a fantastic infotainment system, tidy handling and a range of great petrol and diesel engines, and you have a top coupe.

The iconic Jaguar E-Type might be the most famous coupe ever made, and the Jaguar F-Type is its modern incarnation. It looks fantastic and if you go for the six or eight cylinder petrol engines, sounds brilliant too. Inside you’ll find a long list of standard equipment and a luxurious interior.

It isn’t cheap, the Mercedes S-Class Coupe, but you are getting a lot of car for your money. For starters, both of its engines - V8 and V12 - are brilliant, and its interior is one of the best on sale, featuring a striking design and tip-top build quality.The S-Class Coupe looks just as stunning on the outside and it’s hugely comfortable to drive.

The Bentley Continental GT might have a reputation as footballer’s transport, but it’s also a truly great coupe. Its engines are hugely powerful, its interior is one of the finest you’ll find in any car and this latest model’s touchscreen infotainment is far better than the previous model’s. It’s even pretty sharp to drive for such a behemoth. You’ll just need very deep pocket to buy and run it.

The Mercedes E-Class Coupe is one of the most desirable large coupes on the market, boasting a good-looking exterior and an extremely plush, well-built interior. It's comfortable to drive as well, especially if you fork out that little bit extra to get it with its optional air suspension.

If you're after a coupe that's fun to drive, the BMW 4 Series is absolutely worth shortlisting. Its steering is quick and accurate, and its suspension is firm. There are also a number of engines to choose from, letting you decide if you want your car to be a sporty petrol or a more economical diesel.

The Mercedes C-Class Coupe is designed to take you from A to B in as stylish and comfortable a manner as possible. The outside looks good and the inside is welcoming, thanks to its great build quality and bump-absorbing suspension. The car's engine array is great, too.

The Toyota GT86 was made by people who wanted to make one of the world's best driver's cars - and they've done a bang-up job! This sporty coupe is great fun to be behind the wheel of, with its agility and grip on the road always inspiring confidence. Plus, it has a fair amount of kit for its price.

The Subaru BRZ is the not-at-all-distant cousin of the above Toyota GT86. Because of this, it's just as much fun to drive. However, its interior feels just a little bit more dated...

Top speed: 207mph 0-62mph: 3.7 seconds

The Bentley Continental GT might have a reputation as footballer’s transport, but it’s also a truly great car. Its W12 is hugely powerful, its interior is one of the finest you’ll find in any car and this latest model’s touchscreen infotainment is far better than the previous model’s. It’s even pretty sharp to drive for such a behemoth, and will do a frankly bonkers 207mph.

Top speed: 205mph 0-62mph: 3.2 seconds

Let’s not beat around the bush: the V10 engine in this Audi R8 is one of the finest engines ever to grace a car. Not only does it sound out of this world, it also produces a massive 610hp allowing the R8 to sprint to 62mph in just 3.2sec and carry on to 205mph. As a bonus, the R8’s interior is a wonderful place to spend time and its infotainment system is superb.

Top speed: 200mph 0-62mph: 3.7 seconds

The Jaguar F-Type is one of the best looking Coupes around in standard form, but this range-topping SVR version turns things up to 11. It’s also massive fast, its supercharged V8 engine producing 575hp for a 3.7sec 0-62mph time and a 200mph top speed. You’ll also be able to enjoy one of finest V8 soundtracks anywhere. It’s borderline antisocial.

Top speed: 198mph 0-62mph: 3.6 seconds

The AMG GT R’s huge bonnet louvres, gaping grille and large bonnet spoiler leave you in no doubt about its intentions. Firing up its thundering 585hp 4.0-litre V8 engine will give you a pretty good idea, too. With enough space, this extroverted coupe will sythe to 62mph in 3.6sec and carry on all the way to 198mph.

Top speed: 191mph 0-62mph: 3.0sec (est)

Hybrids are dull and boring right? Wrong. OK, so the Honda NSX can’t run on electricity alone for extended periods like a Toyota Prius for example, but it does have three electric motors which assist its V6 petrol. As a result, there’s 581hp to call upon and a 0-62mph time of around 3.0sec to enjoy. Will enough space and courage you’ll be able to hit 191mph too.

The Mazda MX-5 RF tops our list of cheap coupes as it gives you the best of both worlds – it’s a coupe, but at the touch of a button you can drop the hardtop roof for wind-in-the-hair thrills. It shares the soft-top MX-5’s agile handling and willing engines... and also its small boot and lack of rear seats.

The Audi TT looks great on the outside and has an interior to die for. It’s even practical for a coupe – having back seats and a boot that’s easy to load and capacious – and is a relatively cheap coupe too. The TT is quick and decent fun, but not the most rewarding to drive of this type of car.

The BMW 2 Series is a cheap coupe with with a roomy back seat and a large boot, too – although the pay off is its staid styling. Its rear-wheel drive chassis means it is fun to drive, however, and you get a decent range of petrol and diesel engines to choose from that are quick and frugal.

The Subaru BRZ has been designed to be brilliant to drive with a limited-slip differential and low-grip tyres that make it easy to slide, all in a relatively affordable package. That said, you’ll have to put up with a cheap feeling interior, unadventurous exterior styling and rear seats that are only suitable for kids.

The Nissan 370Z looks brilliant and has a V6 petrol engine that pulls like a train. It’s an old car now, though, so you’ll have to swallow high runnings costs and a dated interior the payoff is a driving experience that’s akin to performing delicate surgery with a hammer and chisel.