The two-door coupe is traditionally the body style associated with sporty and exotic
cars. While that's still mostly true today, entries like the two-door Mini Paceman and giant luxury
cars from Rolls-Royce blur the lines a little bit. As a result, not every new coupe is a featherweight sports car -- some weigh more than SUVs or pickup
trucks. Here are the ten heaviest coupes on sale today.
1. 2013 Bentley Continental GT Speed / GT W-12 -- 6063 poundsPrice (including destination): $215,000 / $193,250The
Bentley Continental GT Speed has a lot of big numbers on its specifications sheet: 616 hp, a top speed of 205 mph, and a curb weight of 6063 pound. It's the latter number that earns the Bentley Continental range the top spot on our list of portly coupes. Much of the Speed's weight comes from its beefy engine, a 6.0-liter W-12 with two turbochargers. The Continental GT W-12 tips the scales at the same lofty 6063-pound figure, as it uses the same twin-turbo W-12 engine but in a lower state of tune. There is, however, a much skinnier model: the new
Continental GT V-8 uses a smaller, lighter twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 that keeps the car's mass to just 5060 pounds. Why are the
cars so heavy? Primarily because they have eight-speed automatic transmissions and all-wheel drive, and because they're filled to the brim with luxury appointments like wood and leather trim. Bentley also offers convertible versions of the Continental GT, called the GTC, which are even heavier.
2. 2013 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé -- 5688 poundsPrice: $433,895Even though it stretches 220.8 inches long and spans 78.2 inches wide, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé isn't the heaviest coupe on sale today -- but it's pretty close. The massive, majestic two-door body contains a 6.7-liter V-12 engine good for 453 hp and 531 lb-ft, channeled through an eight-speed automatic transmission. Ornate details abound: the hood and windshield frame are made from exposed stainless steel, the rear-hinged doors can be closed with the touch of a button, and there's even an optional headliner with twinkling LEDs meant to mimic starlight. Despite a lightweight aluminum body, filling the interior with hand-prepared wood, leather, and chrome keeps the Phantom Coupé’s mass high. And even with all that mass to move around, the V-12 engine still propels the Rolls to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 155 mph. Given the fact the car is built by hand and offers that much capability, it's no wonder the Phantom Coupé is the most expensive entry on this list.
3. 2013 Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG -- 5027 poundsPrice: $214,105The Mercedes CL-Class shows, like the previous two entries, that a big twelve-cylinder engine usually leads to a heavy car. In the case of the CL65 AMG, it's a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V-12 that churns out 621 hp and 738 lb-ft. A five-speed automatic transmission directs that power to a pair of 20-inch wheels and tires at the rear axle. Mercedes says 60 mph arrives in just 4.3 seconds, and top speed is limited to 186 mph. This is a seriously fast coupe despite its prodigious weight. There are, of course, three other versions of the CL-Class that are somewhat lighter, but still none are featherweights. The CL550 measures just 4619 pounds, equipped with its 429-hp, twin-turbo 4.7-liter V-8 engine. The CL600 has a 510-hp 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 and weighs 4894 pounds. And finally, the CL63 AMG comes in at 4894 pounds and packs a 5.5-liter twin-turbo V-8 good for 536 hp.
4. 2013 BMW 650i xDrive -- 4387 poundsPrice: $89,395The heftiest version of the
BMW 6-Series coupe is not the boisterous, 560-hp BMW M6 coupe, but the only all-wheel-drive model. The 650i xDrive tips the scales at 4387 pounds, 154 heavier than its rear-wheel-drive version and 386 pounds more than the six-cylinder 640i coupe. The xDrive system accounts for most of the extra mass, although it does make the stylish coupe more appealing to buyers in regions that get snow. Its twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 produces 400 hp and 450 lb-ft, and while the xDrive edition is offered only with an eight-speed automatic, buyers of the rear-wheel-drive 650i can also opt for a six-speed manual transmission.
5. 2013 Cadillac CTS-V automatic -- 4255 poundsPrice: $65,410Adding the "V" suffix to a Cadillac CTS coupe means installing a supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 engine, hefty performance suspension, Brembo brakes, available Recaro bucket seats, and more aggressive bodywork, all of which bumps the car's mass up to 4255 pounds when fitted with a six-speed automatic transmission, or 4217 when equipped with a six-speed manual. The loud, aggressive V is also offered as a sedan and as a wagon -- the latter incredibly cool because it's the only manual-transmission, 556-hp station wagon we know of. Without all the go-fast goodies, regular versions of the Cadillac CTS coupe are considerably more svelte. Powered by a 318-hp 3.6-liter V-6, the car weighs in at 3898 with rear-wheel drive and 4096 pounds if buyers pay extra for all-wheel drive.
6. 2013 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 automatic -- 4170 poundsPrice: $44,420Muscle
cars are rarely pinnacles of lightweight construction, and the
Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 is no exception. When equipped with a five-speed automatic transmission, the SRT8 392 weighs 4170 pounds. Opting for a six-speed manual transmission saves a negligible ten pounds but makes the SRT8 392 more engaging to drive. Fortunately the Challenger counters its mass with a 6.4-liter V-8 with 470 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque, which is enough to send the big coupe to 60 mph in less than five seconds. The size of the Hemi V-8 engine contributes plenty of pounds to the curb weight, but the Challenger isn't a light car to begin with. Its big footprint -- nearly as long and as wide as the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan -- means that even the lightest versions are still heavy hitters. The Challenger SXT, which has a 3.6-liter V-6 engine with 305 hp, weighs 3834 pounds. The Challenger R/T is the middle child, with a 375-hp 5.7-liter V-8 and curb weight of 4082 pounds.
7. 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 -- 4120 poundsPrice: $55,250The
Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is big on two things: horsepower and weight. Yet even with the focus on its 580-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8, the
Camaro ZL1 still manages to perform on twisty roads: the big coupe set a 7:41.27 lap on the grueling Nürburgring in Germany, a time on par with some of the world's best sports
cars. The
ZL1 wears a long list of aerodynamic components to reduce lift at speed, as well as strong Brembo brakes and two-mode magnetic shock absorbers. Yet all those goodies, along with interior upgrades like leather bucket seats and an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, pile on more weight. A standard Camaro coupe with the 323-hp, 3.6-liter V-6 engine weighs only 3741 to 3780 pounds, depending on trim. The Camaro SS, powered by a 426-hp, 6.2-liter V-8, is 3860 pounds with a six-speed manual transmission and 3913 with a six-speed automatic.
8. 2013 Audi RS5 -- 4009 poundsPrice: $69,795With its 450-hp 4.2-liter V-8 engine, quick-acting dual-clutch transmission, and torque-vectoring Quattro all-wheel drive, the
RS5 is the most exciting version of Audi's A5 coupe to date. It's also the heaviest version, scaling at 4009 pounds -- more than 300 pounds heavier than the regular Audi A5. Yet the weight doesn't hold back the Audi's performance potential. In a
recent comparison test, it lapped Michigan's Grattan Raceway quicker than a BMW M3, Porsche Boxster S, and Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. The A5 and S5 coupes have less power, but still reward owners with a sporting driving experience wrapped in a sultry design. The A5 and S5 were mildly refreshed for the 2013 model year, with upgrades including new headlights, a new grille, electric power steering, more infotainment toys, and a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 in place of the car's previous 4.2-liter V-8. The base A5 coupe weighs 3681 pounds, while the S5 is 3858 pounds with a six-speed manual transmission and 3924 pounds with its optional seven-speed dual-clutch.
9. 2013 Jaguar XKR / XKR-S -- 3968 poundsPrice: $98,375 / $132,875Although a regular Jaguar XK coupe weighs only 3770 pounds, the faster XKR and
XKR-S coupes tip the scales at 3968 pounds. Compared to the base XK, the performance versions add a supercharger to the 5.0-liter V-8 engine, boosting horsepower to 510 in the XKR coupe and 550 in the XKR-S. The
cars also get performance equipment like stiffer suspension, larger brakes, and a rear wing, which adds even more mass to the British two-door, earning the XKR and XKR-S the number-nine spot on our list. Buyers who want a lighter -- but also considerably slower -- Jaguar coupe can opt for the base XK, which is powered by a non-supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 with 305 hp. ?It weighs only 3770 pounds.
10. 2013 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG -- 3935 poundsPrice: $63,325The
C63 AMG is the heaviest version of
Mercedes' C-Class coupe for one simple reason: it's got a big 6.2-liter V-8 engine under the hood. That engine produces 451 hp in standard guise or 481 hp if buyers opt for the $6050 AMG Development package, and a seven-speed automatic transmission transmits that power to the 18-inch rear wheels. Mercedes claims a 0-to-60-mph time of 4.4 seconds for the standard car and 4.3 seconds for those with the AMG kit. Top speed is normally limited to 155 mph but raised to 174 mph with the AMG package. Other versions of the C-Class coupe are significantly lighter, owing to their smaller engines and brakes, and reduced equipment levels. The C250, which has a 201-hp, 1.8-liter turbo-four engine, weighs 3538 pounds. The 302-hp C350 coupe tips the scales at 3693 lb with rear-wheel drive and 3737 pounds with 4Matic all-wheel drive.
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