A 2+2 (also 2-plus-2) is a car-body style that has a seat each for the driver and front passenger, and two rear seats. The latter may be individual "bucket" seats, fold-downs, or a full-width "bucketed" bench seat, but always with less leg room than either the front or a standard 2-door car.[1][better source needed] The style is different from 4- or 5- seat automobiles having normal-size rear seats, with second-row 2+2 seating typically only suitable for children or occasional use.[1]

Rear seat of a Porsche 911, typical of "auxiliary" seating in many of the smaller or most sporty 2+2s
Rear seats of a 1982 Jaguar XJS HE coupé, spacious for a 2+2

Definition

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A rear bench seat is an unusual configuration for a 2+2, here in a SAAB Sonett Mark II

By standard definition, all cars in the 2+2 category have two front seats and two rear seats. Other common characteristics for 2+2 cars include relatively little room for the rear passengers and a "streamlined" body with two doors. While 2+2 seating is most commonly associated with coupés, especially those which strongly favour front passenger seating such as sports cars and gran turismos, certain convertibles with "auxiliary"-type rear seats may also be regarded as 2+2s.

Some vehicles (such as the TVR Cerbera and Toyota iQ) have been marketed as "3+1" due to their front passenger seat having more space for forward adjustment than the driver's, allowing for more leg room for one rear-seat passenger.

Usage

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There are many coupés which meet the definition of a 2+2 but are not described by their manufacturers as such. This is because the term 2+2 is most often used to distinguish cars with what typically amounts to "auxiliary" rear seating, at times enlarged from a 2-seat version of the same model to accommodate it, such as the Jaguar E-type fixed-head coupé 2+2. Other similar examples of stretched 2-seaters include the Lotus Elan +2, Mazda RX-8, and Nissan 280ZX 2+2.

Cars marketed as 2+2

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Sedan vs. Coupe Cars: Meaning, Definition & Differences". www.automoblog.net. Retrieved 18 March 2018.