The development of modern infrastructure has given impetus to the widespread use of various variations of passenger cars for urban and intercity traffic. Hatchbacks and station wagons are especially popular among domestic consumers.
But, what is the difference between a hatchback and a station wagon? And also what are their advantages over “classic” sedans? In this post, we will answer the most common questions from motorists.
A hatchback is a variation of a passenger car with a shortened overhang, a rear hatch door and a small luggage compartment combined with the interior. Depending on the specific configuration, the car may have 1 (less often) or 2 rows of seats, 3 or 5 doors. The luggage compartment can be significantly increased by simply folding the rear seats.
The emergence of hatchbacks is a result of the growing demand for a city car, driving which the driver would feel comfortable in the dense city traffic during rush hour. The border of the body runs along the edge of the rear wheels. The layout in most cases provides for front-wheel drive with a transverse engine. These solutions can significantly increase the maneuverability of the car, make it possible to park in difficult conditions.
A beginner who has just graduated from a driving school will feel more confident on a hatchback, since the dimensions of the body are much better felt on it.
Once again, let's pay attention to the characteristic distinctive features:
- Shortened rear overhang - thanks to this feature, the hatchback is easy to distinguish from other modifications in appearance;
- The volume of the trunk is less capacious than in station wagons or other variations;
- There is a door in the back wall. In some cases, the glass in it can be opened separately.
Due to the fact that the cabin is actually combined with the luggage racks, passengers may complain about an unpleasant odor emanating from the trunk if specific food items, engine oils, etc. are regularly transported there.
Universal: I take everything with me!
The station wagon is a five-door passenger car based on a sedan of the same model, in which 4 doors are located on the sides in pairs, and one is in the rear of the body. The latter is located vertically and is the luggage compartment lid, which communicates with the interior of the car.
If necessary, the volume of the luggage compartment can be increased by folding the rear row of seats (just like in the hatchback, which we talked about above).
Of all types of passenger cars, station wagons are best suited for cargo transportation, so they have been unchanged in popularity among people who work with bulky luggage for many years.
The disadvantages of the class, as a rule, include increased injuries among passengers as a result of an accident. In a collision, cargo from the trunk can fly into the passenger compartment. In some countries, traffic regulations prescribe the use of a special dividing grid that protects people from force majeure situations.
The main differences between the hatchback and the station wagon
The common features inherent in the hatchback and station wagon are that both classes are a modified sedan with a virtually unified interior and trunk.
The differences between the hatchback and the station wagon are as follows:
- The size of the luggage compartment - in the Hatchback, it is significantly smaller. The station wagon is excellent for cargo transportation and is often purchased by private entrepreneurs and medium-sized companies for these purposes;
- The hatchback features a more elegant rear end design. The inclined door looks much more beautiful than the strict vertical overhang of the station wagon. Women often make choices based on this;
- The station wagon is longer than the hatchback. This can be a significant drawback in urban conditions, if the car is used only for transporting passengers, but when it comes to oversized cargo, this is definitely an advantage;
- The hatchback can be supplied in a "sports" 3-door configuration;
- Station wagons tend to be more expensive than hatchbacks of the same series.
Both classes of passenger cars discussed in this article occupy their own niche in the domestic market and are in demand among Russian motorists due to their characteristics.
The number of car body types has almost doubled over the past 15 years. Manufacturers are increasingly trying to combine several body types in one car at once. It is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish one option from another, but we will do it anyway.
To begin with, we will divide all body types into 3 groups: three-volume, two-volume and one-volume.
Conservatives
The three-volume body has a protruding hood and trunk. Three-volume tanks are among the least versatile bodies due to the limited ability to transform the interior and trunk. This group includes sedans, coupes, convertibles and pickups.
Sedan, coupe
The brightest representative of the three-box body is the sedan, which is present in the lineup of almost all manufacturers. The sedan is considered the most conservative (classic) and prestigious body type. The sedan is very popular on our roads, where "prestige is everything", and cars are divided into sedans and non-sedans.
A convertible is a coupe with a "soft" tarpaulin roof that folds behind the rear seats and rises if necessary
But the soft top did not allow the car to be used all year round, so in the late 90s, a new version of the open body - the coupe-convertible - began to gain popularity. At first glance, this is an ordinary coupe, but once you press the desired button, the hard metal roof rises and neatly folds into the trunk, turning the coupe into a convertible.
A two-seater convertible (without a second row of seats) is called a roadster (for example).
Pickup
A pickup truck is a body with an open cargo area, separated from the passenger compartment by a rigid partition. Simply put, this is a miniature copy of a regular truck. Most pickups are built on the same platform as SUVs and have good cross-country ability. Both in our country and throughout Europe, pickups are not very popular, but in the USA they are crazy about them.
Liberals
The two-volume body does not have a protruding trunk, and its lid opens only with the glass and is considered another door.
Two-volume bodies include hatchbacks, station wagons, as well as crossovers and SUVs created on their basis. Two-volume bodies are distinguished by the most spacious luggage racks (station wagons) and compact sizes (hatchbacks).
Hatchback, station wagon
The introduction of the body as a load-bearing part of a passenger car made it possible to significantly expand the number of body types. But among all the variety of body types, there are the most popular among motorists. The sedan is the leader among the types of load-bearing part, but recently it has been competing with a hatchback body. Each of them has its own differences, as well as positive and negative aspects. We will try to figure out what are the features of the sedan and hatchback bodies, as well as what their advantages and disadvantages are.
Sedan
Classic hatchback and sedan
The main difference of the sedan is the three-volume layout, in which the structure is divided into three parts - the engine compartment, the passenger compartment and the luggage compartment. These parts are separated from each other by partitions, which makes each body volume separate from the other. As for the number of doorways, this type of door body can have either two or four.
As the automotive industry developed, different versions of sedans were produced, with certain features in the body structure. The main types of sedan bodies are:
- classical;
- hardtop;
Video: Which is better, a sedan or a hatchback?
The difference between the classic sedan is approximately the same overall dimensions of the engine and luggage compartments. Over time, in order to reduce the parameters of a car, which the "classics" usually had significant, the length of the luggage compartment began to be reduced, while increasing its height to compensate for the useful volume. Ultimately, this led to the formation of a wedge-shaped body shape that all modern sedans now have. There are a lot of representatives of classic sedans, since this type of body is the most popular. Examples in the domestic automotive industry are all "classic" VAZ models (except for the VAZ-2102 and 2104 station wagons), VAZ-21099, 2110, 2115, all Volga models.
From foreign auto representatives of sedans are Toyota Corolla, Mitsubishi Lancer, BMW 5th, 7th series. In general, sedan cars are produced by almost all car manufacturers.
Mercedes-Benz CL-class hardtop
A feature of the "hardtop" body was the absence of the central pillars of the salon compartment. If in the classic version the front and rear doors were separated by a pillar that stretched from the floor to the roof, then it was removed from the hardtop. In this case, usually the doors did not have glass frames, or they were retractable along with the glass into the door. Cars with a “sedan-hardtop” body did not find much popularity, and now they are practically not produced. A striking representative of cars in this body is the Chevrolet Impala and Cadillac de Ville Hardtop.
It is noteworthy that two-door versions of "hardtops" are still found, but most of them are classified as "coupes".
The body of the "fastback" differed from the "classics" and "hardtop" by the third compartment very weakly expressed in the silhouette of the car - the trunk. This was achieved thanks to a very smooth transition from the roof of the car to the rear. In this case, the luggage compartment, although it was separate, but outwardly it was, as it were, integrated into the interior. The representative of the car with this body is GAZ Pobeda.
In the modern automotive industry, there is another type of body - "liftback", which is a transitional model between a sedan and a hatchback. Its main difference lies in the fact that outwardly there is a pronounced luggage compartment, but the body itself is two-volume and the luggage compartment is located inside the cabin. Of the modern cars produced in the liftback body, the Skoda Superb can be noted.
Of the positive qualities of cars in the sedan body, it is noted:
- a more presentable and solid look of the car;
- the presence of a separate trunk;
- faster heating of the passenger compartment in winter due to the small volume;
- better safety for passengers in a rear impact (the trunk acts as a buffer).
But there are also disadvantages, of which the most obvious are:
- the worst maneuverability of a car due to its large dimensions;
- complicated parking due to the worst feeling of the dimensions of the car;
- limited volume of the luggage compartment;
- less strength of the body due to the large rear overhang.
Video: Lesson 2 - car types, hatchback, sedan, station wagon, body types, SUV, crossover, SUV
Hatchback
Let's move on to hatchbacks. Its main distinguishing feature comes down to a two-volume layout, that is, there is only an engine compartment and a salon. Moreover, the latter combines both a place for passengers and a luggage compartment. If the sedan uses a special lid to access the trunk, then the hatchback is equipped with an additional tailgate. At the same time, it is generally accepted that hatchbacks include only cars with a sloping rear door. But there are also versions with a vertical position of the rear door (VAZ "Oka", Daewoo Matiz). Due to the presence of an additional door in the structure, the total number of hatchback cars is unpaired (3 or 5 doors).
This layout of the body made it possible to reduce the rear overhang and, as a result, the dimensions of the car itself. Moreover, it is the overhang that allows you to visually determine what type of body the body belongs to. For example, one of the main differences between a hatchback and a station wagon is the size of the rear overhang.
A variation of the hatchback is the liftback. The main difference between a liftback and a hatchback is the same overhang length, the first has a slightly larger overhang. Additionally, on some liftbacks, the luggage compartment may be slightly pronounced, which visually gives such a car the appearance of a sedan, but with a shortened trunk. And here the back door is the main difference from the sedan. For liftbacks, it is one-piece and includes the rear window. An example of such a liftback is ZAZ "Slavuta", in which the rear of the car visually has a trunk, but it is closed with a stepped rear door. In the already mentioned Skoda Superb, on some generations, a two-section tailgate is used - you can open only the part of the door that covers the trunk, or you can completely raise the door, along with the glass.
The advantages of hatchbacks are:
- the presence of sports notes in appearance;
- easy access to the trunk due to the large size of the rear door;
- the ability to transport oversized cargo (after folding the back row of the seat, which allows you to use part of the cabin as a luggage compartment);
- improved maneuverability of the car due to its smaller overall dimensions.
But the disadvantages of this type of body are also enough:
- increased noise in the cabin (a shelf separating the luggage compartment from the passenger compartment, a massive rear door, the cargo itself, since it is, in fact, located in the cabin and is separated only by the rear seat back and a shelf);
- when opening the rear door to the cargo compartment, air from the outside enters the passenger compartment (especially this drawback manifests itself in winter);
- the need for more time to warm up the cabin due to its increased size).
Representatives of hatchbacks are Toyota Yaris, Seat Leon, Nissan Micra, etc.
As you can see, each of the considered body types of passenger cars has its own both positive qualities and negative properties. When purchasing a car, everyone decides for himself which car suits him best.
It's strange, but every time I see a coupe, I think about the owner: "Dude, you're cool!". Even if we are talking about something absurdly shapeless, acidic and made in China. After all, the very fact that a person dared to buy such an unpractical, controversial and attention-grabbing car deserves respect. Here it is, the magic of a coupe - only the most indifferent citizen does not undertake to judge the owner of a coupe car, and its owners love this body precisely for the opportunity to attract the attention of the public. Which, by the way, are ready to put up with a whole range of disadvantages of such foppish cars:
Small cabin capacity;
Often small capacity of the trunk;
Wide heavy door, inconvenient in parking lots;
As a rule, the process of landing in a low cabin is inconvenient;
Often problems with spare parts.
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In the photo: Aston Martin DB5
What is a coupe anyway?
Speaking strictly in automotive science, a coupe is a car with a two-door body, with two full adult seats and a trunk separated from the passenger compartment. That is, in other words, a coupe is a two-door two-seater sedan or, as an option, a fastback. A full-fledged compartment can also have an additional pair of passenger seats - less often full-fledged, more often children (passenger formula 2 + 2). But in life, everything is much brighter and more interesting.
Miracles of popular classification
It is interesting that in the automotive world, as it were, there are several concepts of a coupe in and of themselves. First, the "popular" classification is the most comprehensive and widespread. Here, a coupe is understood as almost any body with two passenger doors and a low silhouette. With this approach, even the cheapest version of the sedan - the Tudor, a two-door version with a basic engine and minimal equipment (for example, a two-door Opel Ascona C 1981-1988 with a 1.3-liter engine and a 4-speed "mechanics") is easily recorded into such a noble caste. ...
"People's" classifiers can only be confused by "Zaporozhets" - to classify this Tudor ridiculed in hundreds of anecdotes to the coupe caste language no longer turns. And not only the idle public is to blame for such a simplified approach, but also the automakers, who sometimes boldly hand out the name of the coupe to other types of cars.
Most often, wanting to increase the prestige of the model and focus on its sportiness, marketers of the brand can assign the Coupe index to the most real three-door hatchback (for example, Renault Megane Coupe or Lada 112 Coupe). Or completely upside down: a full-scale four-door sedan is awarded the title "four-door coupe" or coupe sedan.
In the photo: Lada 112 Coupe
There are few examples, but they are bright and memorable, such as, say, Mercedes CLS and CLA, Volkswagen Passat CC. Of course, the lowered roofline hints at enhanced sporting capabilities, but this is not yet a reason to break the classification canons.
In fact, the range of coupes is much narrower. The bulk of this community is, so to speak, fashion cars, in contrast to sports, which will be discussed below. One way or another, a mass coupe is a car that should show with all its appearance: "My owner is an extraordinary person. He is an advanced guy, do you understand?"
Anatomy of a real coupe
But to be honest, such cars most often differ from a serial mass product only in price and appearance, while the technical filling is similar to the most ordinary family models. At the same time, coupes built on the basis of lower class sedans and hatchbacks usually have a sporty - or rather pseudo-sporty - look.
And yet, such cars are driven and driven a little brighter than the "family" prototypes, with which they share the same technical platform. The back seat of such pseudosport cars is present, but it is uncomfortable for adult riders. For example, to this day, such are the widespread Opel Calibra, based on the Vectra A chassis (1988), or the most common representative of this class on the roads of the CIS - Hyundai Tiburon / Coupe, akin to the Lantra / Elantra sedan.
In the photo: Hyundai Tiburon
Another subclass is less common - executive coupes. They are designed on a platform of high-class cars, almost always retain the architecture of a roomy and comfortable sedan, differing only in the length of the superstructure-cab and the number of doors. This is a real coupe with a three-volume body, an entirely comfortable rear seat and even a roomy trunk.
Compared to the basic executive sedans, such "two-doors" are equipped as richly as possible, equipped with the most powerful motors and, by reconfiguring the suspension for an active drive, they still leave a considerable share of comfort. Vivid examples are the Mercedes-Benz coupe on the chassis of the top S-Class sedans (CL-Class and S-Class Coupe), as well as the Cadillac Eldorado, Buick Riviera ...
In the photo: S-Class Coupe
Perhaps, one more group of one hundred percent coupes can be attributed to the same "representative" category - Gran Turismo cars. They are less comfortable and more sporty, because they are "sharpened" primarily for fast driving, and over long distances on highways. The boundaries of the classification of this class are traditionally blurred, but more often than others models Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Maserati appear in it.
And the most energetic in the "coupe" (or still compartment?) World are powerful sports models of elite brands Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini and a few others. In fact, they are natural coupes, but the paradox is that these road cars are just the least often associated with the type of body. They have earned their good name for their essence (driving performance) and not for their shape (body type).
But they really have only two doors, a salon designed for two adults and a maximum of two children. At the same time, the trunk is reliably separated from the passenger compartment: thanks to the mid- or rear-engined layout, it is often located in the front, and if at the rear, then the engine compartment can share it with people, just like in the mid-engined Porsche Cayman.
In the photo: Porsche Cayman
"Compartment" geography
Much of the above should have been written in the past tense, alas, the golden era of the coupe is over. Together with convertibles, roadsters and other romantic bodies in the sales rankings, they give way to practical crossovers, versatile vans and terrifying SUVs. But, despite the quantitative reduction, the coupe apologists continue to keep the quality bar high. Which, by the way, varied depending on the "regional" school.
Europe
In Europe, initially, a coupe was an indispensable attribute of a young aristocrat. In the pre-war period, a whole galaxy of fashionable ateliers dressed powerful chassis of different brands in stylish two-door bodies of piece work.
The masterpieces of French, Italian and other stylists were great, but their names will tell little to the modern motorist. Those exclusive models, large, roomy and well-equipped, were only available to a select few. However, a quarter of a century later, the Old World, which was rebuilt after the Second World War, received many democratic "two-doors".
Perhaps the leader in this matter in 1960-1970. was an Italian Fiat. Almost every model of his in all classes then had a version with a "coupe" body. Like the less numerous "two-door" cars of other brands, they did not differ particularly in driving performance, but they were interesting in appearance.
Such a mass character in the elite clan of "cars for egoists" did not last very long: in 1993, the same Fiat released a small model under the proud name Fiat Coupe, without any indexes, since at that time it was its only coupe.
In the photo: Fiat Coupe
The more stable brands are not the people's brands that produce expensive cars: BMW, Mercedes-Benz and the like have not abandoned their coupes - right up to the present day. From time to time, medium-sized automakers "shot" something bright: Ford Capri, Opel GT, Renault Alpine, etc., but these shots, as a rule, remained "single".
America
America's path, as usual, was special - its coupes, with rare exceptions, were large and, as a rule, had little to do with sports. Officially, the main features are: two doors, a separate trunk and a rear compartment volume limited by SAE standards (no more than 0.93 cubic meters).
Automobiles of this type were very suitable for individualistic Americans, because they rarely drive with a full interior. In the 1950s, several coupes with different rear roof architecture and interior layout options appeared in the production program of each local brand at once.
In the photo: Plymouth Fury
In the 1960s, the era of muscle cars came, many of which were coupes, although Americans more often referred to them in their own way as fastbacks. Their power and dynamic performance was really impressive, but the handling was worse. The oil crisis, environmental restrictions and general negative trends in the American auto industry have significantly reduced the number of coupes in the New World.
Inexpensive emotional "two-doors" disappeared as a class, and large luxury coupes like the aforementioned Buick Riviera (up to 1999) and Cadillac Eldorado (up to 2002) did not remain in the production programs of overseas corporations.
In the photo: Cadillac Eldorado
Currently, only one "American branch" is more or less prominently represented - two-seater sports cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette and Dodge Viper, which, due to their exclusivity, are not widespread. There are also new generation muscle cars:, and.
Japan
The Japanese, with their solid approach, if not "fanaticism", have left a bright mark in the history of cars with a coupe body. By the early 1970s, once the Land of the Rising Sun auto industry had matured enough, it had embarked on an exciting and lucrative marketing game called "Coupes are cool!"
In the photo: Toyota Carina 1974
In 1980-90. production programs of only Mitsubishi (Exlipse, 3000GT), Nissan (100 NX, 200SX, 300ZX) and Toyota (MR2, Celica, Supra) simultaneously included several sports coupes of different classes. Moreover, the cars were predominantly sporty, not only in appearance, but really could bring pleasure from driving.
In the photo: Nissan 300zx
Several generations of Nissan Silvia and Skyline coupes, built on the chassis of conventional cars, have become iconic. Toyota has even managed to produce a "charged" version of the GT-Four with four-wheel drive, a special suspension and turbocharging for several generations even for the mass mid-size Celica.
The number of cars on our roads is constantly growing. Manufacturers, trying to please all customers, improve not only the "filling", interior, design of the car, but also the body. For our comfort, they try to combine several structures in one type of body at once, from which there are more varieties, and they are so similar to each other. But you can distinguish them, and we will help you figure it out in this.
The most common body types in our strip are sedan, hatchback, station wagon, crossover, SUV. Coupe, minivan, compact van, pickup are less common.
Sedan
Sedan is the most popular body type among passenger cars in our country. It is a three-volume body with four doors and a separate luggage compartment. Average ground clearance will allow you to travel both in the city and on the highway. The disadvantage is the small trunk, which is quite limited in height. The price of sedans varies greatly. From a huge selection, you can choose a sedan of both B class and E class, it all depends on your preferences and financial capabilities.
Examples of cars with sedan body type
The coupe is also a three-volume body, the main difference from the sedan is the number of doors: the coupe has two of them. The design is more understated, sporty, and therefore more powerful. Due to the fact that the two are only two, they are slightly larger than the sedan, which adds a comfortable seating position for the driver. Of the minuses, in addition to the lacking luggage compartment, one can note the inconvenient entry of second-row passengers. This type of body is suitable for trips of one passenger, and transportation of bulky items is not planned.
Examples of cars with a coupe body type
Hatchback 3 and 5 doors
The hatchback is a two-volume type of body that differs from the sedan in the volume of the boot: it is smaller, but the tailgate starts from the roof, which will allow you to carry tall items, and the folding second row of seats will increase the luggage space. Suitable for purchase by novice drivers, as the first car, because this type of body is small, very maneuverable, and ideal for the urban jungle. The main drawback is the low power, and in the three door variants - the uncomfortable landing of the passengers in the second row of seats.
Examples of passenger cars with a hatchback body type
A type of hatchback is a liftback. This body type has a distinctive feature in the form of a small step on the fifth door (liftback). The trunk is connected to the rear window and opens with it. But outwardly, the liftback resembles a sedan and is often confused with it due to the protrusion on the luggage compartment lid.
Station wagon
A station wagon is a two-volume type of a car body with an increased luggage compartment compared to a sedan. The passenger compartment and luggage compartment are connected and the roof extends to the tailgate. This is an advantage when choosing a family car: all family members will comfortably fit in the cabin, and all the cargo will fit in the luggage compartment.
Example of a station wagon body type
You can clearly understand the differences between a hatchback, a sedan and a station wagon using the example of a car. The picture clearly shows the difference between body types from one to the other.
Crossover
Crossover is a two-volume body type. This is something between an SUV and a station wagon, or less often a hatchback, combining the advantages and disadvantages of these different classes. The crossover differs from the hatchback by a higher ground clearance and, accordingly, increased cross-country ability, and it does not reach the jeeps due to the lower power and sometimes the presence of monodrive. The crossover is a fairly popular car on our roads. It feels the confidence of an SUV, the economy of a station wagon and the comfort of both driver and passengers, whether you are carrying luggage or not. To meet customer demand, manufacturers began to produce simplified all-wheel drive systems and produce single-drive crossover models. They are used only in urban conditions, and off-road cross-country ability is practically no better than that of station wagons, which is why the expression "parquet SUV" or, for short, "SUV" began to appear among the people. Now this term is often used for all models with a crossover body type, without taking into account the real parameters of cross-country ability.
Examples of cars with crossover body type
SUV or Jeep
An SUV is also a two-volume body type, and as mentioned just above, it is a car with a high-rise degree of cross-country ability. How to distinguish an SUV externally from another type of car body? An SUV is an all-wheel drive vehicle with a frame body and high ground clearance (over 200 mm) and large wheels. Since this car was created for off-road travel, it is distinguished by high power, and, accordingly, high fuel consumption. Therefore, one of the disadvantages can be noted: high cost (both the purchase and the cost of spare parts, refueling). This type of body is perfect for fans of extreme types of recreation, solving the complex tasks of the Russian off-road, or it can take a snowmobile, ATV, or jet ski, and for city dwellers, an SUV will be a prestigious and reliable car, but it will not be able to unleash its full potential.
Examples of SUVs
Pickup
There are also SUVs with a closed driver's cab and a large open luggage compartment. This body type is called a pickup truck. A pickup truck is a two- or four-door all-wheel drive (less often rear-wheel drive) SUV with 1 or 2 rows of seats arranged in a 2, 2 + 1, 2 + 2, 2 + 3 pattern, outwardly resembling a small truck. The main advantage of this car is the luggage compartment, which is unlimited in height. The cargo platform has a tailgate and a soft top can be installed (with a hard top, the pickup turns into a van). A pickup truck is purchased by people whose occupation is associated with small-scale cargo transportation, as well as people living outside the city, because it is a pleasure to transfer a dozen bags of crops on a pickup truck.
Some models with a pickup body type
There are also one-volume body types. These include buses of various sizes: minivan (mandatory presence of the third row of seats, sliding side doors, length of at least 4.5 m), compact van (reduced version of minivan - length 4.2-4.5 m) and microbeds (enlarged copy of the station wagon , length up to 4.2 m).
