Strange thing, 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, acid-colored and made in China. After all, the very fact that a person dared to buy such an unpractical, ambiguous 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 it is precisely for the opportunity to attract the eyes of the public that its owners love this body. Which, by the way, are ready to put up with a whole range of shortcomings of such foppish cars:
Small interior capacity;
Often a small capacity of the trunk;
Wide heavy door, inconvenient in parking lots;
As a rule, an inconvenient process of landing in a low cabin;
Often problems with spare parts.
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Pictured: 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-fledged adult seats and a trunk separated from the passenger compartment. That is, in other words, a coupe is a two-door double sedan or, as an option, a fastback. A full-fledged coupe can also have an additional pair of passenger seats - less often full-fledged, more often children's (passenger formula 2 + 2). But in life everything is much brighter and more interesting.
Miracles of folk classification
Interestingly, in automotive world as if by themselves there are several concepts of the coupe. First, the "folk" classification is the most comprehensive and broad. Here, a coupe means almost any body with two passenger doors and a low silhouette. With such an approach, even the most cheap version sedan - Tudor, two-door version with a base engine and minimal equipment (for example, like a two-door Opel Ascona C 1981-1988 with a 1.3 liter engine and a 4-speed "mechanics").
"People's" classifiers can only be confused by the "Zaporozhets" - to classify this Tudor ridiculed in hundreds of jokes as a coupe caste is no longer the language. And not only the idle public is to blame for such a simplified approach, but also automakers, who sometimes boldly give out the name of a coupe to other types of cars.
Most often, wanting to increase the prestige of the model and focus on its sportiness, brand marketers can assign the Coupe index to the 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 of "four-door coupe" or sedan-coupe.
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 a reason to break the canons of classification.
In fact, the circle of coupes is much narrower. The bulk of this community is made up of, so to speak, fashion cars, in contrast to sports cars, 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 mass-produced mass product only in price and appearance, while the technical stuffing is similar to the most ordinary family models. At the same time, coupes built on the basis of sedans and hatchbacks of a lower class usually have a sporty - or rather pseudo-sporty - look.
And yet, such cars drive and manage a little brighter than the "family" prototypes, with which they share the same technical platform. The back seat of such pseudo-sport cars is present, but it is not very comfortable for adult riders. For example, such are the widespread Opel Calibra to this day, based on the Vectra A chassis (1988) or the most common representative of this class on the roads of the CIS - Hyundai Tiburon / Coupe, related to the Lantra / Elantra sedan.
In the photo: Hyundai Tiburon
Another subclass is less common - executive coupes. They are designed on the platform of high-class cars, almost always retain the architecture of a roomy and comfortable sedan, differing only in the length of the superstructure-cabin and the number of doors. These are real coupes with a three-volume body, a fully 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 engines and, reconfiguring the suspension for active drive, still leave it 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 Cadillac Eldorado, Buick Riviera...
In the photo: S-Class Coupe
Perhaps, another group of 100% 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 for long distances on highways. The boundaries of the classification of this class are traditionally blurred, but more often than others, Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Maserati models appear in it.
And the most energetic in the "coupe" (or is it still a compartment?) world - 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 likely to be associated with body type. They have earned their good name for their essence (driving characteristics), and not for their shape (body type).
But they really have only two doors, designed for two adults and a maximum of two children salon. At the same time, the trunk is reliably separated from the passenger compartment: due to the mid- or rear-engine layout, it is often located in front, and if in the back, then no more, no less can share it with people engine compartment, like a 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 behind us. Together with convertibles, roadsters and other romantic bodies in the sales rankings, they give way to practical crossovers, versatile vans and awesome SUVs. But, despite the quantitative reduction, coupe apologist companies continue to maintain a high standard of quality. Which, by the way, varied depending on the "regional" school.
Europe
In Europe, originally a coupe car was an indispensable attribute of a young aristocrat. In the pre-war period, a whole galaxy of fashion ateliers dressed powerful chassis of various brands in stylish two-door bodywork.
The masterpieces of French, Italian and other stylists were great, but their names will say little to the modern motorist. Those exclusive models, large, roomy and well-equipped, were available only to a select few. However, a quarter of a century later, the Old World, which was rebuilt after World War II, received many democratic "two-doors".
Perhaps the leader in this matter in 1960-1970. was an Italian Fiat. Almost every of his models in all classes then had a variant with a coupe body. Like the less numerous "two-doors" of other brands, they did not differ much driving performance, but were interesting externally.
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
Far from popular brands that produce expensive cars: BMW, Mercedes-Benz and the like have not abandoned their coupes - until today. From time to time, mid-range automakers "shot" with 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 visual features are: two doors, a separate trunk and a rear compartment volume limited by SAE standards (no more than 0.93 cubic meters).
Individual Americans were very suitable for cars of this type, because with full cabin they travel very infrequently. In the 1950s, several coupes appeared in the production program of each brand there at once, with different rear roof architecture and interior layout options.
Pictured: Plymouth Fury
In the 1960s came the era of muscle cars, many of which were coupes, although Americans often referred to them in their own way as fastbacks. Their power and dynamic performance was really impressive, but things were worse with handling. 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, did not remain in the production programs of overseas corporations and large luxury coupes such as the Buick Riviera (until 1999) and Cadillac Eldorado (until 2002) already mentioned above.
Pictured: Cadillac Eldorado
Currently, only one "American branch" is more or less noticeably represented - two-seater sports cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette and Dodge Viper, which, due to their exclusivity, are not very common. There are muscle cars new generation: , and .
Japan
The Japanese, with their thorough approach, if not to say "fanaticism", left a bright mark on the history of coupe cars. By the early 1970s, once the auto industry in the Land of the Rising Sun was strong enough, he was involved in an exciting and profitable marketing game called "Coupe is cool!".
In the photo: Toyota Carina 1974
In 1980-90s. only Mitsubishi (Exlipse, 3000GT), Nissan (100 NX, 200SX, 300ZX) and Toyota (MR2, Сelica, Supra) production programs simultaneously included several sports coupes of different classes. Moreover, predominantly sports cars were not only outwardly, but could really give driving pleasure.
Pictured: Nissan 300zx
The Nissan Silvia and Skyline coupes of several generations, built on the chassis of ordinary cars, have become iconic. Toyota even managed to produce a “charged” version of the GT-Four with all-wheel drive, special suspension and turbocharging.
The introduction of the body as a supporting part of a passenger car made it possible to significantly expand the number of body types. But among the whole variety of body types, there are the most popular among motorists. The leader among the types of the bearing part is the sedan, but recently it has been competing with the hatchback body. Each of them has its own differences, as well as positive and negative sides. We will try to figure out what are the features of sedan and hatchback bodies, as well as what are their advantages and disadvantages.
Sedan
Classic hatchback and sedan
The main difference between the sedan is a three-volume layout, in which the design is divided into three parts - the engine compartment, passenger compartment and luggage compartment. Between themselves, these parts are separated by partitions, which makes each volume of the body separated 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 that had certain features in the body structure. The main types of body type "sedan" are:
- classical;
- hardtop;
Video: Which is better, a sedan or a hatchback?
The difference between a classic sedan is approximately the same dimensions engine and luggage compartments. Over time, in order to reduce the parameters of the car, which were usually significant for the "classics", the length of the luggage compartment began to be reduced, while increasing its height to compensate for the usable volume. Ultimately, this led to the formation of a wedge-shaped body, which now have all modern sedans. There are a lot of representatives of classic sedans, since this body type is the most popular. Examples in the domestic automotive industry are all the "classic" VAZ models (except for the VAZ-2102 and 2104 station wagons), VAZ-21099, 2110, 2115, all Volga models.
Of foreign cars, representatives of sedans are Toyota Corolla, Mitsubishi Lancer, BMW 5th, 7th series. In general, sedan cars are produced by almost all automakers.
Mercedes-Benz CL-class hardtop
A feature of the "hardtop" body was the absence of the central pillars of the saloon compartment. If in the classic version the front and rear doors were separated by a rack stretching 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 hardtop sedan body have not been found to be particularly popular, 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 "coupe".
The “fastback” body differed from the “classic” and “hardtop” by a very weakly expressed third compartment 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. At the same time, the luggage compartment, although it was separate, outwardly it was, as it were, integrated into the cabin. The representative of the car with this body is GAZ Pobeda.
In modern automotive industry, there is another body type - "liftback", which is a transitional model between a sedan and a hatchback. Its main difference is hidden 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. From modern cars, produced in a liftback body, can be noted Skoda Superb.
Of the positive qualities of cars in the sedan body, it is noted:
- more presentable and solid appearance of the car;
- the presence of a separate trunk;
- more fast warm-up interior 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:
- worse maneuverability of a car due to large dimensions;
- complicated parking due to the worst feeling of the dimensions of the car;
- limited luggage space;
- lower body strength 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 is reduced to a two-volume layout, that is, there is only an engine compartment and a passenger compartment. Moreover, the latter combines both a place for passengers and a luggage compartment. If the sedan uses a special cover to access the trunk, then the hatchback is equipped with an additional rear door. At the same time, it is generally accepted that only cars with a sloping rear door belong to hatchbacks. But there are also versions with a vertical position. back door(VAZ "Oka", Daewoo Matiz). Due to the presence of an additional door in the design, their total number in hatchback cars is unpaired (3 or 5 doors).
This body layout 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 the body belongs to. For example, one of the main differences between a hatchback and a station wagon is precisely the size of the rear overhang.
A type of hatchback is a liftback. The main difference between a liftback and a hatchback is the same overhang length, the former has a slightly larger one. 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 main difference from the sedan is the back door. For liftbacks, it is one-piece and includes rear glass. 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. The already mentioned Skoda Superb on some generations uses a two-section rear door - you can open only part of the door that closes the trunk, or completely raise the door, along with glass.
The advantages of hatchbacks are:
- the presence of sports notes in appearance;
- easy access to the trunk due to the large dimensions of the rear door;
- the possibility of transporting oversized cargo (after folding the rear row of seats, which allows you to use part of the cabin as a luggage compartment);
- improved maneuverability of the car due to smaller overall dimensions.
But there are also enough disadvantages for this type of body:
- increased noise in the cabin (can give 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 back rear seat and shelf);
- when opening the back door to the cargo department, air from the outside also enters the cabin (this drawback is especially evident in winter);
- the need for more time to warm up the cabin due to its increased size).
Hatchback representatives are - Toyota Yaris, Seat Leon, Nissan Micra and etc.
As you can see, each of the considered body types cars has its own positive qualities, so negative properties. When purchasing a car, everyone decides for himself which car suits him best.
The number of vehicle body types has almost doubled in the last 15 years. Manufacturers are increasingly trying to combine several body types in one car at once. Distinguishing one option from another is becoming increasingly difficult, but we will do it anyway.
To begin with, we 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 bodies are among the least versatile bodies due to the limited possibility of transforming the interior and trunk. This group includes sedans, coupes, convertibles and pickups.
sedan, coupe
The brightest representative of a three-volume body is a sedan, which is present in model range almost all manufacturers. The sedan is considered the most conservative (classic) and prestigious body type. The sedan has a huge popularity on our roads, where "prestige is everything", and cars are divided into sedans and non-sedans.
A convertible is a coupe with a "soft" canopy 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 it began to gain popularity. new version open body - coupe-cabriolet. At first glance, this is an ordinary coupe, but it is necessary to press the right button, and the hard metal roof rises and neatly folds into the trunk, turning the coupe into a convertible.
A double 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 reduced copy of an ordinary truck. Most pickups are built on the same platform as SUVs and have good cross-country ability. Both here and throughout Europe, pickup trucks 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 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 capacious trunks (station wagons) and compact dimensions (hatchbacks).
Hatchback, station wagon
No, not that a coupe is a two-seat car, and, of course, not that a coupe has only two doors, and a sedan has four. No headlights, no turn signals, no fog lights, no grilles, and much more is the real difference between a sedan and a coupe. Everything is much easier.
Many motorists find it difficult to determine the body type, especially when determining whether it is a sedan or a coupe. It is traditionally believed that a coupe has only two doors, and a sedan with four. But in fact, there are both four-door coupes and two-door sedans, so the differences between them may not be so obvious.
The difference between these two body types is not in the number of doors or in the shape of the body, but in the amount of interior space.
There are certain standards according to which a coupe is a car with a rear seat space of less than 0.93 cubic meters. Accordingly, a sedan is a car with rear passenger space equal to or greater than 0.94 cubic meters. Therefore, two-door cars with a rear seat volume of more than 0.94 cubic meters are two-door sedans, but they are sold very often as coupes. This is done in order to focus on the sportiness of the car and means for the most part not technical features and the characteristics of the machine, but the place that it occupies in the market and the set of qualities that consumers need. This is a common marketing ploy that sellers use in order to attract the attention of buyers. This causes confusion among the owners of such machines.
In fact, when deciding on a car purchase, it is not the most important thing to pay attention to how it is called. Comfort plays a big role specifications, main functions. For some, the determining factor may be appearance, and for some, the price.
Now let's talk about body types, because from this important parameter depends not only on the cost and prestige of the car, but also on comfort and even safety.
The most popular car body types:
- sedan
- hatchback
- SUV
- station wagon
- minivan.
There are also body types such as liftback, limousine, pickup truck, van, convertible, roadster.
Let's look at the presented types in more detail.
Sedan
Such a car has a protruding hood and trunk, separated from the passenger compartment and with a separate door.
The sedan may have an extended wheelbase- in this case, the sedan belongs to premium cars and has the letter L in its name, from long- long.
The sedan is the most common and popular body type worldwide. This is a classic and prestigious body, which does not lose its popularity in Belarus.
hatchback
The second place in popularity of the body is occupied by hatchback cars. Their main difference from the sedan is the lack of a protruding trunk. This role in the "truncated" rear of the car is performed by a luggage niche, which is closed by a massive rear door.
The reason for the popularity of hatchbacks in Europe is their compact dimensions and maneuverability. There is also a special type of this type of body - liftbacks. In liftbacks, there is a trunk lid, but it opens along with the rear window.
coupe
Usually a coupe (from the French "couper" - cut off) is created by companies that produce powerful sports cars. A bright representative of this type of body is the Porsche 911. As a rule, a coupe car is designed for two passengers, has two doors and a structurally separated trunk. The rear roof of the coupe has a sloping shape, and the body itself is “pressed” to the ground, which allows you to achieve a sporty style.
A separate type of coupe is cabriolet- instead of a hard top in a convertible, a "soft" folding roof-tent, which rises and folds as needed.
A convertible designed exclusively for two people - a driver and a passenger, is called roadster.
station wagon
Station wagon - a compromise between a car and a truck. These are cars created on the basis of hatchbacks with an elongated body and a large amount of luggage. Passenger seats in station wagons fold and retract, significantly increasing the car's space and cargo capacity. Station wagon can have 3 or 5 doors.
SUV
SUV or SUV - Sport Utility Vehicle- vehicle type cross-country ability and enlarged ground clearance. The SUV (jeep) is characterized by impressive dimensions, all-wheel drive and a reduction gear. In fact, an SUV is an all-rounder suitable for off-road use. Often an SUV has a frame body.
Separately, one can distinguish crossovers, or "SUVs" - this is how cars are often called, the running properties of which do not allow them to be classified as a "real" SUV. The crossover combines the properties of a jeep and a station wagon (hatchback), it is more modest in size compared to an SUV, and its ground clearance is less. Recently, the popularity of crossovers has been growing rapidly.
Minivan
The main difference between the minivan is the presence of a third row of seats, as well as an impressive length. Often minivans are equipped with sliding doors. Minivans are designed to carry passengers. The cabin of the minivan fits seven people.
Van-based minivans received a separate name - minibuses. They can accommodate up to 16 people.
Volkswagen Touran
Pickup
Pickup truck is light in weight freight car with an open cargo area at the back. Pickup trucks are especially popular in the USA.
