What is the body of the car called? How to distinguish car bodies

15.06.2019

Body

Classification cars based on body type overall dimensions and cannot claim to be unique. Despite the clear principles, confusion in the names exists.

The most obvious criterion for the classification of body types is the spatial composition, a combination of three volumes: the passenger compartment, engine and luggage compartment. The presence of a roof and a central pillar, the number of seats and doors are also important.

Types of body structures

Closed bodies are called bodies with a fixed roof. There are nine main types in this group.

	- three-volume passenger body with two or three rows of seats, two, four or six side doors.
	- two-volume or three-volume passenger body with two side doors and two rows of seats. The back row may have cramped seating dimensions.
	- a two-volume or three-volume passenger body without a central side pillar, with two (hardtop coupe) or four (hardtop sedan) side doors and two rows of seats.
	- a two-volume passenger body with a roof smoothly descending back. The trunk lid starts from the lower edge of the rear window. Bodies of this type were common in the thirties of the last century. Currently, they are practically not used.
	COMBI(hatchback) - a two-volume cargo-passenger body with a roof smoothly descending back and a large back door. The rear row of seats and the shelf behind them, as a rule, can be folded, increasing the usable volume of the cargo compartment. A liftback can be seen as a kind of hatchback, which differs in the shape of the rear end, made like a sedan, only much shorter.
	- a two-volume cargo-passenger body with a door in the rear wall of the body, having a permanent cargo space not separated from the passenger compartment by a stationary partition.
	- a three-volume passenger body with four to six side doors, having a partition behind the front row of seats. With a three-row interior layout, the second row of seats is either foldable or turned back in the direction of travel.
	- two-volume cargo-passenger body with one or two rows of seats. Side doors - two or three. One of them is designed for access to the cargo compartment, separated from the driver's seat by a stationary partition. In the back of the body is another door. The part of the body reserved for the cargo space may be higher than the cab.
	SINGLE-VOLUME(wagon) - a one-volume cargo-passenger body. As a rule, the center of the steering wheel is in front of the front axle of the car.
	- a passenger body without a roof with one row of seats and two side doors. In some designs, side doors may be absent. The windshield is minimal in height, folding or may not be installed at all.
	ROADSTER(spider) - a passenger double body with a folding cab top. There are options with two rows of seats (2 + 2) and a removable hard top.

Passenger cars without a roof, with a folding top or a removable hard top are called open. This group includes four types of bodies.

	- a passenger body with a folding top and lowering side windows. Modifications are possible: cabriolet limousine - with a partition behind the first row of seats, cabriolet - with a retractable pillar between the side windows.
	- passenger body with folding top and removable side windows.
	- a passenger body with a folding or removable part of the roof over the front row of seats. Has four or six side doors.

Cars with a partially folding or partially removable top are called combined. These include four body types.

	- a passenger body with a folding or removable part of the roof over the rear row of seats. A smaller version with a back seat for two is called a landaulet.
	- a coupe-type passenger body with a folding or removable part of the roof over the first row of seats.
	PICKUP - a cargo-passenger body with a closed cabin for the driver and passengers and an open platform for cargo. The cabin can be single or double row. cargo platform has a folding tailgate, soft or hard top.

The above classification by body type is understandable and quite simple, but cannot be considered universal, if only because in other countries these types of bodies may have their own names.

All at a glance or body types of cars in modern world. The article will be of interest to the category of persons without specific age limit, since both small and old sometimes can’t really answer the question about the types of car bodies. Most can give as an example the most common 2, 3 types, but no more. But the purchase of a car in the future, or rather its appearance, may depend on this. To date, there are 15 varieties, and only less than half are actively used.

In order to broaden our horizons, in our article today we will carefully consider each of the types.

Classification of bodies by parameters

Types of passenger car bodies primarily differ in shape, functionality, passenger capacity, and comfort.

Criteria:

Scope of destination;
Design;
Functionality;
Load capacity.

Frame type: Frameless and semi-framed.
By layout:

One-volume: the common space is shared by the engine, passengers, luggage;
Two-volume: - passengers, luggage in the cabin, and the engine under the hood;
Three-volume: - passengers in the cabin, the engine under the hood, and luggage in the luggage compartment.

According to the degree of loading:

bearing - various loads are acceptable;
semi-supporting - loads only on the frame;
unloaded - only the cargo and the weight of the passengers themselves.

Body types

Sedan: we started with the most popular and demanded type with 2 rows of seats, with 2 and 4 door compartments. For example, VAZ, GAZ, ZAZ, Volvo, BMW;
Wagon: practically the same sedan, just add a body at the rear at the level of the rear bumper and install a sunroof. VAZ, GAZ -24, Mercedes-Benz, Ford. They can be produced with both two and three rows of seats, very convenient and practical for transportation. oversized cargo or a large number passengers. Cost by 10-12% more expensive than a sedan. For the first time, the station wagon was talked about in the West in 1930 by the Ford company. Until now, cars of this type are consistently sold in the United States.
Van: the same station wagon, only without windows and doors, only the rear ones. As an example, "Moskvich" from the times of the USSR or "Dodge" in the USA. The car has a clear purpose - the transportation of goods in accordance with its carrying capacity. As a rule, it is no more than 500–700 kg. maximum;
Hatchback: with the advent of this type the whole story is connected. Some were satisfied with the station wagon version, while others were sedan, but it was not possible to translate it into one. For the first time, engineers have made this dream a reality in the Reno 16 model. In this way, the car ceased to resemble a cargo version and became more attractive, although in fact cargo purpose so it remains. Behind a small body kit, luggage compartment disappeared altogether, a hatch appeared. Modern options available in both 3-door and 5-door versions. Example, vases "eight", "nine";
Coupe: popularly known as "2/2". I mean parents and two kids. Since there is plenty of space in front, and a little beveled in the back, so that an adult of average build will feel uncomfortable. These cars are less intended for families, they are required to show the status and prestige of their owner and his choice in terms of car. Age category up to 30 or 50 and above. bright representative can serve as a "Mustang" in the US, except for other artisanal homemade products.
Phaeton: similar to a coupe, the only difference is that there are no windows at the rear and the roof folds. The model is a little outdated and smells of old fashioned, but, nevertheless, adherents remained. Very popular in the USA in the 19th century. To protect against the weather, various lapels made of waterproof material were used.
Roadster: also a coupe prototype, only one row of seats and a convertible top. Demanded in countries with a hot climate.
Cabriolet: prototype "Phaeton" only now the windows rise and are available, the roof is folding. Bright representative of "Victory". Agree strength. Sometimes the uninformed confuse a roadster with a convertible;
Limousine: a sedan with many rows of seats, at least 2 and a glass movable partition between the driver and an important person. ZIM, ZIS,
Mercedes. Differ in non-standard dimensions;
Brougham: to date, production has already been discontinued, but occasionally it can be found on the closed part of the roof for the rear row of passengers and open for the front;
Landau: analogue of Brogam, only the opposite is true. Sometimes called a pleasure carriage;
Targa: also very rare and is an open removable middle part with a solid back. Something reminiscent of Porsche - 911;
Pickup: something between a car and a truck. There they cut it out, and there they finished it. Moskvich, until they stopped producing Dodge, RAM in the West. Especially loved by young people and farmers;
Minivan: or wagon with cross-country ability. Combines the transportation of luggage and passengers. There is good comfort and convenience. often the class is used as a fixed-route taxi;
Hartop: a model that did not take root all over the world, as it could not meet safety requirements. On the side, when the windows were lowered, the frame was also lowered, there was no rigidity, when it rolled over, the body crumpled like a cake;
Combi: the European name for a limousine, translated as a sedan with an additional door;
Crossover: SUV but baby,

Body types

Closed

Sedan: the most common body type, can be two- or four-door. Distinctive feature- the presence of two rows of full-size (that is, suitable for a fairly comfortable accommodation of adults) seats and the absence of a door in the rear wall. Representative - VAZ-2101.
- Including - two-door sedan, or (obsolete) Tudor: it differs from the coupe in full-fledged two rows of seats and a normal (like a four-door sedan) base. The representative is a two-door Zaporozhets.
station wagon: usually a two-box, five- or less commonly three-door cargo-passenger body based on a sedan with a door in the tailgate, rear overhang like a sedan or longer. Representatives - VAZ-2104, GAZ-22.
hatchback: usually, a two-volume cargo-passenger body, with three or five doors, is related to the station wagon, but differs in a shorter length of the rear overhang, respectively, less carrying capacity. Representatives - VAZ-2109, Moskvich-2141.
coupe: two-door three-volume body, with one row of seats, or with a rear seat of limited capacity (for children, or for a brief, uncomfortable accommodation of adult passengers); often with a pronounced sporty look, but there are also luxury (executive) coupes that provide maximum comfort to the driver and passenger on front seat. Representatives - Porsche 911, Cadillac Eldorado. Often the commercial name "coupe" is carried by cars with other bodies that have two side doors, for example, three-door hatchbacks.
Limousine: closed body passenger car upper class based on a sedan with an extended wheelbase and a partition behind the front seat. It should be distinguished from a simple long-wheelbase sedan without a partition.
Minivan: usually, one-volume, or two-volume with a half-bonnet layout, a body, an intermediate option between a station wagon and a minibus. Sometimes in the domestic literature it is called UPV (universal increased capacity). May have sliding doors for the second row of seats. Can be equipped with a third row of seats. Representative - Opel Combo, Fiat Doblo.
hardtop: not a separate type, but rather a design option for a sedan, coupe, station wagon and other bodies; a hardtop is usually devoid of a B-pillar and glass frames for better appearance, visibility and ventilation, which greatly reduces the rigidity of a hardtop body and has caused its rarity since the 1980s. The most common were hardtop modifications of sedans (both two- and four-door) and coupes.
town car: passenger car with a high roof. Typically, this type of body is used in taxis. Representative - MetroCab.
Combi: in German-speaking countries, this is the name of any body with a door in the rear wall, including station wagon, hatchback and liftback; in the USSR "Kombi" was called the car IZH-2125, which is very similar in type to the liftback.
liftback: hatchback with a long, like a sedan, rear overhang; it can have two volumes and a sloping roof like most hatchbacks, or three volumes (“Slavuta”).
fastback: refers to different types car bodies with a special sloping roof shape, smoothly, without a step, passing into the trunk lid.

open

Cabriolet: open car body, two- or four-door, usually with a soft or hard convertible roof, having lifting side windows; in the folded position, the roof is placed in the trunk or in the space between the trunk and passengers; Hardtop convertibles are often referred to as coupe cabriolets (English coupé cabriolet, Amer. English coupé convertible). Usually in the names of such cars there is a prefix "CC", for example, Peugeot 206 CC.
Roadster: foldable double bed soft top without lifting side windows; at present, such cars are not produced, and the term "roadster" is sometimes used as a commercial designation for sports two-seater convertibles; initially, the term did not imply any sportiness.
Phaeton: a four-door car body with a soft folding roof for five to six seats without side windows; at present, this is sometimes called the four-door convertibles of the highest class, like the ceremonial ZIL convertibles.
Landau: a car whose roof above the passengers is soft folding (Representative - 1929 Chevrolet International Series AC Imperial Landaulet) or hard removable.
Brougham: a type of passenger car body having a removable or retractable roof portion over the front row of seats. Also, this type of body is known as the "coupe de ville".
Targa: car body type of a passenger car, a type of sports 2-seater roadster with a rigidly fixed windshield, a tubular frame (roll bar) behind the seats, a removable roof and rear window(not always). (Representative, the first and one of the few - Porsche Targa).
Spider: open two-door car body. Unlike the roadster, the top edge windshield is located significantly below the eyes of the driver (more precisely, the pilot) or is absent altogether.

Cargo-passenger

Pickup: cargo-passenger body with an open platform, structurally and stylistically integrated with the cab (as opposed to trucks with a separate platform).
Van: cargo-passenger body with solid metal part bodies behind the passenger cabin; it is usually produced on the basis of a station wagon, or it is carried out on a truck chassis using a separate passenger cabin, body and fabric or metal awning; can also be made on the basis of a pickup truck.

"Volume" of the body

Volumetric… - component terms used in the classification of car body types by the number of volumes - monocab, one and a half volume, two-volume, three-volume.

The volume is determined by the number of clearly expressed geometric shapes (volumes, bulges), into which the silhouette of the car breaks up, if you look at it from the side.

The silhouette of a monocab is a convex or almost convex figure, while a sedan, as a rule, has three pronounced “bulges” - hood, interior, trunk.

An example of a two-volume can serve as a hatchback or station wagon with a pronounced hood, a one and a half-volume - a hatchback with a slightly pronounced, but still noticeably protruding hood on the silhouette.

Single-volume

Toyota Avensis Verso

One and a half volumes

Honda HRV

2-volume 3-volume

Links

Car body type on avtoavto.ru

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010 .

According to the body structure, they are divided into three-volume, two-volume and also one-volume.

Three-volume body

Three-volume car bodies are considered, which are divided into 3 compartments isolated from each other: the engine compartment, the passenger compartment and the luggage compartment.
A three-volume body is considered the safest and most comfortable, because with head-on collision or a rear impact, the impact energy is primarily taken over and absorbed by either the engine compartment or the luggage compartment, but not the passenger compartment.

Also, this body structure provides maximum comfort passengers, due to the fact that the passenger compartment is separated from the engine and luggage compartments, which receive noise from the engine, irregularities pavement and impacts on the wheels, which are transmitted inside the body through the fastening elements of the suspensions and the car engine, the smells of transported things and accessories.

The disadvantage of the design is the increased length of the car, due to which there are some difficulties during parking and maneuvering in places with a large traffic congestion.

Sedan- has a four or two-door body, in which there are 2 rows of seats and a hard top, designed to accommodate 4-5 people.
One of the versions says that the word came from the name of the French city of Sedan, where the manufacture of carriages was developed in the 19th century. Another version says that this is the English version of the name of the palanquin.

coupe- a two-door body, which has a rigid, lowered roof in the rear, has one or two rows of seats.
On the second row of seats, usually hand luggage but not people. Accommodates two people and has a shortened base. Translated from French coupé means to shorten, shorten.

Cabriolet- a sedan or coupe body, has two rows of seats, with a removable or folding roof.
The body looks spectacular, attracts a lot of attention, but is not practical. At one time, the production of convertibles was suspended due to a design mismatch with safety requirements. It is believed that the word comes from the Italian capriole, where capra is a goat.

Limousine- a sedan that has an elongated base and a hardtop, with more than two rows of seats.
The driver's seat is separated from the rest of the cabin by an installed rigid partition. It can have more than four doors, but differs the highest level comfort. The name comes from the Limousin region in France.

Pickup – Passenger car, which has an open or easy-to-open luggage compartment, which is located behind the passenger compartment.
In other words, a cargo version of a passenger car. Pick-up in English means to raise, open.

Van- almost peaks but with a closed luggage compartment. There are also three-dimensional and two-volume ones.
It comes from the French word fourgon - a closed wagon for carrying luggage.

Two-volume body

Double volume all cars have a body, in which the bodies are structurally divided into two compartments isolated from each other, engine and cargo-passenger.
Often such cars have an odd number of doors due to the presence of a rear opening door. The cargo compartment with the passenger compartment are united by one common compartment with all subsequent consequences.
This layout allows you to simply expand the volume if necessary. luggage compartment, but leads to a decrease in the level of comfort and safety, since the noise from rear suspension and third-party odors from luggage will come directly into the car, but things that are transported as cargo or luggage pose a real threat to passengers in the event of emergencies, as they freely move around the cabin in the event of a collision or rollover of the car.

station wagon- The body of the car, which has a hard top, and the trunk lid is placed almost vertically, and is an additional door.
The length is the same as the sedan. In some cases, it is equipped with a third row of lightweight seats that can be easily dismantled. The second row of seats folds down, which allows the use of part of the passenger compartment as a luggage compartment. This type of body is widely used in the production of SUVs. Translated from Latin, universalis means common.

hatchback- This is a body with the properties of a station wagon, but has a shortened luggage compartment, and a short rear overhang, which makes the car more compact and convenient for operation in tight urban areas.
The name of the body comes from the English hatchback, where hatch is the hatch, back is the back.

liftback- This is a hatchback that looks like a sedan, but the trunk lid opens together with the rear window, which gives access to both the luggage compartment and the passenger compartment.
Its feature is the absence of a metal partition, which gives the body strength and isolates the passenger compartment from the luggage compartment, as in a conventional sedan. Translation from English lift - lift, back - back.

Phaeton- has a body with a soft roof and removable door windows. A specific and rather rare type of body. An example of a phaeton is UAZ 469.

Minivan- Station wagon body with increased volume, which is designed to carry cargo and passengers.
It was originally designed to carry passengers, and only later began to appear cargo options. Includes subclasses: microvan, compact van, multivan. It comes in double and single. Origin from English mini - small and also van - van.

One volume body

One-volume car bodies are distinguished by the absence of division into compartments. They have a common cargo-passenger cabin, and the engine hood, of course, if there is one, opens into the interior of the cabin.
This design makes it possible to use the useful volume of the body for the transportation of goods and passengers as efficiently as possible.
Buses, minibuses (UAZ 452 - "Loaf"), minivans (Mitsubishi L300 and Toyota Previa), and even some city cars or toy cars (for example, Smart) are equipped with such bodies.

Any car produced in the world is a set of mechanisms and systems that perform a specific function and are fixed to the frame. This frame is called the bearing part.

At first, on cars, the role of the supporting part was performed by the frame, but over time, in the production of cars, the use of the frame was abandoned, preferring it. But the frames are still used on trucks.

If we take into account passenger cars produced on this moment, then there are a great many types of their bodies.

What are the body types

Each type of car body is designed for its own segment of buyers. This article will discuss what types of car body types are.

Body types

The types of car bodies differ from each other in their design, and each of them has its own name.

Cars are produced in coupe, sedan, hatchback, station wagon, limousine, pickup, crossover, van, minivan, SUV bodies. These types of bodies are used both on passenger cars, and on passenger, cargo-passenger, and trucks, as well as on off-road vehicles.

coupe

This body type as a coupe is in most cases used by manufacturers who produce sports cars. It is a three-volume body, that is, the design provides for the allocation of a separate volume of the body for the engine, a separate volume for passengers and a volume for the luggage compartment.

All coupe-type bodies are equipped with two doors for passengers. Design feature coupe is that the body is designed for two, rarely four, people. Moreover, the space for passengers sitting in the back is very limited. A prominent representative of cars that use a coupe-type body is the Porsche 911 (pictured below).

One of the most popular car body styles is the sedan.

This body type, like the coupe, is three-volume. But it differs in that the sedan-type body is structurally longer and has two rows of seats and allows passengers to comfortably accommodate both on the front and on rear seats.

In most cases, the sedan has four doors, but models with two doors were also produced. IN domestic production representatives of the four-door sedans are VAZ-2101, 2103, 2105, 2106, 2107, Volga, and the representative of the two-door sedan is Zaporozhets. IN model lines foreign manufacturers, such as volkswagen bmw Audi Toyota Ford and others, both two and four-door sedans are also available.

hatchback

Recently, along with sedans, hatchback-type bodies have become popular.

A design feature of hatchbacks is a two-volume body. The body structure does not provide a separate space for the luggage compartment. The role in the hatchback is played by a special niche in the passenger compartment, which is accessed through a rear-mounted door.

The design of the hatchback provides for the presence of two or four doors for passengers and an additional rear door for loading cargo. Representatives of three-door hatchbacks include VAZ-2108, Volkswagen Polo, Hyundai i30, etc. Five-door hatchbacks are VAZ-2109, Volkswagen Golf, Hyundai Getz and etc.

station wagon

For people who need a passenger car, but with the ability to transport goods, cars with a station wagon body are produced. Cars with such a body are two-volume, like hatchbacks, but the station wagon has a much longer body length.

station wagon

They are designed to carry both passengers and cargo, but after a slight transformation of the cabin, in which the seats for passengers are folded, thereby increasing the volume for cargo. Mainly produced five-door station wagons (VAZ-2104, Opel Astra, Volkswagen Passat) but there are also three-door ones (Opel Record, Ford Sierra).

Limousine

Nowadays, cars are also produced, the body of which is similar to a sedan, but this type of body is called a limousine. Like the sedan, the body structure of the limousine is three-volume. But this body is designed for comfortable accommodation of passengers in the rear seats, for which the length of the body is significantly increased compared to sedans.

It is also possible for limousines to separate the passengers in front from those who are behind with the help of a special partition. Cars with a limousine body include the Seagull, Imperial Crown, Lincoln Town Car.

Pickup

Cars with a pickup body type are also used for the transportation of goods. Pickups are notable for the fact that the body has a cabin for accommodating passengers and open platform for cargo, and structurally this platform is connected to the cabin.

Pickup cabs can be equipped with two doors and one or two rows of seats for passengers, or four doors. Pickups include VAZ-VIS, Dacia Logan Pickup, Mitsubishi L200 (photo below).

crossover

Recently, cars have become popular, in the design of which such a body type as a crossover is used.

In fact, this body is a symbiosis of station wagon and SUV bodies, which will be discussed below. Just like the wagon, crossovers use a two-volume layout using three or five doors. From the SUV, crossovers got increased ground clearance and.

SUV

But unlike full-fledged SUVs, crossovers do not have high cross-country ability, for which the people received the nickname "SUV". Crossovers are Toyota RAV 4, land Rover Freelander, .

Van

Another vehicle designed for the transport of goods is a van.

The van-type body is a one-volume, one-and-a-half-volume or two-volume all-metal structure, in which the cabin for passengers is combined with the cargo compartment, the only thing is that they can be separated by a partition. The vans are Lada Largus, Volkswagen Caddy, Fiat Doblo(photo below).

Minivan

Very similar in appearance with vans, cars with a minivan body type, since they use the same platform in their production. Cars with such bodies differ in that they are designed to carry passengers, for which the car interior is equipped with several rows of seats.