What is a sedan, types and classes of a popular car body
Content
If there is a concept of a classic car, then it must have a sedan-type body. Such an arrangement is surprisingly widespread both in the country that is considered the most automobile in the world - the United States, and here in Russia, where mass motorization is developing, albeit at a fast pace, but relatively recently.
The secrets of such popularity, objectively not the most successful and practical body type, deserve careful consideration.
Why is the car called a sedan
According to different versions, the term has Latin or French roots. In the first case, the exclusive orientation of the body to the transportation of passengers is implied, since the root of the word means “sit”, which is consonant even in Russian.
This was the name of the passenger stretcher on human traction, and the second version refers to the carriage workshop in the French city of Sedan.
The name has taken root and is still used in many countries, although there are alternative names, Sedan or Limousine. There is no unity in terminology.
Differences between a sedan and station wagon, hatchback and coupe
The main feature inherent in sedans is the presence of a clearly defined three-volume body. The first compartment is reserved for the power unit, the second serves as a passenger compartment, and the third is intended exclusively for luggage, which is separated from passengers by an impenetrable partition.
The maximum specialization of sedans for the transportation of passengers determines the main advantages of such bodies:
- separation of cargo from passengers by a dense bulkhead significantly increases their comfort, sounds and smells from the trunk do not penetrate into the cabin;
- limiting the volume of the cabin solely by the convenience of accommodating passengers and nothing else allows you to effectively design the interior and provide a given microclimate, often multi-zone, separately for each;
- it is quite easy to create a rigid body frame, which has a beneficial effect on handling;
- passenger safety is ensured by significant energy-absorbing zones in the engine compartment and trunk.
You always have to pay for comfort, so there are also disadvantages in this arrangement relative to other popular bodies:
- Hatchback has smaller dimensions than a sedan, which led to its popularity in urban areas;
- Universal with the same dimensions, it is able to carry significantly more cargo thanks to the superstructure in the place where the volume of a sedan is limited by the trunk lid located below the rear window;
- Coupe has the best aerodynamic performance due to the heavily littered rear window, which brings the body closer to a perfectly streamlined shape;
- All bodies, except for the sedan, have the best indicators in terms of weight, sometimes absolute, like a hatchback, sometimes relative to payload (station wagon), and in the class of sports coupes - in relation to power to weight.
Visually, the cargo-and-passenger station wagon is distinguished by its two-volume and the presence of extra body pillars with the same number of side doors (there can be either two or four), the hatchback has a short rear overhang, and both of them have an odd rear door, sometimes called the trunk lid by analogy with a sedan , although this is a full-fledged door with glazing and even lighting equipment.
The coupe is sometimes quite close in structure to the sedan, especially the sports one, but it always differs in the roof of the body and the rear window, which are heavily littered back, as well as the slightly protruding trunk or its complete absence.
The number of side doors cannot be an exhaustive indicator; there are two-door sedans and four-door coupes. At the same time, coupe interiors are usually much more cramped, there is practically no comfort for rear passengers.
Types of sedans by body type
The division of sedans into subclasses sometimes has a significant meaning, reflected by highlighting the bodies in the line of the same model, both independent cars with their own advertising and price list, and purely theoretical, interesting only to automotive specialists and people who are fond of.
Классический
Surprisingly, a classic sedan can be a car that does not have brightly marked three-volume outlines. The presence of an isolated luggage compartment at the back with its own lid is quite enough. This may be dictated by the requirements of aerodynamics or fashion.
Notchback
The term originates from the United States, and, strictly speaking, it could be applied to a classic sedan.
This implies a profile fracture between the sloping rear window and the almost horizontal trunk lid.
That is, a notchback cannot be two-volume. However, in other countries the concept did not take root, although it is known.
Fastback
The first root of this word reveals its essence, fast means quickness and speed. Hence the desire for teardrop body.
Usually, an example is given of the long-aged, but milestone Soviet car Pobeda, which can be considered a classic sedan, but it would be more accurate to call it a fastback. But certainly Victory is not a notchback, which will be a good example of the difference in understanding of the classics between America and the rest of the world.
Hardtop
A body from the heyday of big and beautiful cars, it could be considered a type of fastback, but its sportiness was emphasized by the absence or careful disguise of the B-pillars. This created the airiness of the silhouette and the general swiftness of the appearance. This was supported by frameless doors.
For safety reasons, this could not last long, and hardtops became rare. The body must be primarily rigid, and the design can be achieved in other ways, such as painting and tinting.
Long wheelbase sedan
There are both simply long versions of conventional cars, usually with two or three wheelbases (distance between axles), and specially made cars.
In turn, they are usually divided into stretches, which are finalized from large-scale models by adding inserts to the bodies, and into limousines, which do not always have short-wheelbase counterparts.
All these cars are characterized by a large cabin volume, which provides special comfort for rear passengers or accommodates additional rows of seats. In limousines, they put a partition from the driver and front passenger.
Two-door
Usually sedans with two side doors are called coupes. But gradually, the coupe moved further and further away from the concept of just a passenger car and stood out in a separate class. Therefore, only some of them belong to sedans, without pretensions to Gran Turismo or sports.
Such cars are almost never produced, since coupes have long ceased to be cheap two-door versions of sedans, but, on the contrary, have outgrown them in price and prestige, having lost practicality. Therefore, two-door sedans disappeared from large series.
Liftback
If the sedan has a strongly beveled rear window, and the trunk lid is high, while the compartment itself is short, then such a body is called a liftback.
Sometimes the rear window opens, which creates confusion about the difference between a sedan and an extended hatchback.
four-door coupe
As already mentioned, a coupe can have four side doors, but despite the sloping roof at the rear and a sloping rear window, the presence of a separate insulated luggage compartment with a separate lid makes it possible to attribute such a body to sedans.
Types of sedans by class
Each car culture has its own classification of passenger cars by size and market segment. The body length is most often used, which is especially logical when applied to sedans.
A-class
Due to the short overall length, not exceeding 3,8 meters, it is almost impossible to organize a three-volume body in this class, except that some eastern manufacturers are trying to produce similar models for certain markets.
In the rest of the world, these machines are not sold and are not known to consumers.
B-class
An increase in length to 4,4 meters already allows the construction of a sedan. Especially for countries where historically this body type is popular. A typical example is the domestic Lada Grant.
C-class
Quite full-fledged sedans with a length of up to 4,6 meters are offered by many manufacturers.
Even in the premium segment, here you can find the smallest hatchback-based Mercedes cars, and completely independent models like the Volkswagen Jetta.
D-class
The most common sedans at an affordable price, not yet business classes, but no longer simple utility cars.
For example, BMW 3 series or Mercedes-Benz W205. The class is considered family and universal, cars can be budget or premium.
E-class
Business class according to the European classification recognized all over the world. The length can reach 5 meters, the cars are comfortable and not cheap.
Here you can already meet the Lexus ES, the Toyota Camry close to it, as well as the E-class from Mercedes and the BMW 5-series.
F-class
The top of the classification, executive and luxury cars. S-class Mercedes, BMW 7, Porsche Panamera and the like.
For such machines, sometimes even separate brands are specially created within concerns. These are the flagships of the lineup, expensive prestigious cars for the few.
The fastest sedans in the world
Usually such cars are created for the sake of prestige, since hardly anyone will seriously chase them.
It is no coincidence that at the moment the Tesla Model S P100D electric car has become the fastest. 2,7 seconds to a hundred is clearly not about comfort, which is important for a sedan.
The same can be said about cars with a conventional internal combustion engine. Mercedes-AMG, Porsche Panamera Turbo, BMW M760 - even without specifying the modification, we can say that the characteristic indexes in the name mean power and prestige.
And in real races, well-charged hatchbacks win, especially with all-wheel drive.
