Types of car bodies

2.1.1 Body

The body of a modern passenger car is its bearing component.

Note
But the body performs the load-bearing function not for all cars. Sometimes it happens that all the main elements of the car are attached to the frame, but we’ll talk more about this that later.

The concept of "load-bearing" speaks for itself. Roughly speaking, all equipment and units are suspended on the body and its elements, and it "carries" them on itself. All the forces and loads from the road are transmitted to the car body through the wheels and suspension.

2.1.2 Types of bodies

Car bodies can be divided according to type into one-, two- and three- compartment ones. In this case, compartment should be understood as a space/container for placing something, which is separated/divided by a partition from another part of the car body

2.1.2.a Two-compartment bodies 

Basically, a two-compartment body has a dedicated volume (space) for the engine (engine compartment with a full-fledged bonnet). It is separated by a transverse partition from the second compartment - the passenger compartment with the luggage compartment.

Figure 2.1 Example of two-compartment body.

2.1.2.b Three-compartment bodies 

The three-compartment car body has a volume for the engine, passengers with a driver and a volume for the luggage compartment.

Figure 2.2 Example of three-compartment car body.

2.1.2.c One-compartment car body 

The situation with one-compartment car body is rather interesting. It doesn’t have a separate compartment for engine. The engine is actually located in the passenger compartment under the dashboard. This is one of the main divisions of car bodies according to appearance.

Figure 2.3 Example of one-compartment car body

2.1.3 Body types

So, we figured out the number of compartments of car bodies. Now let's go directly to the classification according to type. 

The type of car body partly determines the functional purpose of the car: whether it is for receiving pleasure from driving, or for transporting a large number of people, or for comfortable movement from point A to point B, etc. —the shape and content of the car body will correspond to its purpose, even in the era of unification, universalization and all kinds of aspirations of marketers for satisfying as many potential customers as possible, who are very demanding in their preferences.

2.1.3.a Sedan

In short: three-compartment, four-door, five-passenger

Let's start with the fact that sedan is one of the most common and popular, at least in the CIS countries, body type. It is a three-compartment car body with four doors (very rarely two) and often with five full seats for average adults.

Considering the fact that almost every car brand is almost a standard of loyalty to its brand, the name of the type of body within the company and for different countries may differ from, so to speak, standardized ones. Therefore, for example, in Germany, sedans are called Limousine, and in Foggy Albion - not otherwise than Saloon.

2.1.3.b Coupe

In short: three-compartment, two-/four-door; two, four passengers or with a "2 + 2" (two full and two children) arrangement of seats.

Following the sedan, we will consider its more dynamic version - a coupe. This is the same three-compartment car body, but with two doors. Generally speaking, in the old days, in order to be called a "coupe", a car had to be equipped only with two front seats (the exception is plus two more, but not full rear seats), two doors and a shortened wheelbase. But with the granting of broader powers, all the same marketers started ascribing the name “coupe” for a beautiful word to full-fledged sedans, a distinctive feature of which was a pronounced sloping, overwhelmed rear body pillar. Mercedes-Benz CLS, Audi A5 Sportback and VW CC are the most vivid representatives of this class.

2.1.3.c Limousine

In short: three-compartment, four-door, four/eight passengers.

Since we started talking about three-compartment car bodies, it is worth mentioning the “limousine” body type (shall not be confused with a limousine in Germany, where it is called Pullman-Limousine or simply Pullman). This is, again, a sedan, but often with an extended wheelbase. Sometimes it has three rows of seats and with a rigid partition, which separates the driver from the passengers. In most cases, the partition is equipped with a lifting glass.

2.1.3.d Rare variations of the “sedan” car body 

For example, a fastback (there is a domestic representative of this kind - GAZ M-20 “Pobeda”) - in fact, the body is three-compartment, but with such a sloping rear part that in the profile there is an impression of the absence of a trunk as such. 

There is also a hardtop sedan, which was once popular in the United States of America, a body style with a missing B-pillar and sometimes frameless doors. This type was once popular in the United States of America.

2.1.3.e Wagon 

In short: two-compartment, three-/five-door, five/seven passengers.

Now let's take a look on cars of the two-compartment family, which is very widely represented on the automotive market."Wagon" body type should be mentioned first. This is a five passenger, five-door, less often three-door, car with a wagon-type rear body and usually an almost vertically mounted luggage compartment door. The name of this body type speaks for itself. Its versatility lies in the fact that, while enjoying the ride, you can transport a fairly large amount of luggage. Most wagons have a function if increasing the volume of the luggage compartment due to the folding rear seats. 

After its appearance, the wagon underwent various metamorphoses: it was lengthened, then it became higher, or was even completely expanded in all directions.

2.1.3.f SUV (Off-road wagon) 

In short: two-compartment, three-/five-door, five/seven passengers.

By increasing the road clearance, slightly stretching the body in height, in some cases installing all kinds of plastic protective linings, out of the wagon we received a body type with a simple name - “off-road wagon”. Cars with this type of body belong to the SUV (Sport Utility Vehicles, called "cross-over" by common people) class. In terms of cross-country ability, in the literal sense of the word, the car did not go far from its “progenitor”, but in terms of comfort it can give a head start.

2.1.3.g Hatchback

In short: two-compartment, three-/five-door, five passengers

The hatchback is one of the most popular car body types in Europe. This is a two-compartment body, which is a shortened version of the wagon. Literally "hatchback" can be translated as "behind the back". It will be impossible to carry 4–5 passengers and a bulky cargo with the same comfort as in a wagon, but a couple of large bags will fit. Nevertheless, hatchbacks, like their elongated "relative", have the function of folding the rear seats. Therefore, in case if there is no need to simultaneously transport a team of construction workers with working equipment, then by folding the back of the second row of seats, you can get a cubic meter, or even more, additional space.

2.1.3.h Minivan, microvan and compactvan 

In short: one-/two-compartment, four-/five-door, four-/seven passengers

Remembering the metamorphosis of the wagon car body, we smoothly approached the cars that embody utility and nepotism. Minivan is the leader in terms of the number of possible options for transforming the passenger compartment among all body types. This is mainly a two-compartment, very rarely one-compartment car body with five, six or seven seats, with four (one rear sliding) or five doors (all doors are suspended or two rear sliding doors). The main advantage of any minivan is that the rear seats can be folded completely or separately. In some cases, they can  be adjusted, thus adjusting the passenger compartment of the car for specific needs. 

Having slightly reduced in size, trimming the functionality of the passenger compartment, but without damaging the comfort of passengers, we get a microvan body type. Otherwise, it is still the same minivan. 

The compact van inherited only the height of the ceiling and the approaching vertical landing of the driver and passengers from its "brothers" with a common "van" part. At the same time, it maintains comfort at the proper level, but only for a maximum of five people. The luggage compartment, alas, suffered the most from these transformations.

2.1.3.i Convertible

In short: three-compartment, two-/four-door, four/five passengers, with retractable roof

These are the most spectacular body types. A convertible is a typical four- or even two-door sedan, with a folding roof made out of some kind of soft fabric material, with four full-fledged seats for passengers, including the driver (some versions can hardly be called five passenger body types). It can also happen that the roof is made out of metal, but it is still folding. In such case this car body is called a “coupe-convertible”. This body type is called spectacular precisely because of its openness. However, all the delight of the owner of a convertible can instantly disappear in case of absence of the function of automated folding of the roof (yes, there are some of these nowadays), because rain, slush, wet interior and the roof that refuses to fix on the windshield frame will leave indelible impressions.