Undeniably, the market of car today is gigantic. Whereas one can still shop for exclusive retro cars, it is also possible to buy second-hand models produced 20 years ago which are still suitable for everyday usage. Of course, don’t forget about hundreds of new car models released on the market each year.
While some of the models are easily distinguishable from each other, there are also many cars with rather blended features that one can hardly name their type. Actually, although car types depend on many constructive details, as users, we usually understand them by their appearance which is called a body style in the automotive world. Read this article and learn about the most popular types of cars.
The body styles of cars that can be distinguished most easily
Here you will find a couple of car types which normally do not cause any problems for understanding. In all likelihood, you have seen them many times and know exactly what they are.
Pickup trucks
It is really easy to understand the car in front of you is a pickup truck. The most essential features of its appearance are open cargo located in the rear part of the car as well as a passenger cab located in the front part which usually has only one row of seats.
The majority of pickup trucks have all-wheel drive or, at least part-time drive for four wheels. The latter version of pickup trucks is earmarked for the off-road use in the first place.
There is one exception from the rule which is Honda Ridgeline of a middle size. In this model, there are separate frames made of steel for a cab and a body. This makes Honda Ridgeline to be similar to crossovers with a possibility of exposing the bed of the cargo by looping the roof off.
The pickup trucks available on the current market are sold in two sizes: full and middle.
Sports cars
It is also not difficult to distinguish a sport car since this model is regarded to be the most attractive of all the cars available on the market. The common features of appearance and construction of such cars is a sleek body set rather low to the ground. Of course, a huge price of such cars is also signalling of their being a sports one.
As a rule, sports cars have two seats, however, in some models, you might find two quite small seats in the rear part as well.
The most typical sports cars are Mazda Miata and Porsche 911, yet, some automotive experts also include such cars as Dodge Challenger or Ford Mustang into the4 group of sports cars. In addition to them, the category of sports cars also covers models which cost a real fortune, for example, Aston Martin vantage or Ferrari 488 GTB.
Convertible cars
When it comes to convertible cars, their name explains their nature in the best way. Convertible cars offers their passengers to retract the roof into the body making the car open. Such roofs are using made of a special fabric and have a full power so as the retraction is made automatically. Yet, you can also come across the models in which the conversions is made manually.
Interestingly, some convertibles offer more than just a retractable roof. Their hardtop can also be retracted and the retractable roofs can be of a quasi-convertible type popularly known as “targa tops”. Classic examples of such cars are Porsche 911 Targa and Mazda MX-5 Miata RF. In these cars, the roof is retracted only partially.
The car types which can be similar to each other
The car types described above can be distinguished easily from each other, but they are actually not thus popular. Here you will find more widespread body styles which can be actually mistaken for other cars.
Sedans and coupes
Once you think about a sedan, it seems to be pretty understandable when it comes to its appearance. These are cars with a traditional trunk and four doors. Sedans can be of four size categories such as small like Kia Rio, compact like Honda Civic, mid-size like Nissan Altima and full-size like Toyota Avalon.
Coupe cars are featured with a solid roof and two doors. The most typical examples of such cars are Audi A5 and Ford Mustang. Yet, today you might come across so-called coupe like crossovers or other four-door vehicles which are featured with sleek and low rooflines. An illustration of such a car is BMW X6 SUV.
Station wagons and hatchbacks
For unexperienced drivers, hatchbacks and wagons might appear quite similar. Furthermore, both of these types look somewhat like sedans. Wagons usually have a rear hatch door instead of a typical trunk as well as a quite extended rooftop. An example of such a car is Subaru Outback. Note that some wagons can look somewhat like SUVs.
A typical hatchback is Volkswagen Golf, yet, today some larger cars like Audi A7 are also considered to be hatchbacks. Usually, this term is applied to sedans featured with a flip-up hatch door used for accessing cargo area in the rear part. In addition to it, such cars have squared-off roofs.
SUVs
SUVs are exactly the models known also as crossovers. It is typical for them to have an elevated position of the seats as well boxier and taller construction than the one in sedans. The cargo is also more of a station type accessed through the hatch flip-up door. For instance, Nissan Kicks is an SUV.
Minivans
Minivans are especially popular cars for large families because of being particularly spacious. With a large room for cargo and sometimes, a third row of seats, these cars hardly look like mini vehicles. A popular example of such a type is Honda Odyssey.