Cars! They used to come in all shapes and sizes. They still do, kinda, but the US market has gotten very SUV-heavy of late. That sort of implies most people prefer a high-riding, chunky vehicle with a bulbous body shape. But this isn’t Autopian Assumes, it’s Autopian Asks! So I ask you: what is your favorite body style?
Once upon a time, there were a handful of clearly defined body styles for roadgoing vehicles. You had your four-door sedans, and you had wagons, which provided more cargo space in the back. Coupes cut the doors to two for a sportier style, while roadsters went further and chopped the top off. Then you had trucks and vans, which were their own sort of deal.
Today, it’s altogether more complex. Compacts came along and the hatchback was born. Then the 1980s was the sort of nascent era of the SUV craze, which took the industry by storm. Eventually, automakers realized the utilitarian part of these vehicles wasn’t actually that desirable. Customers just liked the high-seating position and the look of these vehicles, rather than caring about their off-road abilities. This led to the invention of the softer crossover style, which has created an odd sort of vehicle that’s almost trending back towards the traditional wagon body style.
Things get worse when you look at the premium market, which invented the four-door coupe in some kind of drug-fueled marketing meeting in the last ten years. Basically, to certain German automakers, coupe now means “swoopy roof curves down at the back” and not “two doors” anymore.
In any case, I know my preference: I’m a coupe and roadster driver. I like my cars light, limber, and nimble, and I rarely need to carry more than one passenger.
Sure, at times, I’ve appreciated the utility of larger cars when I’ve reviewed them, but it’s not something I seek in my daily life. Two doors for days, that’s what I say.
I’ve had plenty of other cars—multiple sedans, a compact crossover, and even a big Volvo wagon. But my favorites have always had two doors—the Mazda Miata, the Audi TT, and the Daihatsu Feroza. Roofless is always a bonus.
But what of you? Are you a wagonhead or a hatch obsessive? Or maybe you’re the one who convinced PR staff to brazenly lie that it was okay to say four-door cars were coupes? Either way, sound off below!
Shooting Brake. Because I’m fucking stupid and love hurting. The dream is to make some bastard Magnum/Charger crossbreed.
So we’re not doing phrasing anymore?
Hatchback for sure, especially a small one. My Fit is fun and full of room. In fact, we just returned from a 2800 mile trip…a little shorter than usual this year.
For daily driving, small hatchback. Aesthetically, coup hardtop with some kind of fastback design.
Wagon is the only correct answer for me. Shooting brakes are also acceptable.
tl;dr: minivan.
To say the obvious, I think the favoured body stile depends on your lifestyle and what/how many cars you can afford.
I have only one parking space, and not enough use to justify having multiple cars. My daily driver (or, more likely, weekend driver) has to be a jack of all trades. Also, I commute by bike to work, and only take the car out to meet friends or do chores/projects. The minivan is perfect in this scenario, just because I think a proper van is too much for a daily driver. A box on wheels with a reliable engine and a goofy face is all that I need.
(oh, I think it is also worth noting that I don’t mind at all the goofiness of a minivan, in fact, I cherish it! Honest transportation that doesn’t try to pretend to be something else. I have no desire to transpire faux aggressivity with the style of my car, nor do I think I can pull off a sports cars without looking like a midlife crisis dude).
Cars that aren’t sedans. My first car was a wagon, my second was a quad coupe (suicide rear doors), both are acceptable. Don’t ask me to pick a favorite though :’) My current Volt barely gets out of “sedan” territory because if the liftback and not really having a trunklid in its design at all.
Boxy and Rugged Pickup Trucks, without a doubt. Boxy and Squared off SUVs a close second. Think GMT400 OBS Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon/Escalade, and Nissan Y61 Super Safari. With the Pickups…the K2XX seems to be the best, although I do not have any favorite. The current RAMs and Nissan Titan are good as well.
I do not get something for its looks. I get something that can WORK and last long (that is NOT a Toyota either…).
Seeing lots of love for the station wagon out there. That restores my faith in humanity a bit. It’s hard to argue against the superiority of the station wagon (including the shooting brake as a sub-type of station wagon, in my opinion). The minivan is a close second to me, as a sort of less optimal station wagon that sacrifices size/weight/fuel economy for more space – which is necessary sometimes, sure, but most of the time a station wagon is more than enough for all your needs.
The worst body style, by the way: the fastback crossover/suv, especially if branded as a coupé with more than 3 doors.
Needs to have a rear “door”, so either hatchback or estate/wagon. I currently have a two-door (or three-door) car, but this is turned out to be impractical, so if I get another one (which I may or may not do), it will have four/five doors again.
Easy: The coupé/fastback! Like old Porsches. Or the original Audi TT. Or.. or… there are so many great ones.
The two door wagon/ Lamborghini Espada/BMW clown shoe continuum please. Or that 740 turbo wagon, and just pretend that the two superfluous doors are not there
I would eagerly accept and try to daily drive any pre-war racing car, however.
A Mercedes W125 will do fine.
A nice curvy body with massive dagmars and big trunk…
I know it’s cliche but wagon all the way. My first car was a Chevy Celebrity wagon almost as old which ironically I followed up with a Volvo 740 sedan. I had about 7 years in the wilderness as a Corolla owner before trending back in the right direction with a 2nd gen Prius followed by an A4 Allroad. The utility and style really can’t be beat in my eyes.
I wish there was more selection but I am shopping for a replacement to the Allroad now and the one upside is I really only have to go to 2 dealerships… unfortunately I am pretty much limited to the Cross Country and Allroad variants because the V60 Recharge and especially the RS6 Avant are too big a stretch for my budget.
VANAGON / VW BUS / DELICA shape. Most room per shadow on the road. Plus better turning radius than a Mini.
3-Box Sedans FTW!
Make mine a wagon, if not that then a coupe.
heck that’s my 2-car garage right now, BMW wagon and a Mustang…
4 door fastback hatchback.
2nd favorite would be wagon, and 3rd would be minivan.