![]() 11/01/2018 at 09:57 • Filed to: None | ![]() | ![]() |
What defines a ‘wagon’?
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:02 |
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Torch got high and defined all this on the FP a while back.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:02 |
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https://jalopnik.com/5872562/what-makes-a-wagon-a-wagon
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:07 |
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That 4th small-ish window at the very back.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:07 |
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this is totally a wagon
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:15 |
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Beats me...
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:15 |
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Pedantry aside, my gut calls the Mazda 3 a wagon and the Lexus
Malibu Maxx
Sportcross
a hatch because they raked the rear so aggressively
. This comes pretty close to jiving with the Torchinsky roof/cargo ratio.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:16 |
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Yeah and his definition was how much of the roof covers the rear cargo area, and if the cargo area has its own window. Which both of those do, but the Lexus is a “wagon” and the Mazda is considered a “hatch”
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:16 |
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Sure is Audi in here
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:17 |
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They both have a smallish window for the cargo area.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:17 |
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So they’re both wagons.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:21 |
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I feel like it’s the amount of cargo space.
But I also feel like wagons and SUVs are the same.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:22 |
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Torch is overthinking it, IMO. Just count the doors instead. Coupe + rear gate = hatchback; sedan + rear gate = wagon.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:22 |
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I think I see the rear seat in the center of the last window in the 3, IDK if its the same for the Lexii. Maybe thats the differentiating factor then?
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:26 |
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Torch was wrong on this one.
If it has a back seat that’s usable by an adult, it’s a wagon. Else, it’s a hatch.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:26 |
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Where does shooting brake end and wagon begin?
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:30 |
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I would counter that neither are wagons.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:36 |
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Doesn’t everyone overthink things when they get to sniffing that sweet, sweet glue?
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:37 |
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4 doors vs 2. right?
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:43 |
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Torch’s glue sniffing usually produces good results. Usually.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:49 |
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C A R G O C A P A C I T Y
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:55 |
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I am 22 and fit comfortably in both back seats.
But I’m also 5'5"
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:55 |
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Why is that?
![]() 11/01/2018 at 10:56 |
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I think the Spam bumpers were the best results.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:00 |
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Because they Mazda calls that car a hatchback and because of how small the cargo area is in the Lexus.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:05 |
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Addendum- the back seat must be usable by the average adult American, ie, 5'9" and 190 lbs. for a male.
Hey, I just learned that I’m well below average!
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:08 |
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Yeah, that’s pretty much my feeling on the matter, but it’s not that simple :
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:21 |
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It is actually quite spacious.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:27 |
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I feel like a shooting brake is a 2-door car with a wagony back. Wagons usually share their platform with a sedan.
But then above, the Mazda is based on the Mazda 3 sedan, right? But I’d still call it a hatch.
Who knows I give up hahah
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:30 |
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Based on that logic, yeah. But I don’t necessarily agree.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:30 |
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I feel like wagons usually have more rear overhang, which with the rest of the Torch wagon requirements would make the Lexus a wagon and the Mazda a hatch.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:33 |
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Fun fact: Lexus refers to the Sportcross as a Shooting Brake.
In other news nothing makes sense any more because this is a “coupe”
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:35 |
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This is a good differentiato r - it matters what the underlying platform is (just like a “ true” SUV is still on a truck frame).
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:37 |
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It’s definitely a gray area and my belief ties pretty closely with Torch’s – but I go by window size. If a window exists behind the rear passenger door, and its size is 80% or greater than that of the window on the rear door then I say it qualifies as a wagon. If it’s just some little stubby piece of glass (or if none exists) to me that’s a hatchback.
Design elements like ridiculous rake on the rear hatch do sometimes result in certain cars that may qualify as a wagon under this definition having less cargo space than a hatchback, but in general I think it works – and it would still qualify as a wagon, just a bad one at playing that role efficiently.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:39 |
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Necessary but not sufficient requirement: D-pillar
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:42 |
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Tell that to my 1999 Legacy. Sedans have better legroom than the wagon.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:54 |
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I also feel like it has to do with the actual cargo area SIZE relative to the whole car. Like, a wagon to me has a space
roughly
equivalent to - or greater than - the size of the back seat, let’s say. That makes a Golf (think GTI) a hatch, and a Golf Sportwagen a proper “wagon.”
It makes the green thing you posted above a wagon because of the huge cargo area, despite the lack of 4 doors.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:54 |
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I think the answer lies in the length of the rear overhang.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 11:54 |
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I’d say shooting brake also has a useless back seat if any. A true wagon has a real back seat, even if it lacks doors to access it directly.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 12:04 |
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Still small compared to even a small wagon.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 12:08 |
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Not sure... looks like a few of these have a usable back seat: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/g6678/ten-of-our-favorite-shooting-brakes-ever-produced/
Seems like rear overhang should be taken into account in the wagon debate. All true wagons seem to have significant rear overhang aft of the rear wheels, while hatchbacks really don’t.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 12:10 |
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I mean it’s a wagon based off of a compact sports sedan. It’s not gonna swallow two mountain bikes like a B5.5 Passat wagon does.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 12:10 |
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Both of those cars appear to have a d pillar.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 12:11 |
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It’s a hatchback based on a compact sports sedan. Doesn’t make it any less cool.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 12:17 |
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They’re wagons. I also argue the first Vibe is also a wagon, though it was marketed as a hatchback. Tons of room in the backseats and lots of cargo space, and obvious D-pillar.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 12:33 |
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Words have no meaning to a marketer.
![]() 11/01/2018 at 13:58 |
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A wagon should have rear glass larger than the door glass. Everything else is a hatch.