A station wagon (US, also wagon) or estate car (UK, also estate), is an automotive body-style variant of a sedan with its roof extended rearward over a shared passenger/cargo volume with access at the back via a third or fifth door (the liftgate, or tailgate), instead of a trunk/boot lid.[1] The body style transforms a standard three-box design into a two-box design—to include an A, B, and C-pillar, as well as a D-pillar. Station wagons can flexibly reconfigure their interior volume via fold-down rear seats to prioritize either passenger or cargo volume.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines a station wagon as "an automobile with one or more rows of folding or removable seats behind the driver and no luggage compartment but an area behind the seats into which suitcases, parcels, etc., can be loaded through a tailgate."[2]
When a model range includes multiple body styles, such as sedan, hatchback, and station wagon, the models typically share their platform, drivetrain and bodywork forward of the A-pillar, and usually the B-pillar as well. In 1969, Popular Mechanics said, "Station wagon-style ... follows that of the production sedan of which it is the counterpart. Most are on the same wheelbase, offer the same transmission and engine options, and the same comfort and convenience options."[3]
Station wagons have evolved from their early use as specialized vehicles to carry people and luggage to and from a train station, especially to estates, and have been marketed worldwide.[citation needed] However, the supply of the station wagon body style has faded since the 2010s in favor of the crossover SUV.[4][5][6]
^Hillier, Victor; Coombes, Peter (2004). Hillier's Fundamentals of Motor Vehicle Technology: Volume 1 (5th ed.). Nelson Thornes. p. 11. ISBN 9780748780822. Retrieved 31 July 2022 – via Google Books. The estate body, also known as station wagons in some countries, has the roofline extended to the rear of the body to enlarge its internal capacity. Folding the rear seats down gives a large floor area for the carriage of luggage or goods. Stronger suspension springs are fitted at the rear to support the extra load. Hatchback: The hatchback is generally based on a sedan body but with the trunk area blended into the center section of the body. The hatchback is therefore halfway between a sedan and an estate car. This type of body is very popular due to its versatility and style. Although some hatchbacks are in fact sedan bodies with the trunk effectively removed (usually the smaller cars), many hatchbacks retain the full length of the sedan but the roofline extends down to the rear of the vehicle. As with the sedan bodies, a hatchback can have two or four passenger doors, however, there is a tendency to refer to hatchbacks as three or five doors because the rear compartment lid (or tailgate) is also referred to as a door on the hatchback bodies. As with the estate, the rear seats fold down to give a flat floor for the transportation of luggage or other objects. When the tailgate is closed, the luggage compartment is usually covered with a parcel shelf.
^"Definition: Station Wagon". American Heritage Dictionary. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
^Hartford, Bill (February 1969). "Sizing up the 1969 Station Wagons". Popular Mechanics. p. 106. Retrieved 31 July 2022 – via Google Books.
^Walton, Evan (30 August 2022). "Best Station Wagons for 2022 and 2023". autolist.com. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
^"Here is Every Station Wagon You Can Buy in 2022".
^Stafford, Eric (29 November 2022). "Best New Station Wagons of 2022". caranddriver.com. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
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