What's the diff?

[kmchow]

Ahh, so this is the place to ask...

I understand nothing's "black and white", but are there some semi-official guidelines to distinguish between a 5 door hatchback and a wagon? Or have the two bodystyles blurred so much in recent years that there is no difference?

It used to be that wagons were basically boxes on wheels. But I guess these days, they have rounded (usually inward) hatches that make them basically 5 door hatchbacks?

And then there are those very short and extremely tall, truly mini-vans!!

[Don K]

As a rule,a wagon has more room for luggage compared to the hatchback version of the same car.
In some cases, the wagon is a little bit longer.

If a model which lies in between is very popular, I think it is more likely that a wagon version is added.

[StuiE]

i dont like those wagons they call hatches ( i call the N15 Pulsar hatch and the Mazda 323 Astina wagons, thats how much i disrespect them!) its good to see that the new Mazda6 hatch IS a hatch

[neilap]

Station Wagon has really bad connotations. It sounds like a Grandma houler, in other words boring. Thus the name 5 door hatch. This will encourage young buyers.

[StuiE]

i dont mind wagons when they are actually CALLED wagons, some wagons can look good done up, like a CC Lancer, or a R31 Skyline (RB20DET Conversion :-D)

[Bluebottle]

I think our term 'Estate' sounds much better than 'Wagon'

[Alan Jones]

Must say i love station wagons, as a tool to get from A to B and the ability to carry larger than normal objects plus the fact that at a pinch you can quite happily sleep in one to me makes them the most useful and practical car to have.
Jusr read that!

What a mouthfull!!!

True, you get more road noise and the handling not as good as a sedan, but, if I'm obeying the law I find their performance more than adequate.

[Truckosaurus]

Originally posted by Bluebottle
I think our term 'Estate' sounds much better than 'Wagon'

I think you'll find that 'Shooting Brake' is the most agreeable term for this kind of vehicle.

[kmchow]

Okay, so what would you call the following?

Protege5, Subaru Impreza Wagon, Lexus/Toyota IS300 SportCross?

They all look the basically the same, but Mazda calls their a hatchback while the other two calls themselves wagon. It seems to be quite a toss up. Some websites call the Protege5 a hatchback while others call it a wagon.

So the term wagon doesn't sound too cool? How about SPORT wagon? That's what Mercedes (presently call C-Class wagon) and Volvo (used to call 850 wagon) call them.

The Mazda 6 wagon seems quite large/roomy to be called a hatchback?

In the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter, but just out of curiosity, I was interested to know.

[Truckosaurus]

Originally posted by kmchow
Subaru Impreza Wagon

I believe the literal translation of the Japanese name for the 5dr Impreza is Sports Tea Trolley. But, like you say, it doesn't matter what it's called, it's a damn fine motorcar - with twin carrier bag hooks to boot.