Caricarz Guide to Car Types, Class and Body Styles

The automotive world is now brimming with various types and shapes of cars. With numerous car brands conjuring up new vehicle body styles, identifying them now becomes a lot harder than before.

Fret not, as we at Caricarz.com have put up a comprehensive guide of car types, shapes and body styles. To keep things simple, we’ve grouped all the popular vehicle types and shapes into seven major categories, covering all the basics from sedans to SUVs and many more.

1. Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)/ Crossover

Also known as ‘Suburban Utility Vehicle’, SUV/Crossover is probably the most popular vehicle type nowadays.

Featuring a boxy silhouette and long wheelbase, most SUVs are noticeably larger than ‘normal’ cars. Interestingly, SUVs nowadays come in various styles, so many that it now gets a new subtype, cordially known as the ‘Crossover’.

Unlike SUVs, crossovers are commonly referred to smaller SUVs, probably ones that have less off-roading prowess, but more on the styling front. Think of something small and sporty like the Audi Q3 Sportback and Mazda CX-30 instead of Toyota Fortuner or Range Rover.

Apart from that, SUVs commonly harness higher ride height, which translates to a more comfortable ride. This, plus the SUV’s larger ground clearance and  sturdy body-on-frame construction grants them a good off-roading prowess. However, it is important to note that not all SUVs are off-road-ready, depending on what drivetrain it harnesses.

2. Sedan/Saloon

Featuring a traditional three-box layout, sedans are often considered to be the most practical car shape out there. However, due to the recent popularity of SUVs, many considered them to be somewhat less ‘practical’ now.

Also known as saloon, sedans offer better handling and manoeuvrability compared to SUVs, featuring smaller turning radius while boasting ample space for both passengers and their cargo. Plus, sedans also sit lower than most cars, with the exception of sportier car styles like coupe or convertible.

Other than that, there’s also a few new iterations of sedans, most notably being fastback sedans, which boast a rakish roofline that goes almost all the way back to the rear part. Case and point is the new Toyota Vios, which comes with fastback style compared to its predecessor’s more conventional three-box silhouette.

3. Hatchback

Originally, the term “hatchback” is used for cars that have a rear boot door that opens upwards together with the rear windscreen. Excluding said rear door, hatchbacks can come in both two- or four-door layouts, and are often described as the lower sitting, sportier version of the SUV/crossover.

Aside from the slouching roofline, most hatchbacks share many traits with sedans, with many automakers offering the same vehicle model in both styles. Case and point, the current-gen Honda Civic comes in both sedan and hatchback body styles.

Though many argue that sedans boast a bigger boot space capacity, some think hatchbacks are more practical, thanks to the bigger rear opening that provides a bigger access point.

Apart from that, hatchbacks are often being considered as an economical car, thanks to its relatively small size. Popular examples include superminis like the Perodua Axia, hot-hatches such as the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Toyota GR Corolla, as well as the self-proclaimed “King of Malaysian roads”, the Perodua Myvi.

4. Coupe

For aeons, coupe has been considered as a two-door car with a trunk and fixed roof. This would include models like the Ford Mustang and BMW Z4, or something more upmarket like the Bentley Continental GT.

As of late, however, many automakers have been fitting the sporty coupe rooflines to their four-door sedans and even SUVs, with the latter now popularly known as the coupe SUVs. For instance, Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class is often described as a four-door coupe saloon, while there’s a plethora of new coupe SUVs such as the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, Volvo C40 Recharge, and Maserati Grecale.

But for purists and old-school car lovers, these new subtypes won’t be considered as a ‘true’ coupe. But nonetheless, that’s how the industry grouped them now.

5. Convertible

In many ways, convertibles are somewhat similar to coupes, with the exception of having a retractable or in some cases, removable roof.

In general, convertibles can come in two roof styles, either the hard-top or a soft-top version, with the latter usually made of fabrics. Uniquely, convertibles also have their own subtypes like the ‘targa’, where only the forward section of the roof retracts.

Convertibles can come in both two- or four-door layouts, with the former being the more popular (and preferable) options. However, people often see them as a less safe option due to its open-top nature, where you are more susceptible to external forces.

Notable examples of convertibles are the Ferrari Roma Spider, Mazda MX-5 Miata, as well as the Porsche 911 – the latter two also come in targa top form.

6. Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)/ Minivan

Possibly the most practical option in this list, MPVs or Minivans are the workhorse of the family-car universe. Also known as the peoplemover, most MPVs are basically tall boxes on wheels that have ample room for both passengers and cargo.

Featuring three rows of seats, MPVs can load up to eight passengers, including the driver. The second and third-row seats are usually foldable, which can provide more cargo space.

In Malaysia, there’s an ongoing craze on the compact MPV segments that features models like the Perodua Alza, Toyota Veloz and many more. There’s also several luxury options that often come with a roomier seven-seat layout, like the Toyota Alphard.

7. Pick-Up Truck

Putting aside the single-cab variant, most pick-up trucks sold nowadays feature a dual-cab layout that can seat up to five people, plus an open cargo bed at the rear. Almost all of them come exclusively with some form of all-wheel-drive (AWD) system, which makes them very capable off-roader.

In Malaysia, only mid-size pick-up trucks are available for sale. While most of them are utilitarian by nature, some pick-up trucks, especially in their range-topping variants, are very livable, thanks to a slew of modern equipment. This leads to a surge of lifestyle pick-up trucks popularity in our country, with the Ford Ranger comfortably leading the pack.

Aside from the Ranger, almost all Japanese brands have their own pick-up models, with the Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max being the two most popular options in the country, aside from off-beat choices like the Nissan Navara or Mazda BT-50.