Station wagon

A station wagons, or short combination, is a form of bodywork for cars with particularly large loading capacity. The term derives from the combination of cars and trucks, since the vehicle can carry both loads transport as well as people.

Definition and characteristics

The term includes the minibus, various types of high-roof station wagon, sports utility vehicles and vans. Colloquially cars are usually meant by an almost vertical tailgate and cargo area in the interior. They differ from the corresponding sedan with a longer roof and extra D -pillars. This article refers to the colloquial meaning.

Station wagons were in use until the 1980s, mainly by artisans and small traders. Due to the design they had a stronger distortion and therefore less comfort than the equivalent sedan. This image is now obsolete. Also in the upper middle class, there is consistently combined variants that have established themselves as family vehicles and company cars. Many vehicle models are even sold the majority as Kombi, VW Passat the combined share is, for example, at 70 % and the manufacturers Volvo and Subaru for sale in Europe since the end of the 1980s, continuously more wagons than sedans.

The station wagons were the first vehicles with folding rear seats ( today usually divisible ). , Which is a continuous loading was create from the tailgate to the front seats Later, this design has also been adopted for hatchback and sedan limousines. An average measure of the load space length is European station wagon at about 180 cm, the Citroën CX Break, as well as many U.S. models such as the Chevrolet Celebrity exhibit loading space length of about 200 cm. Modern suits the higher price segments have an optional retractable and extendable base plate for easy loading. The separation of cargo space and seats can be carried in all classes by variable network or grid.

Suits are usually more expensive than comparable sedans. Reason is the overhead in production through the large tailgate, two additional side windows, the folding rear bench and often a roof rack, as well as technical additions to the sedan as a reinforced rear axle or a level control. By design, the body in some places must also be reinforced. In a marketing initiative by Ford, however, also partially station wagons were sold at the same price as the sedan. The resale value of an estate is usually higher than that of the sedan model, far higher than the original price difference.

The change in the structure of buyers is also due to technological improvements and a different strategic direction. Were combos often initially sold as a three-door model, so since 1990 with the expiry of the '86 Ford Escort and the Opel Kadett E almost exclusively five-door models on the market. An exception is since 2007 the Mini Clubman. Manufacturers such as BMW, Audi and Mercedes -Benz began at this time to market wagons as chic lifestyle vehicles. The cargo area is covered today, carpeted and fitted with a cover.

Unlike in the United States. There, the Kombi ( station wagon ) is considered bourgeois and and is therefore difficult to sell. Therefore, the American manufacturers have the combination models replaced by large-capacity vehicles (SUVs or minivans ) since the mid- 1990s. A first attempt, the " station wagon " to re-establish itself in the U.S., Chrysler undertook in late 2004 with the Dodge Magnum ( with a 5.7 -liter V8 engine ) - but with limited success, in 2008, the series was discontinued. Typical of the U.S. estate cars with side wooden planking, Woodies were called.

Special shapes

Shooting Brake

A special version of the station wagon is the Shooting Brake ( Station Wagons and wagon coupe are hatchbacks, so do not belong to the estate cars still have a three-box design as sedans or coupes ). It resembles in its sidelines a coupe with an extended roof and hatchback 's degree.

This type of vehicle was in the late sixties popular in England; there were, for example, the Reliant Scimitar and the built in small-series Aston Martin DB5 with combination rear. One of the first vehicles of this type was the Chevrolet Nomad. For chic, sporty cars at that time the term Combi was almost an insult, therefore it is called, for example, the Volvo P1800 ES as a Shooting Brake (nicknamed " Snow White's Coffin "). Also the BMW Z3 Coupe (1996-2002; nickname " Sneakers " ) and the Mini Clubman are shooting brakes.

Woodie

A Woodie is a popular especially in the early 1950s, body type, in which the lateral type of wood was. These were usually to station wagons. Was published in 1937 as the Packard 120 Woodie; Chrysler built Chrysler Town & Country. 1949 Packard built the ' Eight Station Sedan ', a " Woodie " station wagon, which hardly sold.

Woodies later gained great popularity as a used car after this design was well received in the U.S. surf culture.

High Roof Kombis

Another form of the station wagon are low-cost high-roof station wagon, whose popular precursor Kastenente and Renault R4 were.

Special conversions

Before the major automobile manufacturers offered virtually a hybrid model in every vehicle class, built body corporate, as Meanies or Binz limousines to station wagons to, or modified hybrid model according to customer requirements. Thus began in the early 1980s, the press distribution FAZ several Heuliez CX- three-axle for the night express delivery of the newspaper to other European countries a. This converted Citroen CX -folds possessed behind a double axis. The manufacturer Artz also built some Audi 200 for Combined order and a known single piece ( built 1975 ) is the Ferrari 365 station wagon. A further seven copies of the Ferrari 456 were rebuilt for a Sultan to the combi.

Hearses are also often converted station wagons.

Lifestyle Estate

Some current and former station wagons are often referred to as ' lifestyle estate '. Often they have a rear end whose shape does not aim at a maximum load volume, but to a pleasing and aerodynamic design. Some models will suffer visibility to the rear and slightly behind.

• Launched in April 1978, a combined version of the Mercedes -Benz 123 can be regarded as the ancestor of all lifestyle Estate. A striking feature of this combination - of Mercedes ' Model T ' ( S 123 ) called - was a chrome roof rails. "T" was chosen in view of ' tourism ' and ' transport '. The successful series - from the series beginning in November 1975 to January 1986 ran a total of nearly 2.7 million vehicles off the production line - was desperate to standards in vehicle safety and was a pioneer of the station wagon in this class ( called Mercedes "E - Class").

• In August 1982, Audi presented a new Audi 100 from mid-1983 there was the Audi 100 Avant also a version that was built by the end of 1990. This model had a very sloping rear window, which the maximum load volume decreased.

• Beginning of the 1980s, Lancia developed together with Saab, Fiat and Alfa Romeo the Lancia Thema. He arrived in the autumn of 1984 as a saloon and from the end of 1986 as a high-quality, designed at Pininfarina ( and there also built ) combined. The hatchback Saab was reserved, which offered the sister model from Saab 9000. Although the Fiat Croma got an indicated notchback, but had - like the Saab 9000 - a large tailgate.

• The Lancia Dedra was built from mid- 1994 until the summer of 1999 as a station wagon ( see photo). Lancia positioned himself by upscale interior and unique design as a premium brand, which made the Dedra to a lifestyle estate.

• Some combination models of Alfa Romeo have a design-oriented rear end, such as the built from spring 2000 to autumn 2005 Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon.

• The Opel Astra H was built by summer 2004 to autumn 2010 as a station wagon ( Opel - typical name "Caravan "). The system presented in autumn 2010 successor model Opel Astra Sports Tourer has a significantly designorientiertere rear end.

• Jaguar brought in November 2012 the Jaguar XF Sport Brake on the market.

• Mercedes offers the Mercedes CLS since October 2012 as ' CLS Shooting-brake ' on. It is optionally available with a cargo floor made ​​of cherry wood. This is intended to emphasize the manufactory - appearance of the interior and give the load compartment, the elegance of the wood deck of a yacht.

Other names for Combined

Many car manufacturers have their own sales numbers for the term station wagon. As the first manufacturer in the German-speaking applies Audi ( with the slogan beautiful estate cars are called Avant). Presumably, this is to avoid associations with the commercial vehicle and other target groups for the time (in addition to craftsmen ). Also, the term "combination " under trademark law not be protected.

• Aerodeck (Honda)
• Avant (Audi)
• Break ( French)
• Caravan ( Opel )
• Clubman ( both the Mini by British Leyland and the Mini by BMW)
• Combi ( Borgward, Renault, Skoda, Toyota)
• Countryman (Austin )
• Crossover Wagon ( Hyundai i30 )
• Estate ( British English )
• Familial ( French, Peugeot)
• Familiale (French, Citroen, Peugeot)
• Giardinetta (Alfa Romeo )
• Giardiniera (Fiat, Fiat 500 Topolino, for example, and Fiat Nuova 500)
• Grand Tour ( Renault)
• Marina ( Tata Indigo )
• Multi Wagon (Fiat Stilo )
• Nevada ( Renault 21 )
• Panorama (Fiat )
• Rural ( Spanish South America)
• Safari ( Pontiac )
• Savanna (Renault 21)
• Shooting Brake (Aston Martin)
• Sport Brake ( Jaguar XK )
• Sport Combi ( Saab)
• Sport Combi ( Mazda6 )
• Sport Tourer (Seat )
• Sports Tourer ( Opel Insignia and Opel Astra J)
• Sportwagon (Alfa Romeo )
• Sporty Wagon ( Kia cee'd )
• Station Wagon ( American English, Australian English, Lancia, Daewoo, Fiat, Subaru)
• SW ( Fiat, Lancia, Peugeot)
• T- model (Mercedes- Benz)
• Tourer ( Citroën, Honda, Rover )
• Touring ( BMW, Chrysler 300C )
• Tourist ( Wartburg )
• Traveller ( Ford in Austria, Morris Nissan)
• Tournament ( Ford Germany )
• Universal ( Mercedes -Benz Type W 110, W 111, Lada, Trabant )
• V ( Volvo)
• Variable (Renault 12, 18)
• Variant ( Volkswagen, Audi F103 )
• Vario (Seat )
• Voyage ( Opel )
• Wagon ( American English, Australian English )
• Weekend ( Fiat )