Types of Cars - Report Example

TYPES OF CARS Motor Cars Invention of motor cars was a milestone in the history of transportation. In the 1800’s, motor cars were so strange and rarethat they were used in circuses to entertain people. Although this is such as exciting chapter of inventions, no one surely knows when the first successful automobile was made. Rumor has it that in 1769, Nicholas Joseph Cugnot built a three-wheeled steam tractor for pulling cannon. However, it did not much win people’s hearts as it made a lot of noise, polluted the air, scattered hot coals, frightened the horses, and had to stop for steam to build up, every 10-15 minutes. (Kimes, 1990) Today, we are a long way from that kind of technology. We have road-legal cars traveling at 250 mph, for crying out loud. Who could have imagined that! There was a time when car manufacturers were obsessed with speed; and so were the customers. They would buy the fastest car their money could buy. Those were times when speed was considered a status symbol. It was a normal reaction as invention of the motor car was new at that moment. Later on, the speed factor subsided and comfort came up as the dominant consideration. People wanted to have leather seats and wine bottle holders in their cars. Radio and televisions were found in more classy brands. Then came a time when maintenance of cars was being too expensive; thus came the question of fuel economy. Modifications in engines and alterations in body structures took place to give better performance on less fuel. Today, we see that there is another factor added to the above-mentioned ones: “what is the use of the car?” This is a very important element in the production of cars. Cars are so easy to buy nowadays, due to leasing and car financing, especially in North America, that every family has at least two cars of their own. One is usually a normal sedan and the other, an SUV. The sedan is for normal use while the SUV is used on occasions of long drives while going on picnics, intercity, etc. Due to the demands of people, and different purposes cars are being used for nowadays, the car manufacturers paid a lot of attention to their purpose-based designing with some attention to the above-mentioned factors too. Thus, today, we have a wide range of cars available for the customers to choose from. Classification of Cars Subcompact Car: A subcompact car is a motor car that is smaller, in size, than a compact car but larger than an urban/city car. It belongs to the B-segment class and is known as a supermini in Europe. They normally consist of four or more seats, and technically speaking, have a maximum wheelbase of 100 inches and an interior volume of 85–99 ft. (Farlex, 2008) Mid-size Car: A mid-size car is the North American word used to refer to a vehicle of size that falls between a compact and a full-size car. In Europe, this car is referred to as an executive car if luxurious; otherwise, it is a saloon in UK and sedan in the rest of Europe. It has a wheelbase of 105-110 inches and an interior volume of 110-119 ft. (Farlex, 2008) Entry-level Luxury Car: This car can be defined as a large family car made by a premium brand or a compact car produced by a luxury brand. It provides a higher level of comfort, authority and distinction at a reasonable cost. Although it provides less gadgets and a smaller inner room and engine, its building material is of high-class quality. (Farlex, 2008) Full-size Car: A full-size car refers to a vehicle that is bigger than a mid-size car. It should have an interior volume of greater than 120 ft³, and a wheelbase greater than 110 inches. Due to the increasing lengths of wheelbases of mid-size cars, it became necessary to bring the total length into count, which should be greater than 197 inches. (Farlex, 2008) Mid-size Luxury Car: This car should have a very high level of comfort, and contain the newest or close to the latest technology and safety mechanisms. It should have a Manufacturer Suggested Price of between 36,000-60,000 US dollars. It is often made with 6 or 8 cylinder V-engines in order to fulfill the customer’s some priority to performance. (Farlex, 2008) Full-size Luxury Cars: These cars are built with the newest automotive technology; and provide an extremely high level of distinction. They also offer a higher level of comfort at least that present in the mid-size luxury cars. All cars priced between 60,000-100,000 US dollars are classified into this segment. (Farlex, 2008) Sports Car: This car is built for performance driving. Most of them have two doors and two seats. They are engineered for perfect handling and acceleration; and have a tendency to look exotic. Their chief characteristics include excellent handling and braking, less weight, and high power, instead of comfort, interior space, and fuel economy. (Farlex, 2008) Grand Tourer: The chief purpose of this high-performance vehicle is long driving. It is a two-door car with 2 or 4 seats. What makes it different from sports cars is that it is bigger, heavier, and more comfortable. It has a front-mounted engine to provide more space, and soft suspensions to give a smooth ride. (Farlex, 2008) Supercars: This is a term used for highly unusual and rare sports cars, which are superior to their current rivals. They are road-legal and factory-built, having no modification to enhance their performance. They have a rear mid-engine, and rear wheel-drive setup for better stability in weight and thus, better handling. (Farlex, 2008) Convertible: Any car that has a retractable top is called a convertible. The top is usually made of canvas or vinyl, but plastic, aluminum, and steel are also used in some sophisticated folding mechanisms. If solid material is used for the top, it is often called a retractable hardtop instead of a convertible. It is normally a two-door car, but some four-doors were also made. (Farlex, 2008) Roadster: This two-seat rear-wheel drive car does not have a permanent roof, and is quite light in weight. Even if its soft roof is raised, and its occasional windows are closed, passengers are still not completely safe from outside factors. This name, roadster does not have any technical restrictions but is used for old time’s sake. (Farlex, 2008) Compact Minivan: This car is smaller than a minivan, and looks less like a van. It is considered more flexible as its seats can be folded or removed, and is more spacious as its hood is shorter and passengers sit straight up. Five and seven-seaters are found more often than six-seaters. In the former ones, the two rear seats are smaller than both the front seats. (Farlex, 2008) Minivan: This car completely looks like a van but is smaller, as it is built for personal use. It is 65-70 inches tall, meaning taller than a saloon, hatchback, or a station wagon. Its engine is placed very close to the front end, and it has a minimum of front overhang. The rear overhang may be short or long in a small or large minivan, respectively. The rear door can also be sliding or swinging. (Farlex, 2008) Mini SUV: This SUV has a length of less than 165 inches. Earlier mini SUVs were made by body-on-frame technology, and thus were very useful for off-road purposes. Later, four-door SUVs were built, which leaned more towards family carrying purpose rather than off-road tasks. Nowadays, single-structure SUVs with little off-road capabilities are being manufactured. (Farlex, 2008) Compact SUV: This SUV has a length of between 170-185 inches and thus, larger than a mini SUV. It is made by unibody technology and has little off-road capabilities. Some of the modern-day compact SUVs have features that resemble those of compact minivans and hatchbacks. (Farlex, 2008) Mid-size crossover SUV: This car looks like a Sports Utility Vehicle, but with a more economical unibody technology. It has a better cornering capability, lower center of gravity, road-suitable suspensions, and front-wheel drive, which makes it better than normal SUVs in handling. It has a lightweight overall structure, which makes it much economical. (Farlex, 2008) Mid-size SUV: This SUV is bigger than a compact SUV but smaller than a full-size SUV. Most of them have three rows of seats with a luggage area behind the rear seat. It has little capability to perform off-road tasks due to its larger size and family carrying utilities. Full-size SUV: This SUV is the largest of all SUVs. It also has three rows of seats with a space for cargo behind the rear row. The difference is that this space is bigger than that in the mid-size SUV. It has very little off-road tasking abilities as it is built completely for family-carrying purposes. Works Cited 1) “Compact Executive Car”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 5 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Entry-level+luxury+car 2) “Compact MPV”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 6 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Compact+MPV 3) “Compact SUV”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 6 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/compact+SUV 4) “Convertible”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 6 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/convertible 5) “Crossover SUV”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 6 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/crossover+SUV 6) “Full-size Car”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 5 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/full-size+car 7) “Grand Tourer”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 5 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/grand+tourer 8) Kimes, Beverly Rae. “Automobile”. World Book Encyclopedia. World Book Inc. 1990 9) “Luxury Vehicle”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 5 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/luxury+car 10) “Mid-size Car”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 5 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/midsize+car 11) “Mini SUV”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 6 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/mini+SUV 12) “Minivan”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 6 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/minivan 13) “Roadster”. The Free Dictionary. 2008 Farlex Inc. 6 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/roadster 14) “Sports Car”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 5 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/sportscar 15) “Subcompact Car”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 5 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/sub+compact+car 16) “Supercar”. The Free Dictionary. 2008. Farlex Inc. 6 Feb. 2008. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/super+car Read More