Thursday, August 29, 2019

Not Quite a 4-Door Hatchback Nor a SUV

Three years ago I wrote about Honda's 2010 Accord Crosstour and the 2015 BMW version, its X4.  I used the term "Fastback SUV" to describe them.

That's not a bad term, but so far as I know, it hasn't been picked up by the automotive press.  For example, Subaru's Crosstrek (the name looks a lot like "Crosstour," doesn't it) has been called a "four-door hatchback" by at least one source.  Other cars with a similar body type are usually called SUVs, even though they don't look very SUV-like.

Semantics or typologies aside, despite Honda having given up on its Crosstour by 2015, new entries have appeared during the last two or three years.  These are shown below.

Gallery

2010 Honda Accord Crosstour
This is the original.  Pretty graceful in profile as far aft as the B-pillar, but then it looks too bulky.

2019 BMW X4
Go to the link above for images of the first-generation X4.  The current version has a strongly curved roof, but just tall enough at the rear to suggest short-item carrying capacity.

2018 Subaru Crosstrek
The Crosstrek has a higher roofline at the rear that's more suggestive of SUVs.  On the other hand, it does hint at being a four-door hatchback sedan.

2017 Maserati Levante
High-priced sporty marques are now getting into the SUV act.  To retain that sporty feeling, the Fastback SUV style seems more appropriate than the traditional SUV boxy, station wagon style.

2019 Lamborghini Urus
Here is a recent entry.  The roofline is closer to that of the X4 than the Levante.

1 comment:

nlpnt said...

The Crosstour was sort of before its' time, and in a different market spot from the others; your other examples are firmly in the luxury-car price territory apart from the Subaru Crosstrek which is literally a raised hatchback, 100% of its body stampings and a lot of exterior trim parts are shared with the standard-height Impreza 5-door meaning Subaru competes in two segments with one set of body dies.