What kind of car does a sedan mean?

The sedan is sold by various manufacturers and is an attractive model with stable driving and comfortable driving performance. It is derived from the Latin word “sedeo,” which means “sit.”
Basically, there are four doors on the left and right of the driver’s seat, passenger seat, and rear seat. Since it can accommodate about 5 people, it was overwhelmingly popular as a standard family car until the 1970s and 1990s. Nowadays, the market size in Japan is shrinking due to the increasing choice of family cars such as minivans, compact hatchbacks, and super-height wagon-type mini cars, but it is still very popular.

Vehicles specializing in sporty driving are also on sale and are gaining popularity from a wide range of people. Such a 4-door model is generally called a 3-box 4-door model.

■ Vehicle type of sedan

Well-known sedans include
Toyota’s Corolla and Prius, Nissan ‘s Fuga, Teana, and Honda’s Insight.
Luxury sedans include the Rolls-Royce Phantom, Lincoln Limousine,
Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Toyota Crown.
Furthermore, as sports sedans, Nissan Skyline and Subaru Impreza are also famous.

The sedan is a type of car manufactured by most automobile manufacturers, both domestically and internationally. So there are many types of cars.
As you can see, a general sedan is a 3-box, 4-door car, but there are various types of cars. It is a car with high driving stability and safety, so why not look for your favorite one?

■ What does 3 box 4 door mean?

Four doors, as explained earlier, mean that there are four doors for people to get on and off. Three boxes mean three rooms: an engine room with a built-in engine, a passenger compartment where people can sit, and a trunk room where luggage can be stored.

However, in recent years, the definition of the sedan has become a little wider. Strictly speaking, the trunk room is not independent, and even if it has a hatchback structure, which will be described later, a model that adopts a design with a protruding rear part is also called a sedan or a sedan-style hatchback. Toyota’s popular model, the Prius, is also a sedan-style hatchback.

■ Differences from the coupe

There are also car models that are very similar to sedans, and one of them is the coupe. Like the sedan, it has a low-profile form, but it is a two-door car instead of a four-door car. While the sedan provides stable driving while also providing comfort in the car, the coupe is a model that emphasizes driving more.

A couple that has an engine room, a passenger compartment, and a trunk room is called a “notchback coupe” and looks similar to a sedan. In addition, there is a “fastback coupe” that is characterized by a large inclination of the rear window and a shape that makes it difficult to distinguish between the trunk and the passenger compartment.

■ Difference from hatchback

I explained that there are “notchback coupe” and “fastback coupe” in the coupe, but nowadays, cars of various shapes are on sale and the boundary between each name is becoming ambiguous. There is a hatchback as a car model with a characteristic shape of the structure at the rear of the car body.

The hatchback features a flip-up rear door, as opposed to sedans that have a boot lid to access the boot at the rear of the vehicle. Some of the cars with flip-up rear doors have a sedan-like three-box appearance, but a two-box model with a hatch integrated into the rear window is generally called a hatchback.

■ Explaining the charm of the sedan

With the global SUV boom and the popularity of compact cars with small turns in Japan, sedans are not as popular as they used to be, but they are still highly regarded.

The reason is the driving performance and comfort that can only be achieved with a sedan. We have introduced various typical sedans, but we will introduce the charm again.

■ How good is the driving performance?

Compared to other typical models such as SUVs and minivans, the major structural difference is the low overall height. If the overall height is high, the vehicle body will sway from side to side when cornering, so it is necessary to stiffen the wheel suspension. However, the fact that the suspension is stiff makes it easier to feel vibrations.

The engine room is located in the front part, and the low center of gravity design makes it less swaying even when cornering, so the suspension is also flexible. Therefore, it absorbs vibration and enables comfortable driving.

■ Comfortable interior space

One of the attractions of Canadian rent car users of the sedan is the highly comfortable interior space. Since the engine room and luggage compartment and passenger compartment are independent, it is possible to improve the airtightness and quietness of the room.

In addition, the low center of gravity provides a high degree of freedom in suspension setting, making it easier to achieve a more comfortable ride. This in-car comfort is one of the reasons why many luxury cars use the sedan style.