Lupin_IV
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2008
- Messages
- 3,876
- Location
- about 10 miles north of Carlisle, PA
- Car(s)
- '84 Pontiac Parisienne, '93 Chevy Caprice
I don't consider a cargo hatch to be a door.5-door.
I don't consider a cargo hatch to be a door.5-door.
I don't consider a cargo hatch to be a door.
I don't consider a cargo hatch to be a door.
Okay, sit back, because this may blow your minds: a trunk/boot lid is simply a door to a cargo area, and, guess what, they are never counted toward the number of doors on a car.
Hatchback and estate or station wagon bodies are sold as 'three-door' or 'five-door' models. In these cases, the rear hatch is classified as a door; this is because it enters the passenger compartment.
With the seats in their normal upright position, can you see into the passenger cell of the BMW M3 from the trunk? No?
If you can see into/access the passenger cell without moving the seats from the cargo area under the hatch, it's a door.
Also, Wikipedia:
Usually in North America, cars are only sold as "two-door" or "four-door" models. This American-style labelling only includes the passengers' and driver's doors, and not hatches on hatchbacks and station wagons. This has led to many not understanding that hatches are counted as doors in Europe, whilst the lids to sealed trunks aren't.
If you can reasonably use it to get in a seat, albeit looking like a moron, it's a door.
Low and behold, two lines below that:
A travelall is more or less an SUV by my understanding.
A carryall is a 2 seat closed-body car.
The body type on my Pathfinder's title says "CA" - short for Carryall.
My Pathfinder is 5 doors, 4 seats.
Yes, but the problem with that statement (which is the part that is marked with the [citation needed], not the part explaining that hatches and wagons have an odd number of doors) is when you go look at how the US Government classifies cars. There is a 3 door and 5 door classification at EPA and DOT.
In addition, states can provide additional classifications beyond that. My own state has some.... archaic classifications ('travelall' and 'carryall' are actual legal body types here - +rep to the first person who remembers where that comes from without searching for it). We sidestep the issue entirely, as 'station wagon' and 'hatchback/liftback' are legally defined terms here and are separate from 'two door' and 'four door'.