When size matters, but not always. Understanding the European car classification

The J segment, according to the European classification, includes cars of the SUV class - sport utility vehicle, that is, for sports and utilitarian purposes. This term is used for station wagon cars, predominantly equipped with an all-wheel drive system and distinguished by increased ground clearance.


BMW X3

The segment includes two categories of cars that differ in design - SUVs and crossovers. The difference between these two categories is the all-wheel drive design and the capabilities it has. If a crossover is a station wagon with increased cross-country ability, then an SUV is a full-fledged “all-terrain vehicle” with a comfortable interior and a number of design attributes necessary for city and highway driving (ABS, EBD, and so on).

Signs of a Class J car

In recent years, the SUV segment has been developing at a rapid pace, so apart from a station wagon body and high ground clearance, a J segment car has no permanent features. If previously the body and components of an SUV were installed on a frame, which served as another distinguishing feature of this class, now even a car with very good cross-country ability, falling under the category of SUVs by all criteria, can have a monocoque body. This design helps reduce weight and save fuel.


Renault Duster

By the way, it was the appearance in the early eighties of the first SUVs with a monocoque body that contributed to the development of a new type of car, which is now commonly called a crossover.

An SUV differs from a minivan, first of all, in that the latter’s body structure, as a rule, has a clearly visible engine compartment that protrudes forward. At the same time, the interior layout can be exactly the same as that of a minivan—J-segment SUVs with a flat floor (without a transmission tunnel) and three rows of seats are often found.

Tips for choosing a class

When choosing a car class, focus primarily on your budget, as well as personal preferences. You can usually find out what class a car belongs to on the official website of the brand. You can select several classes, make a table and write down several models, dividing the table into items about dimensions, engine power, and interior capacity.

The car class is more of a reference for quick comparison of models and better orientation in market segments. The lowest price is for class A+ cars, and the most expensive are luxury class cars. Accordingly, as the class increases, the cost of the car increases, and its technical characteristics also become better.

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History of the development of the J segment

The predecessors of SUVs were small utility buses with a supporting frame (for example, the 1935 Chevrolet Carryall-Suburban - the ancestor of the modern Chevrolet Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade) and military vehicles (such as the legendary Willys MB, a US Army vehicle during World War II). Early representatives of long-wheelbase SUVs in the modern sense were the Soviet all-wheel drive GAZ-61 of 1938, the Willys Jeep Wagon of 1948, and the Land Rover Series II 109 of 1958.

The last 25 years for the J segment have been marked by increasing comfort and moving closer to road cars in terms of speed, agility and safety.

The term SUV appeared in the 80s. The concept of Sport Utility arose because at the beginning of the boom, SUVs were often used to transport sports equipment - skis, bicycles, etc. The prototype of modern crossovers was the Jeep Cherokee (XJ), an SUV with a monocoque body. Interestingly, even at that time the Cherokee advertising campaign was based on the advantages of an SUV over a traditional station wagon. This trend continues to this day: sales of crossovers are based on the advantages of all-wheel drive and increased ground clearance while maintaining body capacity.


Jeep Cherokee (XJ)

The last 25 years of development of the J segment have been marked by increasing the comfort of all-wheel drive vehicles and gradually bringing them closer to road cars in terms of speed, agility and safety. In this regard, the SUV's ground clearance gradually decreased, and in the Opel Mokka, for example, it is as low as in the average station wagon.


Opel Mokka

European classification of vehicles by ABCDEF classes (Table)

At the moment, in countries around the world there are various car classification systems, all of them use the following parameters as the basis: body dimensions (dimensions) and engine power and volume, passenger compartment volume, market segment, average cost. The tables below show the various classifications of cars and how they compare and contrast with each other.

European car classification A, B, C, D, E, F, J, by target market segments

European car classification is based more on target market segments than on the technical parameters and characteristics of cars; there are no clear boundaries between segments; not only those are used. parameters but also market value, various sets of options. The classification includes 9 main classes: A, B, C, D, E, F, J, M, S.

Classes Name Description Examples
A class Mini cars European especially small class or microcars. Very small, up to 3.6 meters, mostly ladies' cars. Economical, very low gas consumption. Oka, Matiz, Spark, Chery QQ...
B class Small cars European small class, compact class. Its dimensions are up to 4.2 meters in length, inexpensive and economical, the most popular and affordable. Lada Vesta, Granta, Solaris, Logan, Nexia, Aveo, Yaris...
C class Medium cars European lower middle class; "golf class" They grow up to 4.5 meters long. Spacious interior and large trunk. Golf, i30, ceed, Cruze, Corolla, Civic, Lada Priora...
D class Larger cars European middle class; family class. Vehicles up to 4.6 meters long. Suitable for family people with a large comfortable interior, a large trunk, this also includes expensive cars with many options. Accord, Volga, Audi A4, Mondeo, Passat, Sonata, Camry, bmw 3 …
E class Executive cars European upper middle class; "Business Class". Vehicles no longer than 5 meters. Cars for wealthy people. emphasizing their social status. Audi A6, BMW 5, Lexus ES, Genesis, Jaguar XF, Mercedes-Benz E-class...
F class Luxury cars European upper class; executive class. Vehicles with a body length of more than 5 meters. The most powerful engines, expensive interior (leather, rare wood), maximum options. emphasize the highest social owner status. Mercedes-Benz E-class, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Maybach 62, bmw7, lexus LS…
J class Sport utility SUV, "off-road vehicles". Vehicles with increased cross-country ability, are spacious, have all-wheel drive, and generally have a frame structure. Santa Fe, Kuga, X-Trail, RAV-4, bmv x1, x3, x5, Land Cruser Prado...
M class Multi purpose cars Minivans, compact vans, microvans. For a large family, very roomy, seats up to 9 pieces. C-max, Carens, Verso, Zafira, Carnival, Hyundai H-1
S class Sport coupe Sports coupes, sports cars and supercars. Powerful engine, very high speed, optic body. Mostly expensive cars, some very expensive ones! 911, Zonda, Lamborghini, Ferrari 488, FF, Nissan GT-R...

Table of classification of cars by class, their features and sizes

Car class Class name options Body type Length (mm) Width (mm) Wheelbase (mm) Engine capacity
A microcars Hatchback 3-5 3200 – 3600 1495 – 1640 2200 – 2446 0,8–1,4
IN compact class Hatchback 3-5. Wagon Sedan 3610 – 3990 1640 – 1680 2370 – 2490 1,1–2,0
WITH small medium, golf class Hatchback 3-5 Wagon Sedan 4000 – 4300 1700 – 1777 2510 – 2640 1,2–1,8
C-High* small medium, golf class Hatchback 5 Wagon Sedan 4375 – 4550 1700 – 1773 2510 – 2641 1,4–2,0
D family class Sedan. Liftback Wagon 4520 – 4730 1746 – 1812 2670 – 2754 1,6–3,2
E Business Class Sedan Wagon Liftback 4740 – 4900 1775 – 1335 2700 – 2840 2,0–3,5
F executive class Sedan 5000 – 5169 1830 – 1903 2830 – 2991 3,0–5,0
S sports coupe
M (MPV-0) minivan 3500 – 4040 1720 – 1500 2360 – 2630 1,0–1,8
M (MPV-C) minivan 4000 – 4550 1700 – 1370 2736 – 2760 1,4–2,0
M (MPV Large) minivan 4500 – 4780 1720 – 1965 2800 – 3000 1,3–2,9
J (SUV Mini off-road crossover 3845 – 3590 1555 – 1630 2250 – 2420 0,7–1,5
J (SUV Compact) off-road crossover 4195 – 4500 1765 – 1820 2468 – 2625 1,6–2,5
J (SUV Medium) off-road crossover 4400 – 4560 1755 – 1890 2360 – 2750 2,4–4,0
J (SUV Large) off-road crossover 4610 – 5090 1760 – 2065 2400 – 3120 3,2–5,5
J (SUV Pick-Up) off-road crossover Pick-Up Double Cab Single Cab 3345 – 5090 1555 – 2065 2250 – 3120 1,5–6,5
J (SUV Premium Compact) off-road crossover 4550 1850 2790 2,0–3,0
J (SUV Premium Medium) off-road crossover 4565 1853 2795 2,5–3,0
J (SUV Premium Large) off-road crossover 4633 – 4793 1840 – 1923 2715 – 2855 2,5–5,4
C-Premium Hatchback 3-5 Sedan 3630 – 4440 1670 – 1770 2400 – 2730 1,6–2,5
D-Premium Sedan Wagon 4550 – 4700 1730 – 1300 2600 – 2730 1,6–2,4
E-Premium executive class, business class Sedan Wagon 4720 – 4380 1800 – 1330 2700 – 2860 1,3–3,5
Luxury Premium Sedan 5730 – 6170 1918 – 1990 2745 – 3825 5,0–6,7
H (Roadster) 3420 – 4320 1610 – 1720 1150 – 2440 0,7–2,2
H (Roadster Premium) 4010 – 4320 1710 – 1780 2400 – 2540 1,8-3,2
S (Coupe Low) 4270 – 4490 1700 – 1760 2530 – 2680 1,6-2,7
S (Coupe Premium Low) 4040 – 4720 1730 – 1820 2420 – 2720 1,8–5,4
S (Coupe Premium High) 4430 – 4760 1770 – 2045 2350 – 2690 3,6–6,2

Classification of cars in the USSR by size

Cars in the USSR were classified depending on engine displacement and dry weight, each class was divided into the first and second groups. In modern Russia, this system is partially used, for example, to calculate the tax base, and partially for internal use in factories.

Comparison table comparing different car classifications

The table contains a comparison of various car classification systems - USA, UK, Russia, European main (segments) and examples of cars of these systems.

USA classes Great Britain Russia classes Europe (Market Segment) Examples of cars
Microcar Microcar, Bubble car Motorized stroller A class Isetta, Smart Fortwo
Subcompact car City car City car Chevrolet Spark, Volkswagen up!, Ford Ka, Peugeot107, Opel Agila, Kia Picanto, Fiat500, Suzuki Alto
Supermini Small class B class Volkswagen Polo, Ford Fiesta, Peugeot208, Opel Corsa, Citroën DS3, Kia Rio
Compact car Small family car Golf class,

Small medium

C class Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus, Peugeot308, Opel Astra, Hyundai Elantra, HondaCivic, BMW 1
Mid-size car Large family car Middle class D class Volkswagen Passat, Ford Mondeo, Peugeot508, Opel Insignia, Hyundai Sonata, Honda Inspire
Entry-level luxury car Compact executive car Audi A4, BMW3, Mercedes-Benz C-class, Volga31105
Full-size car Executive car Full size car E class Ford Crown Victoria, Chevrolet Impala, Honda Accord, Holden Commodore
Mid-size luxury car Business Class Audi A6, BMW5, Mercedes-Benz E-class
Full-size luxury car Luxury car Executive class F class Audi A8, BMW7, Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Sports car Sports car Sports car S class Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche911
Grand tourer Grand tourer Gran Turismo JaguarXK, Maserati GranTurismo
Supercar Supercar Supercar Bugatti Veyron, Pagani Zonda
Convertible Convertible Cabriolet Mercedes-Benz CLK-class, VolvoC70, Volkswagen Eos
Roadster Roadster Roadster Audi TT, BMW Z4, Porsche Boxster
Leisure activity vehicle M class Peugeot Partner, Škoda Roomster
Mini MPV Microvan Ford B-Max, Opel Meriva, HondaFit
Compact minivan Compact MPV, Midi MPV Compact van Ford C-Max, Opel Zafira, Volkswagen Touran, Renault Scenic
Minivan Large MPV Minivan Ford Galaxy, SEAT Alhambra, Chrysler Town & Country, Mazda5
Mini SUV Mini 4x4 J class Daihatsu Terios, Mitsubishi Pajero iO, Suzuki Jimny
Compact SUV Compact 4x4 Compact crossover Jeep Liberty, HondaCR-V, Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV4
Coupe SUV Off-road coupe Isuzu VehiCROSS, BMW X6
Mid-size SUV Large 4x4 Medium SUV BMW X5, Jeep GrandCherokee, Volkswagen Touareg
Full-size SUV Heavy SUV Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban, Range Rover, SsangYong Rexton, Toyota Land Cruiser
Mini pickup Pickup Pickup Chevrolet Montana, FiatStrada, Volkswagen Saveiro
Mid-size pickup Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, Mitsubishi Triton/L200, Nissan Navara
Full size pickup Dodge Ram, Ford F150, GMC Sierra, Nissan Titan, Toyota Tundra
Giant pickup truck Chevrolet Silverado, Ford Super Duty, Ram Heavy Duty

Basic information on the classification of cars by class is taken from the site ru.wikipedia.org

J segment cars in the USSR and Russia

In 1957, the Moscow Automobile Plant produced the Moskvich-410/411/431 experimental car, an all-wheel drive modification of the Moskvich-402 production model. The car was built on a monocoque body, unlike GAZ models of an earlier period and SUVs produced around the world since the mid-twenties. Since Moskvich appeared long before the launch of the Cherokee XJ, perhaps it should be considered the world's first crossover.

SUVs in the USSR were also produced by the Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant (model 469 and others) and VAZ (Niva 2121 crossover). Nowadays, the production of updated versions of these SUVs continues.

Attempts to produce domestic SUVs were also made at other factories: for example, the Derways company produced the all-wheel drive Derways Cowboy (Derways 3131) of its own design in the city of Cherkessk. True, the car did not achieve much success in the market. 

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