Why is sport brake the new word for estate?
Discussion
Break is the term used in quite a bit of Europe to describe an estate car.
It comes from the old horse drawn carrage days: the back seat would break down to allow the luggage of the rich to be loaded at the railway station as they arrived. We use estate as that's where the rich would normally be going from the station, and the Americans use station waggon as that's where that type of carrage was used.
This was explained to me at a historic car collection by the tour guide. Might not be true but makes sense to me.
It comes from the old horse drawn carrage days: the back seat would break down to allow the luggage of the rich to be loaded at the railway station as they arrived. We use estate as that's where the rich would normally be going from the station, and the Americans use station waggon as that's where that type of carrage was used.
This was explained to me at a historic car collection by the tour guide. Might not be true but makes sense to me.
Well it isn't the new word for Estate.
And none of them are technically shooting brakes, a shooting brake by definition was a 2 door car converted into a shooting brake, things like this to take shooting:
Problem is the term Coupe has been stretched so far into 4 door cars they now think that when they put a big boot on the back they can call it a shooting brake. No it's just an estate.
In all fairness the CLS in particular looks very very attractive and would be a shame to call it an estate as it looks much better, but perhaps shooting brake isn't the right word.
And none of them are technically shooting brakes, a shooting brake by definition was a 2 door car converted into a shooting brake, things like this to take shooting:
Problem is the term Coupe has been stretched so far into 4 door cars they now think that when they put a big boot on the back they can call it a shooting brake. No it's just an estate.
In all fairness the CLS in particular looks very very attractive and would be a shame to call it an estate as it looks much better, but perhaps shooting brake isn't the right word.
petrolveins said:
Well it isn't the new word for Estate.
And none of them are technically shooting brakes, a shooting brake by definition was a 2 door car converted into a shooting brake, things like this to take shooting:
Problem is the term Coupe has been stretched so far into 4 door cars they now think that when they put a big boot on the back they can call it a shooting brake. No it's just an estate.
In all fairness the CLS in particular looks very very attractive and would be a shame to call it an estate as it looks much better, but perhaps shooting brake isn't the right word.
I was actually going to say shooting brake is usually associated with the likes of Aston and Jaguar eg the XJS shooting brakes that were converted.And none of them are technically shooting brakes, a shooting brake by definition was a 2 door car converted into a shooting brake, things like this to take shooting:
Problem is the term Coupe has been stretched so far into 4 door cars they now think that when they put a big boot on the back they can call it a shooting brake. No it's just an estate.
In all fairness the CLS in particular looks very very attractive and would be a shame to call it an estate as it looks much better, but perhaps shooting brake isn't the right word.
Having watched customers with a lot more money than sense suck up the delusion that a hulking 4x4 can be labelled "Sport" I'm not in the least surprised that the same term can be applied to a large estate car with a silly roof-line.
Leaving aside the "Sport" moniker, where on earth does the "Brake" bit come in?
And who put the "Station" in station wagon?
- -
The new "Ssang-Yong Station Brake!!! Available exclusively in nipple pink (to attract suckers).
Should sell like hot cakes....
Leaving aside the "Sport" moniker, where on earth does the "Brake" bit come in?
And who put the "Station" in station wagon?
- - The new "Ssang-Yong Station Brake!!! Available exclusively in nipple pink (to attract suckers).
Should sell like hot cakes....
Shooting brakes were originally to transport workers to the shoot to act as beaters, and were based on commercial chassis. Ford AA...
Then the landowners decided to transport their guests in the same way, so they converted their upmarket cars. Rolls-Royce..
Today it must surely just be a marketing term. The PR boys want us to associate with the term which implies upper-class. So we get estate car, which is for use on your estate. station wagon for collecting guests from the station, etc, and now sportbrake which suggests high-performance from a mundane vehicle.
(NB Why do Audi call the 5-door the Sportback when it looks less sporting than the 3-door?)
Then the landowners decided to transport their guests in the same way, so they converted their upmarket cars. Rolls-Royce..
Today it must surely just be a marketing term. The PR boys want us to associate with the term which implies upper-class. So we get estate car, which is for use on your estate. station wagon for collecting guests from the station, etc, and now sportbrake which suggests high-performance from a mundane vehicle.
(NB Why do Audi call the 5-door the Sportback when it looks less sporting than the 3-door?)
Re the Audi thing, it made sense to me when they called the four-door A5 the Sportback, because its distinguishing feature (compared to an A4) was its Fastback-style roofline. I assumed Sportback was their term for Fastback. This was backed up when they did the A7 Sportback. Then I'd read tha they'd done an A3 Sportback, and I thought ooh, that's interesting, the little A3 with a fastback rear, could be nice! But they'd just made a normal five-door 
They've all been coming up with bulls
t new ways of saying estate. BMW have long since used Touring, Peugeot act like an American and call it a Station Wagon. Now Jaguar say 'Sportbrake.'
Why can't they just be honest and say estate? Or does that bring up too many thoughts of old men in Volvos?
t new ways of saying estate. BMW have long since used Touring, Peugeot act like an American and call it a Station Wagon. Now Jaguar say 'Sportbrake.'Why can't they just be honest and say estate? Or does that bring up too many thoughts of old men in Volvos?
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