Editing Station wagon (section)

===Comparison with hatchbacks===
[[File:Three body styles with pillars and boxes.png|thumb|Typical [[Pillar (car)|pillar]] configurations of a sedan [[three-box styling|(three box)]], station wagon [[three-box styling|(two box)]] and hatchback [[three-box styling|(two box)]] from the same [[car model|model range]]]]

Station wagons and [[hatchback]]s have in common a [[Three-box styling|two-box design]] configuration, a shared interior volume for passengers and cargo<ref name="Vehicle Dynamics"/><ref name="AutomotiveTech">{{cite book |first=Jack |last=Erjavec |title=Automotive Technology: a Systems Approach Chapter 4 |page=55, Body Styles |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2004 |isbn=9781401848316 |quote=Liftback or Hatchback: The distinguishing feature of this vehicle is its luggage compartment, which is an extension of the passenger compartment. Access to the luggage compartment is gained through an upward-opening hatch-type door. A car of this design can be a three- or five-door model; the third or fifth door is the rear hatch. Station Wagon: A station wagon is characterized by its roof which extends straight back, allowing a spacious interior luggage compartment in the rear. The rear door, which can be opened numerous ways depending on the model, provides access to the luggage compartment. Station wagons come in two and four-door models and have space for up to nine passengers.}}</ref> as well as a hatch or rear door (often called a [[#Tailgate designs|tailgate]] in the case of a station wagon) that is hinged at roof level.<ref>{{cite web |title=Car Design Glossary—Part 2: One-Box (Monospace or Monovolume) |website=cardesignnews.com |quote=A three or five-door hatchback (no separate trunk compartment) is a 'two-box' car. |url= http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/new_cars/display/store4/item131867/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101201151939/http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/new_cars/display/store4/item131867/ |archive-date=1 December 2010 |access-date=31 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=American Cars of the '50s |first=Mike |last=Mueller |year=2003 |publisher=Crestline |isbn=9780760317129}}</ref> Folding rear seats designed to provide a larger space for cargo in place of passenger capacity, are also typical features for station wagons and hatchbacks.<ref name="ahd"/>

Distinguishing features between hatchbacks and station wagons include:
* D-pillar: Station wagons are more likely to have a [[Pillar (car)|D-pillar]] (hatchbacks and station wagons both have A-, B-, and C-pillars).
* Cargo volume: Station wagons prioritize passenger and cargo volume—with windows beside the cargo volume. Of the two body styles, a station wagon roof (viewed in profile) more likely extends to the very rearmost of the vehicle, enclosing a full-height cargo volume<ref name="AutomotiveTech"/>—a hatchback design (especially a [[liftback]] version) is likely to have steeply sloping roofline behind the B- or C-Pillar, prioritizing style<ref name="Hilliers"/> over interior volume or cargo capacity, sometimes having a shorter rear overhang and smaller side windows (or no windows at all).

Other differences are more variable and can potentially include:
*Cargo floor contour: A station wagon often has a fold-flat floor (for increased cargo capacity), whereas a hatchback is more likely to have a cargo floor with a pronounced contour.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}
*Seating: Some station wagons have three rows of seats, whereas a hatchback will have two at most.<ref name="Vehicle Dynamics"/> The rearmost row of seating in a station wagon is often located in the cargo area and can be front-facing, rear-facing, or side-facing.
*Rear suspension: A station wagon may include a reconfigured rear suspension for additional load capacity<ref name="Hilliers"/> and to minimize intrusion in the cargo volume.
*Rear Door: Hatchbacks usually feature a top-hinged [[liftgate]] for cargo access, with variations ranging from a two-part liftgate to a complex tailgate that can function as a full tailgate or a trunk lid. Station wagons have also been equipped with numerous [[#Tailgate designs|tailgate configurations]]. Hatchbacks may be called Liftbacks when the opening area is very sloped, and the door is lifted to open.<ref name="Vehicle Dynamics">{{cite book| first=G. Nakhaie |last=Jazar |title=Vehicle Dynamics: Theory and Application |pages=30, 1.8.3 Passenger Car Body Styles | publisher=Springer-Verlag |year=2008 |quote=Hatchback: Hatchback cars are identified by a rear door including the back window, that opens to access a storage area that is not separated from the rest of the passenger compartment. A hatchback may have two or four doors and two or four seats. They are also called three-door or five-door cars. A hatchback car is referred to a ''liftback'' when the opening area is very sloped and is lifted up to open. Station Wagon: A station wagon or wagon is a car with a full-height body all the way to the rear; the load-carrying space created is accessed via a rear door or doors. |isbn=9780387742434}}</ref> A design director from General Motors has described the difference as "Where you break the roofline, at what angle, defines the spirit of the vehicle", he said. "You could have a 90-degree break in the back and have a station wagon."<ref name="nyt1">{{cite news |title=The Hatchback Is Back (but Nobody Uses the H-Word) |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Dan |last=Neil |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/28/automobiles/the-hatch-is-back-but-please-don-t-use-the-h-word.html |date=28 April 2002 |access-date=31 July 2022}}</ref>

It has become common for station wagons to use a [[Car platform|platform]] shared with other body styles, resulting in many shared components (such as chassis, engine, transmission, bodywork forward of the A-pillar, interior features, and optional features) being used for the wagon, sedan, and hatchback variants of the [[car model|model range]].<ref name="pm"/>