The Essential Automobile Dictionary

 THE AUTOMOBILE DICTIONARY:

SUV:  Sport Utility Vehicle

CUV: Compact Utility Vehicle

COUPE: A 2 door car.

SEDAN: A 4-door car.

HATCHBACK: A car with the trunk hinges attached to the roof.

BODY ON FRAME SUV: A SUV with the heavy-duty frame of a full-size truck. Ex: Cadillac Escalade

CONVERTIBLE: A vehicle that can drive without a roof. Some convertibles store the roof in the trunk. Ex: Mazda MX-5 Miata, Fiat 12-4 Abarth.

MPG: Miles Per Gallon, a unit that represents the # of miles a car can go on a single gallon of gas. Ex: A 2020 Honda Civic makes roughly 35 mpg.

MPC: Miles Per Charge, a unit that represents the # of miles an electric car can go on a full charge. Ex: A Tesla Model S can achieve 402 mpc.

HP: Horsepower. If, for example, a Honda has 180 HP, that means it has the power of 180 literal horses.

0-60 MPH: The time in seconds it takes for a vehicle to accelerate from 0-60 Miles Per Hour. Ex: A Ford Mustang can accelerate to 60 in 4.2 seconds.

MSRP: Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price Ex: Porsche 718 MSRP is $57,000

Cargo: Surplus space used for storage of items, usually in the rear of the car

MPH: Miles Per Hour     Ex: The Nissan GT-R has a mph of 196

Axle: Rods that wheels are mounted on

Disk Brake: Brakes equipped on the axle of the car

Infotainment System: A tablet mounted on the dashboard that features map, music, call, and navigation apps

Sports car: Usually a 2-door car, with between 200-500 horsepower. Ex: Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro

Supercar: Usually a 2-door car with noticeable aerodynamics. Typically churns out 500-800 horsepower, going all the way to roughly 205 mph.  Ex: McLaren 600LT, Ferrari 488 Pista, Porsche 911

Hypercar: A no-frills car with downforce agents everywhere. Usually produces 800-1800 horsepower. Ex: McLaren Senna, Bugatti Chiron, Porsche 918.