四门轿跑：轿车与跑车的完美结合

ALEX TAYLOR III | 2011-07-25 10:35

四门轿跑的诞生主要是出于设计上的美观，而不是为了燃油经济性。它们结合了轿车的优点和跑车的优美造型，以下仅为大家介绍11款知名的四门轿跑

出身之谜

Disputed parentage

梅赛德斯奔驰（Mercedes-Benz）从不放弃任何一次自抬身价的机会。首先最让奔驰引以为傲的是它在1886年设计出了世界上第一辆汽车，不过现在奔驰又想让大家知道，它创造了“一种新的汽车车型”——也就是四门轿跑，不过它本质上只能算是一次外观设计上的创新。这款新车就是奔驰的CLS。

CLS可谓是一匹黑马，2003年，它从斯图加特市的奔驰设计中心横空出世。它的设计特立独行，不同于路面上行驶的任何一款轿车。自问世起，CLS已经获得了巨大的成功，在全球共卖出17万辆。而且它也受到了德国其他竞争厂商的竞相模仿。奔驰对CLS的2012款进行了重新设计，它现在是目前市面上最优雅、同时也是最抢眼的车型

在四门轿跑的定义问题上，奔驰称CLS“集跑车的优雅和动感与轿车的舒适和实用于一身”。换句话说，所谓四门轿跑车型首先是一款四门轿车，只是它的车顶弧度更大，就像一款双门跑车一样。奔驰公司还表示：“我们勇敢地向市场推出了一种全新的汽车理念，全世界的顾客都因此获益匪浅。”这未免太往自己脸上贴金了。

这种车型究竟有多新颖？要说奔驰公司让四门轿跑的理念重获新生，这种说法倒并不算夸张。不过从以下的几幅图片中你就可以看出，四门轿跑并不是什么革命性的概念，以下谨为大家列出四门轿跑家族的几款代表性车型，它们都是奔驰CLS的叔伯弟兄，最早的一款可以追溯到1940年。

Mercedes-Benz never ignores an opportunity to pat itself on the back. Already credited with devising the first automobile in 1886, it wants to be known for creating also "a new vehicle category." This time, the claimed credit is essentially for a design exercise -- the four-door coupe. The new car in question is the CLS.

The CLS unexpectedly emerged from Mercedes's design center in Stuttgart in 2003, looked like nothing else then on the road, and has been a big success -- having sold 170,000 worldwide. It has also been imitated by Mercedes's German competitors. Redesigned for 2012, it is one of the most elegant and eye-catching cars on the road -- hugely appealing despite the usual stiff Mercedes price of $83,095.

In defining the four-door coupe, Mercedes describes the CLS as combining "the elegance and dynamism of a coupé with the comfort and functionality of a saloon. " In other words, a four-door styled with a more sharply curving roofline -- like a two-door coupe. Mercedes adds, perhaps redundantly, "Customers all over the world benefited from our bold move to launch a completely new vehicle concept onto the market."

But how new is it really? Give Mercedes credit for reviving and reinvigorating the concept. But it isn't exactly revolutionary, as we will see in the following gallery. Herewith, some branches on the CLS family tree, going back to 1940.

1940普利茅斯路王

1940 Plymouth Roadking

它究竟是不是有史以来第一款四门轿跑，现在已经难以考证了。当年这种车型被称为“斜背式车身”。而在那个年代，大多数其它车型的后备箱都非常突出和显眼，类似中世纪欧洲妇女的长裙，因裙子里加了裙撑，故而臀部部分高高隆起，因此那些车型又被称作“裙撑式车身”。与裙撑式车身相比，斜背式车身显得更加圆润优美。这款路王（Roadking）四门旅行轿车当年的售价为740美元。1940年汽车市场还发生了另一件具有里程碑意义的事：普利茅斯（Plymouth）开始生产双门轿跑以及没有后排座位的敞篷车。

Was this the first four-door coupe? In those days, this was known as the "fastback body style," something a little sleeker than the bustle-back sedans with their visible trunks from that era. This Roadking 4-door touring sedan sold for $740. Another 1940 landmark: Plymouth started making coupes and convertibles without rumble seats.

1950奥尔兹莫比尔牌88斜背式轿车

1950 Oldsmobile 88 Fastback

曾几何时，在通用汽车旗下的几大品牌里，奥尔兹莫比尔（Oldsmobile）总是设计上最潮的那一个。88轿车更是奥尔兹莫比尔车系里造型最潮的一款。同下文将提到的纳什（Nash）和德加（Tucker）出品的两款轿车一样，88也用了斜背式设计，车顶后部平滑地向下倾斜，直至后保险杠处，也就是后备箱底部。这款造型因其平滑圆润的造型而备受消费者好评，不过后排空间的拥挤和后视造型的不美观，也使这款轿车颇受诟病——当然许多人对当代的四门轿跑也有同样的报怨。这些优点和缺点最终都被当代的凹背式四门轿跑继承了下来。

Once upon a time, Olds was a styling leader for General Motors, and the 88 was the image leader for Olds. Like the Nash and the Tucker, it had a roof that sloped continuously down at the back, all the way to the base of the trunk at the rear bumper. Praised for their slipperiness, fastbacks pinched rear-seat passengers and penalized rear vision -- complaints that would also be made about modern coupe-styled sedans -- and were eventually succeeded by more modern notchbacks.

德加1948轿车，又称“鱼雷”

1948 Tucker '48 Sedan aka "Torpedo"

这款轿车之所以出名，是因为它是一款“没有量产的量产轿车”。这是一款发动机后置的轿跑，采用了斜背式车身来遮盖其后置的引擎。当时人们认为它是有史以来最符合空气动力学的轿车。这款轿车只生产了五十一辆，就由于设计师兼公司老板普勒斯顿•德加涉嫌证券诈骗而被迫停产。普勒斯顿•德加后来虽被免于起诉，但他的公司却难逃破产的噩运。

A car better known for not being built, the Tucker used a fastback design to cover the motor of this rear-engined car. In its time, it was viewed as the most aerodynamic car ever built. Preston Tucker made only 51 of them before production was halted by an investigation for securities fraud. He was later exonerated, but his company failed.

1951版纳什Airflyte

1951 Nash Airflyte

纳什Airflyte是1940年以来第一款真正意义上全新设计的轿车，它的设计十分符合空气动力学原理，二战后刚一推出便让消费者们为之一震。它的斜背式车身是在风洞里研发出来的，这也解释了为什么这款轿车采用了封闭式的前后挡泥板。Airflyte轿车的另一个特点，是它使用了充分可调式座椅。因此它也成了露天汽车电影院里广受欢迎的车型。

The aerodynamic Airflyte shocked post-war audiences as the industry's first really new design since 1940. The fastback body style was developed in a wind tunnel, which explains the enclosed front fenders and rear fender skirts. The Airflytes also featured fully reclining seats, making them popular at drive-in movies.

1973雪铁龙GS

1973 Citroën GS

法国人和雪铁龙（Citroën）在GS轿车上推出了一些全新的东西。GS轿车的出名很大程度上是由于该车使用的液气式悬架，它也是当时跑的最快的一款轿车。由于它的五门设计（也就是掀背式设计）显得过于实用主义，因而厂方最开始否定了这种设计，不过后续的一款GS轿车还是使用了掀背式车身。这款轿车的备胎放在发动机上方，因此后备箱大得异乎寻常。

Leave it to the French and Citroën to do something completely different. The GS was more notable for its hydropneumatic suspension, but it was also the slipperiest car of its time. A fifth door or hatchback was originally rejected as being too utilitarian but was added to a later model. The spare tire sits on top of the engine, resulting in an unusually large trunk.

1976罗孚3500

1976 Rover 3500

这款轿车是英国利兰汽车公司（British Leyland）生产的，这家公司可谓命运多舛。这款罗孚轿车是1976年票选的欧洲年度轿车。意大利风格的造型让这款轿车广受褒赞，但随着大量电子元件和车身总装问题先后浮出水面，罗孚轿车很快失去了它的吸引力。在12年的时间里，这款轿车一共生产了不到10万台。

Designed and built by ill-fated British Leyland, the Rover was voted European Car of the Year. Its Italianate style was widely praised, but its appeal quickly died as myriad electrical and body assembly problems surfaced. Fewer than 100,000 were produced over 12 years.

1978别克世纪

1978 Buick Century

1978版别克世纪（Buick Century）轿车的尺寸在原型车基础有所缩短，并进行了重新设计。它采用了与奥尔兹莫比尔短剑轿车（Olds Cutlass Salon）相同的斜背式四门轿跑设计，设计师们并不想把车身后部与车身其它部分整合到一起，因此这款轿跑的总体视觉效果更像是一台掀背车，而不是斜背车。虽然通用汽车在70年代末的市场占有率仍然很高，但这款斜背式四门较跑的销量并不出众。1980年，这款轿车经过重新设计，车身变成了传统的凹背式车身。

When the downsized, redesigned Century appeared, it came in the form of a fastback sedan, a body style that it shared with the Olds Cutlass Salon. Stylists made no attempt to integrate the rear end of the car with the rest of it, and the overall effect is more hatchback than fastback. Although GM was still riding high in the late `70s, the fastback sedan did not sell well and it was redesigned as a conventional notchback for 1980.

2004版梅塞德斯奔驰CLS

2004 Mercedes-Benz CLS

奔驰CLS轿车一经推出就引起了轰动，它集优雅、灵活和力度于一身。有批评人士认为，这款轿车光滑的车顶弧线使它看起来更像一款双门轿跑，而不是一款四门轿车。不过光滑的线条却提升了整车的性能，并且吸了大批厂商群起模仿。2012版CLS经过了重新设计，显得更加灵动，也更富有侵略性。

A sensation when it was introduced, the CLS possessed grace, agility, and strength all in one package. Critics complained that the sleek roofline made the car more coupe than sedan, but the four-door's slick lines improved functionality and attracted a host of imitators. Redesigned for 2012, it looks even more feline and aggressive.

2008大众CC

2008 Volkswagen CC

采取了四门跑车式设计之后，原本造型中规中矩的帕萨特（Passat）轿车摇身一变，成了一款魅力十足的轿跑。在40，000美元以下的价格区间里，大众CC绝对是最吸引人的轿车之一。虽然已经量年三年了，但它的造型仍显得十分新颖。如果已经停产了的辉腾（Phaeton）轿车能能有如此漂亮的造型，肯定能取得巨大的成功。

Four-door coupe styling turned the workaday Passat sedan into a glamorous saloon. The CC is one of the most attractive cars on the road under $40,000 and still looks fresh three years after introduction. If the now-departed Phaeton had looked this good, it would have been a huge success.

2010捷豹XJ

2010 Jaguar XJ

XJ轿车突破了捷豹车系以往的保守造型，它采用了显著的跑车式车顶，还安装了天窗，为驾驶者和乘客提供了相当不错的顶部空间。由于销量较少（今年只卖出了不到2，400台），因此捷豹XJ既是路面上最抢眼的车型之一，也是最罕见的车型之一。XJ是个马力强劲的大块头，不过它看起来却仍然轻盈灵动——而且开起来也的确如此。

A clean break from Jag's fuddy-duddy styling in the past, the XJ has a pronounced coupe roofline that, even with a sunroof, provides decent headroom. One of the most striking cars on the road, and, due to small sales numbers (fewer than 2,400 sold so far this year), one of the rarest. This is a big, powerful car that still manages to look light on its feet -- and drive that way.

2011奥迪A7运动掀背车

2011 Audi A7 Sportback

严格说来奥迪A7是一款五门掀背车，不过光滑的线条和无框式车门却使这款轿车跻身四门轿跑的行列。它搭载了一款3升增压式发动机。每台A7运动掀背车的底价为59，250美元。A7的尊享版中含有价值6，330美元的尊享礼包（含大尺寸轮胎、导航系统和前后倒车雷达），因此价格也高达68，330美元。A7掀背车很可能会采用2+2的座椅配置，这意味着后排空间会比较逼仄。

Technically a five-door hatchback, the Audi's sleek profile and frameless doors lift it up to the four-door coupe class. Powered by a 3-liter supercharged engine, it carries a base price of $59,250. With the $6,330 prestige package (big wheels, navi system, front and rear parking sensors), it turns heads and carries a sticker price of $68,330. The seating configuration is more like a 2 2, leading to a cramped rear seat.

日薄西山

Numbered days

尽管四门轿跑的确非常吸引人的眼球，不过许多分析人士都不看好四门轿跑的前景。专业汽车网站Edmunds.com的分析师伊万•德鲁利曾说：“实际上这些轿跑的销量并不是非常好，为了迁就跑车式设计，头部空间和储物空间都要做出妥协，而大多数消费者并不愿意做出这些牺牲。”汽车太平洋公司（AutoPacific）的乔治•彼得森则显得更加偏激，毫不客气地指责四门轿跑就是个“笑话”。他解释道：“它们很不生活化，很多车主买完就后悔了。这些四门轿跑可能在刚问世的12到18个月里卖得很火，但此后销量就会直线下跌。”奔驰CLS的销售数据就佐证了这一论断。据Edmunds.com的数据显示，2005年，奔驰CLS在美国卖出13，757辆，但去年却只卖出了2，135辆。不过以驾驶者和路人的眼光来看，当今世上，再也没有其它任何车型能如此优雅和抢眼。

译者：朴成奎

Despite their evident eye appeal, analysts don't see a wider future for four-door coupes. According to Edmunds.com Analyst Ivan Drury: "In truth the cars don't sell very well. Head-room and storage space are compromised by the coupe design, and most consumers aren't willing to make those sacrifices." George Peterson of AutoPacific goes further, labeling them a "joke." He explains: "They are not easy to live with. Buyer's remorse is rampant. They will be popular for 12 to 18 months after intro and then sales will fall precipitously." The experience of the CLS supports this. According to Edmunds, U.S. sales have tumbled from 13,757 in 2005 to 2135 last year.Still, from the vantage point of the driver's seat, as well as the curb, no other body style available today exudes such drama and elegance.

阅读全文