Fast Facts: The Number of Configurations Offered By Today’s Car Manufacturers Is Staggering

2015 Ford Transit 350 wagon

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From the October 2015 issue

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Pickup trucks have long been the kings of configuration—long or short bed? two doors or four?—but now there’s a new challenger for multiple-choice supremacy: the van. Ford’s big Transit comes in three roof heights, two wheelbases, three overall lengths, and with a choice of three engines. All told, once a buyer has decided to get a Transit, he or she still has to choose from 33 distinct mechanical configurations—almost as many as Honda has in its entire vehicle lineup. And that’s not even counting comparatively minor differences, such as the number of seats and how many and what type (hinged or sliding) of doors it has. And though both pickups and vans are offered in a seemingly endless array of configurations and lengths, only one can be the champion of choice. Let us guide you:

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Audi offers four-wheel drive in 56 different vehicle configurations, the most in the industry. But as a percentage of total lineup, Audi falls behind Subaru. With the exception of the rear-drive BRZ, everything Subaru makes spins all four wheels. The Japanese brand offers 17 different ways to get four-wheel drive, representing 89 percent of its lineup.

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Of Porsche’s 71 different combinations of body, engine, and driveline layout, 23 are available with a manual transmission, the most in the industry. BMW comes in second, with 18.

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