Yes, they differ in much the same way as Focus, Golf, Astra, Megane etc differ. Most builders have two ranges, one more "sporty" than the other eg Beneteau First (sporty) and Oceanis (cruisy). At the top end sizewise there has been a move towards deck saloons eg Bavaria Vision.

These different ranges are designed to fill all the gaps in the target markets. Just like cars they may be based on the same hull design, but have different rigs and keels, posh sails, more luxurious interiors etc as the builder tries to meet specific customer requirements.

This becomes much clearer when you start looking seriously and try to match what is on offer with your requirements. As this thread has shown, many people use modern boats successfully for passage making and live aboards.

Despite what some might say, the one thing you won't have to generally worry about is standard of build and quality of materials. Although, as with cars, the odd dog gets through, if it is a specific model it gets sorted very quickly, or equally a specific boat gets fixed early in its life.