by "bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
Published 04/05/2017 at 04:27
by "bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
Published 04/05/2017 at 04:27
Tags: save the liftbacks
; liftback
; dat ass
STARS: 2
Right now, everyone’s working themselves up into a frenzy over Buick’s announcement of the Regal TourX for the US market... but there’s another neglected bodystyle, that Buick also announced for the Regal, to the exclusion of a sedan bodystyle - the liftback.
Liftbacks give the cargo length of a wagon, with improved aerodynamics compared to wagons and vertical hatchbacks, and styling that can be identical to the sedans that Americans have historically preferred.
There’ll be a slight weight penalty, caused by the reduction in rigidity that removing the welded in parcel shelf causes, but liftbacks have far more cargo versatility than sedans. And, seeing as one of the two main reasons for American adoption of crossovers has been the improved cargo versatility, relative to sedans, liftbacks may well be how that trend can be reversed, especially when fuel prices skyrocket again.
So, here’s a list of every liftback available in the US market for model year 2017 or 2018, italics for there being no sedan variant (convertibles are OK) of the model:
Aston Martin:
Rapide
Vantage
Audi:
A5 Sportback (I’m counting the A4 as the sedan)
A7 (A6 is the sedan)
TT
BMW:
3-Series Gran Turismo (not sure which model to count as the sedan, as it’s based on the Chinese-market LWB 3-series, but it’s nearly the same wheelbase as the 5-series)
4-Series Gran Coupe (I’m counting the 3-series as the sedan)
5-Series Gran Turismo (I’m counting the SWB 7-series, not the 5-series, as the sedan. This one’s got a dual-mode trunk lid, though, too - I think the only application of it in the US.)
X4 (I mean, the “normal” version is the X3, which isn’t a sedan ...)
X6 (same deal, just based on the X5)
Buick:
Regal Sportback
Chevrolet:
Corvette
Volt
Dodge:
Viper
Ferrari:
F12 Berlinetta
F12 tdf
Honda:
Civic Hatchback (this one’s borderline though - there’s also a sedan, and it’s longer)
Hyundai:
Ioniq
Veloster (definitely a liftback, but a very strange shape for one)
Jaguar:
F-Type
Kia:
Stinger
McLaren:
570GT (this is an extremely oddball one, but I guess it counts... and I’m counting the 570S that it’s based on as not a sedan, as it doesn’t have any rear cargo area)
Mercedes-Benz:
AMG GT
GLC Coupe
GLE Coupe
Nissan:
370Z
Porsche:
Cayman
Panamera
Tesla:
Model S
Model X
Toyota:
Prius
I’ll note that I’ve left the Acura NSX and Lotus Evora off - while they do have cargo areas exposed by lifting the rear glass, the cargo area is a trunk section, and the reason for the lifting rear glass is for engine access.
If I’ve missed anything, please reply. If you dispute an inclusion to the list, well, please reply. If you just want to shitpost... fuck it, reply.
"InFierority Complex" (lanciere)
04/05/2017 at 04:37, STARS: 0
Does the Honda Crosstour count or is that more of a CUV?
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/05/2017 at 04:40, STARS: 0
I’m including liftback CUVs (X4, X6, GLC Coupe, GLE Coupe, Model X), but the Crosstour’s last model year was 2015.
"InFierority Complex" (lanciere)
04/05/2017 at 04:42, STARS: 0
Oops, should have fact-checked my work, just assumed they were still being made.
"Svend" (svend)
04/05/2017 at 05:07, STARS: 2
Liftbacks give the cargo length of a wagon, with improved aerodynamics compared to wagons and vertical hatchbacks, and styling that can be identical to the sedans that Americans have historically preferred.
Take the Ford Mondeo/Fusion.
4 door saloon in black
5 door hatchback/liftback in white
There is so little in it visual wise other than a slightly smaller rear deck lid, which chances are unless you knew exactly what you were looking at or had another car next to it, you wouldn’t notice the difference.
But a massive difference for loading and unloading. The arms of the saloon even take further space away in the way they slight round rather than pivot from the roof.
Saloons may have prestige in some markets like India but if you need the boot space and easy access, the hatchback/liftback is a no brainer.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/05/2017 at 05:15, STARS: 1
Mind you, using the Fusion/Mondeo Hybrid makes the sedan look even worse than it is, here’s a non-hybrid Fusion for comparison:
Still, the liftback is quite a bit better.
"404 - User No Longer Available" (toni-cipriani)
04/05/2017 at 07:17, STARS: 1
Technically the 3 LWB came after the 3GT.
F34 vs F35.
"My X-type is too a real Jaguar" (TomSlick)
04/05/2017 at 07:24, STARS: 0
My father has a 335i GT it will handle a huge amount of cargo and since the wagon didn’t have the 6 cylinder as an option it is a better car than the wagon.
"Jack Does Cars" (jackdoescars)
04/05/2017 at 07:36, STARS: 0
We don’t get a Fusion/Mondeo liftback in the U.S, sadly.
"Patrick Nichols" (pnichols)
04/05/2017 at 07:40, STARS: 0
Bring back the Saabs. Though your average Saab hoarder probably has enough to open a dealership.
It’s surprising Subaru doesn’t offer a lift back, as they seem to be all about utility.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/05/2017 at 07:51, STARS: 2
Speaking of which, I still find it fucky that the BRZ/86 doesn’t have a liftback.
I mean, come the fuck on, Toyota:
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
04/05/2017 at 08:15, STARS: 1
For the US market, this is exactly akin to the last
-
gen Mazda6 (since we don
’
t get the Mondeo/Fusion in liftback). An Oppo commenter recently noted that he had never seen the liftback, but then he thought it might be
“
hiding in plain sight.
”
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
04/05/2017 at 08:16, STARS: 0
The Acura “Seedy Ex” has been killed, right? It’s a shame, since I found that a far more interesting exercise than the Crosstour.
"Patrick Nichols" (pnichols)
04/05/2017 at 08:29, STARS: 0
Was the tc a lift back?
"Svend" (svend)
04/05/2017 at 08:37, STARS: 0
? What’s an Acura ‘Seedy Ex’?
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
04/05/2017 at 08:42, STARS: 0
Sorry, reply got Kinja’d! That was intended for the OP. (Acura ZDX, the short-lived luxury version of the Honda Crosstour)
"Moves-Like-Senna" (moves-like-senna)
04/05/2017 at 08:50, STARS: 1
yes
"HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles" (hondasfordsvolvo)
04/05/2017 at 08:56, STARS: 1
THEY MAKE A MONEDO LIFTBACK? one of my biggest complaints about the Fusion is that it kinda looks like a liftback but isn’t. It was bad enough other markets get the beautiful estate, but a liftback as well? Come on Ford what the hell.
"Svend" (svend)
04/05/2017 at 09:08, STARS: 0
Ah, no worries.
I had to Google the ZDX though.
Shit that thing is ugly.
Not going to lie, that Crosstour isn’t a looker either.
There’s nothing about either that would have me say much nice about them.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/05/2017 at 09:14, STARS: 0
IIRC, on that car, as on the Fusion/Mondeo, it’s the rear wiper that’s the giveaway.
"Svend" (svend)
04/05/2017 at 09:28, STARS: 0
Ouch. The saloon is only available in two models of Mondeo here, the hybrid form and the Vignale which is available in all three forms.
The liftback and estate are by far the bigger sellers.
"Patrick Nichols" (pnichols)
04/05/2017 at 11:03, STARS: 0
Found its redeeming quality I guess
"Moves-Like-Senna" (moves-like-senna)
04/05/2017 at 13:32, STARS: 0
I actually don’t get the hate with them. They had a purpose and served it well. It’s affordable for young buyers, a
coupe
without too much
power,FWD
which is boring but for a first car it’s not bad and safety/fuel economy was there.
The fact that the lift back made it so you can haul a drum set is perfect for those young buyers too.
"Patrick Nichols" (pnichols)
04/05/2017 at 13:43, STARS: 0
I just thought they were ugly and bloated. Otherwise boring and cheap.
The difference is you could get a used vw (with the reliable 2.slow) or Camry or accord or civic or accord for significantly cheaper. I’ve never quite understood the market for new cheap first cars. Seems like most people would be better off with a nicer used car for less money.
"Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle" (1500sand535)
04/05/2017 at 14:34, STARS: 1
There’s not much except in the luxury ranks. My wife’s been shopping cars lately, and although I don’t think she’d touch a Buick, it would have been great if the Mazda 6 still had the liftback around 2012-2014 which is the year range we are shopping. Her leading contender is a C-Max but the thing feels so freaking sterile, which I know is a weird word for a car.
Also, good on you for pointing out that it’s more of a versatility thing than much of an expansion of the cargo area.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/06/2017 at 09:31, STARS: 1
Here, if you want something about that size, with a back end that opens, from Ford... you’re buying an Escape (Kuga) or Edge, depending on which end of the Fusion’s size range you want.
That’s actually a huge thing in the US market - what Europeans call the D segment has historically been almost exclusively sedans in the US since the early 1990s, with wagons having been killed by the minivan in the 1980s (and the minivan having been badly wounded by the SUV in the 1990s and all but killed by the crossover in the 2000s), and liftbacks having been killed after the 1980s by the association with horrific American, as well as foreign (biases against foreign cars being much stronger back then) hatchbacks and liftbacks from the 1970s through 1990s. So, if you want the entire back end of your midsize car to open, you’re buying a crossover.
Nowadays, though, something’s changed, and liftbacks have become cool, coming from the top of the market (Audi A7, Tesla Model S), rather than near the bottom (Citation, Camry, Accord).
I also suspect the Prius has something to do with this - the liftback is a bodystyle that’s been normalized by it, and quite a few well-off people went downmarket to the Prius for eco cred/virtue signalling reasons. Then, the Model S came out, and was catering to the well-off Prius owner market, so it had to at least match Prius functionality... so it got a liftback, too, and that helped make the liftback cool. That doesn’t explain the Audi A7's liftback, other than the general trend towards practicality in Europe, though - it launched before the Model S. But, cars after the Model S can take lessons from it.
I think this Regal is actually the first attempt in the US market to capitalize on that without having a sedan as a fallback option (the A7 having the A6 as a fallback). The first-gen Mazda6 (although it was well before the Model S) shows what happens if you do have a sedan fallback that looks the same - dealers won’t stock the liftback, and instead only stock the sedan. But, if you don’t have a sedan, I don’t think sales will be hurt in 2017, and this will be the first real test of that.
"Svend" (svend)
04/06/2017 at 13:04, STARS: 0
This may be the last rebadged Opel to go to the U.S. but it may also be the start of mainstream estates and liftbacks.
There’s some complaints already about the plastic cladding on the estate but I think GM are trying to ease the estate back into the market by trying to draw some of the SUV market with a soft crossover.