Hatchbacks vs Sedans

"Nauraushaun" (nauraushaun12) 01/28/2018 at 19:06 • Filed to: None

7

48

Someone please explain this to me. Why do we have sedans? Is a hatchback not better in every single way?

The design above, on the BMW 5-series GT, is apparently licensed from Skoda and can be a sedan or a hatch in the same car. But why?! Why did Skoda do it and why did BMW think it was a good idea and for only one of their models ? Who spent time and effort designing a hatchback that’s capable of limiting its own trunk opening?

The Mazda 6 did it, in the past, with separate models. A sedan, a hatch, a wagon. I used to get a kick out of trying to spot which was which on the road - they have slightly different shapes and one has a spoiler or something. But car nerd fetish stuff isn’t the point, the point is they’re building 2 sedans and one is simply worse than the other one.

I’ve read, and I suspect it’s a perception from Americans. Americans don’t like small cars, so they don’t like hatchbacks, so it becomes a dirty word no matter what the car is actually like . But that’s insane! Here are the sedan and hatch Mazda6s. They’re so, so similar!

What’s worse: Mazda killed the hatch! For its 3rd generation the 6 became sedan only. They kept the worse one.

This is like the rear windscreen wiper, another mystery. Some cars have them, some cars don’t. Whether the window is vertical or closer to horizontal, or whether there’s a trunk or not, doesn’t seem to change anything.

And ANOTHER thing. 5-door? Seriously? A wagon isn’t a 5-door but a hatch is? It’s not a bloody door. I feel like this whole situation has a lot of legacy in it.

A hatchback is a sedan with a bigger opening. That’s where it starts and ends for me.

Spanfeller is a twat > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 17:10

4

Hatches are better now.

Every car should have a big hatch.

Specially because it is pretty cool and easy to load

Driving Sports TV > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 19:10

3

Sedans allow you to keep stuff in your car locked and safe. Wagons and hatches are much easier to break into. (Note: I’ve had windows smashed on two cars outside my home. Both were hatchbacks. We live in a nice neighborhood and people come through in the middle of night looking for things left in vehicles.)

46and2aheadofme > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 19:11

1

I have the same question. There must an answer based in marketing research is all I can figure out.

Tekamul > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 19:13

1

Historically, sedans offer higher security storage, and you can share more parts between a sedan and a coupe.

Realistically, hatchbacks are a better choice, and most vehicles on the road are hatchbacks (crossovers are hatchbacks with bad packaging).

Spanfeller is a twat > Driving Sports TV 01/28/2018 at 19:18

0

I understand that perhaps it will sound silly, but if you leave the cargo area cover on its pretty hard to actually lift it/remove it/break into the boot up if its solid.
The thing is that in exess cargo situations where you’d have to put your normal sedan seats down the hatch might be able to load enough of your crap behind the rear bench that you don’t need to lower the seats. For instance, I can load my bycicle and leave one of the seats up, where a 3 series wouldn’t give me the pleasure of doing that.

The stinger’s cover is pretty sold and I seriously doubt that someone would bother spending the time it requires to break the glass, fight with the car’s cover to remove it with sharp glass surrounding it, take the stuffs from the boot and then leave. It’d take the same effort than it would to open up a sedan, lower the bench seats/open the boot from the inside, and then take stuff from you.

Chuckles > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 19:19

1

I think they can both serve a purpose. Sedan trunks are more secure, and it’s probably cheaper to manufacture than a comparable hatchback. Sedan trunks are also better at containing odor and not making your whole car smell like a gym bag.

I’m in favor of people having options.

Wacko > Driving Sports TV 01/28/2018 at 19:20

3

Trunk not that much safer, once you bust a front window you just need to find the trunk release.

CB > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 19:21

0

Is no one going to discuss how useless that looks in just the small trunk mode? It looks like you have to limbo under the trunk to get to the opening.

dogisbadob > Chuckles 01/28/2018 at 19:23

0

Hi

Spanfeller is a twat > Wacko 01/28/2018 at 19:23

2

watch a Doug Demuro video so that he shows you exactly how to strip the car of its contents with his incredible knowledge of cubbyholes

Driving Sports TV > Wacko 01/28/2018 at 19:24

1

At least in my neighborhood, the sedans have been safer. They don’t typically break in unless they can see a potential target from outside. (Foiled if you have a trunks screen on a hatch, but not everyone uses those.)

Wacko > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 19:24

1

Think of it like this.

The hatchback is the metric system, and sedans are imperial.

Svend > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 19:24

2

Skoda came out with the Superb twindoor in response to taxi drivers wants. The saloon tailgate allows the driver to put a carrier bag or two in the boot while keeping the warmth in the car, the hatchback allows the driver to put more substantial stuff in the boot.

Saloons in some markets are seen as more prestigious even if it is only a Ford Fiesta or Opel Corsa.

dogisbadob > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 19:26

0

I totally agree.

And too bad Mazda doesn’t offer orange anymore :(

Wacko > Driving Sports TV 01/28/2018 at 19:26

0

My protege5 and my sx4 both had hatch covers, my pathfinder doesn’t, but the pathfinder came tinted from the factory so you can’t see what’s in it.

Spanfeller is a twat > Chuckles 01/28/2018 at 19:34

2

One thing that a sedan might give you is more rigidity for less weight and complexity (just run a beam across the bases of the C pillars), meaning that in terms of performance it might be the better choice.

ranwhenparked > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 19:41

4

Some people like having the cargo area separate from the passenger area, and don’t like having what they’ve got in the back exposed. Add in the stigma of hatchbacks being associate with cheap, badly built cars from the 70s and 80s, and that does it.

I would argue that Americans don’t hate hatchbacks in general though, as long as they’re a coupe-style crossover.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 19:44

1

In some cases like the new subaru impreza and Ford Focus the sedan is ACTUALLY A LONGER CAR THAN THE HATCH. It’s infuriating, they could have made a very nice proper wagon but instead it has a tiny trunk area, around 12" shorter than the sedan.

My mazda is a sedan and while I would have prefered the 5 door, the sedan was thousands cheaper, and I liked the added security of the trunk living in a big city. The trunk in the Mazda 3 is huge, I can put a ton of shit in it and it’s all isolated from the passenger compartment, or fold the seats down and turn it into a low profile hatch.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/sedan-can-hatch-back-just-fine-1822494617

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Driving Sports TV 01/28/2018 at 20:20

0

Leaving anything you care about in your car is like flipping a coin: you might find your car in piece in the morning, you might not.

bhtooefr > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 20:35

0

The liftback is slowly creeping back into the US, though, thanks to three cars: the Gen 2 Toyota Prius, the Audi A7, and the Tesla Model S.

See, you have to make the liftback a sexy, desirable option, then people will buy it over the sedan. (Well, OK, the Gen 2 Prius doesn’t fit the “sexy” part, but it did get a halo effect from celebrities virtue signalling with them in the mid 2000s.)

The Buick Regal is now mandatory liftback, unless you want the wagon.

Dusty Ventures > dogisbadob 01/28/2018 at 20:52

2

99% of those make the car smell worse

Nauraushaun > bhtooefr 01/28/2018 at 22:00

0

So this dumb historical precedent is getting accidentally and coincidentally over-written by a couple of halo cars that everyone loves.

It’s madness!

Why not just make a hatchback that looks like a sedan? like the Mazda 6? What’s the problem with that!?

Nauraushaun > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/28/2018 at 22:01

0

Oh but those are different. They’re long roofs. I’m talking about the sedan profile, but with a hatchy back. There’s no problem with that! Like the 6!

What’s more secure about the trunk? It’s glass and metal and a divider so nobody can see what you’re stashing.

Nauraushaun > ranwhenparked 01/28/2018 at 22:03

0

But it’s never exposed! There’s always, always a cargo divider! My ‘88 Pulsar hatch had one.

I think they’re scared of anything that sounds like a small car.

Nauraushaun > Svend 01/28/2018 at 22:04

1

I’d argue losing that small amount of warmth through the trunk is pretty insignificant, but such is the service industry.

I hate that about saloons being more prestigious. It’s silly and untrue and based on history. Hatches are better

Nauraushaun > Wacko 01/28/2018 at 22:05

0

Lol. Yes! Perfect.

Nauraushaun > CB 01/28/2018 at 22:05

0

Definitely. They made a lot of compromises to integrate that silly double door system. No benefit.

Nauraushaun > Chuckles 01/28/2018 at 22:06

0

How are they more secure? Either way you’ve got seats and a divider stopping cargo from flying at your face.

I think the cost would be comparable. Moving the hinges and mounting the window to the door is no biggie at the design stage.

Sedan trunks might seal a little better. But they can design around that too.

Nauraushaun > Tekamul 01/28/2018 at 22:07

0

Parts sharing is one insignificant benefit. I mean, when Mazda were building both sedan and hatch they were throwing in the towel on that one. But it’s fairly legitimate.

Crossovers are hatchbacks, yes. I guess the world is catching on. It just took “hatchback” to mean big car rather than small car. Please the Americans.

Nauraushaun > Driving Sports TV 01/28/2018 at 22:09

0

If you don’t use your cargo cover you’re entirely to blame. Getting a worse design because you’re too dumb to cover your cargo is absurd!

Nauraushaun > Spanfeller is a twat 01/28/2018 at 22:09

0

Yes yes!

ranwhenparked > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 22:11

0

Americans buy plenty of small cars, the subcompact crossover category was good for over 700,000 units in 2017, about a 2% uptick over 2016. And that’s before you count the 2.8 million larger compact crossovers.

Svend > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 22:25

0

I totally agree.

You could argue that about pick ups really, well how many are bought and how many are actually used for what they are intended for, by connection you can also say that about off readers aka Chelsea Tractors.

HPoz - I like Honda Fits and I cannot lie > Nauraushaun 01/28/2018 at 23:21

0

My Fit doesn’t have a cargo divider and I don’t think the new one does either.

gmctavish needs more space > Nauraushaun 01/29/2018 at 00:19

1

Trunks made sense when sedans were shaped like this

Now that they’re shaped like this, they don’t make sense

pip bip - choose Corrour > Nauraushaun 01/29/2018 at 03:59

0

some hatches look good

some don’t

some sedans look good

some don’t

Nauraushaun > pip bip - choose Corrour 01/29/2018 at 04:43

0

You with your LOGIC! Get outta here

It’s true of everything

Some American cars are well built

Some Japanese ones aren’t

etc

Nauraushaun > gmctavish needs more space 01/29/2018 at 04:44

1

You’re so right

Nauraushaun > HPoz - I like Honda Fits and I cannot lie 01/29/2018 at 04:45

0

Seriously? Man.

Nauraushaun > Svend 01/29/2018 at 04:45

0

Definitely.

Pickups in America for sure. So, so many sold. Does everyone own a farm?

pip bip - choose Corrour > Nauraushaun 01/29/2018 at 04:51

0

bad (above) good (below)

for a good sedan look at a BMW 5-series

for a crap looking hatch looks at a BMW 5-series GT

pip bip - choose Corrour > Nauraushaun 01/29/2018 at 05:00

0

better yet

Suzuki Swift & Suzuki Swift sedan

bhtooefr > Nauraushaun 01/29/2018 at 05:08

1

The problem is evidenced by the Mazda6 actually - basically nobody bought the liftback version. (I think it was something like 1% of sales?)

Of course, because nobody bought the liftback version, dealers didn’t stock the liftback version. Because dealers didn’t stock the liftback version, nobody bought the liftback version. So, it’s a bad test, but I suspect it’s used by automotive executives to argue against liftbacks.

Another example where America got screwed out of the liftback is the Ford Fusion, which is the same fucking car as the Mondeo, except it’s a sedan instead of a liftback:

One of these cars is a Fusion, one is a Mondeo.

There’s also the new Mk7 Jetta... which is really just a Skoda Octavia, but no liftback.

In any case, though, I think the Buick Regal is going to be a better test, simply because there’s no sedan version.

Svend > Nauraushaun 01/29/2018 at 05:11

0

It would make sense production-wise to have hatchbacks or twindoors (like the Superb Mk2 saloon). Looking at the Ford Mondeo, how many are 4 door saloons and 5 door hatchbacks? In the UK. we sell the 4 door saloon, 5 door hatchback and the 5 door estate. The saloon and hatchback look almost identical anyway, why not just have a hatchback.

Skoda got rid of the twindoor feature with the Superb Mk3, apparently they felt the lines weren’t what they wanted for a flagship vehicle with the steep rake of the rear window so far back. It was great for headroom for back seat users to go with their massive amounts of rear legroom, but it was also down to the weight of the mechanism. The mechanism itself was very robust and never heard any complaints from taxi drivers or few from private owners of it not working as desired and even then it was that the mechanism was acting slow or the buttons needed pressed again to open the boot area.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Nauraushaun 01/29/2018 at 12:29

0

I think the hatch backs are easier to break into. My dad caught someone in the process of smashing out the rear glass on his 240z in an attempt to steel crap.

Nauraushaun > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 01/29/2018 at 21:34

0

I’ve never heard of that happening, but you’re right.

That said, surely most people keep valuables in the compartment more than the trunk. Spare cash and sunnies and iPods and whatnot. My trunk is literally empty 100% of the time except when I’m on the way home for the supermarket.

Nauraushaun > bhtooefr 01/29/2018 at 21:36

0

Ugh :(

Nauraushaun > pip bip - choose Corrour 01/29/2018 at 21:36

0

Haha! Which do you prefer, Americans?! Where is your god now