2010 Volkswagen GTI: Hatchbacks Rule

I would love a hatch but unfortunately no one makes a 2 door, rwd, hatch. I picked 2 of the 3 and got my mustang.

Hatchback!

18 year old Andrew would be horrified that 32 year old Andrew just posted that, but I am a full convert to hatchback cars for their utility. Many disagree, but I also think that my 08 Accent hatch is a damn good looking little car.

Hatch even though I own a sedan.

With the amount of stuff I have fit in the back of my GTI, a sedan just seems so impractical :)

Hatchbacks are usually shorter than their sedan counterparts. The Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks are a foot shorter than the sedan model. Unless you are defying the laws of physics, the sedan has more storage capacity. The specs on hatchbacks must be based on cargo stuffed to the ceiling. On the other hand, hatches can hold one large "thing," that a sedan cannot. But for taking a trip, I can easily fill the trunk of the sedan, fold down the rear seats (or not) and load more stuff than would fit into the one foot shorter hatch version.

Also, as I have written before, do you really want your kids, seated in the backseat of, say, a Fiesta, to be positioned a foot closer to the car that is about to rear end you?

I have been driving an Outback since 2002. An Outback is a stationwagon. As such it is the same length as the corresponding sedan version (Legacy). Which means my '05 Outback is 188 inches long with a long rear overhang and an enormous capacity for cargo.

If they built "hatchbacks" to be as long as the sedans, then they would be wagons. And wagons are what you want if you are serious about having more room inside than a sedan.

(This is s repetitive complaint of mine)

Looove hatchbacks...I can fit my entire college dorm in my Rabbit and not lose any rearward visibility...My lease expires in about a year and a half and I dont know what to do...Genesis Coupe? or buy out the lease?

Huge fan of the hatch, by BMW didn't make a hatch version of my e46 daily driver and the wagon was ass, so I went sedan.

Next DD is likely the Jetta Sportwagon TDI.

Speaking of, would I/L consider adding a Jetta Sportwagon TDI to the long term fleet?

"Also, as I have written before, do you really want your kids, seated in the backseat of, say, a Fiesta, to be positioned a foot closer to the car that is about to rear end you?"

Have you ever heard of safety requirements? Not all crumple zones are made equal.

Got to have a pickup with a folding bed cover. Pull anything, haul anything, take 5 out to lunch, haul your fun car to track day.

If you have one of these, your free to have any fun vehicle you want.

True.

But can it blend?

@85se: I don't know why 18 year old Andrew would have been horrified that 32 year old Andrew is a hatchback fan. You weren't a fan of the Civic Si hatch in those days? Or the Integra GS-R? Or even the GTI?

In 1983, 18 year old Dan was a big fan of the MkI GTI and Scirocco (and @45 still is a big fan of both). Although I was only able to afford a '71 Celica GT coupe that I bought for $100.

I have to agree with ed124c: The wagon is where it's at if you want cargo + passenger space in a car (vans will always exceed wagons in space, but they tend to be way bigger and taller than I like).

Having 2.5 kids, I really would prefer a wagon over anything else out there. It's a shame there are so few to choose from. The "crossovers" are too tall, the hatchbacks are nice, but make sacrifices in cargo. Sedans are a bit awkward - limited/oddly shaped space in the trunk with high lift-over. You can't get extra space by folding the seats and put the kids there too.

@lostboyz: It would be interesting to see the difference between a rearended hatch vs. a sedan-- same car model, of course.

I find it hard to believe (but I could be wrong) that a car with 12 inches less crush length could be as crashworthy as the longer model.

Be interesting to get some gov't info on this.

I've owned pickups, and pickup based SUV's.. I'll never go back to one over my RWD CAR. I had driven the other for so long, I had almost forgotten how GOOD a RWD Car drives.

That said, you pay your money, you get what you want.

Now, to just find a nice slightly used E55 wagon.....that's my next conquest.

@bankerdanny: I was in a similar situation as 85SE when I was younger and dumber. Didn't want anything with the stigma of a hatchback/wagon/minivan/etc. Too much obsession with looks (not to say all hatchbacks, etc are ugly, but a lot of them are), too much obsession with image. Hell, at that age I thought the Miata was "girly".

Thankfully I've matured a bit and actually started paying attention to more than just the appearance.

@ed124c, i'll try and find them, but they just recently did head on collisions with small new cars against cars from the 70s that have a few yards of crumple zones. The result: passengers of the modern car would walk away, everyone would be dead in the classic. If you don't understand the engineering of material design, thats fine. Don't just assume less space is bad, its just more complex to gain the same safety rating.

I currently own three cars, all of which are hatchbacks. S4 Avant, SVT Focus, and Flex. I hadn't realized the all-hatchback thing until just now!

True, hatches are perfect for hauling stuff without going for a big lazy SUV/truck.

Agreed! Love the cargo capacity of my Chevy HHR. It carried the two rear seats of my former "work release van" that we used as a trade-in back to the dealer. I didn't think it could do it, but it did.

The HHR has great cargo capacity, great gas mileage, and great pickup (2.4L engine).

hatch any day of the week.

i've carried a full size step ladder and large xmas tree in my GTI with no problems

for those complaining about the looks... a well designed hatch can look just as good or better than comparable sedans. go drive around europe for a week if you don't believe me.

I drive a G8 GT and my wish list for my car is 3: a manual, an iPod interface, and the wagon bodystyle that is available in Australia. It's not as elegant as the sedan but what a useful and entertaining car that would make. Chevy? My loan is done in 3 years. Get to work.

I've had two Saabs, and as much as I'm completely over their unreliability, I think I'll have another one.

Their hatchbacks are just so convenient, and I've since become spoiled because they're all I know. I had a 1992 9000 and a 1996 900. I think a 2002 Viggen may be next.. or an early '90s SPG.

Turbos, manuals, and hatchback practicality. I'm sold!

I bought a brand new stove with its original packaging and drove it home in a 2004 Scion xB, a car that is a foot shorter than my parent's Toyota Echo. I'll never buy a sedan if I have the choice, especially now that sedans generally have a sloping roofline that limits rear seat headroom.

yes they do rule. you can fit in tight spots and carry a ton of stuff/ people. they are also more aerodynamically efficient than a sedan, so there isn't a need for a giant gaudy wing for racing.

I loved my '03 Golf for this simple fact. I don't know if I ran across anything it would not hold (no I never needed to haul a washer and/or dryer).

The great part with my Golf (I hope VW kept the design in the newer Golf and GTI) was the rear seat bottom cushions flipped forward, had holes to store the headrests so the seat back itself would lay flat and not at some awkward angle.

Not all sedans are created equal. :) My '06 Jetta was a serious contender for clown car status, I honestly do not remember anything that would not fit in it, not to mention it had a trick flat folding front seat which allowed you to carry 8+' long items with the trunk closed.

Give me a 8ft pickup bed and I will haul the world.

If I absoultely need to keep stuff dry then a full size van or SUV and if I need something that is overall lighter then a full size sedan like a Crown Vic or the like.

My first hatch was a 1988 Mercury Tracer two door. Despite its tiny size it was very useful for hauling awkwardly sized objects. I will NEVER ever go back to a vehicle with a trunk for my main ride. It's just a pity America's fear and loathing of wagons prevents us North of the border from getting access to the hatches and wagons we and the rest of the world appreciate.

I remember back in the mid 80's when I was in college. I had a tiny 83 Colt (1850 lbs) and a neighbour offered me a nice Lazyboy chair for free if I could take it away.

Opened the hatch, flipped down the seats and in it went and the hatch closed.

You couldn't do that with a Crown Vic which has about the biggest truck I've ever seen.

My Legacy wagon I owned later could have done it too but it never got 50 mpg.

Hey, I'm a little late to post, but I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of hatchback utility. I miss my old Saab 93's ability to haul nearly anything. Hatchbacks are very underappreciated in the marketplace