Why do people buy small sedans when hatchbacks are available?

dug777

Lifer
Oct 13, 2004
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There's vastly more headroom in the back of my '89 323 hatch, dammit!

Plus i can get about 11ty billion tonnes of crap in the the back that i couldn't in a sedan...

I guess people think the sedans look prettier...and if you've got children, or no children and no one is riding in the back, the headroom isn't such an issue, although i'm only 5'11.
 

TwiceOver

Lifer
Dec 20, 2002
13,544
44
91
Never been in the back of a hatchback that has headroom. Plus then you have to move the seat and crap to let people in the back.
 

dug777

Lifer
Oct 13, 2004
24,778
4
0
Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Never been in the back of a hatchback that has headroom. Plus then you have to move the seat and crap to let people in the back.

Ever heard of a hatchback with four doors? It's quite a common thing here...

and of course they should have more heardroom than a sedan, since the roofline doesn't need to dive until well over the back seat...
 

MulLa

Golden Member
Jun 20, 2000
1,755
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Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Never been in the back of a hatchback that has headroom. Plus then you have to move the seat and crap to let people in the back.


There are 5 door hatches. Then again I would take a sedan anyday for appearance reasons.
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
84
91
less noise? i dunno, sedan seems more rigid form. sedans these days can carry quite a bit with the seats folded, its not really an issue. hatch doors tend to have issues as they age.
 

TwiceOver

Lifer
Dec 20, 2002
13,544
44
91
Originally posted by: dug777
Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Never been in the back of a hatchback that has headroom. Plus then you have to move the seat and crap to let people in the back.

Ever heard of a hatchback with four doors? It's quite a common thing here...

and of course they should have more heardroom than a sedan, since the roofline doesn't need to dive until well over the back seat...

Ohh you mean a station wagon. Yeah I remember those. If so, then yeah, ugly. Even the new ones.
 

AbAbber2k

Diamond Member
Mar 1, 2005
6,474
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I think a lot of hatch-backs actually look better than their mini-sedan counterparts. That said... I can fit an impressive amount of crap in my dinky little Hyundai Accent hatchback. Somewhat lacking on leg room for most of my friends though (6' -ish).
 

dug777

Lifer
Oct 13, 2004
24,778
4
0
Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Originally posted by: dug777
Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Never been in the back of a hatchback that has headroom. Plus then you have to move the seat and crap to let people in the back.

Ever heard of a hatchback with four doors? It's quite a common thing here...

and of course they should have more heardroom than a sedan, since the roofline doesn't need to dive until well over the back seat...

Ohh you mean a station wagon. Yeah I remember those. If so, then yeah, ugly. Even the new ones.

Noes.

Not a station wagon. Well, certainly not what we'd call a station wagon. A 4 door hatch and a station wagon DO share the same number of doors tho, but a prereq of a station wagon is an extended boot space iirc...no one would call my 323 4door hatch a station wagon (and indeed, there was a proper 323 station wagon).
 

mooncancook

Platinum Member
May 28, 2003
2,874
50
91
good looking 5-dr hatchback:
Mazda 3
Mazda 6

Most ppl cannot tell a Mazda 6 hatchback from the sedan,
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
84
91
oh, btw transporting dead bodys is much more convenient in a sedan. ;)

plus in an accident stuff from the back won't fly around the car. yea i know u can have a pull over thing but who uses it regularly:p
 

DaveJ

Platinum Member
Oct 9, 1999
2,337
1
81
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
oh, btw transporting dead bodys is much more convenient in a sedan. ;)

Bah. That's what cargo covers are for. :D

Hatchbacks rock! I bought a 2005 Hyundai Elantra hatch last year and I love it to death... it's nice being able to actually fit bulky stuff into my car again. My first car was a 1979 Datsun 210 wagon, and although I hated everything about that car, I could pack a metric ton of stuff into it. Very convenient for moving into and out of dorms...

Dave
 

dug777

Lifer
Oct 13, 2004
24,778
4
0
Originally posted by: DaveJ
Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
oh, btw transporting dead bodys is much more convenient in a sedan. ;)

Bah. That's what cargo covers are for. :D

Hatchbacks rock! I bought a 2005 Hyundai Elantra hatch last year and I love it to death... it's nice being able to actually fit bulky stuff into my car again. My first car was a 1979 Datsun 210 wagon, and although I hated everything about that car, I could pack a metric ton of stuff into it. Very convenient for moving into and out of dorms...

Dave

yeah we moved all our fridges n stuff in my 323 hatch that you could never fit in a sedan. I've driven accross Aus a few times with my hatch so full of stuff i couldn't even see out the back window :D
 

smack Down

Diamond Member
Sep 10, 2005
4,507
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0
I can fit a twin size bed and box spring in my SAAB 900 hatch back and stack a 19 inch TV on top of that.
 

Pikachu

Golden Member
Oct 10, 1999
1,178
0
0
Originally posted by: DaveJ

Hatchbacks rock! I bought a 2005 Hyundai Elantra hatch last year and I love it to death... it's nice being able to actually fit bulky stuff into my car again. My first car was a 1979 Datsun 210 wagon, and although I hated everything about that car, I could pack a metric ton of stuff into it. Very convenient for moving into and out of dorms...

Dave
My dad owned one of those, and it was RWD. Talk about function!
 

thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
1
0
people will do anything to avoid looking like they have a brain. they'll buy the coupe over the sedan when the coupe offers NO advantages over the sedan, and the sedan over the hatch/wagon when the sedan offers NO advantages. look at the toyota camry and honda accord wagons from the early 90's. they were superior in every way to their sedan counterparts, even offering better brakes, standard airbags when none were available in the sedans, better stereos, rear headrests, bigger wheels, etc... but they sold so poorly that they had to be discontinued. honda made their accord wagon tall, called it the "odessey," and they sold like crazy. they made their civic wagon tall, called it the CRV, and sold a gazillion. toyota did the same thing with the corolla wagon (RAV4), and also hit paydirt. image is EVERYTHING with american car buyers.
 

thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
1
0
Originally posted by: dug777
Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Originally posted by: dug777
Originally posted by: TwiceOver
Never been in the back of a hatchback that has headroom. Plus then you have to move the seat and crap to let people in the back.

Ever heard of a hatchback with four doors? It's quite a common thing here...

and of course they should have more heardroom than a sedan, since the roofline doesn't need to dive until well over the back seat...

Ohh you mean a station wagon. Yeah I remember those. If so, then yeah, ugly. Even the new ones.

Noes.

Not a station wagon. Well, certainly not what we'd call a station wagon. A 4 door hatch and a station wagon DO share the same number of doors tho, but a prereq of a station wagon is an extended boot space iirc...no one would call my 323 4door hatch a station wagon (and indeed, there was a proper 323 station wagon).

um... kinda.

very few wagons have any modifications the length of the luggage area. their luggage floors look identical to their sedan counterparts (but are usually much stronger!). i think the difference in terminology comes from the roof, where a hatch has a rear door that extends forward all the way to the rear seatbacks (where the window of a sedan would normally start), and a wagon has the roof stretch behind the rear seats, followed by the rear door (which may or may not have a sloping rear window).