A source of constant debate is whether hatchbacks are seen as declassé on this side of the Atlantic or not. Let’s set that question aside for a moment, though, and just pretend that we all agree that they’re both classy and visually appealing. In this make-believe space of universal acceptance, how do you like your hatchback? As a kammback? A fastback? With three doors, or five?
I personally don’t buy the line that hatchbacks fail to convey wealth and prestige. It’s more likely that U.S. consumers simply failed to buy large hatchbacks like the Renault 16 (pictured at the top) for reasons that had nothing to do with their body style, and never got such other efforts as the Citroën BX.
We never got the VW Polo either, but that doesn’t mean we can’t admire and evaluate its crisp design.
However, if the trope that Americans don’t like hatchbacks contains any truth, then cars like the Gremlin, which sold in large enough numbers to leave their mark on a generation of consumers, can’t avoid scrutiny.
That still doesn’t fully account for why cars like this Mazda 626 failed to sell; however, when you look at its dull lines you’ll find an explanation that has nothing to do with that fifth door. Ultimately, though, we don’t have to ponder why the hatchback is unpopular in the U.S. to discuss our favorite designs, do we?
MK IV VW Golf, and it’s not even close. The new MK VII is pretty good too. Distant 2nd would be ‘liftback’ sedan looking things a la Tesla Model S and first gen Mazda 6.
So what is the best designed hatch, at least in the US market, right now?
attributes:
-more vertical rear end to maximize available height for load
-hatch that opens to the bumper to minimize lift over height
-mechanism to lift privacy panel when hatch is opened to ease loading
And the winner is……VW Golf. Not a total design home run, like the LeCar was, and doesn’t have the two piece fold flat rear seat like the Jetta wagon (Golf wagon everywhere else in the world), but pretty close.
It will fold a bit more flat if you pull the headrests out.
I really like the Toyota FX16; also the Gen1 VW Scirocco and Golf (1977 models, please).
I’d say the 1984-87 Honda Civic hatch is quite appealing, too; hopefully they were better developed than the earlier Honda disasters I had.
The 2003 Toyota Matrix has been great for us; maybe a Mazda 3 will be next or a Golf.
Citroen SM because you want some practicality to go with your Maserati engine and ridiculously complex hydraulic suspension, braking and steering.
Alfa Romeo GTV6 & Alfetta GT. Of course there’s a non-removable cover that severely limits the the size of the storage compartment making it almost useless but they’re Alfas so they handle great and the GTV6 makes the sweetest engine sounds this side of a Ferrari.
Porsche 944 & 944 Turbo. Putting a real Porsche engine and bulging out the fenders did wonders for the unloved and overpriced 924 but these had a more useless cargo compartment than the Alfas.
1986-1989 Honda Accord. The last of an era for Honda, this was the ultimate interpretation of the brilliant 1976 Accord. It was handily outsold by the four door and wasn’t replaced when the next generation 1990 came out.
Renault 4. We had two and liked the first one, a ’71 in forest green, better than the second one. The cane style shifter in the ’71 allowed for really quick shifts between 2nd and 3rd gear because they were in one line. Push forward to 2nd and pull back to 3rd. In later models they went to a standard H pattern which requires a zig-zag move between 2 and 3. 80% of the shifts were between 2 and 3.
If our budget had had more circumference we may have opted for the Simca 1100 or even the R16. The styling of the R 16 is awesome.
I owned and loved the Mazda 232 hatchback.
We also had a “81 Mercury Capri. It was not so good.
Of course the minivans were hatchbacks as well.
At this time I am mulling a downsizing from the minivan and a Mazda 6 wagon made the cut for the short list.
I love hatches and I really miss having one around many times. My Fit was just so practical, with the Magic Seat system you could pile in amazing amounts. It was also a blast to dive.
My favourite, by far, was the Golf Mk1 Rabbit, from 1978-1980. The bugs had been worked out in the cars by then. Rabbits were not cheap in Canada, and VW brought in almost all the diesels as the top Rabbit L model. I had a ’78 in the same safety orange the ones in the picture have. The car had a very nice interior and even with all of 48 hp it always felt peppy and light on its feet. I remember a tank of fuel lasted three weeks and the car got over 50 mpg Imperial. These were the last of the no assist cars, they weren’t even designed for power steering and of course, it was fast. It was also heavy, especially in the cars with a/c and automatic.
I drove mine all over the place and it never missed a beat. It tracked really well and went up hills as fast as anything else at the time did. The seating position in these cars is still the best I have ever experienced. I felt more comfortable in Mk 1 Rabbit than any other car.
Man, have you been smoking that BC herb again?
1. Golf/Rabbits never had their bugs worked out. I owned my orange (Panama Brown) ’78 for 16 years so I have some idea.
2. Heavy? Maybe if you got the special Ruebenesque Avoirdupois option. But even with a full roll cage we had to ballast our Bilstein Rabbit to make sure we could make the post-race weight of 1750 pounds (794 kg). Granted, today’s Golf has a lot more “value added” crap that turns it into Chunkles the Clown. But the ’78s were positively anorexic in comparison. See my previous comment above.
I would beg to differ here, Kevin. The early Rabbits were really awful, the carbs were never set up right, even with Canadian emissions. The 1977 models were much better and the 1980 much better again.
By 1980, any Rabbit problem was well known and any owner familiar with the the car could easily fix them. The main problems were always the fuse block and the door handles. When something did break, the Bug suppliers went big into aftermarket Rabbit stuff and it was dirt cheap. The cars were very easy to work on. Of course as the cars got older, they needed more wrenching, but it as never hard to do on a Rabbit.
If you look at my post, you will note that I was referring to the steering of the Rabbit. While not bad in manual non-a/c form, in the cars with a/c and auto it was very heavy. My gf at the time had a Gen 1 Jetta so equipped and man, was it hard to steer.
In the US we didn’t have to deal with carbs after 1975. The Bosch Fuel Injection on the Rabbits was the only reliable system on the car. The engine felt like a mini-V8 compared to my 1100cc Fiat. Otherwise, you are correct, the cars were dead simple and easy to work on.
I drove a 1989 Golf in Spain for nearly 6000 miles. No power nuthin. What a great car! Steering feel and response better than my ’78.
Of all modern hatches I like the Renault Clio and Volvo V40 the most.
Renault Clio
Volvo V40
The problem I would have with the Clio, if it was available in the US, is the same probelm I have with the Hyundai hatches, and to a lesser extent with the Focus and Mazda3: very poor visibility to the rear and rear quarters.
The earlier Nissan Versa, apparently a Renault body with a Nissan drivetrain, built in Mexico, had better visibility, along with several other features I look for in a hatchback, though in terms of refinement, comes up short compared to the Golf.
Current Opel Astra does it for me.
Buick utterly ruined it when they stuck a trunk on the back.
Just revealed, fastest Opel ever, the Astra OPC Extreme.
I always thought the first generation Euro-spec Ford Fiesta was a neat design and always wanted to drive one. I was too young (in elementary school) to have a chance to drive them when they were prevalent in the early 80’s. It probably has better outward visibility than many of today’s hatchbacks.
We had two of them in the late seventies-early eighties. An 1100S and a 1300S. The latter was a lukewarm little hatch, but the 1100 had a better driveability (engine characteristics).
I learnt to drive in one like that.
Seems small and basic now!
I looked at the 1st gen Fiesta when it was new. Nice looking car, but just too small inside for my 6′ self. I at least fit in the 81 Escort, but the loose suspension, weak engine, poor pedal location and poor shifter said “no”
Used to drive US131 between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo in the mid 80s and would pass a storage place where they were at least 10 of these Fiestas parked.
+1 my first car was a fiesta.
+2 my first new car was also a Fiesta. Here in the US I got a little tired of everyone mistaking it for a VW Rabbit (Golf), but the similarities in styling are hard to ignore. The “two box” shape was simply the most efficient at the time.
I am a tradionalist and maybe even a reactionary type of guy.
For me, for me Formidable, the R 16.
– It’s Industrial design by Philippe Charbonneaux.
– It’s totally out-of- the box concept
– It’s Yes, let us just do this car, and while we’re at it, let us build a whole new factory to produce it.
The fact that the Renault 16 is halfway Citroën’s legendary DS series, in its own innovative way; then engine lay out, the fully closed cooling system, no grease points and an electrical high speed cooling fan- The devil IS in the details !
The fact that you just bought an R16 and you bought a good and reliable car.
And the fact it just looked ‘normal’ enough to be embraced by millions.
Like Jeremy Clarkson would say : “Yes, this is the car we want, this is the car we need ! ”
And last but not least, actually built and developed by civil servants; because Renault was 100% state owned back then.
I rest my case.
R16 hatchback this, R16 hatchback that. That’s all I hear from my dad and he doesn’t even own one. It is a very handsome vehicle though. Exquisite dip in the bonnet.
And my second favorite hatch :
—-Autobianchi a 112——-
– The first hot-hatch in Abarth livery, seventy Horses ! 70HP
– Drives like a bat out of hell.
Very nice!
We don’t see these in the US of A but a Ford Festiva (Mazda 121, re-badged as Ford) would make very good Ersatz-Autobianchi.
I’ll take a Rover SD1, of course, assuming I can find one that’s been restored to the condition it should’ve left the factory in (but sadly rarely did).
Hatchbacks are the default car choice, small-to-family, everywhere in western Europe with, it seems, one exception, the Republic of Ireland, where weirdly-bodied saloon Focuses and other cobbled together bastard-offspring-of-Orions remain popular.
I’d give it a tie between Foxbody Mustangs and 73/74 Novas for me, I’d even throw in the Vega from an aesthetic standpoint. I definitely fall into the 3 door fastback camp for my hatchback love, I really don’t care for two box designs for anything other than appliance grade merits, with few exceptions of course, and I refuse to participate in recent societies shift to 4(5) doors.
The odd thing to me about the XKE was that the hatch opened from the side rather than from the roof…to me for some reason that seems to be more like a “hatch” (thinking of submarine hatch) since it looks more like a door than
the roof mounted hinge hatchbacks…are there any other side mounted hatches on a car (other than station wagons, vans, or SUVs?).
Of course I’m a big hatchback fan, having owned no other type of vehicle since 1981…all VWs (an A1 Scirocco, A2 GTi, and now A4 Golf). I think it started out oddly as appearance, as I just liked how some of them looked (my A1 Scirocco is still my favorite body style after all that time)
though I have to admit it later turned to practicality, as many people can attest, I’ve hauled all sorts of odd loads over the years which would otherwise have needed a station wagon or truck, but I get to drive a small fun sized car the rest of the time (I know they don’t build hatchbacks to carry much weight, though I’ve sometimes overloaded them, most of the stuff has been more bulky than heavy). I’ve considered owning a sedan
(in my old age) but as I only have one vehicle, and normally don’t haul many people, the hatchback has been best choice for me.
As for favorite ones, I think I have a bit of a thing for any hatchback, but my A1 Scirocco is still my favorite car (despite its flaws) but it also was a younger man’s car, pretty low seating, better for the “younger” me. I wish there were larger sized hatchbacks for the aging population , something like the 626 or even Impala sized, guess I really would have to get an older full sized wagon to be equivalent.
Interestingly, my Father has owned the predecessor to the R16 in the top picture, he had an R10 (which wasn’t a hatchback of course)…and I think has owned only one hatchback in his life (though several wagons…which was a staple vehicle in my family when I was growning up)…so far he’s owned 21 cars (I think I’m only at number 5 myself….keep my cars a lot longer than he).
Gee, if we are going with side-hinged hatches, can I change my vote to the 1941-42 Chrysler Town & Country? Not a sedan, not a wagon, so it must be a hatchback, right?
Probably not. The rear window stays closed while the back doors are open.
Re the T&C, the Ford Excursion called, it wants its side-hinged lower doors back! 😉
The side opening door is one of my favorite thing about our cube. About the only thing I like better on the cube than you would find on it’s partner in crime, the Versa. Like the old sedan delivery it opens towards the street and gives access to the curb. It has all the benefits of a hatch with a little more room.
I wonder if it opens the other way in Japan.
It does. LHD Cubes are a complete mirror-image of RHD ones.
I always found it odd that the RAV4 and CR-V had rear doors open the wrong way for LHD countries. That sort of thing one expects from the British, not the likes of Toyota and Honda.
I would choose a Citroën LNA.
It’s basically a Peugeot 104 with a flat-twin from the 2 Cv (actually, it might be a flat twin from a Dyane or an Ami 8, I am not really sure on that one…).
I would take a “Club” limited edition, painted light blue, as my grandmother’s one was.
It was the first car I’ve ever driven, at the age of 4 (well, I was only using the wheel, sitting on my uncle’s lap while he was operating the pedals).
I drove it much later , when I was of age of driving. It had a hole in the muffler so it basically made the sound of a Cessna at full throttle. But I enjoyed driving it and I would like to own one.
Since I can’t get an Aztec here, it would have to be a Rover SD1 or perhaps an Aston Martin Rapide
Eminently tossable and fun, regardless of the weather.
a beautiful hatch!
Yes, I love these as well! I think I’ve only seen one in real life; it was sold in the US for only one or two model years in the early ’90s, I believe. (The convertible version is a dime a dozen in comparison, as I think it was sold for about a decade.)
Toyota Celica and Corolla hatchbacks in the 1980s.
I scanned through these rather quickly. Did anyone nominate the MGB-GT? I loved those, especially the pre-1968 models with the clean, spare dash layout. Of course, carrying capacity was nothing like that of an SD1 or a Renault 16, but then the accent was on sport. Another poster mentioned the Volvo 1800ES, and I like that choice, too.
Holy crap – there’s a lot of posting here!
AMC Hornet hatch is a superb and beautiful, yet completely affordable, hatch when it appeared in 1974. It sold amazingly well and really introduced to the US the hatchback design. It is still stunning.
So to the guy who mentioned it – well done! Just not with the ugly tent.
Then there was the nomination of the Citation.
I completely agree!
That was a beautiful, clean and well made hatch. The designed added functionality and style to a very beautiful car. Too bad these cars were absolute trash, because it was an excellent looking car. Especially when the grille was altered into a horizontal bar style – it was so simple, so clean and so MODERN.
The SAAB 900/9000 is another outstanding design for hatches. Almost too large, but then, the entire car was such an original. The fact that the entire rear end of this car would open like a giant clam to swallow anything you put into it – and the sheer size of the car itself, is so commendable. That was a solid and heavy, but superbly engineered hatch.
Finally, I have to mention the brilliance of the Kaiser Traveler. Taking a post WWII automobile and making it hatchback friendly makes the Traveler a Hatch Hall of Famer and a real pioneer. It is an admirable and creative out-of-the-box kind of thinking that American Independents of the 1950s brought to the US.
1971-73 Vega GT Hatchback was a beautiful car. Probably best-looking small car of 1970s.
I am glad to know I am not the only one who appreciated the styling of the Vega. A terrible car that did more singlehandedly to give the Japanese a foothold in the American market, but, in my opinion, just like the 2nd generation Corvair, a car that was style as well as any others of their time.
Stretching the definition, but I think the Hillman Imp’s opening rear window was clever, allowing loading from the rear of the car and it probably had all of $17 in development costs.
Owned an 89 Mazda 626 5 door, the next generation past the pictured version and it was a decent car for it’s day. The hatch was quite handy for the strollers and other kid requirements we had back then.
For today, the Subaru Impreza outback sport wagon is a great hatch, I’m thinking…. It certainly isn’t a wagon.
Ladies & Gents: May I present MY favorite Hatchback-the 2012 Honda Fit Sport (w/ 5 Spd Manual)!!! Applause!! 🙂
Flame suit on but I like the chrome accents you’ve added, they wouldn’t work with every color but look great on deep blue.
Surprised no one mentioned this guy yet, Peugeot 205
Excellent !
This one is a 1991 205 GTi 1.9 and the current owner has it registered on his (or her) name since november 1, 2013.
88 kW-120 hp, let’s say adequate, since it only weighs 860 kg. (1,895 lbs)
The Peugeot 205 GTI gets my vote too.
not to be a curmudgeon here but are we talking hatchback or liftback. To me that represents two different styles. I am not talking as a expert designer just a car guy. Lift back I think Datsun 240, 260, 280, 300, mazda 626, Toyota corolla, celica, fuego someone mentioned, the impulse. I think hatch I think distinctly VW golf, Fiat Panda, Yugo, Fiesta, justy, Peugeot 205, opel corsa etc, etc. forgive me for throwing a dart, don’t flame me or call me a troll not my intention just curious as to the view. Lift back is a coupe wanna be with a long trunk, a hatch is an egg more or less with a hatch.
Toyota marketed its Corona hatch as a lift back very similar to the 626 in overall design.
Not much of a hatch fan but I’ve always like Pinto Runabouts from ’72 on. Why Ford put that tiny rear window in ’71 Runabouts is beyond me. Always had a thing for first gen Fiestas and Festivas too.
Yes. 72 was the best of the Pinto Runabouts.
Never have I been in a hatchback with the same ability to swallow a washing machine as a Saab 900 classic.
True enough- the 900 Classic was the seminal luxury hatchback (well, actually the 99EMS, but it wasn’t until the 900 era that they took off). Great car, as was my Rover SD1- but with too high of a liftover for serious wagon duties. My old Citroen XM was also able to swallow large appliances, and was the most practical, as the suspension could lower to the floor so you didn’t have to lift things as high. If I had to choose one to own again, I don’t know which it would be- all were very practical and all had supermely comfortable seats. The Citroen and Saab were better built than the Rover, but the Rover was the prettiest. Strangely, my Saab was the least reliable of the three, even if it did feel the most solid and indestructible. I’d have to say that as I can now weld, I’d own the Rover again now, as it was by far the easiest car to work on- it had a 2 litre engine in a bay sized for a V8 or straight six. Both the Saab and Cit had me cursing when changing parts, with the Saab water pump and harmonic balancer winning the ‘bad engineering award,’ with the Citroen’s hydraulic pipe coupling ‘spider’ and rear suspension arm bearings coming a close second.
The ’05-06 Mazda6 could be had in a hatch. Beautiful cars. They are tough to find. I had to settle for the StaWag.
Regular car, Saab 900 3 door by a mile!
For an exotic, Jensen Interceptor!
Oo, forgot about the Interceptor. It has one of the most beautiful hatches ever designed – a local car collector has a hatch (not the car, just the glass hatch) on display in his private collection, it’s like a glass sculpture.
1975-80 Chevrolet Monza/Oldsmobile Starfire/Pontiac Sunbird/Buick Skyhawk.
Early 90s Toyota Corolla LIFTback, not so much the hatchback.
Alfa Romeo 147s still look fresh and modern.
The current Fiat Bravo/Ritmo, and Lancia Delta.
1975-79 GM X-Body hatch.
Current Opel Astra and Insignia.
The post and comments have been fascinating to read. IMHO the most beautiful unobtainable classic hatch (although sideways opening) is the E-Type Jag. The most beautiful obtainable classic hatch (albeit possibly for masochists) is the facelift Rover SD1 (with flush Euro headlights). The most controversially styled (but still great looking IMHO) is the Ford Sierra XR4i (as covered in Merkur XR4Ti form here recently).
Of new cars, the current Audi A5 and A7 are stunners, the BMW hatchoid things are not, and I am deeply grateful to Honda NZ that we don’t get the hideous Crosstour that looks like a dog parking its breakfast. Honourable mention goes to the late Mazda6 hatch.
*slapping forehead* I’m getting forgetful in my old age.
1st gen Acura Integra. True, the hatch slopes, which limits load height, and doesn’t open to the bumper so liftover height is high, but so what? Just look at it. That lean and clean look that Honda did so well, before it lost it’s mojo.
Five door too. There was a CC of the 1st gen Integra a while back.
After the Renault 16, only the Citroën XM satisfies.
Profile, in repose.
This specimen was lurking at the curb in Vila Madalena, São Paulo, the weekend between Christmas and New Years.
I’m absolutely FLOORED that the hands down most attractive hatchback of all time was only mentioned by just one other astute person. Come on! It’s the Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9. The styling is the very definition of what is considered ageless. Just LOOK at its design integrity: the body detailing (the “pepper-pot” wheels, the subtle front and back slatted trim, the redline fat body side moulding, the unique “C” pillar twin-slats with the “1.9 GTI” call-outs… And all that was just Peugeot’s detail work, not Pininfarina’s, which only penned the body in broadstroke. But what a broadstroke! Consider the unmatched rearward sweep of the body flank as it swoops up around a squared, overlarge rear window forming a letter “C” which is the “C” pillar up into the roof. The car had a unique higher percentage of the window area to the lower body and this is responsible for its balance of proportions. Finally, there’s the front and back ends. The front has a traditional Peugeot feline face and the back is tasteful and muscular with it’s right sized square rear tailights, relegated to the edges. The car looked best in dark grey, dark green, dark red and dark blue, unusual and rarely used (premium) color choices for a small car.
In summary, It all adds up to one thing: Design Icon.
Not only a design icon, it also saved Peugeot from going bankrupt.
Our high school class was in France in april 1982, I was 16 back then, part of the 10 days’ trip was a visit to the Peugeot factory. What a depressing scenery it was….Shortly after the 205 would change everything.
I’ll probably need to duck and run, but I’ll nominate the only two hatchbacks I’ve ever owned…
1984 Chevy Chevette (My Energizer Bunny car)
1974 Datsun B210 (The little rust bucket that could)
Both 4 speed and power nothing.
There’s also the VW Passat. In the States they called it a Dasher.
I was always partial to the ’94-’98 Mazda Astina.
Hatchback cars I have owned:
1980, 1985 and 1986 Mercury Capri (USDM, *not* Euro market cars), with turbo and V8 power.
1983 Pontiac Trans Am WS6
1986 & 1987 Yugo
1987 Dodge Lancer Turbo ES
2001, 2003 & 2004 Pontiac Aztek
2006 Chevy Malibu Maxx (similar to Euro Opel Signum)
My favorites: In this order…
#1. Dodge Lancer Turbo. Best car for me. I’d have another one in a minute.
#2. Yugo GV. With the magic back seat, I could stuff all kinds of things into that car, that no other car I’ve ever owned could take. Stupid simple, tough as an anvil. Plus, excellent fuel mileage and an Italian high revving engine…
#3. Malibu Maxx. The hatchback for the older me, quiet, refined and more powerful. Plus a boatload of room for my stuff. I could easily haul my complete drum kit around in it. I should have kept it, not knowing there wouldn’t be another one…
forgot my photo of my #1 choice…
I have to say – the hatchback Lebaron/Lancer are sharp designs especially considering their origins in the K-Car. Why didn’t Chrysler keep going with such a hatchback design?
Has anyone mentioned the Merkur cars?
Yes, but only the XR4Ti, I forgot about the Granada/Scorpio! We got a handful new in NZ as the Ford Scorpio. Most of ours were the 2.8 V6, but a mate of a mate had an ’86 2-litre Pinto-engined Scorpio Ghia in the early 90s. Despite the lack of power, it was a very elegant design, and great to look at.
Back in the day, my Farfisa Compact, Leslie 825, Sunn Concert Lead Amp and 15″ Kustom Speaker in plywood cabinet would all fit in the back of my Rabbit (Golf). Add a few 6 packs and meet up with the other guys with their equipment in the mountains along with a generator and we had big fun annoying the campers! Wow, 250 comments is that a new record? Only once did somebody put sugar in the gas tank of the generator.
Lancia Beta HPE… ’77 thru ’79. One of the most beautiful cars of its time.
I’m surprised the Audi TT hasn’t been mentioned yet. I was behind an early one the other day and was amazed at how fresh it still looked. I know it’s not the most practical hatch design (that nomination would have to go to its sibling, the Golf), but dang…
Looks like I’m a couple days late to the party…
Which is why I’m surprised there’s no love for the Sterling 827 SLi! (Or the Rover equivalent whose precise name escapes me.)
It’s not my *favorite*–that would probably be a Citroen XM or a Jensen Interceptor–but it’s still pretty cool, and one of the very few large premium hatchbacks ever sold in the US. The Merkur and Saab 9000 are the only other similarly ambitious ones I can think of.
I forgot about the Sterling version. I remember seeing sedans, but never the hatchback, outside of ads and brochures. It was very sharp.
No one mentioned the Lancia Delta Integrale….