Hatchback vs. sedan?

[remizidae]

We're buying a new car, and based on MMM's advice and past experience, I was set on a Honda Civic hatchback. But when I actually looked into it, I'm not sure the hatchback is worth it. It would mean fewer cars/models to choose from and lower fuel efficiency, but more cargo space. I do bike, but it seems like a bicycle or two would not fit inside even with the hatchback.

Is the cargo space worth it? What are some examples of cargo I would be able to carry with a hatchback that I could not carry with a sedan?

[RetiredAt63]

Depends on your lifestyle.  What are you driving now and how well does it carry cargo?  Seriously, it's your life, you know your needs best.

I have driven both and even though I  am now in an apartment, so fewer large loads, I love having a hatchback over a sedan.  But I never have rear seat passengers.

[ixtap]

We can fit two bikes in the back of our hatchback, although we do remove the front wheel.

[RWD]

The Civic hatchback can fit about 4-5 more pieces of carry-on luggage than the sedan version (based on the difference in available cubic feet). If fitting bikes appears to be difficult (perhaps the Civic hatch slope is problematic) then you might want to look at other hatchbacks that have a different shape (e.g. VW Golf, Kia Soul, etc.).

I've moved medium sized pieces of furniture (like a desk) in our Subaru Legacys in the past by folding down the seats. You just don't have enough height to do that in a sedan.

[crazy jane]

Hatchback. We moved our entire house except for the largest pieces of furniture with a Subaru Crosstrek and a Forester. I would never even consider another sedan again.

[Tester]

Station wagon FTW.
If not, hatchback.
Sedan, I don't think I will ever get one, except for an M5
 if I can't find a station wagon M5...
Right now I have a minivan and it is awesome...
Will be hard to decide to not own a minivan when this hits the bucket.
Bought at 145k miles 3 years ago, now it is at 180k, I hope it will last for 3 more years...

[Retire-Canada]

Station wagon FTW.
If not, hatchback.

Yes! :-)

[Ecky]

As others say, depends on lifestyle. I will not own another sedan - I use the hatch far too frequently. In my Insight, I've moved various things such as: 12 tires + wheels, washing machine, step ladder + all of my work tools, 12ft + 8ft butcher block countertop, several dozen 2x4's and 2x6's, 800lbs of wood pellets, a stack of full size windows, metal roofing panels, etc. etc.

[lutorm]

I'm not sure the hatchback is worth it. It would mean fewer cars/models to choose from and lower fuel efficiency

Is this even true? It seems like sedans are dying out in the US, I thought there were more options for hatchbacks (even if they're rebranded as a "compact crossover" or whatever.)

Now we have a minivan, but I've owned both a Prius and a Passat, and even though the Passat cargo area with the seats down was longer than that of the Prius, the low height of the passthrough seriously impedes what you can fit. I'd say the Prius was a lot more versatile.

[lhamo]

I would never buy a sedan.

We have a Ford Cmax hatchback and have fit all kinds of stuff into it. If you angle them right you can get 8' pieces of lumber into them -- came in handy when DH was doing lots of deck renovations this summer.

We can fit two bikes in ours with the back seats down.  For longer trips when we need the back seats for people we do two on a rack on the back and two on a Yakima rooftop rack.  Decided against a hitch that could take four because the clearance is already pretty low.

[RetiredAt63]

A friend got a regular size dishwasher in her Kia Soul.  Big openings and boxy shapes are really useful.

Hatchbacks are not as useful as station wagons because of the slope, but station wagons are so rare.  I found out recently that Mazda's CX series are on a car base.  The CX3 is on the discontinued Mazda 2, the CX30 is on the Mazda 3, and the CX5 is on the Mazda 5.  Guess my next vehicle will be a CX30.

[deborah]

I easily fit both my parents walkers in the hatch. My mother has a sedan and can only ever fit one, so she needs to use a walking stick when they go out together.

[remizidae]

The Civic hatchback can fit about 4-5 more pieces of carry-on luggage than the sedan version (based on the difference in available cubic feet). If fitting bikes appears to be difficult (perhaps the Civic hatch slope is problematic) then you might want to look at other hatchbacks that have a different shape (e.g. VW Golf, Kia Soul, etc.).

I've moved medium sized pieces of furniture (like a desk) in our Subaru Legacys in the past by folding down the seats. You just don't have enough height to do that in a sedan.

Thank you, this is what I was looking for. Seems like if you frequently buy/more furniture it would be more worth it.

[Edit] and some people mentioned buying huge appliances and pieces of lumber. Maybe that's why MMM is into hatchbacks, because he does his own home renovations? But it seems that hatchbacks are not worth it for the average person who does not do their own renovations.

[remizidae]

I'm not sure the hatchback is worth it. It would mean fewer cars/models to choose from and lower fuel efficiency

Is this even true? It seems like sedans are dying out in the US, I thought there were more options for hatchbacks (even if they're rebranded as a "compact crossover" or whatever.)

When I search online, I see many more sedan options than hatchbacks. Admittedly I don't know much about cars.

[AccidentialMustache]

Thank you, this is what I was looking for. Seems like if you frequently buy/more furniture it would be more worth it.

[Edit] and some people mentioned buying huge appliances and pieces of lumber. Maybe that's why MMM is into hatchbacks, because he does his own home renovations? But it seems that hatchbacks are not worth it for the average person who does not do their own renovations.

One of the big drivers for the SUV craze in the US is because they are all ... hatchbacks.

There's still a ton of utility outside home reno. "Dumb" things we've hauled in our Honda Fit in the last 10 years:
- 8' christmas tree(s), with doors and windows closed and 2 adults in the car (the non-driver was "loose" in the back, although "loose" here is a very relative term because we don't buy narrow trees).
- Bikes, both DS's mostly-not-folded-folding bike and my slightly-over-adult-sized hybrid.
- Bobsled/snowmobile style winter sled
- 14x 5-gal buckets of mulch from the landscaping place
- 65" LCD TV that must be transported vertically -- with three passengers in the car at the time
- Battery-powered lawnmower in box
- Still set-up electronic/midi drum kit (this used the fit's magic seat in the "up" position)
- My walking treadmill to/from my work as I change jobs/offices multiple times

Don't underestimate the utility of a hatchback.

[Tester]

I would never buy a sedan.

We have a Ford Cmax hatchback and have fit all kinds of stuff into it. If you angle them right you can get 8' pieces of lumber into them -- came in handy when DH was doing lots of deck renovations this summer.

We can fit two bikes in ours with the back seats down.  For longer trips when we need the back seats for people we do two on a rack on the back and two on a Yakima rooftop rack.  Decided against a hitch that could take four because the clearance is already pretty low.

This is the car I want when the time comes to replace the minivan.
I am so sad they are not producing it anymore ...

[Metalcat]

The Civic hatchback can fit about 4-5 more pieces of carry-on luggage than the sedan version (based on the difference in available cubic feet). If fitting bikes appears to be difficult (perhaps the Civic hatch slope is problematic) then you might want to look at other hatchbacks that have a different shape (e.g. VW Golf, Kia Soul, etc.).

I've moved medium sized pieces of furniture (like a desk) in our Subaru Legacys in the past by folding down the seats. You just don't have enough height to do that in a sedan.

Thank you, this is what I was looking for. Seems like if you frequently buy/more furniture it would be more worth it.

[Edit] and some people mentioned buying huge appliances and pieces of lumber. Maybe that's why MMM is into hatchbacks, because he does his own home renovations? But it seems that hatchbacks are not worth it for the average person who does not do their own renovations.

It sounds like you think you're supposed to prefer a hatchback but don't see the value.

If you don't care about getting a hatchback, then don't bother getting one. It's really that simple, it's not like there's some magical Mustachian rule that you have to want a hatchback.

I like mine because I have a spinal injury and it's so much more comfortable transfering anything even remotely heavy in and out of my Sonic than it was with my Corolla sedan.
I don't haul any furniture or lumber or anything like that, and probably couldn't because the Sonic is tiny.

Before my spine was FUBAR'd, I didn't give a shit about hatchbacks, and you don't have to either.

Buy whatever you want.

[RetiredAt63]

One thing I look for in a car is how high the lip is at the back.  Can I basically slide the whatever out or will I have to lift it 20+ cm?  Generally hatchbacks have less distance to lift. 

[Metalcat]

One thing I look for in a car is how high the lip is at the back.  Can I basically slide the whatever out or will I have to lift it 20+ cm?  Generally hatchbacks have less distance to lift.

Yes, sorry, I should have specified that my Sonic is so easy on my spine not just because it's a hatchback, but because it has no lip, the floor of the trunk is flush with the opening.

It doesn't have to, it has a removable panel that makes it flush and keeps the storage below that as a separate compartment.

I'm not sure this is standard with hatchbacks or SUVs, but it was a huge selling point for me.

[Paper Chaser]

IN addition to the extra space a hatchback offers, the larger opening really makes a difference in what you might be able to haul. Some modern sedans have very small, oddly shaped trunk openings, so even if they have a large trunk with decent volume you might not be able to get things into/out of the trunk. I think sedans are kind of silly, but if I were considering one, I'd look closely at the trunk opening and make sure that I could actually use it.

[RetiredAt63]

One thing I look for in a car is how high the lip is at the back.  Can I basically slide the whatever out or will I have to lift it 20+ cm?  Generally hatchbacks have less distance to lift.

Yes, sorry, I should have specified that my Sonic is so easy on my spine not just because it's a hatchback, but because it has no lip, the floor of the trunk is flush with the opening.

It doesn't have to, it has a removable panel that makes it flush and keeps the storage below that as a separate compartment.

I'm not sure this is standard with hatchbacks or SUVs, but it was a huge selling point for me.

Years ago, before they got incredibly expensive, I had a 2nd hand Saab.  Zero lip, totally flat with the back seats folded.  Best car ever.

[remizidae]

The Civic hatchback can fit about 4-5 more pieces of carry-on luggage than the sedan version (based on the difference in available cubic feet). If fitting bikes appears to be difficult (perhaps the Civic hatch slope is problematic) then you might want to look at other hatchbacks that have a different shape (e.g. VW Golf, Kia Soul, etc.).

I've moved medium sized pieces of furniture (like a desk) in our Subaru Legacys in the past by folding down the seats. You just don't have enough height to do that in a sedan.

Thank you, this is what I was looking for. Seems like if you frequently buy/more furniture it would be more worth it.

[Edit] and some people mentioned buying huge appliances and pieces of lumber. Maybe that's why MMM is into hatchbacks, because he does his own home renovations? But it seems that hatchbacks are not worth it for the average person who does not do their own renovations.

It sounds like you think you're supposed to prefer a hatchback but don't see the value.

If you don't care about getting a hatchback, then don't bother getting one. It's really that simple, it's not like there's some magical Mustachian rule that you have to want a hatchback.

I like mine because I have a spinal injury and it's so much more comfortable transfering anything even remotely heavy in and out of my Sonic than it was with my Corolla sedan.
I don't haul any furniture or lumber or anything like that, and probably couldn't because the Sonic is tiny.

Before my spine was FUBAR'd, I didn't give a shit about hatchbacks, and you don't have to either.

Buy whatever you want.

Well, naturally, I'll buy what I want. Thanks for the permission, I guess?

I'll probably stick with the bike rack to transport bikes and get other large items delivered for the rare occasions when I buy large items.

Thanks, everyone, for the examples!

[Sibley]

FWIW, I wasn't impressed with the Civic hatchback I looked at, it seemed small and cramped which was totally unnecessary given the overall size of the vehicle. Totally a design problem. I got the Fit. But to each their own.

[Sid Hoffman]

The Civic should really be called a fastback, not a hatchback. The only way you're getting significantly more cargo space is when loaded all the way to the top of the glass anyway, which is a safety hazard. "Real" hatchbacks are the vehicles called crossovers nowadays. They come with tiny engines and FWD, just like hatchbacks are supposed to in order to be fuel efficient.

[nemmm]

When I bought my 2017 Mazda3, the hatch model was more than 1K higher priced than sedan.  I would have loved a hatchback, but decided I could rent a truck if needed for the price difference many times over and went with the sedan.

[brooklynmoney]

I just bought my first car ever and its a Subaru Crosstrek. As someone mentioned above loading things into and out of it is so comfy because it requires no bending or lifting. Also I like to see how efficient I can make it. Right now I'm getting 31.7 miles per gallon (I also only drive about once a week).