Hatchback drivers ever wish they had a sedan instead?

[Aonarch]

Hell no.

[Sharpix]

No.
I have tought switching to a sedan, I´d like to get a sedan, but when almost everyday im using the hatch, from hauling boxes for shippings, moving small compressors, buying tables, chairs, medium sized home appliances, electric stuff, tools, and all kinds of stuff.

Honestly, my life is easier with that car. Period.

MK4 GTI, my everyday car. Next one will be something like that. Seat Leon Turbo perhaps. Quick and usable.

[Chris_V]

I've had hatchbacks and wagons and sedans. I prefer the looks of a sedan or coupe vs a wagon or hatch. It's really that simple.







I will have another.




Oh, and I've never had a problem backing up a sedan in the rain.

[Chris_V]

No.
I have tought switching to a sedan, I´d like to get a sedan, but when almost everyday im using the hatch, from hauling boxes for shippings, moving small compressors, buying tables, chairs, medium sized home appliances, electric stuff, tools, and all kinds of stuff.

I use a truck or SUV for that and have the sedan for driving and for carrying people. My hatchback is too small for carrying stuff in it, and too small to really carry people, so I want another sedan.

[l88m22vette]

I have, only because a trunk is sealed and more secure, though if they get it they get in...out of sight, out of mind.

[SwampBuggie]

Instead of doing the right thing and having the whole back move as a door, AMC cheapened out and just made it a big window that flopped up.

As for the original question - I absolutely love hatchbacks - they are just about as practical for hauling stuff as a truck. I was amazed at how much stuff I could fit in my 2001 New Beetle - and how much even more I could in my 2003 Jetta Wagon (or is that considered a station wagon and not a hatch?)

[MFactor]

Nope. I love hatches. If anything, I would have wished for a wagon instead.

[gti_matt]

We wish we could've found 4-door Yaris hatches - but they are impossible to find in Texas with a manual.

IIRC they weren't offered anywhere in the US by Toyota with a manual.

[Cousin Eddie]

The only time i've wished I had less space is in vaginas.

[Krazee]

I am always puzzled when I hear people say how sedans are not practical. I have put more into my Jetta then could have ever fit in the Golf/GTI of the same generation. It just takes more thought on how things need to be packed in. Granted there are some items that it can be difficult to get into a sedan (if at all) such as a loveseat (or similar sized item) where a hatch would be nice (I have friends with trucks for that kind of stuff ). However, seats folded down in both, I will stick to saying that my sedan can hold a greater volume than a hatch of the same generation.

It is a question height vs. depth. With the mk4 Jetta, the trunk makes the car longer than the Golf, giving you the length, but a Golf opts for height. So, you can fit a tall, bulky item in the Golf. but not in a Jetta, whereas you can fit long, flatter items in a Jetta, and probably not in a Golf. I'd wager one is far more likely to be transporting tall, bulky items vs. long flat ones.

This isn't me saying hatches rule and sedans suck. I was always shocked at the enormity of my B4 passat trunk, and could fit loads in that car with the seats down. At the opposite end of the spectrum was my G8 which had a deep but short (height) trunk and no folding seats. Still got a bunch in there, but not as much as the B4 Passat.

In either case, I would have LOVED a G8 wagon, had Pontiac survived 6months longer.

[TW@]

No, I do not wish that I had a sedan instead. However, if I had a separate business/commuter car, I would get a coupe/sedan mostly on aesthetic/image reasons.

Aside from the '92 Sentra where I learned to drive, I have only owned hatchbacks. Briefly owned an '04 WRX, but went back to a GTI since it was just too much of logistical problem with owning two dogs, being an avid cyclist, and travelling as a pro-cycling mechanic at the time.

Now I have an 18 month old, and she requires a lot of gear--either that or I better get larger biceps and get used to having a cranky baby with dirty diapers.

I think most people that are in some sort of active pursuit that requires gear(cycling, scuba, etc...), have pets, kids just benefit/enjoy the practicality of a "hatcback" of some sort, and that includes suvs, crossovers, and minivans.

I think that Americans do love hatchbacks, they just like them in a larger in the form of the vehicles listed above.

[digraph]

It is a question height vs. depth. With the mk4 Jetta, the trunk makes the car longer than the Golf, giving you the length, but a Golf opts for height. So, you can fit a tall, bulky item in the Golf. but not in a Jetta, whereas you can fit long, flatter items in a Jetta, and probably not in a Golf. I'd wager one is far more likely to be transporting tall, bulky items vs. long flat ones.

I owned both style MKIVs. It was easier to bring home a 10' 2x4, or a section of gutter in the Jetta than in the Golf because you could brace the length against the very rear wall of the trunk, and then the item would stick out of the front window less. The Jetta was also better at packing suitcases and travel bags.

In the case when you have car seats and it's annoying to remove them, I would lean toward an equal-sized sedan as more usable for day to day use. I schlepped more bulky items in the Jetta that didn't have car seats than in the Golf that had car seats.

[deagle]

its one of those things where the extra cargo room is better to have and not need , rather than need and not have

as a college student, i move annually/biannually, so yea, every summer or every other summer sux

but then again, i only drive myself, so i've got 3 extra seats i don't use on a daily basis

[kjl92701]

Nope. Went from a Golf to an A4 sedan and just didn't like it. Couldn't find an Avant at the time, and i think if i had i might not have moved on to another hatch so soon. I've always preferred the looks of wagons and hatches to sedans/coupes too. Not having the rear wiper in the rain/winter was hard to get used to as well.

[MK5golf]

NEVER!
Sometimes I wish I had a wagon

[BeBop!]

I drive a sedan but wish I had a hatch instead. Looking forward to the upcoming premium hatches from Mercedes, BMW, and Audi.

[zane!]

Personally, hell no. Hatch or wagon for me.

Realistically, yes. Why? Because my wife wants a sedan.

[adrew]

IIRC they weren't offered anywhere in the US by Toyota with a manual.

They exist in the 1st gen but are very rare - in many areas the regional distributor would not order them even though the Toyota configurator showed that it was a valid combination.

Example 2010:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...nal&listType=1

The current SE/5-door is available in a manual but the availability is restricted in the same way.
Example 2012:
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...nal&listType=1

[oidoglr]

I had a gf that had a mkv Jetta at the same time I had a mkv GTI. The only thing I preferred the Jetta with regards to being a sedan was that more weight was out over the rear wheels so in icy/snowy weather, it was easier to pull the e-brake up quickly, jerk the wheel slightly, and get a nice slide going. (Which was always met with protest by aformentioned ex-gf)

[crannky]

Honestly, I have to wonder why sedans exist sometimes. Even if you prefer the sedan profile, a liftback just makes SO much more sense. I think people are just in the habit of getting sedans, or something. I know preferences are subjective....but every sedan owner I know has had the problem of not being able to fit a bunch of IKEA stuff or a Home Depot run or a friend's bike or something into their car. And then they call me and ask if they can use my 4Runner.

Because sedans are more "grown up".

Answer to the question: **** no.

[J-Tim]

The only reason why I'd ever consider a sedan is if it was some sort of a classic which was only available in 2 or 4-door.

Otherwise, it's a hatchback or a wagon.

[Kandiru]

After the flurry of tickets in my Isuzu Impulse Turbo, GTI VR6, and Golf R32, i started driving sedans, and the cops just ignore me.

Sedans are the "middle" demographic and are ubiquitous. What better way to do bad things than by blending in with the herd.

Heck, how many look at my S4 that really looks like an A4 and think, oh yeah that is the one and only 0-60=4.4s AWD 6MT sedan?

[EmoGti2.0]

i wish i had an Audi Sedan some times, though i love my GTI it is so hard to keep that back hatch clean.

[Inspector Detector]

From what I remember America was crazy for hatchbacks back in the 70's. I remember how GM even made a Cutlass that looked like it was a hatchback but had a conventional trunk instead.

[Hooded Warrior]

hatchbacksfl

[Chris Stack]

I'm not a hatch fan, nor a wagon fan. I don't go out of my way to not buy hatches, but in general, there aren't a lot of hatches that really appeal to me. I suppose I could've bought my TSX in wagon form, but my wife's next car will be an SUv (because she wants one) and I really don't need two utility vehicles. I can borrow any one of several SUVs in the family the 4 times a year I need one.

[nickthaskater]

Never. All I wish for is fewer rattles.

[Harry@TheRacersEdge]

I feel the need for a wagon, sedan no

[Arju]

3/4 of my cars have been hatches. While my sole sedan (MKIV Jetta) had more cubic feet in the trunk, I rarely drive with more than 2 people, so folding down seats and utilizing vertical space has proven infinitely more useful to me.

Fishtanks, insulation, landscaping materials, tiles and interior finishes, Ikea furniture, a German Shepherd and more are all things my sedan would've been either useless for or more awkward to load and unload.

[purlman]

i bought a gli wish i had gone with a gti

[worth_fixing]

Hatch.

[KICKINGTI]

Hatch, albeit not a large one, though if this was a sedan, this would not be possible.

[Pool Runner]

No.

I used to have a Mazda3 sedan and often wished I had a hatch (praticality and a wiper). I now own a GTI and an Outback, so I'm a happier camper.

I'm the opposite, I own an Outback which is a complete appliance. We obviously love it from a practicality stand point and use the poop out of the hatch area for Costco & Home Depot runs, on top of hauling all our kids stuff.

That said I just find sedans sexier by far. This is specifically why I choose the sedan for my WRX even when I had the chance to have a hatch. I mean I can't think of a clean rear-end of any current or past Hatch since the MKIV GTi. But I can name a dozen sexy sedans; 04-07 Acura TL, same gen TSX, Integra sedan all years, 90-93 Accord, 89-93 Maxima, E30, E36, E46, E90, Mercedes W204, Lexus IS, Infiniti G37 sedan, the old G20 etc....

For me, I got a sedan in hot rod form because I have my own truck and the Outback when I need to haul anything more than a diaper bag. I mean seriously why buy a coupe also? If I were single and only had one car, yeah probably would buy a hatch. but since I have options today I will take my fun car in coupe or sedan form.

[J2G]

They both have their highs and lows, and IMO for practical reasons they even out and it all comes to cosmetics. I think the Jetta looks better than the Golf, but I'd take an old Impreza hatch over a sedan any day.

Hatch:
- More usable space (IMO)
- Easier to back up, because you have a better idea of where the rear ends instead of guessing with a sedan.
- Rear wiper is useful, I wish more sedans came with it.

Sedan:
- Lockable trunk
Better aerodynamics
- More crash protection (for the most part)

Ideally, I'd love to have a wagon.

[feels_road]

You can secure a truck [sic] so it's not accessible by breaking glass.

As others have said, you can't see if there is anything in there. For the most part, it takes quite some effort and time (while the alarm is going off) to go through the glass and then cut through the cover - while you can get access via the rear seats in most modern cars almost as easily. It's a mute point. Also, in decent cars the cover is designed such that the rear gate needs to be open for the cover to move - so you will have to cut through it, which takes time and effort.

Sedan:
- Lockable trunk
Better aerodynamics
- More crash protection (for the most part)

I disagree with all three.

At any rate, lifetime, I have only owned hatches, wagons, and buses (about seven of them). When I went through man-a-pause, I had these reoccurring dreams of seducing young and overly friendly pizza parlor girls with shiny new Audis. Even in those dreams, the cars were wagons.