By Robert Emslie
Successful magic is all about subterfuge and misdirection, and there’s perhaps nothing more magical than discovering that the car you have been driving is suddenly rendered vastly more utilitarian when it’s found to be a hatchback.
It’s that utilitarianism that perhaps has doomed the hatchback from greater popularity here in the U.S. as work is seen as something the Bourgeoisie do. People of means can’t possibly assist you in transporting that futon because they drive a sedan, as do all individuals of attainment.
Ah, but what if you could have the best of both worlds – a car that looks like a sedan so those judging you will never be the wiser, but is in fact a hatchback so you can actually help your mom move that extra freezer to her sister’s? How great would that be? Well, it’s been good enough that a lot of manufacturers have given the idea a try, and today we want your opinion on which ones have been the most successful.
Image: TurboDodge
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I thought the Mazda6’s hatchback was pretty well disguised, but the wiper was a giveaway to anyone in the know.
http://tenwheel.com/imgs/a/b/u/b/p/2007_mazda6_i_sport_hatchback_2_lgw.jpg
I never understood why the rear wiper has to be a hatchback thing, but it is. It’s not like that 6 needs its rear wiper any more or less than a sedan does.
There are sedans with rear wipers too, btw. I have seen a few of them in my life. There is some market somewhere where sedans come with rear wipers, but I don’t know where. If I recall correctly, I saw a Peugeot 406 with one once. It has to have been a grey market import from some far away country because it’s the only one I’ve ever seen. And the 406 was (and still is) plentiful around here.
There’s a JDM Toyota Soarer that has come to Cars and Coffee here in Columbus that is a sedan with a rear wiper. Two of our 4 daily drivers are 5 doors and I miss the rear wiper when I drive one of the sedans in the rain. Actually, the aero on the Prius makes the rear wiper rather useless in motion as little rain actually hits the rear glass.
I always thought one of the best things about the 6 five door was the subtle elongation of the greenhouse creating a semi-fastback roof line.
http://www.novaresource.org/history/75hatchback.jpg
I think this category has pretty slim pickings, but after the P-body Mopars, the Nova hatchback was the next one to come to mind.
Dang. Came to post the exact same image. I agree, slim pickings. It would be easier to find cars that look like hatchbacks, but aren’t. My mom’s Datsun 1200 fit in that category.
Same here, but at least we have several flavors of GM hatchbacks to choose from, including this 1979 Buick Skylark.
Friends’ parents had one in white with blue interior. They were both artists and they hauled some pretty huge canvases around in that thing. It eventually rusted away to nothing.
The 1973+ Hornet Hatchback looked fairly coupe-like when all buttoned up.
I always liked the Renault Safrane. It’s not hidden at all cost, but the car is so big, it comes unexpected anyway:
http://static.classistatic.de/imagegallery/renault/safrane/renault-safrane-ren_94_sa_1.jpg
Also: Illustrating a “the best”-question with an awful Dodge…outstanding!
The Daihatsu Applause had a lot of trunk for a hatchback.
And legs, too. 🙂
I could never figure out why Lady Gaga loves those things so much…
http://cdn.meme.am/instances/55940357.jpg
i used to own not one but two of these…loved it to bits. It had a boot a size of a small football field, 95 HP and 950 kg 🙂 handeled like a pig tho.
The Celica (the fun RWD cars from that maker of washing machines and such today) was made in both coupe and liftback versions. While some generations liftback looked very hatchbacky, the 4th and 5th generation was more disguised with the body lines mirroring those of the coupe. Of course, that 5th generation also included the rally awesome All-Trac Turbo.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/CelicaST185GT4AFresnoF.jpg
http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f119/devianbpb/DSC_7411_a_zpsbd1d3658.jpg
How about one with a twist? When the C3 was refreshed for ’78, it gave up the horizontal rear deck for a big curved window. It would have made a great hatchback, but it wasn’t designed to open. Finally, in 1982, the fifth model year of non-functional hatchback styling, and only on Collector Edition models, it finally was able to function as a hatchback.
Another in the “insignificant stuff I know” category…
The P was supposed to have a conventional hatch with a Daytona-like glass. Lido saw it, said it looked like hell and had it restyled.
Well you’ve got to go with the original, right? The Kaiser Traveler.
http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/image_268_resize.jpg
The second-gen Kaiser also got a Traveler version – even a two-door model.
I love the concept. Today, people just tend to overdo it…
http://bringatrailer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/TC52hvcomfort-International74004x4.a001-5601.jpg
Does this count?
http://www.saabsunited.com/upload/images2009/07/which_is_your_favourite_saab_900/saab900-5-door.jpg
Saab had notchback 2 door and 4-door sedans, and a specific fastback body for hatches, so:
No.
Thank You! I had lost track of that photograph, I was just looking for it in the past 2 weeks for some reason. I had a SAAB 900 GLE of that generation.
SAAB called it a 5-door, and it looked very hatchback-y, so I wouldn’t answer this Hooniverse Asks… with it.
It’s more the best hidden cargo van, from my experience.
I figured it was a stretch, but the 900’s lines kind of emulated a trunk. Then again, they kind of emulated a rat more, so whatever.
Neighbor has a Kia Spectra that I just thought was an ugly sedan until I passed by and the boot was open.
Turns out, it’s actually an ugly hatchback.
http://www.allkiaparts.com/new-arrivals/320×240/002102_pr.jpg
My mother had one, called a “Shuma” in Jurop. You know, because “Spectra” just wouldn’t – would not! – have worked. Anyway, I was a teenager back then and agitating strongly towards friend’s parents to buy Volvos. I actually succeeded a couple of times, eventually landing me a job at the Volvo dealer. My best friend’s parents were among the convertees – they’re on their third Volvo now – and I remember like it was yesterday how insane the differences were. At 100km/h the Kia would be so noisy, you could hardly talk to each other. The Volvo V40, the brand’s lowest offering, would be so silent at 100km/h, you couldn’t even slip a fart unnoted. The plastic quality was like comparing a yoghurt cup to…eh…an actual car. Lots and lots of subtle differences, even though both cars did their job well. There was little trouble with the Kia, apart from trying to sell and discovering it wasn’t worth a hug.
Late-model Skodas like the Octavia and Superb are damn good at hiding their hatches. In fact, the outgoing generation of Superb has a conventional trunklid within its hatch.
http://www.skoda-auto.co.in/models/superb/PublishingImages/Roominess/simply-clever3.jpg
This may be the winner.
Ah! I just posted this, but looks like you beat me. And yes, this is the winner.
I’m really curious, can you open the trunk while the hatch is open? Resulting in a double-jointed hatch with a ton of headroom for tall people getting stuff out of the back?
Time nearly forgot (and why not) about the first-gen Seat Cordoba (mid-nineties). I couldn’t find a picture with the hatch opened but the shutlines give the car’s secret away. It streches all the way from the top of the rearwindow into the bumper. If my memory is correct, luggage spece is around 550 litres which is pretty much for Golf money. Very sensible, i’d say.
I always thought this time was the worst for SEAT, with the really chubby Ibiza, Cordoba and Toledo being as unattractive as they could be. Now, I don’t dislike what I see. Nostalgia is dangerous.
Fede: yes, it’s a Toledo,
Sjalabais, i don’t think they were ugly, besides the black bit in frint of the rearwheels. (Why was that?)
They were just unattractive like in boring.
It’s good enough to keep on living as a chinese Chery (don’t know if that is good or bad)
I think that is a Toledo
Ford’s original EXP was just one huge panel gap away…
http://www.oldcarbrochures.org/var/albums/NA/Ford/1982_Ford/1982-Ford-EXP-Brochure/1982%20Ford%20EXP-10-11.jpg
An interesting point – the near-twin, badge engineered Mercury LN7 had as its major difference from the EXP a bubble-back rear window which emphasized the hatchback. Once the LN7 died due to poor sales, the EXP acquired the bubble window for its own.
Eratum: Toledo is the name, Seat Toledo. It was produced from 1991 till 1995
I’ll do y’all one better. The Skoda Superb with Twindoor does it all:
Want.
I’m not going to bother reading about how awful the rest of the car may be. Don’t want to ruin it for myself.
The original Fiat Croma hid its hatchness fairly well.
BMW’s 4-Series Gran Coupe is probably the most elegantly styled of all of the various F3x permutations, and the most useful, as well. The 3-Series GT, though…woof.
http://www.imps4ever.info/cars/hillman/imp_deluxe/hillman-imp-deluxe-pressphoto-pi781g-apr1963.jpg
The winner takes it all, with her, In her hatchback.
Modern aerodynamic automotive styling, where the rear window blends into the trunk lid, helps it, but the Tesla Model S is pretty good at looking like a luxury sedan, while actually being a luxury hatchback (although it doesn’t reach Skoda levels of hatch/sedan treatment):
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/09/lead5-2012-tesla-model-s-fd-1347337015.jpg
Then, there’s the Audi A7, which even has cutlines specifically designed to confuse onlookers into thinking it’s a trunk. It’s not. It’s a hatch.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Audi_A7_Sportback_3.0_TDI_quattro_S-line_%E2%80%93_Heckansicht,_15._Mai_2011,_Wuppertal.jpg
I don’t agree on the Tesla, A7 and BMW 4 GC. Because of the window behind the c-pilar and the sloping roofline: it says hatchback. I was surprised that the (1997) Audi A6 is in fact not a hatchback.