Is Hatchback a Dirty Word?

Sections: MINI Competitors | R56 (Hatch) Feb 5th, 2008 22 Comments

At least that is the question Wired is asking.

The hatchback body style has never really flown with American car-shoppers. Oh, sure, there have always been low-buck liftbacks for “entry level” buyers – the Ford Escorts and Dodge Omnis and Hyundai Accents of the world. But there’s little doubt that given a bit more financial reach, most of the people who buy such cars would likely opt up to a traditional two-door coupe, a sedan, or an SUV (though definitely not a station wagon, a body style that remains about as stylish here as orthopedic shoes). Oh, there are historical exceptions to the rule – sporty hatchbacks aimed at younger buyers, such as the early-generation Honda Civic Si, the short-lived Ford SVT Focus, and the Volkswagen GTI, which were desirable not only in spite of their “downmarket” body style, but exactly because of it.

Using the new Volvo C30, they wonder if the current trend of up-market hatchbacks from companies that don’t normally build hatchbacks is going to be short lived, and they think it will be.

What about the MINI?

But understand this: The keys to the Cooper’s success here (beyond its all-around mechanical and stylistic goodness) were a.) as an unfamiliar brand in the U.S., it never had to redefine itself for a younger/hipper buyer, as Volvo and Mercedes tried, and b.) with a first-year starting price of $17,000, you didn’t have to be a trust-fund baby to afford one – or, as a young professional, to justify one.

A great article worth reading.

[ Why is "Hatchback" Such a Dirty Word in America? ] blog.wired.com

Written By: DB

MeanMrMstrd

My first hatch was a 1956 Ford Country Squire, Pine Green, 8 passenger wagon, then a 1957 Ford sedan delivery, 1984 Honda Accord, 1996 Aerostar, 1997 Toyota 4Runner and now 3 MINIs.

I know of no one who ever said to me,” Wow, why a hatch?” They may have said, “Why an Aerostar?” and after 8 short months so did I.

I think the article states it clearly why hatches haven’t faired well, low buck cars, ugly cars.

It’s something the Clubman should have had.
lavardera

Its not just hatchbacks – all small cars are regarded as cheap here, aside from legit sports cars. It does not matter if your Ford Focus has 4 doors or a hatch – its a losers car. Meanwhile in europe the Focus is a beautiful car with upscale option packages.
bling

Because of their perceived size – most of whom I’ve spoken to feel hatchbacks are not big enough for their needs. And many don’t find them ‘cool looking’.
Mark Smith a.k.a MINIBro77

It’s a shame that Americans haven’t embraced the hatchback sooner since we are missing out on some of the hottest hatches ever to have four wheels, an engine, and a fuel tank.
Chad

Hatchback? As automotive designs go, it’s just smaller. What do you do when you want to make your small sedan smaller? You cut off the trunk. What do we call a 2 ton hatchback? SUV. There’s nothing wrong with the concept of a hatchback, it just represents the most sensible way we have to make a usable car of that size.

The C30′s problem is that it is ONLY small. At $40,000 you can buy much better either by going with with Mini or VW or by going larger and get a premium compact SUV.

Why would anyone buy a small car? Seems to me the top reasons would be save money / reduce consumption, which are closely related anyway. And $40,000 does not fit that bill. There is a tiny market for small cars that are expensive and high-consumption, but they are sports cars, and the C30 is not that either.
Aaron

The article has some good points, but I disagree with the premise that Americans do not like hatchbacks. I, for one, love hatchbacks and I know plenty of people that share this opinion. I was surprised they did not bring up the Mazda3 5-door. I guess maybe people think of that as a wagon? Or the Mazda6 5-door…both decent hatchbacks at a very reasonable price range that appear to be very popular, at least in New England. And of course, all the subaru’s running around, many of which are hatchback crossovers…

The BMW 1-series hatches I’ve seen here in Africa look great and appear to me to be an almost perfect evolution for a MINI owner who would like to retain the versatility of a hatchback while upgrading a bit in power and finish.

The C30 looks a bit odd to me (with Volvo’s styling of the tail-lights and the all-glass hatch), and the price is much too high. I’d rather pick up a Mazda3 for a LOT less and two extra doors. But if it were one of the 5-door BMW 1 series cars, I’d consider spending the extra cash for it. Next step up would be a 3-series wagon, which just seems a bit too big for me.

I guess what I’m getting at is that I think there’s probably a market for the small, high performance 5-door hatchbacks in the US. MINI and the VW GTI rule the market for 3-door, high performance hatchbacks. There’s a difference (to me) between a compact, high performance 5-door hatchback and a high-performance, 5-door wagon. I think there’s a gap in the US market there and I think there’s some potential, if BMW wants to, to fill that gap. Not asking for a 3 series 3-door hatchback. Rather, a 1 series 3-door or 5-door hatchback. Lower price range than the 3-series, aimed squarely at that market potential with a price range starting about where the Mazda6 5-door tops out. I think it could work. The cars are being built and sold all over the rest of the planet. Just ship a few to the U.S., spend some marketing $$ targeting small urban well-to-do young professionals just starting a family (like myself soon and some other folks we might know of… ;) and see what happens…
ST

Strange that the US sees hatchbacks as low grade. Maybe itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s due to the fact that we don’t have such a “bigger is better” mentality.

Certainly here in Aus & much of Europe, the hatchback rules and is seen as a much sportier, more versatile & better looking car than any saloon. Sedan versions of most cars here are seen as very boring, ugly & sensible boxes on wheels, driven by people who see a car as a means of getting from A to B. They are usually only ever in a couple of very bland colours like silver & gold. Think NannaÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s slippers! There is very often an old manÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s hat on the back parcel shelf with a box of tissuesÃ¢â‚¬Â¦

If I was looking for a new car at the moment, I would definitely consider the Volvo C30 Ã¢â‚¬â€œ what a beautiful little car! I love the reminiscent look taken from the Volvo P1800 of the 60Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s. I never thought I would ever buy a VolvoÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ In Aus, Volvo has a reputation for being soooo boring (read “sedan”) & driven by the absolute worst drivers on the road (a reputation now definitely owned by BMW drivers).

Long live the hatch!
Vanwall

The 2-box, hatchbacked or not, has always been maligned by the Big 3 here in the States, either directly or by proxy, such as their push for large-engined vehicles which are mostly SUVs or 3-box cars, after all, because the profit margins are generally not high enough for them. Because of this mind-set, they don’t seem to be able to make one worth a damn, even when they try. Daimler Benz hasn’t exactly been a neutral player either, because they also prefer the mid-size or larger profits, too.

It’s ironic that longer-lower-wider has lead to the abondonment of the hatchback segment by these companies, unless they can get an Asian company to badge-engineer for them, and as fuel prices climb, this segment will be much more attractive to buyers in the future – these marques will have Darwin-ed themselves out of existence if they keep it up. They are desperately pushing large or medium cross-over vehicles, ’cause they can make more money on these types, which are really just mis-shapen and hunchbacked station wagons, IMNSHO, and they seem to assume that there’s no one really interested in quality domestic hatchbacks at areasonable cost.

All I can say is, it’s gonna hurt some unless they change, maybe not too much now, but it’ll only hurt worse if they wait around watching other people’s hatchbacks drive by.
Edge

I was surprised they did not bring up the Mazda3 5-door. I guess maybe people think of that as a wagon? Or the Mazda6 5-doorÃ¢â‚¬Â¦both decent hatchbacks

Funny… I always thought of it this way:

Coupe = 2 door Hatch = 3 door Sedan = 4 door Stationwagon = 5 door

So basically, in my view, a 5 door vehicle is not a hatchback, it’s a stationwagon… even though there are some very scrunched up 5 door vehicles out there that certainly don’t LOOK like a typical stationwagon! :)

NOTE: The existence of an extra, smaller reverse door for easier entry does not change the category, IMO (such as the Club Door on the Clubman, or the extra door on the Mazda RX-8).
Flippy

Long live the hatch, is right! I remember one hatch in the 80s that was my dream car… the Saab 900 turbo. The Saab of that era was a cool car! Loved the sound of the exhaust.
nuvolari

In my opinion, sedans and coupes are for people without a real life – meaning no gear to haul. :) All that wasted utility in name of aesthetics strikes me as somewhat decadent.
Glenn

not sure where you guys are coming up with the $40k number for the C30. Base price is $22,700 MSRP. Just as with the MINI the price can go up pretty fast with options though. I suppose you might get to $40K if you add every single option, but not likely.
c4

After owning a MINI, my first hatchback car, I will never go back to 3 box sedans or coupes. I can fit more bulkier objects in the back of my MINI that I would never be able to fit in the back of a full size American sedan.

Face it, the hatchback has never been embraced by the American auto industry. How many hatchbacks from US manufacturers were made in the 1950s?

To me, the MINI has successfully reversed much of the perceived cheapness from the mindset of the American car buyer. Now days I see a lot more small hatchbacks in the streets than at any other point in history.

I also think that domestic manufacturers bastardized the hatchback with such “memorable” attempts from the 1970′s such as the AMC Gremlin and Ford Pinto. Honda stopped selling the Accord hatchback in 1989 and the Civic hatchback no longer sold after ’04 or ’05.

A few years ago a family member was checking out the now discontinued Malibu Maxx which was the hatchback version of the Malibu sedan. The Maxx had wonderful trunk space and rear seat legroom was limo-like. A wonderful family car. Sadly most Malibu buyers overlooked the better Maxx for the cheaper, mundane and less comfortable versatile 3 box sedan model. Unfortunately, the Maxx was discontinued with the new Malibu model, which is only sold as a sedan.

In my opinion, the Malibu Maxx was the best and most decent domestic attempt at a versatile hatchback family car.
Aaron

Another hatch that the article failed to mention, which has gained tremendous popularity of late (and may help swing people’s general opinions, in the US, toward hatchbacks): The 2nd-generation Toyota Prius.
Chad

The $40,000 is a fully optioned C30, yes. But no matter how you configure it, the C30 ends up nearly $10,000 more than some similarly configured competitors. The higher cost is largely at odds with the “why” of hatchbacks which is practicality. If you wanted a vanity car, you would get a coupe or convertible or SUV. I can’t see someone paying vanity prices for a hatch.
c4

The problem with the Volvo C30 is 2 fold:

1) Poorly marketed IMHO 2) Pricey

Other issues with the car is that the C30 is nothing more than a S40 sedan with a hatchback body. Also the car’s chassis is yet another limiting factor based on reviews in different rags.

I personally like the looks of it, but will never buy one. I find the S40 based sportwagon a lot better looking and more practical than the C30.

The C30 is Volvo’s answer to the MINI. But it is a band-aid attempt, at best.
Wings

We ordered a C30 back in August when they were first released and have been enjoying it since late October. My wife picked the Volvo because a)it’s a hatch,b)it can haul a bunch of stuff, c) it’s sporty d)it’s roomy enuogh to carry four people and e)it’s unique. She didn’t go crazy with options but it’s still a nicely equipped car. We paid just over $27,000; not too much different than a nice MCS. For our needs we like hatches better than sedans. I guess we’re in the minority here in the States.

Wings 03 MCS 08 C30 Version One
Jay9s

I for one have always detested trunks. Useless! Good only for Mobsters to stash the bound & gagged snitch….

But I think the word “hatchback” really is a dirty word in the US; memories of oil embargoes and gas-pump line-ups? (as in the solution to:)

My 1st hatch: 79 Ford Fiesta! Best Ford ever….
Dan S

Hatchbacks, and even station wagons, are great (and sell well) when they are done right like the Mini, GTI, Chevy Nomad (circa 1955) to name a few. Bad examples like the 318ti and MB sports coupe were/are so ugly they make a Pontiac Aztec look beautiful.
c4

The Ford Fiesta was a good car. That was an European import, that’s why. (German Ford?)

It seems to me brands like Ford and Honda simply don’t get the increased demand for hatches in the US. Ford killed the Focus hatchback and replaced it with a fugly looking Focus coupe that probably was slapped together by a group of drunken Russians…

And Honda killed the Civic Si hatchback in this market as well, leaving us with a Saturnish looking coupe. (In Europe and elsewhere Honda sells the 5 door Civic Si hatchback).

Speaking of Saturn, the new Astra 3 and 5 door hatches (Which are Belgium built rebadged Opels) look really nice. It is amazing the turn around of product Saturn has had in the last couple of years. Really nice looking rides.
Jahmills

It seems like the media likes to foster this impression of hatchback equals cheap or lame. When I was a young teenager and started to think about what kind of car I would get when I turned 16 my first dream car was an old VW GTI, I thought that was the definition of cool. Years later when I could afford to buy something beyond a Honda Civic I bought a new GTI and learned how great a hatch actually is, you can actually carry stuff in it. When the Cooper came out, I thought it was the coolest thing ever, an affordable dream car, a bargain basement exotic. So the media and old school American types think hatchbacks suck, mostly because of what was offered here from the big three.
sar21102

My first car was a hatch — a 1984 Renault/AMC Encore. That was followed by a 1989 Acura Integra, an excellent hatchback. After a 5-year sedan flirtation, I got a 1998 VW Passat wagon, and now have a 2003 Mazda Protege5. I’m one of that small minority the loves this kind of car. I’ve been looking at the C30, and the MazdaSpeed 3, but now that the Clubman has arrived, I think that’s my choice. I’ve always liked Minis, but thought they were too small. That said, if I could buy the BMW 1-series 5-door, I’d grab it in a minute, especially the diesel one. But unless I move to Europe, I’ll never get the chance.

I guess I’m dense, but we special-order cars all the time. I’ll configure and special-order my Clubman: so why can’t I order that 1-series hatch?? http://www.bmw.co.uk/bmwuk/index/0,,1156___bs-MQ%3D%3D%40bb-S08%3D%40sit-bmwuk,00.html

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