return of the hatchback?

whats up w/ these ugly cars?
Y'day I saw a honda accord hatchback and almost threw up.
So Acura is also coming out w/ it's own version, ZDX or something, and BMW is out w/ the 5 series "Grand Truismo". BMW should call it the "Grand Terrible".
Are these so buyers can feel good about not driving suv's?
I cant imagine the utility is much better than the sedan variants.

 

I agree - totally lame. Reminds me of the Pontiac Aztek.

Amazing thing is that designs like this actually make it through the process. If a majority of people think it's a dog, how come the manufacturer doesn't realize it?

To be fair, I have no idea that the majority will think these are unappealing designs, but the few people I have spoken to agree that they are.

Time will tell...

 

Add the Porsche Panamera to that list.

 

If I was in the market I would easily consider a CTS Wagon. Actually the CTS-V variant if it became available.

 

Hatchbacks have huge utility and it is the age of economy once again so the hatch is back and amen to that.

My 1999 9-3 has 72 cubic FEET of internal storage with the rear seat down. I can put the family Christmas tree (7') inside the car when I get it.

It is high time the hatch came back and I wonder why it ever went away?

 

And yeah, the CTS-V wagon rocks to no end!!

 

when I was car shopping I only looked at hatchbacks. So much more utility.
I settled on a 09 WRX.

 

I like hatches.

 

beautiful!
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5-series GT is bad, but at least the regular 5 looks good.

That accord is fugly!

 

+1

Great looking car.


I find the hatches attractive...but I've always liked hatches and wagons.

 

Me to... here's mine:

NeuroBeaker's MINI​

Versatile, cheap, and fun.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

They never really went away in foreign markets, where hatches have spawned performance icons (Focus RS, Megane, Clio Cup, ITR, etc.), and even some prestige-marque cars with hatches (Audi through Aston Rapide). In the US, they can't seem to escape their cheapness stigma. Americans like size/$ almost as much as they like performance/$, so a good-handling hatch with useful cargo space is considered a waste of money when a musclecar can be had for the same price. BMW's 1-Series hatch is a decent seller in other markets, but Americans don't seem to want to touch that car with a 10-foot pole; even the 1-Series coupe is still criticized for "being too expensive for such a small car."
Additionally, there seems to be little tax incentive to drive one here, where gas is still relatively dirt cheap. In densely packed metropolitan areas of other countries with taxation based on emissions, consumption or displacement, the hatch is eminently practical. It's much cheaper to run a 5-passenger SUV over here.

As for utility, that 5 Series GT has a usefully taller loading opening and can accomodate larger objects than the sedan. I don't think it's more useful than a 5 Series wagon, however. As for why it exists, here's Car & Driver's take:
"This may be hard to accept, but what you see here is a BMW that’s not really conceived to please Bimmer loyalists in the U.S. That’s because this inflated version of the 5-series sedan is aimed at expanding markets where vehicle priorities differ from our own. China, for one.
If that seems peculiar, remember that the booming Chinese market is the main reason Buick survives while other GM brands have perished: We’re talking about people more interested in comfort, space, and prestige than ultimate driving."

"Shooting brake" style cars like the E-Class 3-dr wagon and Vandenbrink's 612 Scaglietti look curiously cool IMO. So did the CTS wagon I saw at an auto show.

 

I won't defend that Accord or BMW 5 -- both ugly, IMHO.

But hatchbacks are fantastic daily drivers, and they can be done well.

I remember moving myself to and from college in the back of my old VW GTI. I have an Audi TT daily driver now, and it's amazing what it can hold with the seats folded.

 

I had an '83 Mazda 626 5-door back in the 80s. Not the greatest-looking car ever, but I liked it very much for its sportiness and practicality.

 

edmunds:
http://www.insideline.com/bmw/5-series/2010/2010-bmw-550i-gran-turismo-full-test-and-video.html

"certainly doesnt feel grand turismo"

i cant tell if its a positive review

 

I loved my '89 Honda CRX Si hatchback....fantastic car

 

Hatches are the shiz. The fastest WRXs and Mazda 3s are both hatches.

 

+1

 

The original GTi and my current GTI are great, fun cars that are also practical, especially for us city dwellers. My girlfriend's Honda Fit is hilarious fun to drive, too. It is underpowered, with a ridiculous windy motor, but it scoots around traffic circles like a Jack Russell that got hold of a double espresso. 'Hot hatches' are good things.

Which isn't to say that the accord and BMW above aren't mud ugly -- they are.

 

Me too
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Better not be.

 

In August 2008 I replaced my e60 M5 with a MazdaSpeed3 hatch as my daily driver...the MS3 is a much better daily driver...for ~$75k less money.

 

Hatch.....


Cayman.


Need I say more?

 

My De Tomaso was a personal fave, wish I still had it. I always felt I was going 20 mph faster than whatever my actual speed was, making it the best radar detector ever .
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