Trunk or hatchback?

[Garga]

I’m 45 and got my first car at 16.  In all those years of car ownership, I’ve only ever owned hatchbacks, be they tiny starter cars or minivans.  

I’m considering getting a new (or used) car, but I don’t know what I want to get yet. Since I’ve never had an actual trunk, the idea of a trunk feels exotic and grown up.  

But do I want a trunk?  What are the pros and cons of trunks and hatchbacks? 

 

[gardenmom5]

dh has a mid-size trunk.  (as do 1dd,  1ds, & 2ds)  I have a van - it gets borrowed by children.  a lot.

I been shopping with dh's trunk - and hate it.   for flats of flowers - it's harder to access than the back of the van.

I've been looking at new cars (as  mine is going to need to be replaced, and I'd like to have an idea before hand) . . . mid-size suv's have less cargo room than my van - and no way would I ever, ever, have "just" a trunk.

the biggest reason I will never ever have trunk again - I like being higher off up off the road for vision, and you only get that in a van or suv.

[gardenmom5]

you can purchase a generic privacy panel for the cargo area for most suvs/vans. about $50. I never got around to it - and now I'm debating  if I want to bother.

[KungFuPanda]

For a car, I like a regular trunk because you can park on a hill without things spilling out. I think it matters less in a van because you have more room to work with. 

[Frances]

We generally only have one car at a time because we both walk to work. We’ve almost always had hatchbacks because they are so much more versatile for hauling stuff. My husband recently hauled 9 doors 60 miles in our little VW hatchback. No way would that have been possible with a trunk. I also like the increased visibility.

[regentrude]

Hatchback.  I can see no advantage of a trunk. We have a simple cover that shields the contents from view, if that is a concern. Never had issue with noise from rear tires.

[Ravin]

Well, if you are ever pulled over and the cops want to search the car, there are more procedural hoops for them to search your trunk. So you have a slightly greater expectation of privacy with respect to items stashed in your trunk.

Unless you are transporting something illegal, a hatchback is more practical. Most have fold down rear seats that allow transporting quite a lot. 

 

[PrincessMommy]

I'm on team hatchback.  It's more a personal preference.  I just don' like the look of sedans with trunks. 

[regentrude]

11 minutes ago, Ravin said:

Well, if you are ever pulled over and the cops want to search the car, there are more procedural hoops for them to search your trunk. So you have a slightly greater expectation of privacy with respect to items stashed in your trunk.

Please explain. There are differences between opening the *hatch* vs a trunk lid?

(Not that it actually matters to me, but i am curious why you would say that.)

[Ravin]

 The hatch area is open to access by passengers. Therefore, it's in reach and part of the passenger compartment for search purposes.  The trunk must be accessed from outside,  therefore cannot be searched on the same basis as the passenger compartment.

From a safety viewpoint,  the trunk is also safer because loose items can't become passenger compartment hazards in an accident.

[mamaraby]

6 minutes ago, Ravin said:

 From a safety viewpoint,  the trunk is also safer because loose items can't become passenger compartment hazards in an accident.

This is one of my issues with minivans. I love mine, but there is no trunk so I do worry about the lose hazards bit. Dh was almost in a rollover accident last year. Because of one of his side hustles, he has quite a few bits in his cargo area and while they thankfully didn’t fly around, it does worry me.

Another advantage to the trunk is that it could help cut down on your vehicle being broken into because you can put things like purchases and purses in there and they’re out of sight.

I’ll have to ask dh about his perspective on the hatchback vs trunk when it comes to searches at traffic stops.

[regentrude]

14 minutes ago, Ravin said:

 The hatch area is open to access by passengers. Therefore, it's in reach and part of the passenger compartment for search purposes.  The trunk must be accessed from outside,  therefore cannot be searched on the same basis as the passenger compartment.

If the (manufacturer provided standard) cover is on, the hatch area is not accessible to passengers.

[Arcadia]

We bought a Toyota Corolla instead of the Toyota Matrix because of trunk space. We were looking at the highest mileage possible gasoline car with the biggest trunk space that could take a double jogger.  We actually tried sedans and hatchbacks at Mazda, Honda, Nissan and Toyota dealerships with our double jogger and our Graco duoglider. 

If we buy a new car, we might have to go for a SUV or minivan and sacrifice the mileage. DS13 is 1.81m tall and has to slouch at the back seat so as not to hit his head. He doesn’t want to trade seats with me and sit in the front passenger seat. We are the same sitting height and the front seat has maybe a 1cm gap for me to the ceiling/roof when I don’t slouch. 

We can fit two cellos just nice in our Corolla’s trunk. That was the other consideration for trunk space.

[J-rap]

I guess there are pros and cons to both!  Right now I have a hatchback and I like it because if there's something back there that someone needs on a long trip, the person in the back seat can just reach around and get it.  We don't need to pull over and walk around to the back.  Also, our back seats can fold completely flat and that space merges right into the hatchback space.  Together, that makes  a lot of space, and probably allows for taller items too.  (Taller than what you'd be able to fit into most trunks.)

[Wildcat]

Hatchback with the cover in place to prevent items from entering the cabin in case of an accident and for privacy from prying eyes while parked. Love them.

Something like a VW Golf is awesome for those who don't want to drive a larger SUV but want the hatchback feature.

[regentrude]

4 minutes ago, Wildcat said:

Something like a VW Golf is awesome for those who don't want to drive a larger SUV but want the hatchback feature.

Or the Mazda 3 :)

[Selkie]

I prefer a hatchback because I'm always hauling around big things like dogs, saddles, 50# bags of grain, golf clubs, a cello...

A sedan doesn't work for us because we're a pretty tall family. I'm the shorty at 5'10" - my tallest son is 6'5".

[Wildcat]

17 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Or the Mazda 3 :)

Yes! That was the other one I was trying to think of. It's the one Dd might get after her car kicks the bucket. It's on her short list of possibilities.

[Cosmos]

I thought our car (Subaru Outback) was a hatchback, but I looked it up and apparently it's a station wagon. Not sure what the difference between a hatchback and a station wagon is, but I love the ability to fold the seats down to fit cargo in the back. We haul brush to the dump, transport furniture or building materials, and have plenty of room for luggage on a long trip.

Our previous car had just a trunk and we won't do that again unless we had multiple cars. We need at least one vehicle with space for "stuff" and since we are a one-car family, the Outback is great for us.

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

We bought a Toyota Corolla instead of the Toyota Matrix because of trunk space. We were looking at the highest mileage possible gasoline car with the biggest trunk space that could take a double jogger.  We actually tried sedans and hatchbacks at Mazda, Honda, Nissan and Toyota dealerships with our double jogger and our Graco duoglider. 

If we buy a new car, we might have to go for a SUV or minivan and sacrifice the mileage. DS13 is 1.81m tall and has to slouch at the back seat so as not to hit his head. He doesn’t want to trade seats with me and sit in the front passenger seat. We are the same sitting height and the front seat has maybe a 1cm gap for me to the ceiling/roof when I don’t slouch. 

We can fit two cellos just nice in our Corolla’s trunk. That was the other consideration for trunk space.

what size cello?   dh's nephew bought a wanagon so it would have lots of room for instruments (and musicians)

1 hour ago, Wildcat said:

Hatchback with the cover in place to prevent items from entering the cabin in case of an accident and for privacy from prying eyes while parked. Love them.

Something like a VW Golf is awesome for those who don't want to drive a larger SUV but want the hatchback feature.

we had a golf back in the 80's.  it was a great little car.  I think we even had three carseats in the back.

42 minutes ago, Cosmos said:

I thought our car (Subaru Outback) was a hatchback, but I looked it up and apparently it's a station wagon. Not sure what the difference between a hatchback and a station wagon is, but I love the ability to fold the seats down to fit cargo in the back. We haul brush to the dump, transport furniture or building materials, and have plenty of room for luggage on a long trip.

Our previous car had just a trunk and we won't do that again unless we had multiple cars. We need at least one vehicle with space for "stuff" and since we are a one-car family, the Outback is great for us.

 a hatchback is a car body-style that would otherwise have a trunk - but has a 'hatch" instead.  so technically, suvs, crossovers,  vans, station wagons - are not hatchbacks.

[Arcadia]

10 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

what size cello?   dh's nephew bought a wanagon so it would have lots of room for instruments (and musicians)

 

Our Corolla is the non-sports edition so doesn’t have the cut in at the trunk.  It can fit a full size in a fiberglass case and a 1/2 size cello in a soft case. We started with a 3/4 size cello and a 1/2 size cello and there was enough leftover trunk space for some groceries and a duffle bag. 

I won’t buy a sedan if traveling often with the instruments because the summer heat is bad and the trunk gets very hot even when driving the 20mins from our home to the cello instructor’s home. 

[gardenmom5]

oh- we rented a trunk when we were in arizona in april/may.    I wish we'd gotten the hatchback.  we got a case of water so we'd have it with us.   trunks are not climate controlled,  so it get's hot (or it's very cold).  

[ScoutTN]

Hatchback! 

I have lumbar disc issues and it is so much easier to get things out of a hatchback. My mom's car has a huge, deep trunk and I cannot get large or heavy items out of it.  

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Patty Joanna said:

I just re-read your OP...the advantages to me in having a hatchback (whether it is station wagon, SUV, or pure hatchback) is that getting stuff in and out is easier.  Stuff you haul stays clean, dry and in a climate-controlled space (obviously doesn't matter if you are hauling dirt...). 

One thing I have noticed as I have gotten older is that it is harder for me to lift stuff up and out, or up and down--so putting my groceries in a trunk would be harder than sliding them in and out of the hatch-cargo area.  Also, there are trunks and there are trunks.  We had a ginormous sedan with a trunk, but could't put the "pram-style" stroller in it because of its configuration.  The pram fit *fine* in a much small Civic hatchback.  Some hatchbacks are better than others, too, as far as that goes.  My bigger hatchback had a trapezoid opening, the smaller a more rectangular opening.  You wouldn't believe how many things I can't get in the bigger cargo space because of the narrower top of the opening.  

The downside I found to a hatchback was that it was hard on my arm to pull it shut; that issue is mostly gone now due to electronic closure, but if it were not standard on a hatchback, I would pay for the option.  

Both my most recent hatchbacks had cargo covers, and one (my beloved 2002 Volvo V70) had a net that pulled up from the rear seat to create a netted cargo area, even when the back seat was lowered.  That car was sheer genius--my son is still driving it.  We got it when he sat in the rear-facing back-back seat.  :0)

 

dh has one in his trunk.   it's like a sleeve- it's generic and will fit most cars.

[gardenmom5]

7 minutes ago, Patty Joanna said:

But why do you need a cargo net if the car has a trunk?  Maybe I'm confused.  Very likely, actually.  

 

for smaller items to prevent them rolling around.    I can even use one in my van - same reason, keeps smaller items from rolling around.  it's more the shape/depth of an envelope -but it is the width of the car.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

7 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

 a hatchback is a car body-style that would otherwise have a trunk - but has a 'hatch" instead.  so technically, suvs, crossovers,  vans, station wagons - are not hatchbacks.

 

Hmmm, since the Subaru Legacy/Outback can be either a station wagon or a sedan, I would disagree with your definition.  I do agree, though, with your list of vehicles that are not hatchbacks.  Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that if the car has five doors (including the rear door), it's not a hatchback.  SUVs, crossovers, vans, and station wagons all have four side doors, plus the back door, which lifts, but isn't a hatch.  Smaller cars with only two side doors frequently come with the sedan/hatchback option.

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Suzanne in ABQ said:

 

Hmmm, since the Subaru Legacy/Outback can be either a station wagon or a sedan, I would disagree with your definition.  I do agree, though, with your list of vehicles that are not hatchbacks.  Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that if the car has five doors (including the rear door), it's not a hatchback.  SUVs, crossovers, vans, and station wagons all have four side doors, plus the back door, which lifts, but isn't a hatch.  Smaller cars with only two side doors frequently come with the sedan/hatchback option.

I learned to drive on a hatchback that "lifted up".  the other models of that car - had a trunk. 

My golf - was a hatchback that "lifted up" - other models had a trunk.

and there are plenty models of vans and big suvs where the back opens "as doors".   not a hatch - but they're still vans.

[Ravin]

10 hours ago, regentrude said:

If the (manufacturer provided standard) cover is on, the hatch area is not accessible to passengers.

 

That depends on the car. I drive a Nissan Versa Note hatchback. There was no cover provided, the hatch area is open to the back seat. There is no way to divide the space to separately lock.

[Ausmumof3]

I love my hatchbacks with the proviso that ours has a cargo barrier for safety and privacy screen you pull over.  Next car we get im going to get boxes to use as space dividers so stuff doesn't slop around.  There's no point doing it now because my car is on it's last legs.

[Tsuga]

I love how everyone can see all the junk in my trunk with a hatchback. Seriously though, no clue why I like the hatchback. I got one and never looked back. Also you have have taller stuff in the back and lay the seats down more easily.

I don't know whether an SUV is a hatchback or not. I prefer my cars as small, cheap, and reliable as possible. So for me a 2001 Civic hatchback with a huge dent in it is the ideal car.

[DawnM]

I have had both.

Cars in my adult life (and shared cars with DH)

Chevy Caprice Classic-trunk (hand me down car)

Acura Integra-hatchback

Saturn SC2-trunk

Saturn SW2-hatchback

Saturn VUE-hatchback

Toyota Sequoia-hatchback

Toyota Camry-trunk

Toyota Prius-hatchback

We currently own all 3 Toyotas.  I drive the Prius.  I was just commenting yesterday that I love the fact that it has a hatchback.  I can fold the seats down and fit stuff back there that wouldn't fit in my husband's Camry.