Sedan vs hatchback

[afton]

Mechanically, engine, suspension etc they are identical so there really is no difference. Sedan is slightly lighter.

Which one has the better handling?

[afton]

interesting article from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatchback#Hat...n_North_America

Hatchbacks were popular for smaller vehicles in the U.S. and Canada during the fuel crises of the 1970s due to their practicality and convenience, but many customers, especially Americans, preferred trunks to hatches. Conventional wisdom is that Americans have always found the styling of trunked cars more elegant and dignified than that of hatchbacks, and that they bought hatchbacks during times of high fuel costs because they had to. The poor quality and basic nature of many hatchbacks also gave them a reputation for cheapness - driving a hatchback was a proclamation to the world that you were too poor to buy a regular car. So, as hatchbacks grew in popularity in Europe in the 1990s, they declined in popularity in North America in that same period.

[leasaunce]

If I may add, hatchbacks are tend to be more noisier than Sedans.

how come is that?

cause the sedan has the rear seats n the shelf cover, while the hatch it doesn't have anything covering the boot and the rear wheels are much more exposed. I hope you get what i'm trying to say here...

[Golfie88]

I'm looking around for a used Corolla atm.

I personally like the sedan body type but most of the Corollas

that I see on the used car websites are in hatchback/liftback.

What's the difference in terms of handling?

I m driving a rolla hatch now and has driven the sedan b4. IMHO the hatch is more sportier and suitable for single and young couple while the sedan is more family like. Family men would like something that has a "backside" which offer more protection when someone smash into your back .

The Hatch has smaller bootspace - can't put in my golf bag :( while the sedan has a decent space which i can fit in 4 golf bags . However if you want to carry bulky stuffs like furniture (ie .when u r moving house) , you should consider a hatch coz they have more rooms at the back when the seats are folded down .

In terms if handling , i find the hatch feels more "light" when travelling at high speed. I was travelling along M4 near eastern creek 2 days back when wind speed was about 100km/h and the whole car was like nearly going to flip over due to cross wind. Never experience that when driving the sedan .

Hatch is also easier to park in crowded cities like sydney where u have to do reverse parking at the roadside most of the time.

Well , at the end of the day , it still depends on your lifestyle and your personal preference . Both sedan and hatch have their own unique selling point ...

[smileys]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions,

AND there is no better of the two,

Thats why toyota released a Hatch, Sedan, Wagon.

you dont see a commodore hatch!

you buy a car based on your own circumstances and taste.

Personally we got a sedan cos its a little larger than the hatch in terms of having to drive people around often. the wagon was also an option but i suggested that im young and dont need to look like a dad yet!

Now this part im not sure, being sorta tall, i kinda like to have the seat almost all the way back so my legs are comfortable when driving, i was in a hatch and it seemed like there is less room overall when the seat is fully backed. not to mention the amount of room left for the passenger in the backseat.

[AUR15]

Yeah I looked at the sedan at first but at the last minute I changed to Hatch. I just ike the look of the hatch in the 2007 range. The sedan looks totally different and looks like a miniture camry.

[elmo]

If you are after 9th gen corolla (i doubt u'll find any 10th gen in 2nd market atm :P) I'll suggest u go with the facelift hatch model since it looks heaps better than the pre-facelift and the post facelift sedan/wagon one.

I myself picked sedan model largely due to the fact that i been driving echo hatch for the past 3 years and i kinda get bored with hatch and wanted something bigger/longer (but couldnt afford anything in camry class range) Not much was done to the factlift sedan/wagon model apart from new front grill and slightly different front bar. I made a grave mistake when I bought the corolla sedan last year thinking that the sedan would have similar facelift like the hatch.

Another thing annoys me is that the sedan model (9th gen) looks a bit too tall and narrow from backside but not so much for hatch.

[elmo]

deleted

Edited July 9, 2007 by elmo

[$ANGELO$]

If you are after 9th gen corolla (i doubt u'll find any 10th gen in 2nd market atm :P) I'll suggest u go with the facelift hatch model since it looks heaps better than the pre-facelift and the post facelift sedan/wagon one.

I myself picked sedan model largely due to the fact that i been driving echo hatch for the past 3 years and i kinda get bored with hatch and wanted something bigger/longer (but couldnt afford anything in camry class range) Not much was done to the factlift sedan/wagon model apart from new front grill and slightly different front bar. I made a grave mistake when I bought the corolla sedan last year thinking that the sedan would have similar facelift like the hatch.

Another thing annoys me is that the sedan model (9th gen) looks a bit too tall and narrow from backside but not so much for hatch.

lower it!

[OZROLA]

Not sure what type of rolla your looking for. These guy all automatically assume a sportivo.... mostly cause they can afford it. I can to but ive got uni to think about :(

But the handling difference is not quite true of some of the older rollas. Lets take the ae92 (the only rolla i know well enough to yabber about :D). Now, i own three cars, a blue 94 CSi liftback, a white 97 astina ("sports" engine rofl yeah right) and my pride and joy, my white SX hatch 20v (Levin baby!). Now the handling on the hatch i know for a a fact is betterion the wet cause of the weight allotment. It says the seca is heavier but thats a load of hobble wash... Ive seen them both weighed and the hatch came up heavier (the hatch even had 16's on). THough if the tail staps out, it will be a snowy day in hell before you get that tail back in if your going at any pace

The Seca is better for handbrake turns (the suspension holds up quite well under repeated slides:D) and it has a much sexier shape when in SX form than the sx hatch does.

But once again not all rollas have the same handling stock or the same power. For naturally aspirate, buy a 4age atlantic which will set you back about 40k :D and for the perfect most sexiest rolla body, buy a BZ-R Levin, which can be imported with great difficulty/easy depending on how well you speak japanese :D

[elmo]

If you are after 9th gen corolla (i doubt u'll find any 10th gen in 2nd market atm :P) I'll suggest u go with the facelift hatch model since it looks heaps better than the pre-facelift and the post facelift sedan/wagon one.

I myself picked sedan model largely due to the fact that i been driving echo hatch for the past 3 years and i kinda get bored with hatch and wanted something bigger/longer (but couldnt afford anything in camry class range) Not much was done to the factlift sedan/wagon model apart from new front grill and slightly different front bar. I made a grave mistake when I bought the corolla sedan last year thinking that the sedan would have similar facelift like the hatch.

Another thing annoys me is that the sedan model (9th gen) looks a bit too tall and narrow from backside but not so much for hatch.

lower it!

Yeap that's the only known fix hehehe. The stock ride height is just ridiculously high. i went low on mine and it looks a lot better. Now just need fatter tyres to balance out things. :P

[selyaT]

interesting article from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatchback#Hat...n_North_America

Hatchbacks were popular for smaller vehicles in the U.S. and Canada during the fuel crises of the 1970s due to their practicality and convenience, but many customers, especially Americans, preferred trunks to hatches. Conventional wisdom is that Americans have always found the styling of trunked cars more elegant and dignified than that of hatchbacks, and that they bought hatchbacks during times of high fuel costs because they had to. The poor quality and basic nature of many hatchbacks also gave them a reputation for cheapness - driving a hatchback was a proclamation to the world that you were too poor to buy a regular car. So, as hatchbacks grew in popularity in Europe in the 1990s, they declined in popularity in North America in that same period.

In Economics, the term "Conventional Wisdom" refers to knowledge that most people take as given but is actually false.

[play_gate]

If I may add, hatchbacks are tend to be more noisier than Sedans.

how come is that?

When looking to buy my Rolla, I first hired a hatch then drove two more demonstrator hatches from the dealer. All came with a soft rattling sound from the rear, like plastic against metal. I've read elsewhere that maybe this is because unlike the sedans, the hatches are built in South Africa. I tend to think it's all the flaps and bits of moving upholstery hanging down behind the rear seats. Anyway, I ended up buying a sedan. No more rattles. Still lots of road noise, so I don't think the trunk is insulating me from rear wheel road roar. Try saying that four times.

[steinny72]

If I may add, hatchbacks are tend to be more noisier than Sedans.

how come is that?

When looking to buy my Rolla, I first hired a hatch then drove two more demonstrator hatches from the dealer. All came with a soft rattling sound from the rear, like plastic against metal. I've read elsewhere that maybe this is because unlike the sedans, the hatches are built in South Africa. I tend to think it's all the flaps and bits of moving upholstery hanging down behind the rear seats. Anyway, I ended up buying a sedan. No more rattles. Still lots of road noise, so I don't think the trunk is insulating me from rear wheel road roar. Try saying that four times.

1. NOT all hatches are built in SA ... I had a 03 Corolla Ascent and as the VIN indicated it was built in Japan, i think more hatches were built in Japan than SA.

ALL corollas SPORTIVO's were built in SA!

2. Comments like this are a bit ridiculous these days as MANY BMW's, Mercs, Audi's etc built in SA ... and they maintain there quality

[Mac]

Did all the sedans come with the two tone interior trim??? I've only been in an ascent so I'm not sure how the trim would be in the higher spec models.

If thats the case, then only two things annoy me.

1. two tone trim in my opinion is absolutely ugly

2. hatchback looks better

Yeah, does all ascent sedan have the two tone interior?? the beige/black combination doesn't really look good I think...

Edited July 11, 2007 by Mac

[smileys]

Did all the sedans come with the two tone interior trim??? I've only been in an ascent so I'm not sure how the trim would be in the higher spec models.

If thats the case, then only two things annoy me.

1. two tone trim in my opinion is absolutely ugly

2. hatchback looks better

Yeah, does all ascent sedan have the two tone interior?? the beige/black combination doesn't really look good I think...

Nope only corollas that are non-facelift have the two tone interior, besides the sportivo which is leather.

We got the face-lift model before it even got released properly, i felt good being the only face-lift driver for about a month :P

[LiMz RoLLa]

Yeah my sedan is a prefacelift. It has the 2-tone colour scheme.

Also the hatch/sedan debate. in my opinion i prefer the shape of the sedan. With the addition of a b-kit looks like a sports saloon.

[c2105026]

When I got my 9th gen new I originally ordered the hatch, but the following day when they rang me up to confirm date of delivery I changed my mind; the sedan looked better (didn't like the facelift front end), was lighter, more aerodynamic (By about 0.01CD) and had a big boot; it is only 40 litres less than my parents VT commodore. The styling has really grown on me, it looks sleek, refined and luxurious whilst I reckon the hatch looked a bit dumpy.

[Annie]

If I may add, hatchbacks are tend to be more noisier than Sedans.

Hi. Just joined yesterday and am female looking at a 2001 corolla ZZE112R. Your sound comment interests me as buying next week. Why the sound problem for hatchback comp to sedan?

[Pecker]

If I may add, hatchbacks are tend to be more noisier than Sedans.

how come is that?

sedans insulate against the noise in the boot better. ie fixed parcel shelf as opposed to the thin cloth the hatch has.

in saying that i wouldn't swap my hatch for any sedan or wagon.