Why Your Next Car Should Be a Hatchback

Thinking about upgrading your car soon? You might have already considered a hatchback, but decided it’s not for you. The problem hatchbacks have, particularly in markets like the United States, is they can lack the “cool” factor of sedans or saloons. Many modern hatchbacks are coming in stylish designs with premium components though. Here’s why your next car should be a hatchback.

They’re More Practical

If space is what you’re looking, you should really be looking at hatchback over a sedan. In a sedan the cargo space is limited to the trunk which descends from the roofline to just behind the rear seats. In a hatchback, though, the rear cargo space is accessed by a hinge at the top of the vehicle placed above the rear window. Because the roofline is extended, allowing the rear window to descend from further back, the cargo space is much larger from the outset. Many hatchbacks also allow the rear seats to be folded down, which can give you almost three times the space of a typical sedan. The stylish Mazda 3 from last year has forty-three cubic feet of storage space with the seats pulled down. Even with the seats up, it can hold up to seventeen cubic feet compared to less than twelve from the sedan version’s trunk.

They Hold Better Resale Value

When it comes to eventually upgrading your vehicle, you’ll be happy to know that, on average, hatchbacks tend to hold their value better than their sedan counterparts. When you take a look at outlets like ExchangeandMart, you can see that there’s still high demand for used or older versions of these vehicles. The Subaru Impreza WRX (3^rd Generation) is predicted to hold 66% of its sticker price in three years and 49% after five. Similarly, the Impreza 2.0i (3^rd Generation) should hold 63% of its value after three years and 48% after five. The industry average resale value for a new car is around 38% after five years, putting these vehicles way past their competition. Other current hatchbacks known for their high resale value include the Mazda 3, Toyota Prius C, and Volkswagen Golf.
Any new car purchase is a significant investment and we certainly wouldn’t recommend buying something you aren’t completely satisfied with. If you’ve never tried a hatchback, though, you might be surprised at how comfortable the driving experience can be. Why not at least give one a test drive the next time you’re in the market?