Civic hatch design vs other compact hatchbacks

VarmintCong

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After 16 months and 31k miles of ownership I gotta say I love the design of the Civic's hatchback area vs cars like the GTI, Impreza hatch, and pretty much any compact hatch. The competition is all short, tall hatchback areas, vs the longer and lower space of the Civic. My trunk is always full of work bags/boxes and I simply couldn't fit them in a GTI. I'd have to unpack the trunk each day to reach stuff buried underneath.

A short trunk like the GTI might be great for college students packing pillows and duffel bags to the ceiling, but much less useful for my purposes. I think they do it cause it lets them claim a large cubic foot in their specs.
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rraayy3

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It is, by far, the best combo of practicality and fun you can have in a car

I still don’t understand how they made a car that looks small, especially in parking lots, and yet inside it feels huge to me - especially with the backseats down
 

Donuyen18

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I'm the opposite. I love my civic hb but the back looks like an accord crosstour. My favorite hatchback designs are the ek and the Subaru although the Subaru is more of a wagon.
 

BarracksSi

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I'm a little mixed, as I feel it's awfully big for a Civic, and I can't really call it "compact" anymore.

I mean, I like how we were able to fit our luggage in the back so easily without folding the seats down, but one reason small hatchbacks sell so well is that they have a large cargo space without taking up much road space. With a Golf or an older Civic hatch, you still get the small size and light weight of a two-seat sports car, but you can fit a couple extra passengers in a pinch, park in a tight urban spot, and take all your vacation gear without strapping a suitcase onto the trunk.

My FK7 is as big as my wife's '05 Camry was, and that car was (and probably still is) normally considered a midsize sedan. It's got a longer wheelbase than my wife's new '17 CR-V, too, if you can believe that (106.3" vs 104.7").

Don't get me wrong, because I totally dig my new Civic. It's just that sometimes I wish I could've gotten a CR-Z.
 

rraayy3

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On what planet is this car “big”?
 


BarracksSi

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I still don’t understand how they made a car that looks small, especially in parking lots, and yet inside it feels huge to me - especially with the backseats down
Honda, and other well-respected makers of small cars, work their magic by making all the unseen components smaller and packaging them so they don't intrude into the passenger space.

The opposite was happening in American-built small cars of the 70s and 80s, where they tried fitting components from their full-sized cars -- transmission, suspension, HVAC, etc -- into small body styles. People who'd bullheadedly never consider a Japanese car would sit in these, complain about the lack of space, and then assume that all small cars were the same way.

On what planet is this car “big”?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_CR-Z
CR-Z wheelbase: 95.6"

Basically a planet where you're old enough to remember MGs and Triumph TR6s, and an EA-chassis Civic was "normal".
 
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NMG

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Good thread!

In my quest for a hatchback, I was originally set on a Fit. Had a 2007 5 speed Sport and loved it. I was also considering a Golf and GTI. Didn't really consider the Civic hatch to be honest. I had a look at the Golfs and while I was good up front, my 8 year old son was complaining about the back seat space. I had a look, and while it was okay, it sure did look tight. I sat in the back and same thing. I could fit and it would've been manageable, but there really wasn't that much extra space. It just felt cramped.

I then had a look at the new Fit. Loved the space, loads of room in the back, etc. I thought I had found my next car. Then I test drove it and it felt NOTHING like I remember my 2007 feeling. My 2007, while not fast, drove like a go cart. Great steering, nimble, light and just a fun car to drive. The new Fit, for me, basically had none of that connection. It just felt like an appliance for commuting. Ugh.

Prior to test driving the fit though, I spent a fair bit of time looking over a Civic hatch that was sitting in the showroom of the dealership. Wasn't sure about the looks at first, as it was definitely unconventional. The more I looked at it though, the more it grew on me. I sat in it, checked out the hatch space, looked at the fit and finish, etc. It felt like twice the car the Fit was for not much more money, so I decided to take a 6 speed Sport Touring out for a test drive and I LOVED it. So much quieter than the Fit, so much more refined, better materials, and it was actually FUN to drive!

It's definitely a larger car than what I was considering, but I think the additional space and fun factor more than make up for it. I think it's a really great package.
 

Civics4Ever

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It is, by far, the best combo of practicality and fun you can have in a car

I still don’t understand how they made a car that looks small, especially in parking lots, and yet inside it feels huge to me - especially with the backseats down
Honda hatchbacks are like a TARDIS. Bigger on the inside than out.:)
I had n 85 hatch, fit 3 keyboards, amp and stand for the boards in the back of it.
 
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VarmintCong

VarmintCong

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I'm the opposite. I love my civic hb but the back looks like an accord crosstour. My favorite hatchback designs are the ek and the Subaru although the Subaru is more of a wagon.
Yeah, I meant the design of the space, not the style. I like the style but also like the GTI & Impreza. Hard for me to dislike a hatchback unless it's like a Crosstour or some monstrosity.
 

BarracksSi

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Honda hatchbacks are like a TARDIS. Bigger on the inside than out.:)
I had n 85 hatch, fit 3 keyboards, amp and stand for the boards in the back of it.
I fit a tuba, garment bag, and a bicycle in the back of my EP3 for a gig in Atlantic City. :D
 


MyFirstHonda

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I gotta say I love the design of the Civic's hatchback area vs cars like the GTI, Impreza hatch, and pretty much any compact hatch.
I absolutely love the look of the Civic Hatchack! Although, I understand there are some who don’t care for the look. In my opinion, it’s a crisp, edgy design that Honda knocked out of the park! Nothing on the road looks like the Civic Hatchback, and I’m a big fan of its uniqueness.

-Long live the Honda hatchback!
 

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I've owned plenty of hatchbacks and wagons. I like my Civic hatch, but from a practicality standpoint, I don't care for how the sloped rear end / hatch negatively impacts cargo space. I'd prefer a taller more wagon-like roofline so that I could haul taller cargo. I'm probably older and grumpier than the average Civic hatch owner on this forum, though. I've reached the stage in life where how something functions matters more to me than what something looks like.

I'd love it if the Civic hatch had more of a tall rear end like the old Nissan NX Sportbak. I realize that one other person out of 100 shares this opinion. lol.

My ideal car would probably be a Civic wagon. If I could buy a VW Golf Sportwagen made by Honda, it would be fantastic.

For you those of you who may not have occupied space on this rock quite as long as I have, here is what an NX Sportbak was to save you the Googling. By the way, that rear piece was removable so you could go topless in the back if you wanted to. Cool idea.

Honda Civic 10th gen Civic hatch design vs other compact hatchbacks 32
 

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I do like the Civic hatch's design. I actually planned on buying one. But ultimately, I didn't like the claustrophobic feeling I got sitting in it. That rear C pillar is monstrous.
 

maaaaackle

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I go back and forth on the hatch design to be quite honest.

Some angles that catch my eye, I'm like "damn that is one bad ass looking hatch." and other angles i seriously question why i bought the car.
 
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VarmintCong

VarmintCong

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I've owned plenty of hatchbacks and wagons. I like my Civic hatch, but from a practicality standpoint, I don't care for how the sloped rear end / hatch negatively impacts cargo space. I'd prefer a taller more wagon-like roofline so that I could haul taller cargo. I'm probably older and grumpier than the average Civic hatch owner on this forum, though. I've reached the stage in life where how something functions matters more to me than what something looks like.

I'd love it if the Civic hatch had more of a tall rear end like the old Nissan NX Sportbak. I realize that one other person out of 100 shares this opinion. lol.

My ideal car would probably be a Civic wagon. If I could buy a VW Golf Sportwagen made by Honda, it would be fantastic.

For you those of you who may not have occupied space on this rock quite as long as I have, here is what an NX Sportbak was to save you the Googling. By the way, that rear piece was removable so you could go topless in the back if you wanted to. Cool idea.

32.jpg
Yeah, I agree, a Honda version of Golf Sportwagen would be great, but I prefer the hatch design to other hatches, and it probably helps getting 40+ mpg.
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