Sedans and hatchbacks, both passenger cars, aren’t easy to tell apart. The key difference lies across two almost indistinguishable points: cargo capabilities and architecture. Here’s how you can spot the difference between the two and decide which one is best for you.
A sedan typically has a three-box body, which means an engine, a passenger area, and a trunk arranged neatly in a line. Many models have a fold-down rear seatback along with a trunk to accommodate large objects. The sedan hasn’t changed its basic architecture and design in about 70 years. The hatchback, however, has evolved quite a bit in its lifetime. It used to be a bulky two-box car – engine upfront and passenger area behind – with no trunk. Today, automakers have reinvented the hatchback. Most models on the market are much sleeker with rooflines that slope down to the rear bumpers, luxurious interiors, and top-of-the-line amenities and driver-assist features. The biggest point of evolution comes with the cargo hold. Hatchbacks now have a cargo hold neatly incorporated near the rear hatch.
Now to their cargo holding capabilities. Thanks to the large, flip-up rear hatch door, the hatchback can carry large and tall pieces of cargo. You can load and unload cargo easily with either a swing-up package tray or a soft pull-out cargo-area cover. With the sedan, you get a rear deck and the fixed rear package tray. This makes it difficult to load large objects in the trunk and you also can’t pile cargo up too high. Automaker Honda has both sedan and hatchback models of the same car. The Honda compact Civic hatchback has 22.6 cubic feet of cargo space and the sedan has 15.1 cubic feet.
Cargo capabilities will play a huge role in your decision to buy a hatchback or sedan. Hatchbacks may have the advantage of space and flexibility in the trunk, but this also comes with a few disadvantages. Without a cargo cover, passersby will be able to peek into the car to see what’s in the trunk. You might also have to endure some road noise since the back of the hatchback isn’t shut off from the cabin or passenger area.