Death of the 3 door hatch?

dculberson wrote:

captdownshift wrote: the tagline on Toyota's website for the Yaris is: Yaris, It's a car!

I thought you were joking.

Nope

In reply to 93EXCivic:

you bet Yaris it is!

mw wrote: I love three doors. My current dd is a 318ti. It cost more than a similar 328i, but I wanted the three door that much. My daughter has no issues getting in and out of it. Once she was two, it was just as easy as a 5 door.

the 318ti commands a premium over the standard Sedans and Coupes aside from the M cars.

captdownshift wrote: In reply to 93EXCivic: you bet Yaris it is!

That right there should have been their slogan. Seriously. Genius.

Guess I am in the minority here. I used to think 3 door hatches were better than 5, and perhaps they were when all hatchbacks were low-roofed sleek models that could have some semblance of style. But all newer hatchbacks are of the high-roofed, cab-forward, euro hatch design, and none of them are style leaders. Might as well enjoy some extra functionality with your ugly.

The 3 and 5 door Golf are probably the most attractive of the bunch, but I would always choose more doors for equal money.

93EXCivic wrote:

dculberson wrote:

captdownshift wrote: the tagline on Toyota's website for the Yaris is: Yaris, It's a car!

I thought you were joking.

Nope

thats an appliance...

Is "It's a car" the automotive equivalent of Rally's "You gotta eat!"

Always took that to mean "Well, you have to shove something down your throat, might as well be our crap!"

I had several coupes over the years (usually accord coupes, integras, etc). And to be honest I'd never buy another three-door/coupe with a backseat for a daily driver, even if most of them do look better. 4-door is just more convenient if there's a backseat.

If I get 2 doors, I only want 2 seats. If I have a (functional) backseat, I want back doors.

(note: I don't count the backseat in a BRZ as a functional back seat).

If I have a functional back seat, I want its main function to be the ability to fold flat.

I saw a Volvo c30 the other day for sale used. I don't think they make them anymore but they get my vote for the best looking hatch we got in the us recently

nepa03focus wrote: I saw a Volvo c30 the other day for sale used. I don't think they make them anymore

Wait. What?

My bad, I think this is the last year. That's what I read in a magazine anyway so ....

I thought the Versa was the biggest tiny hunk of rental E36 M3 I'd ever driven...until I drove a Yaris. There's your slogan. I'll take a clean 3G civic hatch or five over either of those any day. Get off my lawn!

If I get any say in the matter, I will never own another car with more than two doors (wagons excluded).

dculberson wrote:

Alan Cesar wrote: As an owner of a 3-door Yaris, I don't see any reason why it should exist when they can make the car with 5 doors. It's a pain to get people and things in the back seat. It's not like the car is more stylish with 3 doors. What the hell's the point?

Actually I like the look of the 3-door Yaris quite a bit more than the 5-door. versus

I don't see the big difference. One is clearly in better lighting and on nicer wheels, but otherwise the cars look almost identical.

Alan Cesar wrote: I don't see the big difference.

Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean that it's not there.

It's a sportiness thing, too. Sports cars, and performance cars are 2 doors.

You can tart up a 2 door Yaris, and make it look good, but the 4 door will always be an appliance.

Looks like we've all been forgetting the Scion TC is a 3 door hatch - which seems to have been the idea when they designed it; it looks more like a coupe. But the rear glass does lift up.

Zomby Woof wrote:

Alan Cesar wrote: I don't see the big difference.

Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean that it's not there. It's a sportiness thing, too. Sports cars, and performance cars are 2 doors. You can tart up a 2 door Yaris, and make it look good, but the 4 door will always be an appliance.

Sure, but we're not talking sports cars here. We're talking hot hatches. The cars have the exact same shape whether there are lines in the side for two doors versus four. A couple extra lines and a door handle on each side somehow transforms a car from a hideous beast to an amazing machine? I think you're analyzing the looks of these cars based on what they mean (two doors means sporty) instead of how they actually look, which is only marginally different.

Even when I was a teenager, all hot and bothered for a GTI, I was determined that I'd get a 5-door GTI someday (not knowing if that was even possible). This was because I already owned a 3-door Ford Escort, and using the back seat sucked. Pull a lever to flip the seat forward, pull the other lever to slide the seat forward, then get in the back. Then the front seat passenger has to readjust the seat before she can even get back in. Super lame.

I'll always choose practical functionality over style. I recall as a kid, my parents' cars were mostly 2-door sedans and I absolutely HATED getting into the back seat via wrestling the front seat up and out of the way. I think it has ruined 2-doors for me, unless of course it's a 2-seater, like my RX-7.

I can see a 3-door hatch being a great choice for a single person who wants a back seat just in case, but as a family vehicle, it's a non-starter.

idunno, mine is still alive.

If you want to get technical, the scion tc is still a 3 door hatch.

EDIT: it looks like the Mad Scientist beat me to that revelation. I'll throw in the vw beetle. Still a hatch, just much less useful than the golf.

Does this count?

Junkyard_Dog wrote:

nepa03focus wrote: I saw a Volvo c30 the other day for sale used. I don't think they make them anymore

Wait. What?

Nope. C30 production ended recently. It never really sold as well as hoped. Some dealers still have leftovers. I've heard rumors manual trans Polestar editions especially.

mattmacklind wrote: Does this count?

Works for me!

3 doors > 5 doors

End thread.

Alan Cesar wrote: <This was because I already owned a 3-door Ford Escort, and using the back seat sucked. Pull a lever to flip the seat forward, pull the other lever to slide the seat forward, then get in the back. Then the front seat passenger has to readjust the seat before she can even get back in. Super lame.

I have not seen that system in use in a -long- time. Even my 96 318ti, the lever to slip the seat forward to get to the backseat would slid the seat forwards, tilt the back up, and raise the seat slightly.. all you needed to do to put it back in place was push the seat back towards the rear of the car. Super easy