What does a hatchback mean?

[SanJoy]

A hatchback refers to a car where the driver's compartment and the trunk are integrated into a single compartment, with the engine arranged independently. This layout increases interior space while correspondingly reducing trunk space, making it commonly used for small and compact cars. The hatchback features a spacious rear door at the tail, providing flexibility and versatility. By folding down the rear seats flat, a hatchback can offer significantly larger cargo space than a sedan, suitable for transporting large household appliances and items. Hatchbacks also provide excellent frontal collision protection performance, meeting current safety requirements whether in standard or short-nose configurations.

[BrantleyMarie]

A hatchback is essentially a car without a separate trunk. You can see that its entire body is divided into two sections: the front section houses the engine and driver's seat, while the rear section combines the passenger cabin and luggage compartment into one large block. The most noticeable feature is the large rear window, which opens to allow direct access to the trunk. I have firsthand experience driving a Golf to pick up my kids—folding strollers or large grocery bags can be loaded without removing the wheels, just lift the tailgate and stuff them in. This design is also more flexible for navigating narrow city streets and squeezing into tight parking spots, as the shorter body length allows it to fit into small spaces. However, on highways, the noise is more noticeable compared to sedans, mainly because there's no sound-insulating trunk acting as a buffer.

[VanReed]

When I was studying in Paris, the streets were full of hatchbacks, with small cars like the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 being particularly common. The biggest difference from sedans is the rear design—hatchbacks have an almost vertical cut from the roof to the rear bumper, with the trunk lid and rear window forming a single liftback door. Once, I helped my roommate move, and her hatchback Polo managed to fit two 28-inch suitcases plus a guitar case. With the rear seats folded down, the space was surprisingly ample. Europeans love this design for good reasons—it's easier to maneuver on narrow streets and offers better fuel efficiency. Nowadays, many hot hatch performance versions, like the Focus ST, adopt this design, balancing practicality and handling.

[BrodyLee]

Last month, I accompanied my cousin to look at cars, and he was torn between the Corolla sedan and the Levin hatchback. I drew him a diagram: a hatchback is like a lunchbox, with the engine compartment as one 'compartment' and the passenger cabin combined with the trunk forming the second large 'compartment.' You can tell the difference at a red light by observing the rear—sedans have a flat trunk lid, while hatchbacks have a sloping tailgate with a rear wiper that connects to the rear window. The practical differences are quite noticeable. Last time we went camping in my friend’s Tiida, we could fit a bicycle upright in the trunk, whereas a sedan would require folding the seats down. The trade-off for the shorter body is that rear passengers are closer to the tail, leaving slightly less buffer in a rear-end collision.