Editing Hatchback (section)

== Characteristics ==
[[File:Three body styles with pillars and boxes.png|thumb|The body characteristics of a sedan (top), estate/station wagon (middle), and hatchback (bottom)]]
[[File:Hatch and wagon with pillar layout a.svg|thumb|Comparison of a hatchback with a station wagon from the same [[model range]] ]]

The distinguishing feature of a hatchback is a rear door that opens upwards<ref name="AutomotiveTech">{{cite book|first=Jack |last=Erjavec |title=Automotive Technology: A Systems Approach Volume 2 |page=55 |publisher=Thomposon Delmar Learning |year=2005|quote=Liftback or Hatchback: The distinguishing feature of this vehicle is its luggage compartment, which is an extension of the passenger compartment. Access to the luggage compartment is gained through an upward opening hatch-type door. A car of this design can be a three or five door model, the third or fifth door is the rear hatch. Station Wagon: A station wagon is characterized by its roof which extends straight back, allowing a spacious interior luggage compartment in the rear. The rear door, which can be opened numerous ways depending on the model, provides access to the luggage compartment. Station wagons come in two and four-door models and have space for up to nine passengers.|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=U4TBoJB2zgsC&q=%22station+wagon%22+vs.+%22hatchback&pg=PA55 |isbn=978-1-4018-4831-6 |access-date=3 March 2014}}</ref> and is hinged at roof level (as opposed to the boot/trunk lid of a [[sedan (car)|saloon/sedan]], which is hinged below the rear window). Most hatchbacks use a [[Three-box styling#|two-box design]] body style,<ref>{{cite web |title=2018 Hyundai Elantra GT - Driven |url=https://www.topspeed.com/cars/hyundai/2018-hyundai-elantra-gt-driven/ |website=TopSpeed.com |date=27 February 2018 |access-date=31 May 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Hatchback vs Wagon: What's the Difference Here? |url= https://wheelscene.com/hatchback-vs-wagon/ |website=wheelscene.com |date= 23 May 2017 |access-date=31 May 2018}}</ref> where the cargo area ([[Trunk (car)|trunk/boot]]) and passenger areas are a single volume. The rear seats can often be folded down to increase the available cargo area.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hatchback buying info |url= https://www.edmunds.com/hatchback/ |website=edmunds.com |access-date=31 May 2018}}</ref> Hatchbacks may have a removable rigid parcel shelf,<ref name="Hilliers">{{cite book|first1=Victor |last1=Hillier |first2=Peter |last2=Coombes |title=Hillier's Fundamentals of Motor Vehicle Technology: Volume 1 |edition=Fifth |publisher=Nelson Thornes |year=2004|isbn=978-0-7487-8082-2 |page=11 |quote=The estate body, also known as station wagons in some countries, has the roofline extended to the rear of the body to enlarge its internal capacity. Folding the rear seats down gives a large floor area for the carriage of luggage or goods. Stronger suspension springs are fitted at the rear to support the extra load. Hatchback: The hatchback is generally based on a saloon body but with the boot or trunk area blended into the centre section of the body. The hatchback is therefore halfway between a saloon and estate car. This type of body is very popular due to its versatility and style. Although some hatchbacks are in fact saloon bodies with the boot or trunk effectively removed (usually the smaller cars), many hatchbacks retain the full length of the saloon but the roofline extends down to the rear of the vehicle. As with the saloon bodies, a hatchback can have two or four passenger doors, however, there is a tendency to refer to hatchbacks as three or five doors because the rear compartment lid (or tailgate) is also referred to as a door on the hatchback bodies. As with the estate, the rear seats fold down to give a flat floor for the transportation of luggage or other objects. When the tailgate is closed, the luggage compartment is usually covered with a parcel shelf.|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DoYaRsNFlEYC&q=%22station+wagon%22+vs.+%22hatchback%22&pg=PA11 |via=Google Books |access-date=27 March 2023}}</ref> or flexible roll-up [[tonneau cover]] to cover the cargo space behind the rear seats.

===3 door and 5 door terminology===
When describing the body style, the hatch is often counted as a door, therefore a hatchback with two passenger doors is called a ''three-door'' and a hatchback with four passenger doors is called a ''five-door''.<ref name="Hilliers"/><ref>{{cite web |title=What is a Hatchback? |url= https://www.kbb.com/what-is/hatchback/ |work=Kelley Blue Book |date=10 May 2021 |access-date=27 March 2023}}</ref>

===Estates vs. liftbacks vs. notchbacks===
[[File:The rearview of Citroën C3 (3rd generation) with her trunk open.jpg|thumb|2017 [[Citroën C3]] pictured, a tailgate hinged at the roof is a predominant characteristic of hatchbacks, estates/station wagons, and liftbacks]]

[[Station wagon|Estates/station wagons]] and [[liftback]]s have in common a [[Three-box styling|two-box design]] configuration, a shared interior volume for passengers and cargo<ref name="AutomotiveTech" /><ref name="Vehicle Dynamics" /> and a rear door (often called a [[station wagon#Tailgate designs|tailgate]] in the case of an estate/wagon) that is hinged at roof level, similar to hatchbacks.<ref name="cdn2">{{cite web|title=Car Design Glossary – Part 2: One-Box (Monospace or Monovolume) |publisher=Car Design News |quote=A three or five-door hatchback (no separate trunk compartment) is a 'two-box' car. |url= http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/new_cars/display/store4/item131867/ |access-date=3 March 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131203045234/http://www.cardesignnews.com/site/home/new_cars/display/store4/item131867/ |archive-date=3 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=American Cars of the '50s |first=Mike |last=Mueller |year=2003 |publisher=MBI Publishing |isbn=978-0-7603-1712-9}}</ref> Liftback cars are similar to hatchbacks from a functional perspective in having a tailgate hinged from the roof, but differ from hatchbacks from a styling perspective in having more of a sloped roofline. The term "[[fastback]]" may sometimes also be used by manufacturers to market liftback cars.<ref name="Flammang-Catalog2">{{cite book|last=Flammang |first=James M. |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xTM2Ixfev5QC&q=fastback |title=Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1976-1986 |publisher=Krause Publications |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-87341-133-2 |page=viii |access-date=1 March 2016}}</ref> A [[fastback]] is a broad automotive term used to describe the styling of the rear of a car in having a single slope from the roof to the rear [[Bumper (automobile)|bumper]].<ref name="Flammang-Catalog">{{cite book|last=Flammang |first=James M. |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=xTM2Ixfev5QC&q=fastback |title=Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1976-1986 |publisher=Krause Publications |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-87341-133-2 |page=viii |access-date=1 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title="fastback" |url= https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fastback |work=Merriam-Webster |date=n.d. |access-date=27 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Words That Rhyme with fastback |url= https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/fastback |website=encyclopedia.com |access-date=27 March 2023}}</ref>

Some hatchbacks are [[notchback]] [[Car body configurations#Three-box design|three box design]]s, bearing a resemblance to [[Sedans|sedans/saloons]] from a styling perspective, but being closer to hatchbacks in functionality by having a tailgate hinged from the roof. This is featured on cars such as the 1951 [[Kaiser-Frazer]] Vagabond,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gilbertson |first1=Scotty |title=The First Hatchback? 1951 Kaiser Traveler |url= https://barnfinds.com/the-first-hatchback-1951-kaiser-traveler/ |publisher=Barn Finds |access-date=2 February 2021 |date=30 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Litwin |first1=Matt |title=1949-1950 Kaiser Traveler and Vagabond |url= https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/1949-1950-kaiser-traveler-and-vagabond |publisher=Hemmings Classic Car |access-date=2 February 2021 |date=January 2010 |quote=it was innovative Kaiser that gets full credit for an automotive first with its Traveler and Vagabond hatchback sedans}}</ref> [[Simca 1100]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Simca 1100 (1967 - 1982) |url= https://classics.honestjohn.co.uk/reviews/simca/1100/history/ |publisher=Honest John |date=25 March 2013 |access-date=2 February 2021 |location=United Kingdom |quote=at the cutting edge when it was launched, offering front wheel drive allied with hatchback versatility}}</ref> [[Mazda6#First generation (GG1; 2002)|Mazda 6 GG1]], and [[Opel Vectra#Vectra C (2002–2008)|Opel Vectra C]]. As such, notchbacks are not fastbacks, as the slope of the roofline on a notchback is interrupted by its three-box design.

An estate/wagon typically differs from a liftback or hatchback by being longer (therefore more likely to have a [[Pillar (car)|D-pillar]]). Other potential differences of a station wagon include:
* steeper rake at the rear (i.e. the rear door is more vertical)<ref name="AutomotiveTech"/><ref name="Hilliers"/><ref name="nyt1">{{cite news|title=The Hatchback Is Back (but Nobody Uses the H-Word) |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Dan |last=Neil |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/28/automobiles/the-hatch-is-back-but-please-don-t-use-the-h-word.html |date=28 April 2002 |access-date=3 March 2014}}</ref>
* a third row of seats
* rear suspension designed for increased load capacity or to minimize intrusion into the cargo area<ref name="Hilliers"/>
* the tailgate is more likely to be a multi-part design or extend down to the [[Bumper (car)|bumper]]

{{multiple image
| direction         = horizontal
| image1            = 2018 Hyundai i30 SE Nav T-GDi 1.3 Rear.jpg
| height1           = 180
| caption1          = [[Hyundai i30]] as a conventional 5-door hatchback
| image2            = 2018 Hyundai i30 Premium S-A Fastback 1.3 Rear.jpg
| height2           = 180
| caption2          = [[Hyundai i30]] fastback, with a liftback tailgate. Note the tailgate and roofline sloped at a more horizontal angle than on a traditional hatchback.
| align             = center
| total_width       = 
| alt1              = 
| image3            = 2017 Hyundai i30 Premium T-GDi Estate 1.4 Rear.jpg
| caption3          = [[Hyundai i30]] estate/station wagon. The roofline extends further to the rear.
}}

===Liftback===
{{main|Liftback}}
[[File:1976 Toyota Celica GT Liftback in red, rear left.jpg|thumb|1976 [[Toyota Celica]] GT Liftback U.S. Model]]

"Liftback" is a term for hatchback models in which the rear cargo door or hatch is more horizontally angled than on an average hatchback, and as a result, the hatch is lifted more upwards than backward, to open.<ref name="Vehicle Dynamics">{{cite book |first=Reza N. |last=Jaza |title=Vehicle dynamics: theory and applications |publisher=Springer-Verlag |year=2008 |pages=30–31 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Pvsv78xj7UIC&q=%22station+wagon%22+vs.+%22hatchback%22&pg=PA31 |isbn=978-0-387-74243-4 |access-date=3 March 2014 |quote=A hatchback car is called a liftback when the opening area is very sloped and is lifted up to open.}}</ref>

The term was first used by Toyota in 1973, to describe the [[Toyota Celica]] Liftback GT.<ref name="Automobile">{{cite web |url= https://www.automobilemag.com/news/1976-1977-toyota-celica-gt-liftback/ |title=Collectible Classic: 1976-1977 Toyota Celica GT Liftback|date=3 December 2010 |publisher=Automobile Magazine (U.S.) |first=Jim |last=Fets |access-date=7 September 2020}}</ref><ref name="Newsday">{{cite web |url= https://www.newsday.com/classifieds/cars/in-the-garage-1977-toyota-celica-gt-1.4815567 |title=In the Garage: 1977 Toyota Celica GT|date=15 March 2013 |publisher=Newsday |first=David |last=Fluhrer |access-date=7 September 2020}}</ref>

<!-- The following quote is needed due to ongoing questions on the origin/usage of the Liftback name-->
{{blockquote|''Toyota called the new body style a Liftback, signifying that it was a three-door hatchback rather than a two-door coupe. With its sloping fastback roofline, the Celica Liftback was, if anything, even less habitable for rear-seat passengers than was the hardtop, but the hatchback roof and folding rear seat made the Liftback more versatile for quotidian chores or the sort of "active lifestyle" pastimes that so fascinate advertising copywriters.''<ref>{{cite web|url= https://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/toyota-celica-first-gen/3/ |title=Celestial Pony: Toyota's First-Generation Celica |first=Aaron |last=Severson |date=5 March 2017}}</ref>}}

Later, Toyota needed to distinguish between two 5-door versions of the [[Toyota Corolla]], one of which was a conventional 5-door hatchback with a nearly vertical rear hatch while the other one was a 5-door more horizontal hatch, for which the term ''Liftback'' was used.

[[Saab Automobile|Saab]] called similar body style of their cars [[combi coupé]], starting from 1974.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Saab 99 Combi Coupe : 1974 – 1978|url=http://www.saabhistory.com/2008/11/29/the-saab-99-combi-coupe-1974-1978/|website=www.saabhistory.com|accessdate=9 April 2018}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 
{{clear}}