Sometimes, the appearance from behind is more attractive, whether it’s a person or an object. There’s a car model that shows everything with just its ‘back’: it’s a ‘hatchback.’ Many people around the world are enthralled by this ‘back,’ and its fan base is constantly increasing with improved designs and performance.
Let’s review the basics about ‘hatchbacks’! It’s a car with a rear door, or tailgate, which swings upward while maintaining the basic shape of the car. ‘Hatch’ refers to a ‘door that is opened by swinging upward,’ and the name ‘hatchback’ is given since this door is found at the back of the car.
In terms of structure, the trunk cover and rear window are opened together, providing immediate access to the backseat. The good thing is that the indoor space can be used effectively, and the trunk space can be increased by folding the backseat if you have a lot of stuff to load.
It’s easier to understand if you compare with a general car body style called a notchback, where the rear deck sticks out and only the cover of the trunk opens. A notchback features an engine room, a cabin and a trunk that are all separated, and is thus also referred to as a ‘three-box car,’ whereas a hatchback is a ‘two-box car’ with an engine room and cabin/trunk.
The Volkswagen ‘Golf’ is a typical hatchback car released by Volkswagen, and it applies the design of ‘Giorgetto Giugiaro’, a legend of car design in Italy, which shows off simple and intuitive lines. It reflects the best efficient use of space, which is the typical feature of hatchbacks, and is thus one of the best-selling cars in the world.
Honda released its hatchback model ‘Civic’ in the early 1970s when Japan hadn’t yet attained much recognition in the automobile industry. As the practicality of the Civic was emphasized greatly in the two oil shocks in 1973 and 1979, the model caused a sensation in the North American market, which also led Honda to become one of the leaders of the global automobile industry.
In general, ‘hatchback’ has excellent practicality but is considered to have poor performance or class compared to sedans. Accordingly, European automakers have released hatchback cars with upgraded performance to eliminate stereotypes and insufficiencies of general hatchback cars.
Volkswagen ‘Golf GTI’, which is known to be the origin of the ‘hot hatch’, exhibits a maximum torque of 15.3kg?m (3,500rpm) with a powertrain that combined a 1,800cc-engine with 4-speed or 5-speed automatic transmission. Also, it took only 9 seconds to go from 0 to 100km/h.
Peugeot also released its ‘205 GTI’ in 1984 and entered the hot hatch fray. Hyundai Motor Company also recently jumped into the market by releasing its ‘i30’, a full-change version that combined 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter gasoline turbo engine and 7-speed LDF transmission.
Hot hatch can be considered a high-performance hatchback, and it displays agile driving performance such as dynamic cornering by combining a compact car body with powerful engine performance. It is gaining more and more popularity worldwide for its excellent performance in addition to practicality.
There is no clear line between a hatchback and hot hatch, but to become a hot hatch, a hatchback must be a compact car with a 150-200 horsepower engine that has above-average running performance. Possessing a unique design is also essential.
You can just think of it as a car model that maintains a small size and the benefit of space usability while also securing performance that’s as good as a sedan. Recently, many people are looking for hot hatch cars not just for practicality but for individuality.
Hatchbacks have both practicality and efficiency, and hot hatch upgrades that charm of hatchback to offer better performance! Let your mind drift and just imagine owning one of these two kinds of models with such an attractive-looking back! 
