The conventional family hatchback class is not the fastest growing in the market, but it is one of the most important and intensely fought. Within it, class mainstays are always reinventing themselves, while new entrants appear on a regular basis, each hoping to break through and seize the market by the scruff of the neck.
The classic family hatchback of yesteryear no longer exists. Once, humble people and luggage haulers, these cars have been transformed into often quite striking five-door vehicles that offer endless possibilities, whether you’re looking for a frugal diesel, a peppy small turbocharged petrol engine, bargain transport, or something with an upmarket flavor or a sporty lilt.
If you are going to buy or lease a hatchback for a family, there are a lot of features like safety and capacity that you should consider. In this article, we have gathered the top six family hatchbacks for every taste – they are different, but they are all united by good driving characteristics, low consumption, reliability, and safety.
1. Toyota Auris
Toyota Auris got rid of rounded shapes, the exterior became bold. After changing the layout of the body, more space was freed up for the driver and passenger, and the volume of the trunk increased.
For the Japanese market, Toyota Auris is available with a 1.5-liter 1NZ-FE engine and a CVT or a 1.8-liter 2ZR-FAE, the second engine, especially in combination with a manual transmission, makes the car a kind lighter in the hands of a skilled driver.
The creators have brought Auris to perfection, endowing the car with high reliability, interesting technical characteristics, and excellent performance.
2. Mazda Axela
In July 2016, the new Axela was introduced to the Japanese market, known as the Mazda 3 in other markets. The appearance has been improved – the front and rear bumpers, headlights, and radiator grille have changed. The interior has a new steering wheel, a different design of the dashboard and door cards, a different display, and an electric parking brake.
The G-Vectoring Control system has appeared, which is able to change the engine thrust depending on the position of the steering wheel, improves handling, and helps to better control the car when cornering.
Axela is available to order with a 1.5-liter 111-horsepower petrol engine, a 105-horsepower diesel engine of the same size, or a 175-horsepower 2.2-liter diesel engine. Available with front or all-wheel drive, 6-speed automatic transmission, or manual transmission.
3. Subaru Impreza
What do Subaru brand fans imagine when they hear this name? That’s right – the winner of many rally championships, the favorite car of the famous Colin McRae, and indeed – a dream car! But this does not apply to regular Imprezas.
In the fifth generation, the Subaru Impreza is built on a new modular platform, thanks to which the car body has become stiffer, and the car follows the steering wheel better. Traditionally for Subaru, the car is equipped with boxer four-cylinder engines and all-wheel drive.
The advanced EyeSight safety suite, which is equipped with all versions of the Impreza, includes many features: adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking system, lane keeping system, blind spot monitoring, and automatic braking system when reversing.
Remarkably, in addition to a complete set of airbags, all cars are equipped with a pedestrian airbag. Impreza is one of the company’s iconic models with its own features: a horizontally opposed engine, low center of gravity, ideal weight distribution, providing high stability, and excellent steering sensitivity.
4. Honda Civic
The tenth-generation Honda Civic hatchback in the FK body, having returned to the Japanese market after a five-year break, received a new platform on which the Civic sedan is also based. The new Civic has a sporty coupe-like silhouette and stylish LED optics, charismatic side panels, a shark fin on the roof, and 18-inch wheels, which is not often found in cars of this class!
The salon also did not go unnoticed – the legroom for the rear passengers was increased by 5 cm, which made the Civic one of the most spacious hatchbacks. The interior uses quality materials, the instrument panel is almost entirely digital, except for the classic gauges on the edges, and the front seats are now lateral support.
Specifications: 1.5-liter turbo engine with 182 hp. and a torque of 220 Nm with the proprietary i-VTEC system (acceleration from standstill to 100 km / h takes 8.2 seconds), which is aggregated with a CVT.
A version with a 6-speed mechanical gearbox is also available, in which the torque is even greater – 240 Nm. The motor is designed for gasoline not lower than AI-98 and imposes increased requirements on the quality of oil, fuel, and maintenance.
5. Lexus CT200h
The hybrid hatchback from Lexus, in the second restyling, has updated the design of the headlights and radiator grille, now instead of red LED lights, they are transparent. In the interior, the display of the navigation system was changed, increased to 10.3 inches, and the interior became two-tone.
Specifications: Lexus CT200h continues to be equipped with a 134 hp hybrid powertrain consisting of a 1.8-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor, thanks to which the car can move either on traction from an internal combustion engine or on the power of an electric motor (in EV mode), as well as in mixed mode.
The hatchback has body dimensions of 4355 x 1765 x 1450 mm, a trunk of 375 liters (according to VDA), and the folded seats allow you to get a flat floor about 1.5 meters long.
In all trim levels, the Lexus CT200h is equipped with an upgraded Lexus Safety System +, which includes automatic braking with pedestrian recognition, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, and lane keeping system. For safety in a collision, 7 airbags and a well-thought-out structure of the power elements of the body are responsible.
6. Toyota Corolla
In 2018, the Toyota Corolla was introduced in Japan in the specification for the local market, replacing the E180 generation Auris, produced since 2012. The exterior of the Corolla is endowed with distinctive features: a more squat body and a low center of gravity. The new Corolla managed to achieve good visibility by reducing the A-pillars and optimizing the position of the side mirrors. The enlarged rear window improves visibility to the rear.
The Toyota Corolla is built on the modern TNGA modular platform, which is also the basis for many current Toyota models, including the C-HR crossover and the latest Prius. MacPherson strut front suspension, double wishbone rear. Among other things, the car is available in a hybrid version.
