Hatchbacks have gained a ton of popularity over the past few years. With gas prices that have reached absurd levels, the need for a smaller car that can still haul a bit of stuff takes the place of being able to afford a medium to large truck that offers more cargo space, but doesn’t have nearly the same fuel efficiency.
With this in mind, hatchbacks are made to be versatile and by definition simply are cars that open up to the back instead of having a fully enclose trunk space. Here are thirteen hatchbacks that have been rated as the best by consumers and experts for the new 2015 model year.
Kia Forte5
The Kia Forte5 starts off this list as a very attractive and versatile hatchback that makes a great choice for driving around town, for the back to school crowd, or for a daily commuter car. Not meant to squeeze in a huge crowd, the Forte5 does offer enough room for four to carpool comfortably if commuting is in the future of this very nice hatchback. The Forte5 is powered by a 1.6-liter GDI turbocharged four-cylinder engine that shows up with 201 horsepower, which is really strong on this particular list. The Forte5 carries a decent fuel efficiency at 21 city/29 hwy as well, making it powerful on the highway and money saving at the pump.
Honda Fit
The Honda Fit is one of the most popular hatchbacks on the market today. With a very short front end that almost appears to be sawed off short, the Fit looks like the vision of a space vehicle from the 1970’s. Instead of being an interstellar vehicle, the Fit is one of the most versatile hatchbacks on the market and offers owners a great deal of enjoyable features. The Fit is powered by a 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder engine that offers 130 horsepower and comes with a great fuel efficiency of 33 city/41 hwy mpg to enjoy.
Chevrolet Volt
The Chevrolet Volt is a popular choice as a hatchback due to the popularity of its highly affordable and enjoyable all-electric motor. The Volt does come in both sedan and hatchback models and the hatchback offers plenty of additional cargo configurations to make the car easy and fun to drive just about anywhere. The Volt offers a small range of only 38 miles when in all-electric driving mode which makes it a sensible car to have a backup gasoline range-extender. This range extender comes in the form of a 1.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine with offers brings the range with a full tank and full charge to 380 miles for this very nice electric car.
Audi TT
As the first luxury car on this list of excellent hatchback models, the Audi TT is a sports car that offers great driving capability and excellent luxury equipment for owners to fully enjoy. The TT is stylish, enjoyable and fun to drive offering owners a great car to either commute in or save for weekend cruising. The TT shows up powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that brings in 211 horsepower, which is plenty to get this lightweight car moving. The TT offers owners good fuel efficiency as well at 22 city/31 hwy mpg.
Toyota Prius
As the ratings seem to sway from hybrid and electric cars back and forth with traditional models, the next one up is the Toyota Prius. The Prius sets the standard in the industry for hybrid technology and offers one of the most affordable and enjoyable hybrid powered cars on the market. Easily identified in either sedan or hatchback form, the Prius shows off with a throwback shape in the hatchback the reminds consumers of the Honda Accords of the 1990’s. The Prius is powered by a 1.8-liter hybrid four-cylinder engine that brings in 134 horsepower which is more than enough for drivers to get this well-engineered car moving. The Prius shows off with its fuel efficiency that is set at 51 city/48 hwy mpg for owners to enjoy.
Mitsubishi Mirage
As one of the most inexpensive cars on the market today, the diminutive size of the Mirage may shy some consumers away from it. Not to worry though, the Mirage offers a decent amount of cargo configurable space and room for four to ride in relative comfort to the office for another day at work. With this small size, the engine is also tiny and the fuel efficiency is massive making this one of the best cars to purchase for anyone on a tight budget. The Mirage shows up powered by a 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that only puts out 74 horsepower. This little car shows up big with 37 city/44 hwy mpg of fuel efficiency to enjoy.
Volkswagen Golf
This highly popular hatchback shows up big as one of the most sought after cars in its class. Attractive, athletic and easy to enjoy the Golf is a fun little car with plenty of cargo configurable space that makes it easy for taking a trip to the beach to enjoy some fun in the sun or for cruising around campus at night trying to find the best party to attend. The Golf shows up powered by a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that carries 170 horsepower for owners to enjoy the energetic ride. The Golf offers owners a very nice fuel efficiency as well which comes in at 25 city/36 hwy mpg.
Audi A7
Another luxury model, that is only a hatchback because many of the Audi cars do not have an enclosed trunk space. Regardless of the specifics, the A7 is an excellent car with a long front end that offers a sporty look that extends to the back where the “hatch” is positioned. The A7 is full of awesome style, easy to enjoy handling and equipment that makes the ride more enjoyable and fun. The A7 shows up powered by a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine that brings the heat with 310 horsepower. By choosing this car, it becomes obvious consumers and experts enjoy a powerful car on any list. The A7 does offer decent fuel efficiency at 18 city/28 hwy mpg to make it reasonable on the wallet to buy this car.
Mazda MAZDA3
A highly popular model, the MAZDA3 is a great hatchback that is full of performance and precision to make it fun and easy to drive. The MAZDA3 in hatchback or sedan has to keep to the mantra from Mazda of “zoom zoom” and does so with a very energetic engine that is more powerful than 155 horsepower would seem to be. This is due to the SKYACTIV technology that is on board the engine. Speaking of which, the engine is a 2.0-liter SKYACTIV-G four-cylinder engine that makes an enjoyable 30 city/40 hwy mpg for owners to take advantage of and enjoy.
Toyota Prius Plug-in
The plug-in version of the Prius gains a bit more attention due to the addition of the all-electric mode that can be plugged in overnight and recharged when a dedicated 240-volt outlet is in place. The electric-only range of this car is only 11 miles, but that when partnered with the 1.8-liter inline four-cylinder engine the car makes a huge gain in fuel efficiency offering a 95 MPGe for the 11 mile range as well as a 51 city/49 hwy mpg overall for this nice hatchback.
Kia Soul
Whether it’s the hamsters on the commercials, or the actual look and performance of the Soul, the Kia Soul has become a very popular choice and rated one of the best by consumers and experts alike. Making it into the third spot on this list, the Soul offers a fun and funky style with lots of cargo space behind and in conjunction with the folding rear seats. The Soul is powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that brings in 130 horsepower and offers a fuel efficiency that shows up at 24 city/30 hwy mpg.
Chevrolet Corvette
It doesn’t seem like a high performance sports car like the Corvette should be on a list of hatchbacks, but similar to the Audi vehicles, the Corvette is a hatchback by definition only. As the second highest rated hatchback on the list the Corvette offers power, prestige, track ready style, and an amazing and iconic beast of the blacktop. The Corvette brings nostalgia and great memories to many who have owned one in the past as well as offering fantastic technology and advances for those who are going to buy one in 2015. The base model of the Corvette comes on the list powered by a 6.2-liter V8 engine that brings the power at 455 horsepower. Amazingly the Corvette has decent fuel efficiency as well coming in at 17 city/29 hwy mpg for owners to enjoy the ride.
Chevrolet Spark EV
As the highest rated hatchback on this list, the Spark makes sense. Small, fun, stylish, enjoyable and powered by an electric motor, the Spark is the full definition of what a hatchback is these days. Offering a nicely configurable cargo space that allows for some carrying of odd shaped and interesting objects wherever they need to end up, the Spark is a very versatile little car. The Spark shows up powered by a 140 horsepower electric motor that offers a range of 82 miles on a single charge. The charging time comes in at seven hours with a 240-volt dedicated line making this a great car for driving around town on a daily basis.
So many interesting and different hatchbacks on this list it would be really hard to pick just one. Unless a consumer is looking for a sports car or luxury vehicle they might want to steer clear of the Audis and the Corvette, but otherwise there is plenty of typical hatchbacks to pick from to find the one that makes the most sense for any owner.
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