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2013 Focus SE Hatchback vs Seda

11K views 65 replies 26 participants last post by  suss6052 
#1 ·
I'm buying a 13 focus SE (Auto) on friday. Can anybody tell me the difference in terms driving comfort between these two vehicles . I'm concerned that I would have more road noises in the HB model!!...

Thanks in Advance
 
#2 ·
I don't know why you would think one is louder vs. the other. My HB makes no more noise than my previous car, 08 Altima, or my wives '07 Escape.

If you really want to know...then test drive both back to back.
 
#3 ·
drive both to see. Im pretty sure neither is louder. I traded in my 2010 Focus SES sedan for my 2012 Focus SEL hatch and I love having a hatch. Im not limited with cargo like I was before and I really like the styling of the rear of the hatch.
 
#5 ·
I test drove the sedan before I bought the hatchback and I didn't feel much difference. Love the look of the hatchback more[thumb]
 
#6 ·
drive both to see. Im pretty sure neither is louder. I traded in my 2010 Focus SES sedan for my 2012 Focus SEL hatch and I love having a hatch. Im not limited with cargo like I was before and I really like the styling of the rear of the hatch.
The hatchback has additional NVH pads behind the trunk trim to absorb the road noises that could get into the cabin from the rear wheel houses (shock towers) where the sedan has the bulkhead sealing off the trunk with the seats up. Therefore it should be at least as quiet if not quieter than the sedan.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Sexy is in the eye of the beholder. With the ST rear spoiler I'd agree, but the regular hatch rear window looks scrunched down on top to me, especially from the driver's seat of a car following it. I also think the stubby rear over hang does not look as well balanced from the side as the sedan with the trunk lid spoiler. At the same time, the hatch would be easier to parallel park with the shorter rear overhang.

I've always owned hatchbacks (VW, Toyota, Acura), and if the practicality of loading bulky items is important then that matters more than the appearance. If I buy a new Focus, though, I think I'm going for the sedan this time because now my wife has an SUV with plenty of room and I like the styling of the sedan more. Plus, it costs less.

I'd suggest sorting this list by priority for your own use and let it help you pick:

Easy parallel parking (hatchback)
Lower purchase price (sedan)
Loading bulky cargo (hatchback)
Styling (subjective -- you pick)
Road noise (tie)
Handling (some reviews give the hatchback an edge)
 
#11 ·
The hatchback is stiffer and thus handles better. It also has more cargo room. If you want better handling and more cargo room, get the hatch. If you want to look like a dweeb, get a sedan.

Disclaimer: I am biased.
 
#12 ·
It's not a bad question. Our 2002 wagon is more noisy than a comparable sedan, because sound bounces around back there.

I would definitely drive both, if I were you. Hatches seem to be more of a kid thing. So if your a kid, its more up your alley. Me I come from a time of Pinto hatches and have been turned off to hatches ever since.

This is a nice pdf that gives a lot of detail.

http://www.profleetsales.com/pdf_files/order_guides/2013/2013ALL.pdf
 
#13 ·
Your older wagon was also less refined than the newer models, and may not have had any sound absorbing materials in the rear wheel arches to quiet the car down where as a sedan doesn't need it as much usually with the seat up because it forms a bulkhead between the rear of the car and the interior of the cabin.

Despite being 6.9" longer the sedan has less cargo volume and is also not quite as rigid as the hatch.

I wouldn't quite view one or the other as being more attractive than younger people.
 
#19 ·
noise, handling, and any other factors are 100% trivial and will be no different whatsoever in these cars (including rear seat room)

the only real difference is styling and cargo utility. Rear seats up, the Sedan's trunk trumps the meager hatch space. Rear seats down, the Hatch is clearly far more cavernous. Do you want a bigger traditional trunk or a cargo bay? pricing difference is give or take a grand. Ultimately I think styling is the most important thing at the end of the day, so which one looks better to you?
 
#20 ·
to throw my sedan bias in, I put that grand in price difference into options and the trunk is plenty big, although loading height sucks.

Dont forget also that any (sedan or hatch) focus with leather/interior convenience package has rear seats with folding seat-bottoms, so you can flip them up for more vertical space in the back seat or fold the rear seats totally flat
 
#21 ·
Trunk vs hatch is the big diff.
The hatch has 23 cu ft of stowage behind the 2nd seats (44 cu ft with seats down) while the sedan's trunk is a meager 13.2 cu ft so for me it came to utility and I prefer the looks over the sedan and that's what it really boils down to a buyer.
 
#22 ·
My BEAM central vac (Industrial 2 fan version) died, and I took it to the local BEAM dealer. He looked out the window, and said "how'd ya get it here?" I replied, "in my Focus"! He almost s**t his pants! Try doing that, in your puny sedan trunk!
 
#39 ·
I did that kinda' thing with a huge color tv (pre-flat screen) and a little bitty VW Scirocco. It was fun to watch the sales guy's expression turn from disbelief to amazement as that big cardboard box just slipped right into that big opening and onto the folded down back seat. Hatch has the sedan beat hands down for carrying bulky cargo. Worth the extra $1,000 if you need that, but that's why my wife got an SUV.

Those huge tail lights on the Focus hatch and the look of the non-ST spoiler have not grown on me yet. Not sayin' they're ugly, but the sedan still looks more balanced from most angles to my eye.
 
#23 ·
Well, I've consider what you all said and drove both vehicles today. They did not have SE SEDAN in stock, but they had the SE SFE package with ugly wheels-better gas mileage... We made a deal for 14,260+ttl=15,450 otd so i'm picking it up tomorrow. Ugly wheels are my only concerns...(other than the possible tranny issues)
 
#52 ·
I think I read in some thread about steering problems that there were different steering rack part numbers for cars built with different wheels (16", 17", or 18"). Sounded odd to me, but I haven't looked into it more than that. If you were to have the steering rack problem others have had, it would be a pain to have repairs be not covered by the warranty due to the new wheels not being the same size or offset.

There's also the possibility that different wheels could cause a problem with the rack other than the one the factory has fixed. There's a photo of a black S with some beautiful 18" Elbrus 105's here: http://www.focusfanatics.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=38707&title=img-2279&cat=3065 If that guy has not had any steering rack problems then there's probably nothing to sweat about.
 
#30 ·
Your salesman told the truth? Keep an eye on that guy....

If car dealers actually put people only in the vehicles that the customer asked for, the industry would tank. Salesmen put sheeple in what they have on the lot, they put me in what I custom order and wait to receive.
 
#32 ·
We got totally lucky when buying our's as my wife didn't really intend on replacing her '09 SE but she saw the candy red paint calling her from the lot when we drove by.
When I went in the next day to check it out it turned out to be the only 5 speed on the lot and had everything I would've ordered in it short of the winter package (minor detail)
I went and got a salesman and some keys,test drove,brought in our trade,signed the papers and drove off and was done in less than 2 hours and no pressure and was one of the easiest car buying experiences I've had at a dealership.


Mmmmmmmmmm new.
 
#35 ·
True. Also, with power mirrors these days it's easy to adjust them all the way down and in towards the door (on either side) while parking so you can watch the rear tire and not scrape it on the curb while getting really close. (I'd love to have a one-touch return to the previous position when I'm done parking.) That'll work on either the hatch or the sedan, but the hatch will still be easier to squeeze into a tight spot with the shorter rear overhang.
 
#44 ·
I thought the sedan = sedative was funny but of course there are examples of collness but for me it really depends on the sedan to get me excited.

I mistake the Kia sedan and a couple others alot for the Focus especially from the rear.
 
#45 ·
I mistake the Kia sedan and a couple others alot for the Focus especially from the rear.
where...?

http://media.caranddriver.com/images/10q3/359743/2010-kia-forte-ex-sedan-photo-359765-s-1280x782.jpg
http://autoworld.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/kia-forte-sedan-2010-for-us-img_1.jpg

OFFENSE TAKEN... A KIA?! [facepalm]

on a side note the 2014 Kia Forte sedan stole the ENTIRE rear end carbon copy right off the Focus: (thoughtless Korean bastard thiefs)

http://www.caricos.com/cars/k/kia/2014_kia_forte_sedan/1024x768/12.html

Im gonna go pee on the next Focus hatch I see just because of that comment haha
 
#50 ·
I'll post up a pic of me and our 3 Chihuahuas in the hatch and we closed it and still could move...very little but we could move and I'm 5'10" and 190lbs. How many bodies could you put in your trunk? I guess not an ideal car for the mob. lol
 
#55 ·
I looked at both Sedan and HB when buying my 2013 Titanium and the first dealership was try pushing the HB in my face the whole time. I have specific needs when it comes to my cars and for work I sometimes need to haul lots of computer gear from one site to another. I ended up going with the Sedan because of the bigger cargo area.

I did drive both and don't believe one was any noiser than the other. I think handling was maybe a tad better on the HB. The HB I saw was also fully equiped with nav unit and everything. The Sedan I ended up getting was fully loaded without the NAV unit.
 
#56 ·
The sedan has 10.6 cubic feet less storage space despite being 6.9" longer with the rear seats up.

With the rear seats folded flat the difference grows to 31.6 cu ft as published by ford, although they don't publish the space behind the 1st row on the sedan which should theoretically be similar minus the pass through and being at a lower maximum height than the hatchback in the rear.

Ford rates the additional cargo volume behind the front seats as being 21 additional cubic feet over the 23.8 cu ft in the hatch, so if the sedan was similar its still at least 10.6 cu ft less spacious for packing bulky cargo.

So in essence you went with the marginally larger vehicle with notably less cargo volume on the basis that it has a seperate trunk.
 
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