For years US car buyers have stayed away from hatchbacks and wagons, but times are changing. Today if you want a compact hatchback you now have more options than the VW Golf or Mazda3. After abandoning the hatchback segment years ago, Honda has finally brought back the Civic Hatchback and it’s great! Honda gave me the keys to a 2017 Civic Sport with a manual transmission. Here are five things you should know about the 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback:

1Five doors = Lots of Room


The last Civic Hatchback sold in the US was a small three-door hatchback that placed more emphasis on sport than versatility. Now the new Civic Hatchback is bigger with five doors and plenty of space. It’s interior is just as spacious as the sedan, but thanks to its hatchback, there’s 25.7 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seat up and an Ikea-friendly 46.2 cubic feet of space with the rear seat down. The Civic Sedan only has 15.1 cubic feet of cargo space.

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