3 door vs 5 door hatch

[bentjazz]

Hi Yarisworlders,

One of my regrets in buying my Yaris is not getting the 5 door hb. I bought the 3 door hb. Yet, I've seen some people on this forum prefer the latter over the former. Why do some people prefer the 3 door hb over the 5 door hb? I'm looking for any reasons that might make me feel better about myself at this point. Ha.
Thanks.

bj

[CTScott]

I own both and although the 5 door is more handy with the kids (I have two), most people, including my kids, think that a 3 door looks more sporty than a 5 door does.

[roxy1]

I would prefer the 5 door, but unfortunately it is impossible to get the manual tranny and a 5 door.

[CrankyOldMan]

I'm a big fat guy, so having the extra 6" or so on the door opening is a big plus. I have a hard time getting into/out of the wife's 4-door sedan, and I can imagine it being the same for a 5-door hatch.

[bronsin]

If you have kids I guess the 5 door is prefered.

Is the interior of the 5 door larger than the 3 door? That might count for something.

But otherwise a three door has it all over a 5 door. The doors are bigger which allows easier access. Also you can get larger things in the car through the doors should that be necessary.

But the icing on the cake is, as you say, only the three door comes with manual transmission. If you can drive one a manual lasts longer (as long as you dont fry the clutch!) gives better control of the vehicle (it slows down when you take your foot off the gas and is far safer in slippery conditions like snow or ice) and of course gets better mpg.

Its likely an auto trans is easier to sell when (if) the time comes to sell it.

All in all my vote is for the three door!

(although if I had a five door I wouldnt worry about it!)

[NEexpat]

I'm one of those guys who will do weeks of "research" on an item and then only moments actually purchasing said item. I'd have done all the leg work by that point.

I knew I wanted the 5 door from the start and I've shared this story here about a 5 door MT in Carmine Red I wanted and spent 2 hours at the dealership until I got up and walked away when we couldn't come to terms. I bought my 5 door AT the next day.

I'm 6'2" and have no problem getting in and out of it. My gf has a fit that I drive, fine little car, I'll keep my Yaris tyvm.

My only complaints about this car are these:

1. Used to it now, but I wish the seat rails were 1.5" longer. I installed the CC so not an issue on long drives.
2. I wish the signal/directional clicking noise was louder.
3. Not a fan of DRL's have left the house more than once at dusk thinking ALL my lights were on.


cheers

I even gotten used to the "cool" light and restricting the up shift................................got used to it, didn't say I liked it.

Edit: Sorry got off the road a little there, I have sat in the back of my car very comfortable, and easy to get in an out of. I think the reason I wanted the 5 door from the start was that I wanted the back doors for passengers.

I really never even noticed the the size of the doors on the 3 door till I read about it here.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by NEexpat

3. Not a fan of DRL's have left the house more than once at dusk thinking ALL my lights were on.


.

Yes! I have noticed the same thing with other people driving around with just their headlites on at nite! Not good. Not safe!

[dj92]

I learned to hate 3drs ;)
It's a big hassle to get to the rear seats and cleaning the front ones' backside
I am happy with my 5dr, the doors are big enough for me (ok, I weigh just about 150lbs).
The biggest thing I've transported up to now was a bed, and in fact the smaller front doors weren't a problem at all.

Originally Posted by NEexpat

I even gotten used to the "cool" light and restricting the up shift................................got used to it, didn't say I liked it.

One of the reasons why I prefer MT.
No affordable electronics can predict how and when to shift as good as a driver with at least basic experience.
When at ~20MPH and with no need to accelerate, I shift straight into the 5th.
Even when the engine is cold, this works pretty well.

[MadMax]

The 5-door may be more practical if you carry a lot of human cargo, but the 3-door looks a lot sexier!

As for the "cool" light on the autos, it's to reduce wear and tear on the cold engine. While some dislike it, it's a smart feature.

[momaterials]

3 door look like sport car , do you like sport yaris?

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by dj92

I learned to hate 3drs ;)
It's a big hassle to get to the rear seats and cleaning the front ones' backside
I am happy with my 5dr, the doors are big enough for me (ok, I weigh just about 150lbs).
The biggest thing I've transported up to now was a bed, and in fact the smaller front doors weren't a problem at all.


One of the reasons why I prefer MT.
No affordable electronics can predict how and when to shift as good as a driver with at least basic experience.
When at ~20MPH and with no need to accelerate, I shift straight into the 5th.
Even when the engine is cold, this works pretty well.

CT did a mod to the coolant sensor which allows you to shift into fourth on the at AT ANY SPEED! I have done it to mine.

Silly really!

[Kar98]

Originally Posted by bentjazz

Why do some people prefer the 3 door hb over the 5 door hb?

Larger doors and less potential for rattle and things to break.

[yarisugi]

USA and Canada are one of the few countries that offer 3dr. Most other countries only offer the 5dr.
Funny how it's made in Japan but not for sale there. I wanted something Japan didn't have. lol.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by roxy1

I would prefer the 5 door, but unfortunately it is impossible to get the manual tranny and a 5 door.

^^^^^This. I don't like the 2nd Gen 5-door, but I like the 3rd Gen 5-door better than the 3rd Gen 3-door (I like the side profile better, the ability to put an odd shaped item in the back and have it stick out a back window, and () my garage likes the narrower doors better). If the 3rd Gen LE 5-door was available with a manual transmission and hand crank windows, that would be my next car. The only way to get a manual 5-door is to get an SE.....and as you recently pointed out, there are fewer than 20 of them in the entire country (BTW, how did you uncover that wonderful nugget of information? ). Of course, even that very limited availability requires you to give up the smaller turning circle of the L and LE.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by yarisugi

USA and Canada are one of the few countries that offer 3dr. Most other countries only offer the 5dr.
Funny how it's made in Japan but not for sale there. I wanted something Japan didn't have. lol.

Very interesting.

[kimona]

The 3-door looks sportier, but the 5-door is certainly more practical for passengers.
I like the look of both the 3 and 5-door 2nd generation. But, I really dislike the profile of the 5-door 3rd generation with that ugly A-shaped C-pillar.

[Astroman]

Originally Posted by bronsin

CT did a mod to the coolant sensor which allows you to shift into fourth on the at AT ANY SPEED! I have done it to mine.

Silly really!

Not silly at all. Part of the cool light feature is it lets the engine and cat get up to temperature quickly to reduce emissions.

Smart.

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

.....a manual 5-door is to get an SE.....and as you recently pointed out, there are fewer than 20 of them in the entire country (BTW, how did you uncover that wonderful nugget of information? ).

I was going by cars.com using a nationwide search. it is usually pretty accurate give or take a few cars.