regards fitting stuff in the back yes its easier to fit bigger items in it than the saloon, but if your not looking for that and your going on personal preferance of looks then theres not really any between them, had a huge amount of stuff in my saloon as well including a full weekend of camping kit with 2 12 man tents, a large table and a lawnmower, all in one go

Had two mk1 hatches, but you cant fit the bonnet in there :-(

I love my saloon, but each to their own. Imo, visual appearance of any car with a bonnet this size needs a counterweight in a longer boot. The same, longer boot doesn't fit to what were ment to be small cars... When I take a look at other makes, it's all the same, all about ballance. As mentioned, beemers, to add mondeos, mercs... On the other hand, pug 206 sedan, clio sedan...

I'm very much a 'saloon' person, HOWEVER seeing 'some' of the hatch models people have I'm being convinced they are nice and tasty when done well

I will poiint out though, the extreme spoiler on the ZS was released BEFORE the subaru evo spoiler as it was modelled on the ZS design ;)

I'm a saloon man I like the mk1 But love the mk2 if I could sell a kidney I would buy a mk2 sat on my hospital bed lol but that's not to say I wouldn't have a hatch though

I've got a hatch and love the practicality but I keep wanting to get a R45 saloon with heated seats and put my hat on the back shelf.

we should settle this with a top gear style challenge!!! saloon vs hatch

comments about a less practical boot on a saloon, well that depends what you are trying to put in it!

Had both cars, both mk2, I can get 12 spare wheels in the back of a saloon for a trackday, something I couldn't do in a hatch.

I think the saloon is more complete in its looks, when I had the hatch I felt it was never quite as nice as the saloon - probably because the saloon mk2 looks more like the touring car than the hatch.

Hatch's all the way
 

the hatch is better on handling and lighter, and its a well proven fact ie.. when ford had the escort (hatch), and the orion (saloon), why did they make the escort rs turbo, and rs cosworth in the hatch and not saloon, when vauxhall relisead the astra (hatch) and the belmont (saloon) y did they choose the astra for the gte 16v treatment and the gsi tratment, dont get me wrong i like the look of the saloon, but the hatch win's it for me everytime, who cares about the little bit extra boot space, what the hell do u want to put in there anyway:clap:

I second that idea :clap: