Amid all the many year-end roundups, many have forgotten that 2010 was the model-year launch of BMW's 5-Series GT. That's the company's five-door, don't-call-it-a-hatchback midsize. And BMW's not the only luxury hatchmaker these days. What's your favorite five door?
The four-door hatchback (AKA 5-door) enjoys a history that began long ago. Not Spanish American War long ago, of course; more like Haley's Comets long ago. The first known hatchback—incorporating its rear window into an aft tailgate assembly—was the Citroën Traction Avant of 1954 or so. The Kaiser-Frazer Vagabond followed, as did the 1961 Renault 4 and later the Renault 16. Indeed, the French contribution to the hatchback can not be understated, except by those haters who, let's face it, gonna hate.
From the mid-sixties on, the (three and) five-door hatchback widened in popularity, culminating in the late 2000s, as BMW, Porsche and Aston Martin all introduced very swank versions of the quint-door format. So, which one of the many, many fivers throughout history is your hands-down favorite?
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