Volvo 300 Series
The Volvo 300 series was introduced in 1979 and was sold all the way through till 1991, as a range of models was available in three distinct body styles, the 343, which was a three door hatchback, the 345, a 5 door hatchback and later, a 4 door notchback model. All three models were distinctive in their own right, but as family cars they were all very different from other models that Volvo was producing at the time, as they were renowned for their coupe, saloon and estate models. This helped it to become a very popular car and by 1988, over 1 million models had been produced.
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic was introduced in the UK in 1973 and by the 1980’s, it was already on its fourth generation. It came with a sleek, angular, squared off design and was one of the earliest Honda models to be designed around the ‘Man Maximum-Machine-Minimum’ principle. This generation of Civic could be had in three different body styles: a three door that was meant to focus on sportier driving dynamics, a four door saloon which was meant to deliver a more practical alternative to the three door, and a five door estate, the shuttle wagon, which delivered incredible space and versatility.
MG Maestro Turbo
The Maestro was introduced in 1988, with sportier styling and improved performance compared to the standard, non-turbo variant. it’s larger interior, meant that you ended up with a family car that was capable of some pretty impressive performance figures, hitting 0-60 in less than 7 seconds! Not only this, but it had a much sleeker, more modern design when compared to the standard variants of the Maestro. It was only available as a limited production model, which meant that only 505 models were produced, helping to make them even more desirable.
Mazda 323
The Mazda 323 was first introduced in 1967 and by 1980, the fifth generation was introduced. Available with a number of engines and an automatic transmission, the 323 could also be had as a 3 and 5 door hatchback, a four door saloon and a full sized estate. In terms of design, it was very typical of the 80’s, with the hatchback having a wedge shaped rear, and elsewhere in the design, it used a lot of straight lines and a minimalist grille at the front which all helped to give it a conservative but attractive design. This is a huge departure from the contemporary equivalent, the Mazda3, with its Japanese Kodo inspired design which when compared, looks very different to the 323.
Hyundai Pony
Hyundai’s first vehicle to reach the UK, the Pony was a family hatchback, which was available exclusively as a 5 door, with a design that was arguably quite similar to the Volvo 300 series. This was not only Hyundai’s first car in the UK, but it was the first Korean car in the market which paved the way for other manufacturers in the future. It was available with in three trim levels, and two engine configurations and a number of standard features, something you can still expect from contemporary Hyundai‘s.
Hyundai recently released a fully electric concept based on the iconic Pony, which perfectly incorporates the original styling elements, and combines them with some of the more modern details seen on the IONIQ range, such as the pixel style lighting.
Discover the full range of family hatchbacks.
