Can a small subwoofer (or pair) fit the rear hatch cover?

not impossiable, but issues you need to look at

1. cubic ft per driver (most 6" drivers need 1/4 to 1/2 cubic foot)
2. air leakage will be a big factor ( around panel, around speaker,around outside trim)
3. viberation will happen (sheet metal is thin, panel will loosen up fast)

try out 1, sound damping the panel and hatch. tar strip around panel.
any air leak will destroy the sound output.

i have done this set up a astro van cargo door (i used a 8in)
sound was nice but not impressive. low notes sound muddie and tight hits sound dull. mid bass sound good 120hz-500hz

beleive it or not. bass travel thro stuff really good. under the cargo cover will be the best place (out of sight) i done this to mine last year.
1 10" kicker aimed down into the spare tire. vibration was ez to fix. if you messure it all out the deck lid will still sit flush and lock. even with hatch opens it still sounds good.
im going to installing some 4" components in my panel this spring along with some led light and a lcd screen mount to hold a 22"(for camping)

 

this was box number 3 i built for my car. your going to have a protype box, and then a final box.
i used 1/2 mdf and liquid nail glue along with coarse 1 1/2 screws. be sure to counter sink all holes before drilling in the screws.

also messure it well, all four corners are not the same

use rubber feet on bottom box and a thin carpet or pad on topside to prevent the raddle from lid

good luck

if you need help pm me

box lay out, one side for amp, the other is for kicker 10c


bottom side speaker in box

top side, amp access


after pic

 

KTPhil, here's a link to a sub I put in my 2006 Prius. I did lose the cargo area but kept the spare. I also moved to an Alpine V12 series amp with parametric EQ. I find it hard to get good bass out of the Prius, the EQ let me dial it in much better. It seriously rocks for me now.

http://priuschat.com/forums/audio-electronics/47258-subwoofer-08-prius-thoughts-2.html#post616514

 

thankyou for the idea. really its true. i saw yours and said damn that looks good
nice job....
i messured my box to storage tray hieght.
people give me a wird look when they dont see anything.

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yep you loose the storage area, spare stays.

 

Great looking build, abra. I particularly like the stealthiness . It's given me some ideas to consider. What are you using for cooling?

 

amp has built in fan. theres enough area above it for air flow. never once shut down yet. all channels in 2ohm even