Looking for new DD small hatch or small crossover

[foghorn67]

Focus Titanium or a nicely loaded SE.

 

[IronWing]

Chevy Sonic turbo?

 

[fleshconsumed]

Fit, hands-down. You can't beat it for utility.

Since your budget is $20K I'd suggest looking at the redesigned 2015 Fit, which has more HP (130) and will do 0-60 in about 8 seconds. The EX with a 6-speed manual has a MSRP of $17,560 which comes in well under your budget limit, and the lower-spec LX 6-speed is $15.5K. If you don't care about things like monroof, I'd go for the LX since it is pretty well equipped already (Bluetooth, rear view camera, cruise control, power windows/locks, etc).

Not sure why people are suggesting cars like the Focus ST and Mazdaspeed 3 when you already have an Evo as a "fun" car.

Maybe because Fit is not that great of a car putting it mildly? My GF just got a new car, we were looking for a small hatch. We test drove Prius C, Honda Fit, Impreza Hatch, and Mazda 3 Hatch. Of the 4 cars we test drove the Honda Fit and Prius C were by far the worst. The Prius C only got one test drive and Honda Fit got eliminated on the second test drive. True to its reputation the Fit is truly cavernous on the inside despite being a compact car, however it had really cheap interior, the ride was harsh, even by Honda standards, it was absolutely gutless with just 3 non-overweight adults in the car and no cargo, and in general it felt like a box on wheels. I seriously doubt it can do 0-60 in 8 seconds. I guess on the bright side it is big on the inside and fits the OP's budget.

In the end it's all about what the OP wants. If he really doesn't care about the ride quality, then yes, Fit would be a great solution. Otherwise, it's worth exploring other options. What it comes down to is OP has to test drive all the cars within his budget and pick which one he likes best. I did not think 130HP was enough when we test drove 2015, I highly doubt the 117HP in 2011 will do, especially coming from EVO.

EDIT: we got 2015 iGT hatch for 24K OTD after $750 manufacturer rebate (expired now I think) and including every single fee and tax (7.25%) there was. We could have gotten iTouring model for under 22K OTD, maybe 21.5K OTD. This is slightly out of the OPs budget, and it has a lot less interior space than Fit, but it's a far far better car than Fit.

 

[IronWing]

the ride was harsh, even by Honda standards, it was absolutely gutless with just 3 non-overweight adults in the car and no cargo, and in general it felt like a box on wheels.

Switch out the factory rims/low profile tires for smaller rims/normal tires and the ride improves tremendously. Yeah, it still crawls with any weight. As a one person commuter car, it does well in urban traffic, not so great on the open freeway. I find my Fit to be a very practical car but not a car I'm in love with; it's just an appliance.

 

[996GT2]

Maybe because Fit is not that great of a car putting it mildly? My GF just got a new car, we were looking for a small hatch. We test drove Prius C, Honda Fit, Impreza Hatch, and Mazda 3 Hatch. Of the 4 cars we test drove the Honda Fit and Prius C were by far the worst. The Prius C only got one test drive and Honda Fit got eliminated on the second test drive. True to its reputation the Fit is truly cavernous on the inside despite being a compact car, however it had really cheap interior, the ride was harsh, even by Honda standards, it was absolutely gutless with just 3 non-overweight adults in the car and no cargo, and in general it felt like a box on wheels. I seriously doubt it can do 0-60 in 8 seconds.

Did you test drive the 6-speed Fit or the automatic?

http://www.caranddriver.com/honda/fit

That increase in power and shorter gearing drop the zero-to-60-mph time from 8.4 seconds to 8.0. At 16.2 seconds and 86 mph in the quarter-mile, the Fit would have outrun every car in our last comparison test of this class [“Appetizers,” November 2011]. Fuel economy with the manual hits 29 mpg city and 37 highway. Shifting primarily at the 6800-rpm redline, we logged 30 mpg.

 

[fleshconsumed]

Did you test drive the 6-speed Fit or the automatic?

http://www.caranddriver.com/honda/fit

We drove CVT. Granted, we test drove with 3 adults in the car and undoubtedly the car would be quicker with just one passenger. However I felt that Fit struggled to get to 40 with 3 adults inside, I pushed the pedal to the metal, it revved, and still took way too much time to get to 40.

Switch out the factory rims/low profile tires for smaller rims/normal tires and the ride improves tremendously. Yeah, it still crawls with any weight. As a one person commuter car, it does well in urban traffic, not so great on the open freeway. I find my Fit to be a very practical car but not a car I'm in love with; it's just an appliance.

I agree that Fit makes a good appliance car, and coincidentally I view cars as appliances as well. A decently powered 2.0/2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine is all that I need depending on the weight of the car. I'm not the kind of guy who would spend an extra dough on V6 just because it's more fun to drive. Sure it would be more fun, but 2.0/2.5 I4 is plenty fast for my needs so I don't think v6 is worth the extra money. However, I still have my threshold for what's acceptable and the Fit decisively crossed that threshold. It was absolutely gutless and felt horrible to drive. Sure you might improve the ride by swapping wheels, but that's extra hassle and money and it wouldn't fix the engine power issues.

 

[IronWing]

Sure you might improve the ride by swapping wheels, but that's extra hassle and money and it wouldn't fix the engine power issues.

It actually works out cheaper in the long run to trade out the wheels with the first set of new tires. The low profile tires cost a fortune compared to the normal ones.

 

[cbrsurfr]

wasn't one of the reasons u got rid of it fear of what might break at 100 or 150k?

These newer golf and Mazda 3 have peaked my interest. Seems functional with the mpg where it should be.

The eco box field has too many players that can work. It's almost annoying.

Timing belt was good for awhile since it was changed under warranty at 30K. However several years of track abuse had taken its toll elsewhere plus I wanted more power. I did a cost analysis of everything that needed work/replacing plus what I wanted to upgrade turbo, LSD, BBK, etc. and the EVO was not much more after all that (after selling GTI parts removed and trading in the GTI).

Of course then I started to mod the EVO and that cost analysis has now been thrown out the window. LOL

At one point I almost bought the GTI back after I saw it for sale for less than the trade in after it was wholesaled. I do miss it. I had a lot of fun with that car. The dealer threw out all the paperwork I included so no one wanted to touch it. Idiots

The Bronco is getting picked up today so it'll be gone this afternoon. It's since snowed and I have some family visiting for awhile so I haven't been in a hurry to replace the Bronco. Bonus pays out 2/27 so I'll get more serious around then.

At this point I've eliminated the Mazda 2, Outlander Sport, and Fiesta. My commute is currently screwed due to a long term construction project. My top speed yesterday was 40MPH that I hit on the exit ramp.

I still love the new looks of the Mazda 3, but I'd have to go out of budget and then that takes away from EVO mods. I can get a smiley 3 with the Skyactiv 2.0 well within budget.

 

[fleshconsumed]

I still love the new looks of the Mazda 3, but I'd have to go out of budget and then that takes away from EVO mods. I can get a smiley 3 with the Skyactiv 2.0 well within budget.

I'm biased as GF just got the 2015 Mazda 3 hatch, but IMO the new 2014/2015 redesign is way better looking inside and outside and it is way better equipped (especially 2015 where infotainment system/backup camera comes standard on Touring model). As I said before with last year incentives we got 21.9K OTD as a first quote from Pugi Mazda of Lisle on iTouring hatch. Ultimately GF decided to step up to iGT and we managed to haggle $700 off the first iGT quote, so I'm positive we could have done the same with iTouring if GF wanted that. Basically, I would suggest driving both the smiley face and the 2015 redesign. This is personal opinion, but I would not get the last gen unless there were some major savings involved. Drive them both, drive every car you're considering.

 

[jagec]

I had a 2008 GTI w/DSG so VW's don't scare me.

How is that DSG? I've been considering getting a car with that transmission to balance my wife's preference for auto with my preference for "fun to drive", but I worry about reliability.

I drove a Ford with the Powershift transmission, and I HATED it, but my understanding is that VW's implementation is much more driver-focused.

 

[herm0016]

worth checking out go and drive one for the fun of it, prices are going to drop like a rock in about a week after they unveil the gen 2 car.

how many miles do you drive on an avg. day? if its btw. 30 and 75 or so a volt will save you some money on fuel, is pretty fun to drive and is under 20. i have put a vanity cabinet, and a full size Adirondack chair in the back. you can get 8 foot long lumber in it too. we have 2 50lb dogs and they fit in the trunk area fine without other stuff, and they love the space in the back when the seats are folded down.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...mt=[CHEV[VOLT[]][]]&listingId=379579050&Log=0

 

[cbrsurfr]

How is that DSG? I've been considering getting a car with that transmission to balance my wife's preference for auto with my preference for "fun to drive", but I worry about reliability.

I drove a Ford with the Powershift transmission, and I HATED it, but my understanding is that VW's implementation is much more driver-focused.

Ford's implementation BLOWS. Drive a VW with it or an Audi with S-Tronic. They are worlds better than the Powershift.

Only issue I had with it was the early gen had an issue with the valve body (mechatronics unit), 2007-2009 I believe. This was a pain because dealers didn't know what to do with it at first. Eventually VW issued a recall and replaced them. VW also extended the warranty to 7 years 100K if I remember right. I never had a problem after it was replaced with the redesigned unit.

Only painful part is the 40K service intervals where it costs $400 at the dealer. You can do it yourself but it's gravity fill and that scared me.

I'm biased as GF just got the 2015 Mazda 3 hatch, but IMO the new 2014/2015 redesign is way better looking inside and outside and it is way better equipped (especially 2015 where infotainment system/backup camera comes standard on Touring model). As I said before with last year incentives we got 21.9K OTD as a first quote from Pugi Mazda of Lisle on iTouring hatch. Ultimately GF decided to step up to iGT and we managed to haggle $700 off the first iGT quote, so I'm positive we could have done the same with iTouring if GF wanted that. Basically, I would suggest driving both the smiley face and the 2015 redesign. This is personal opinion, but I would not get the last gen unless there were some major savings involved. Drive them both, drive every car you're considering.

Small world. I'm not fond of Pugi. I got my GTI from them before they split into 2 different buildings. They only fixed one of the 3 issues I had with the car. The other two they told me I was crazy. The issues were fuel pump sensor, DSG mechatronics, and popping under side to side weight transfer. DSG I took it to another dealer after they twice failed to diagnose it. The popping turned out to be some $2 bolts that needed to be replaced in the subframe. They wanted me to pay them to pull out the interior to find the problem. And they tried to screw me on financing so I ended up paying cash to bypass their finance guy. Will never go back there.

The 2012 I was looking at was 13K asking for 45K miles. I may end up splurging and get a new one. Guess it depends on how big the bonus is.

 

[fleshconsumed]

Small world. I'm not fond of Pugi. I got my GTI from them before they split into 2 different buildings. They only fixed one of the 3 issues I had with the car. The other two they told me I was crazy. The issues were fuel pump sensor, DSG mechatronics, and popping under side to side weight transfer. DSG I took it to another dealer after they twice failed to diagnose it. The popping turned out to be some $2 bolts that needed to be replaced in the subframe. They wanted me to pay them to pull out the interior to find the problem. And they tried to screw me on financing so I ended up paying cash to bypass their finance guy. Will never go back there.

The 2012 I was looking at was 13K asking for 45K miles. I may end up splurging and get a new one. Guess it depends on how big the bonus is.

Yeah, I know. I saw that you're in North Aurora so I thought I'd mention Pugi because they got us good first quote. In the end we bought from Wilkins in Elmhurst, the Wilkins and Pugi both gave us the lowest price, coincidentally both Pugi and Wilkins were also the least pushy. Mazda of Elgin pretty much laughed in our face saying they will not match the price and that the quotes we got were not real, Continental in Naperville was also really sleazy, they also pulled the whole "these quotes are not real because they're below invoice" and "you need to understand how good of a deal you're getting because we're selling you the car at a loss", and of course they did the "we can give you $500 off if you buy the car right now", they were willing to haggle but they were really difficult and in the end their best was still not good enough.

At 13K for 2012 I do think it's going to be a tough decision. That's 8-9K savings for a car only 3 years old. Ultimately you're just going to have to test drive every car you're considering. When we test drove cars last month we were really surprised at how quickly we eliminated some of the contenders. In the end it came down to only two cars. So test drive both mazdas, maybe you'll really like one of them, or really dislike one of them, or maybe you'll dislike both and will decide to go with another brand altogether.

 

[compcons]

My dogs are 60, up and 80 lbs. All of my cars have leather. Super easy cleanup: roll down the windows and the hair goes away. Never had issus with scratches. Cleanup of mud is way easier too.