Decision made: Last night I drove off the lot in a new 2008 Saturn XR 3 door. I was looking at the 5 door models trying to pin down a color. I liked black but this car is going to sit outside so I wanted something that would show less dirt. We walked out onto the lot to see colors in person. We walked past this 3 door and it caught my eye. It had everything I wanted as far as options - leather interior, manual, handling package + 18" rims, and premium audio. It also had the sport seats which are only available in 3 door. My wife asked why I don't like it and I said it's a 3 door. She reminded me my car is usually to/from work with just me in it. The salesman grabbed the keys and we got in. She instantly loved the way the seats wrap/support. I did as well. We took it for a 20 minute drive and both agreed it was a nice balance of ride and handling and had enough pickup and passing power. We got back to the lot and several hours later had the deal done.
((((((( Original message below )))))))
I've had some big $$$ dumped into my 2000 VW GTI GLX in the last year or so and I'm thinking it's time to consider something more reliable and fuel efficient. I love the versatility of hatchbacks so my goal is to find a new and reliable replacement. Here's my test results...
Honda Fit 5 door... Read online reviews and came in expecting to be 'wowed. IMO not all that. The cabin sits far back and I found the front pillars hard to look around at certain angles. Test drove 2 different times and found it the same way. Also found the car not as sporty as advertised. I didn't push it hard but comparing it to my wife's Mazda3 I found it top heavy side to side. Flip down center arm rest could be better as well. On the plus side it's very roomy inside and the back seats fold up/down better than any other in class. Definite advantage in instrumentation as well.
Nissan Versa 5 door... Disregarded this car when I got in it because I already drove the Fit and found the front pillars being something to look around. Model I drove had a center console arm rest I found lacking in the 'fold down' version of the Fit. Small wheels make it look 'clown car-ish'. Again, didn't push it but the ride was good - on par with the Fit but didn't feel sporty either.
Toyota Yaris 5 door... Pretty roomy considering the outside appearance. Pickup as expected - not great but adequate to get in traffic. Harder passing. Center instrumentation may take some getting used to. Ride was fine until going over speed bumps. There it was *really* bad even at a slow pace. We have 5 in our neighborhood and I discounted this car based on that.
Scion xD 5 door... Drove this after the Yaris and it had much more comfort, power, and ride. Inside we fitted 5 adults with no problem and still it felt fine pulling into a 55mph road. Went over some speed bumps and it fared well. One problem I had was the lack of rim options (none). Turning circle was quite large as well - even the salesman noted the Toyota's turn better.
Hyundai Accent 3 door... I drove both base and sport versions and had 4 occupants . Both were *very* slow in acceleration. Both had adequate features in a budget car like power locks, windows. The ride was nice in both cars but the base model felt 'sloppy'. We went back and tried the 'sport' model and it was much tighter and still had a comfortable ride. Overall we were impressed. The 5 year 60K warranty is a big plus on this car.
Saturn Astra XE 5 door - Test drove a pre-owned 2008 with 7K... I loved the look of this car when I saw it online while comparing hatchbacks. I learned it was based on the Opel version from Europe. I'm a sucker for Euro cars (see sig) so I tried to avoid it but I test drove it anyway. It was impressive to say the least and easily the best overall experience based on comfort, handling, and ride. Also, it had leather interior. Sticker was $15K for the XE used. We went to Saturn and talked to them about the XR (including better handling package) and they were ready to bend over backwards to get me into one. They were offering me numbers like the used XE from CarMax. They gave me a 'bottom line' price with my car on what I wanted in an XR and I left for more research.
In the end I'm torn on the last 2 cars - Accent or Astra - or keeping what I have and hoping I don't have to continue paying into the VW devil.
(Edited for clarification)
((((((( Original message below )))))))
I've had some big $$$ dumped into my 2000 VW GTI GLX in the last year or so and I'm thinking it's time to consider something more reliable and fuel efficient. I love the versatility of hatchbacks so my goal is to find a new and reliable replacement. Here's my test results...
Honda Fit 5 door... Read online reviews and came in expecting to be 'wowed. IMO not all that. The cabin sits far back and I found the front pillars hard to look around at certain angles. Test drove 2 different times and found it the same way. Also found the car not as sporty as advertised. I didn't push it hard but comparing it to my wife's Mazda3 I found it top heavy side to side. Flip down center arm rest could be better as well. On the plus side it's very roomy inside and the back seats fold up/down better than any other in class. Definite advantage in instrumentation as well.
Nissan Versa 5 door... Disregarded this car when I got in it because I already drove the Fit and found the front pillars being something to look around. Model I drove had a center console arm rest I found lacking in the 'fold down' version of the Fit. Small wheels make it look 'clown car-ish'. Again, didn't push it but the ride was good - on par with the Fit but didn't feel sporty either.
Toyota Yaris 5 door... Pretty roomy considering the outside appearance. Pickup as expected - not great but adequate to get in traffic. Harder passing. Center instrumentation may take some getting used to. Ride was fine until going over speed bumps. There it was *really* bad even at a slow pace. We have 5 in our neighborhood and I discounted this car based on that.
Scion xD 5 door... Drove this after the Yaris and it had much more comfort, power, and ride. Inside we fitted 5 adults with no problem and still it felt fine pulling into a 55mph road. Went over some speed bumps and it fared well. One problem I had was the lack of rim options (none). Turning circle was quite large as well - even the salesman noted the Toyota's turn better.
Hyundai Accent 3 door... I drove both base and sport versions and had 4 occupants . Both were *very* slow in acceleration. Both had adequate features in a budget car like power locks, windows. The ride was nice in both cars but the base model felt 'sloppy'. We went back and tried the 'sport' model and it was much tighter and still had a comfortable ride. Overall we were impressed. The 5 year 60K warranty is a big plus on this car.
Saturn Astra XE 5 door - Test drove a pre-owned 2008 with 7K... I loved the look of this car when I saw it online while comparing hatchbacks. I learned it was based on the Opel version from Europe. I'm a sucker for Euro cars (see sig) so I tried to avoid it but I test drove it anyway. It was impressive to say the least and easily the best overall experience based on comfort, handling, and ride. Also, it had leather interior. Sticker was $15K for the XE used. We went to Saturn and talked to them about the XR (including better handling package) and they were ready to bend over backwards to get me into one. They were offering me numbers like the used XE from CarMax. They gave me a 'bottom line' price with my car on what I wanted in an XR and I left for more research.
In the end I'm torn on the last 2 cars - Accent or Astra - or keeping what I have and hoping I don't have to continue paying into the VW devil.
(Edited for clarification)