Communter car advice, Focus vs Elantra vs Impreza vs ?

[NutBucket]

The last few rental Cruzes I've been in were quite nice. High end LT/RS models with the 1.4T, leather, sunroof, etc.

 

[Doppel]

For what it's worth the 2013 Altima has a revamped tranny from 2012 and it's more responsive. The car lacks the distinct shifting of a conventional transmission so it can in some ways hide the performance, but it is there nonetheless.

 

[vi edit]

Yeah, I'm the guy talked about earlier that owns a Focus and not real thrilled with it. I've got a 2013 SE hatch. I'm really not satisfied with the car. Gas milage has been underwhelming for me. It's never got over 33MPG under any conditions and it's stickered at 36MPG (Manual transmission is lower than the DSG auto).

I've had issues with coolant disappearing and the dealer can't/won't properly diagnose the issue.

And mostly it's just not a comfortable car at all for longer drives. The seat cushions kill my legs (I'm not a big guy, 6' and 175 pounds) and can't find a comfortable place to rest my arms. The armrest on the right is too short, the one in the door is too low and too hard. It's just not a car that I look forward to driving more than 20 minutes at a time.

At 7000 miles I'm already getting rattles and buzzes in about 4 different places in the dash.

It's a good value for what I got. The sync system (non-touch based) is great and I love having the physical number buttons for entering PIN codes for conference calls when I'm traveling. The stock stereo sucks pretty bad, and there's no good way to upgrade it. But hard to argue with the driving dynamics, heated leather, looks and little touches for around $18,000.

It's just not a comfortable car to me and I regret buying it.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

Look at Honda Accord. A lot of room in competing class.

 

[Doppel]

Tomorrow is some brands' last day of presidents day cash. You wait past then you lose it.

 

[HitAnyKey]

Had a friend go through this exact exercise. He ended up getting an Elantra GL. Decent car at a decent price. He is very happy with his purchase so far.

 

[imported_Irse]

For a commuter car, I would pick something comfortable but mostly reliable. Corolla or Camry.

 

[Born2bwire]

Price mainly, I can get a Civic for a similar price but it's pretty bare in the amenities. No, creature comforts/features are not critical, but I'm at the point that I want some of those. Though if the car is simply that much better then I'll give up some features.

I've personally driven recent models of the Civic and Impreza so I have some experience with how they drive. The rest will be new to me so checking out a Mazda (ugh) and a Corolla might make sense.



Interesting... I'll pay special attention tonight on the seat and how I feel in it. I think the seats are the same among all the non ST models but I don't know that for a fact. I've read about people hitting very nice mileage but obviously it depends a lot on how you drive. I drive almost exclusively freeway in my commute at 65 MPH so I should be able to get at, or near, the max mileage.

I'm disappointed with my mileage in my 2013 Titanium Focus Hatchback. I get about 22-24 mpg and that's a combination of mostly city with a little highway. That being said, it does really well if you do highway for long periods. The speed limits here are 60 and 65 and the last time I drove to the airport and back going at most 5 over, I did 40 mpg reported for 1.5-2 hours worth of driving. So I'd say that is around 36-37 mpg in reality which is actually about what they claim for highway. Going faster than 65 really cuts into the mileage though and any stop and go really hurts it too.

Other than that, the transmission has improved as I have driven it (still just shy of 5K), but it still needs some work. The only problem I have is that once in a while, it has trouble with deciding between first and second at low speeds. I notice this mainly when I am in a parking garage going downhill as it shifts up and then quickly shifts down again as I slow down.

Otherwise, I really like the car. I looked at other cars in the same price range, like the Cruze, Altima, Corolla, and Elantra. But what I liked about the Focus was that you got a lot more accessories and features for your money. I could get an Altima for the same price, but it would practically have to be the base model while I have a lot of features with the Titanium. I have the rear view camera (which is absolutely wonderful to have), parking sensors, keyless entry, leather seats, MyFord Touch (if you consider it a feature), heated seats, and upgraded sound system. The only extras I got was the parking assist and the tuning and tire package. I had an Altima, but I never really needed a full size sedan, especially now that I am a commuter. The Focus is really the only economy sized car that allows you to add a lot of the features that you would only find in a sedan.

I will say that I have become more and more impressed with the Nissan CVTs. I rented a Versa for a week and I got really good mileage on that.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Of all the rentals ive had the Cruze is the best one, by far.

 

[Spike]

We test drove the focus titanium and really enjoyed it. I found it smaller than I remembered, the back seat did not have a ton of room, but it was enough for me to sit in at 6' with comfort. The features were wonderful and the car drove well. I was pretty much ready to go for it.

Unfortunately my wife decided that now was not the time to buy a new car, something about being fiscally responsible and not wanting to take on a second car loan even though the night before she was all about it. I ran our numbers and we were fine and could take on the extra $280 a month with no impact to our savings (I just re budgeted). However, we don't need it enough for me to get into a fight about... ugh.

I am going to keep working on it. I do want to give the Fusion, Altima, Sonata, Elantra GT, and Cruze a test drive as well, but my first impression was quite good on that focus.

 

[SSSnail]

You can probably get a 2011 BMW 328i CPO for that much money, and they're warrantied for 100K miles or 6 years...

 

[lakedude]

We just picked up an Elantra and obviously we like it. There is a 100k mile power train warranty and a 5 year 60k bumper to bumper. The biggest complaint is road noise on the expressway.

We paid a lot less than $22k...

Seems like you should be able to get something better for $22k. I think Toyota was advertising $6k off list prices on the 2013 Camry.

Hyundai has rebates on the 2013 models. Seems like a Sonata should be within your budget. Hyundai is known for "surprise and delight" adding features normally found as options or higher end vehicles.

Maybe you need some tips on talking the stealership down in price?

 

[tortillasoup]

OP should get a Prius. Rent one for a few days and see how you like it. It will be an improvement from the Honda Civic in both gas mileage and maintenance costs. Otherwise I'd consider looking @ a used Camry Hybrid. OP doesn't need a brand new car and can save the depreciation if he buys used. Prius has tons of leg room and is pretty damn comfortable for 4 adults. A Camry Hybrid might also be worth looking at.

I would choose the vehicles in the following order: Prius, then Camry Hybrid, then Honda Accord/Camry. Camry Hybrid gets pretty close to Prius fuel economy but it's a bit more expensive and has less utility due to it not being a hatchback like the Prius is. However the Camry Hybrid should be just as reliable as the Prius.

 

[Midwayman]

When I was at the autoshow, I saw that a Chevy volt was down to $25kish with the tax incentives. I'd seriously look if I had your stated needs.

 

[Doppel]

We test drove the focus titanium and really enjoyed it. I found it smaller than I remembered, the back seat did not have a ton of room, but it was enough for me to sit in at 6' with comfort. The features were wonderful and the car drove well. I was pretty much ready to go for it.

Unfortunately my wife decided that now was not the time to buy a new car, something about being fiscally responsible and not wanting to take on a second car loan even though the night before she was all about it. I ran our numbers and we were fine and could take on the extra $280 a month with no impact to our savings (I just re budgeted). However, we don't need it enough for me to get into a fight about... ugh.

I am going to keep working on it. I do want to give the Fusion, Altima, Sonata, Elantra GT, and Cruze a test drive as well, but my first impression was quite good on that focus.

I like your wife more now than when I knew nothing about her. You can always buy later, cars only get better

 

[NutBucket]

When I was at the autoshow, I saw that a Chevy volt was down to $25kish with the tax incentives. I'd seriously look if I had your stated needs.

That would be sweet. Might have to look into this at some point. I far prefer the Volt to Prius for some reason. Maybe just based on looks.

 

[SearchMaster]

That would be sweet. Might have to look into this at some point. I far prefer the Volt to Prius for some reason. Maybe just based on looks.

My SIL has a Volt and her husband has a Prius. They absolutely love the Volt, it really is a great car that would have been much more popular if it was as cheap when introduced as it is now.

 

[Doppel]

The Volt does have a high rate of owner satisfaction. It is only a 4 seater, but if you live in a cold climate I can recommend it big time over a Leaf.

 

[dbk]

25k otd freeway cruiser.. Focus elantra impreza? Move up a class please. Altima Mazda6 Accord Sonata Camry Fusion?

 

[lakedude]

25k otd freeway cruiser.. Focus elantra impreza? Move up a class please. Altima Mazda6 Accord Sonata Camry Fusion?

+1

 

[NutBucket]

My SIL has a Volt and her husband has a Prius. They absolutely love the Volt, it really is a great car that would have been much more popular if it was as cheap when introduced as it is now.

Well that's a bit loaded since it's a tax credit. Not exactly cheap. And technology costs. Isn't the plug in Prius quite a bit more than the normal one? Plus it doesn't go nearly as far as the Volt on a charge.

 

[Pulsar]

Also other than the Civic the Prius is far more reliable by an order of magnitude over any of the other cars you mentioned.

Data? Cite? Do you know what an order of magnitude means?

Quality on all the top auto makers are pretty much neck and neck. Any unbiased report will tell you so, although there is still a portion of the population who are stuck in the Toyota / Honda are way better rut.

 

[MegaFlop]

25k otd freeway cruiser.. Focus elantra impreza? Move up a class please. Altima Mazda6 Accord Sonata Camry Fusion?

It just depends on which options you can live with...

The fully loaded mid size cars will be at least $5K more then a fully loaded compact. Sure you can get a Fusion for $25K OTD, but you are comparing it with a Focus Titanium. Fully optioned Altimas and Accords are going to be over $30K MSRP.

 

[dbk]

It just depends on which options you can live with...

The fully loaded mid size cars will be at least $5K more then a fully loaded compact. Sure you can get a Fusion for $25K OTD, but you are comparing it with a Focus Titanium. Fully optioned Altimas and Accords are going to be over $30K MSRP.

I get what u're saying but i would take a new Accord LX with stick over Civic ex-l.. That lx still comes with a lot of useful standard features - thats the trend nowadays albeit it doesn't have the features most still consider as being "loaded" such as leather, nav, sunroof, seat heaters, hids etc.

For OPs sake, he's looking for a freeway cruiser that fits four adults comfortably? Focus Titanium or Fusion S? Civic Ex-l or Accord Sport? Sentra FE+S or Altima 2.5? Mazda3 GT or Mazda6 S? Corolla S or Camry LE. I think its pretty obvious what fits the need better.

 

[MegaFlop]

For OPs sake, he's looking for a freeway cruiser that fits four adults comfortably? Focus Titanium or Fusion S? Civic Ex-l or Accord Sport? Sentra FE+S or Altima 2.5? Mazda3 GT or Mazda6 S? Corolla S or Camry LE. I think its pretty obvious what fits the need better.

I understand what you are saying. I have a pet peeve when people claim car A is comparable to B in price without matching up the trim level.

Honestly for the OP if you are really going to be driving four adults around on the highway and they are typical American sized people you should be looking at something more like a Malibu or V6 Charger/300.