Which small four door car would you get?

[ultimatebob]

I can't decide which of these small four door cars is a better buy right now. All three of the models that I picked are fuel efficient and reasonably priced.

What do you guys think?

 

[manimal]

Have you driven the cruze, focus and civic?


used or new?

 

[ultimatebob]

Have you driven the cruze, focus and civic?


used or new?

You were too quick for me to get my poll options up, but it looks like we're on the same wave length

I'm thinking new... although a two year old hybrid might offer better bang for the buck.

 

[manimal]

You were too quick for me to get my poll options up, but it looks like we're on the same wave length

I'm thinking new... although a two year old hybrid might offer better bang for the buck.

I would off the bat tell you the two year old hybrid option is alot of bang for you buck!

or is it little bang...

 

[Bignate603]

From what I've read I'd probably prefer the Focus. However, I don't think you'll be unhappy with any of those.

 

[Jumpem]

Focus. Especially since it is the only one that comes in a hatch.

 

[herm0016]

i like the cruze myself.

 

[amdhunter]

Kia Optima. White with black ass tints and 18 or 19" black aftermarket rims.

EDIT: lol, kinda like this:

 

[Jeff7]

2012 Subaru Impreza Premium.
I know it's not on the list, but the ones that are on that list were among those I was looking at back when I was researching my options.
The Impreza's what I went with. I'm right next to Lake Erie. While Canadians typically have a reputation of being quite friendly, they repeatedly punish this area with brutal aerial attacks, usually consisting of high winds, lots of frigid air, and very rude quantities of snow.
So the all-wheel-drive factored into the decision. The ratings were 27/36mpg city/highway, a good bit better than their previous years' models. Since I bought it about 3 weeks ago I've only had it out in the city, and the trip meter is between 26.7-27.6mpg, so that one at least seems to have been right on.
This winter's been exceedingly warm and light on the snow. I think I've only had it out in snow twice in these 3 weeks, which is bizarre for this area, but the roads weren't even bad enough to have given a front-wheel-drive car much trouble. So I can't really comment yet on how much the AWD, ABS, or stability control things influence the driving. As far as rain driving goes.....well, I never had any slippage problems or anything while driving my FWD Elantra, so I can't say that any of those things have helped me much.

But, in any case, maybe it's another option to consider. I see you're in Connecticut too. How are the winters there?
I think the Ford Focus was next on the list though.

(A hatchback version is also available.)


Hybirds: Hyundai had the best battery warranty that I remember seeing - 10 years. Unless their li-ion tech is better than anyone else's, they might be in for some expensive repairs later down the road, but that's between them and their engineers and accountants. Li-ion cells lose a fair bit of capacity each year they're around, which made me a bit nervous about getting a hybrid. And then there's the added complexity of the drive systems. But I'd imagine that the regenerative braking would be great for gas mileage during constant stop/go city driving.

 

[ballmode]

Test drove a new impreza, don't know if you need the AWD, the wagon utility or anything higher than 36mpg but its a better car than the focus I was raving on about last week.

The impreza had more interior space, but lacked the tech features. Each car has a 6sp auto, well the impreza has the CVT (with paddle shift).

 

[Dr. Detroit]

The impreza had more interior space, but lacked the tech features. Each car has a 6sp auto, well the impreza has the CVT (with paddle shift).

Lacked tech features, refined interior quality, and aside from Nissan - CVT's are the suck.

Less HP, More weight, worse mpg

But yes, the Impreza is a winner in the AWD and interior space compared to the Focus.

As for being the most fun-to-drive car in its class, the Impreza might not be our first pick, but it's in the hunt. Current Impreza owners should really like this new car, and C-segment shoppers would be wise to give the Subie a look, especially those who live in the Snow Belt. It may not offer best-in-class efficiency, technology, power, or beauty, but all in, the Impreza is a solid offering with some of the best road manners in its class.

 

[bwoody2016]

Golf TDI...period....

 

[MotF Bane]

Bypassing the Mazda 3?

 

[ultimatebob]

Golf TDI...period....

Interesting idea, but I had a bad experience with VW products (My old Audi A4 tried to kill me), and it's hard to fill up with Diesel around here.

 

[GoatMonkey]

Interesting idea, but I had a bad experience with VW products (My old Audi A4 tried to kill me), and it's hard to fill up with Diesel around here.

You had unintended acceleration? I want to hear the story.

 

[Jumpem]

Lacked tech features, refined interior quality, and aside from Nissan - CVT's are the suck.

Less HP, More weight, worse mpg

But yes, the Impreza is a winner in the AWD and interior space compared to the Focus.

CVT's get better mileage than a traditional automatic. The new Impreza may be down on power, but it also weighs less, gets much better fuel economy, and is actually a tad quicker than the previous model.

 

[ultimatebob]

The Subaru Impreza is an interesting idea... AWD could be useful in winter here in Connecticut.

 

[bwoody2016]

Interesting idea, but I had a bad experience with VW products (My old Audi A4 tried to kill me), and it's hard to fill up with Diesel around here.

This mean your skipping Euro all together?

 

[nitrous9200]

As mentioned by others, Mazda 3 (with skyactiv) and/or 2012 Subaru Impreza. The Mazda probably drives better but the Impreza has AWD and more cargo space.
I rode in a Focus in a test drive and it felt quite cramped, blind spots seemed bigger than they should be and the center stacked looked cluttered and busy.

AWD is nice though snow tires might be more advantageous depending on how much snow you get.

 

[ultimatebob]

You had unintended acceleration? I want to hear the story.

Yep... The throttle got stuck wide open while I was driving on a back country road in my 2003 Audi A4. I had to throw it into neutral to get it stopped before I ran off a sharp curve in the road and into a tree! The Audi dealer found that it had a malfunctioning gas pedal position sensor. The car was only 1,000 miles out of warranty, and I got stuck with a $200 repair bill to fix it.

When I called Audi customer service about the bill, they tried to make it sound like it was MY fault like I had a loose floormat holding down the pedal... even though I already had it fixed by the dealer at that point! The funny thing is that this was years before the Toyota recalls for this issue... but Audi was already using the same "blame the customer" playbook for this problem.

So, yeah... I still have an axe to grind with VW.

 

[Jeff7]

Test drove a new impreza, don't know if you need the AWD, the wagon utility or anything higher than 36mpg but its a better car than the focus I was raving on about last week.

The impreza had more interior space, but lacked the tech features. Each car has a 6sp auto, well the impreza has the CVT (with paddle shift).

Which tech features?
The base Impreza, perhaps? The Premium has Bluetooth support and the USB&3.5mm inputs for the audio, and some controls on the steering wheel. There's a navigation system option available as well, though it's only available as part of some options packages; at least that's how it's done on the website. Maybe it can be configured differently through a dealership.
The Limited has a bunch of the other options standard, though it's also got leather everywhere. That alone was enough to prevent me from even considering it. (I'm just not a fan of leather - the feel of it, or the awful smell. Bleh.)

Lacked tech features, refined interior quality, and aside from Nissan - CVT's are the suck.

Less HP, More weight, worse mpg

But yes, the Impreza is a winner in the AWD and interior space compared to the Focus.

CVT might be a preference thing. It took me a bit of getting used to, but I've come to like it, particularly when the automatic transmission can't quite figure out what gearing ratio I want. Once it does make up its mind, there's no momentary loss of power while it changes the transmission ratio. It just kicks down to a lower ratio, and the car immediately accelerates.

The downside of the transmission seems to be unrelated to it being CVT or a regular transmission, it's more the programming in the Impreza: You can't coast downhill like what I was accustomed to. It wants to try to keep your speed steady, or even slow down the car while going downhill unless you're giving it gas. My Elantra behaved as if the car was in neutral when going downhill.
The transmission's "manual" mode also isn't entirely manual. For example, as you slow down, it automatically does a gradual downshift. So if you are in 4th gear and hit the brakes, once you get to a stop, it'll have automatically put you in 1st. And there are limits to where you can shift. For example, you've got to be going at least 50 or 55mph before it'll allow you to shift to 6th gear. It also won't let you do something that would possibly damage it, like trying to downshift to 1st at 60mph.

Weight: ~70lb difference for CVT vs manual.


So, it's a slightly mixed bag. It's a darn bit nicer than what I had driven for 11 years (it cost a hell of a lot more, too), but some stuff just isn't what I was used to. But without test-driving several different cars for a few weeks each, it'd be tough to get a really good and proper idea of what each manufacturer offers. None of the downsides of this car are worth trying to trade it up for something different though.

As mentioned by others, Mazda 3 (with skyactiv) and/or 2012 Subaru Impreza. The Mazda probably drives better but the Impreza has AWD and more cargo space.
I rode in a Focus in a test drive and it felt quite cramped, blind spots seemed bigger than they should be and the center stacked looked cluttered and busy.

AWD is nice though snow tires might be more advantageous depending on how much snow you get.

Indeed so. AWD might help get you moving alright, but there's a pretty good chance that you're going to want to be able to stop the car at some point in time.



And a note about where my opinions are coming from: I shopped for a car with practical features in mind. I don't drive for fun (I don't quite even know what "fun to drive" exactly refers to; my sister said "you drive boring" to me once:\), I drive because I need to get from one place to another in a relatively efficient manner. Comfort is important, luxury features are important, and things like the side-mirror and windshield wiper heaters are important, as is gas mileage, and the price to get it all. AWD was also a significant distinguishing factor.

 

[ultimatebob]

I'm surprised that nobody tried to recommend a Toyoya Corolla to me yet... I drove one of those recently, and found it to be one of the most boring cars on earth. It just screamed "rental car" to me!

 

[Jumpem]

Which tech features?
The base Impreza, perhaps? The Premium has Bluetooth support and the USB&3.5mm inputs for the audio, and some controls on the steering wheel. There's a navigation system option available as well, though it's only available as part of some options packages; at least that's how it's done on the website. Maybe it can be configured differently through a dealership.
The Limited has a bunch of the other options standard, though it's also got leather everywhere. That alone was enough to prevent me from even considering it. (I'm just not a fan of leather - the feel of it, or the awful smell. Bleh.)




CVT might be a preference thing. It took me a bit of getting used to, but I've come to like it, particularly when the automatic transmission can't quite figure out what gearing ratio I want. Once it does make up its mind, there's no momentary loss of power while it changes the transmission ratio. It just kicks down to a lower ratio, and the car immediately accelerates.

The downside of the transmission seems to be unrelated to it being CVT or a regular transmission, it's more the programming in the Impreza: You can't coast downhill like what I was accustomed to. It wants to try to keep your speed steady, or even slow down the car while going downhill unless you're giving it gas. My Elantra behaved as if the car was in neutral when going downhill.
The transmission's "manual" mode also isn't entirely manual. For example, as you slow down, it automatically does a gradual downshift. So if you are in 4th gear and hit the brakes, once you get to a stop, it'll have automatically put you in 1st. And there are limits to where you can shift. For example, you've got to be going at least 50 or 55mph before it'll allow you to shift to 6th gear. It also won't let you do something that would possibly damage it, like trying to downshift to 1st at 60mph.

Weight: ~70lb difference for CVT vs manual.


So, it's a slightly mixed bag. It's a darn bit nicer than what I had driven for 11 years (it cost a hell of a lot more, too), but some stuff just isn't what I was used to. But without test-driving several different cars for a few weeks each, it'd be tough to get a really good and proper idea of what each manufacturer offers. None of the downsides of this car are worth trying to trade it up for something different though.



Indeed so. AWD might help get you moving alright, but there's a pretty good chance that you're going to want to be able to stop the car at some point in time.



And a note about where my opinions are coming from: I shopped for a car with practical features in mind. I don't drive for fun (I don't quite even know what "fun to drive" exactly refers to; my sister said "you drive boring" to me once:\), I drive because I need to get from one place to another in a relatively efficient manner. Comfort is important, luxury features are important, and things like the side-mirror and windshield wiper heaters are important, as is gas mileage, and the price to get it all. AWD was also a significant distinguishing factor.

Holding a speed going downhill is a huge positive to me. Much better than riding the brakes down a hill.

 

[mmntech]

Out of those three? Civic first choice, Focus close second. You can't go wrong with either. The focus hatch would be a sweet ride. Forget about the Cruze entirely. I've had a lot of experience with GM cars and they're mostly junk IMHO.

Kia Optima. White with black ass tints and 18 or 19" black aftermarket rims.

KIA has come a long way. I've driven the new Sonata quite frequently. I'm assuming the Optima handles vary similarly. Nice cars. You get a lot of bang for your buck with them.

 

[Bignate603]

Out of those three? Civic first choice, Focus close second. You can't go wrong with either. The focus hatch would be a sweet ride. Forget about the Cruze entirely. I've had a lot of experience with GM cars and they're mostly junk IMHO.

Your opinion goes against every opinion that I've heard from a person that's actually driven the Cruze.

KIA has come a long way. I've driven the new Sonata quite frequently. I'm assuming the Optima handles vary similarly. Nice cars. You get a lot of bang for your buck with them.

You're willing to forgive Kia for the utter garbage they were making not that long ago but won't give the same benefit to GM?