[en-druzhba]

Ok, so I've got my first real job out of college, and I REALLY need a new car. My current car is a 1993 3.4L Camaro. Needless to say, it's slow as hell, gets very poor mileage, has no cargo space, harsh ride, and tons of road noise [rofl].

So, I'm looking to get something around the $18,000-$21,000 range. Mostly looking for practicality (MPG and decent cargo space/fold down seats)... I'd consider the Honda Fit, but I just can't do it... It looks like a miniature minivan. I say cargo space/fold down seats for a few reasons. Probably moving within a few months, so that will be helpful then, and also because I have a siberian husky. They shed a ton, and I'd like to keep it localized to the back seats or cargo area when I take her places.

So, because of that my main considerations are:
Mazda 3 5-door
Hyundai Veloster - Personally, I really like the looks.
Nissan Juke - Looks nice too, front end/headlights are a bit odd though

I just did some research on the Nissan Juke for the first tonight... It sounds pretty great... I think it almost has everything I want... My issues with the Veloster are only 138hp, and reviewers has said it's very slow off the line. The Juke has a 188hp turbo engine, and optional all wheel drive. It also has 4 passenger doors unlike the 3 of the Veloster, not a huge deal to me, but still it's a +1 for the Juke. Finally, it looks like the Juke has more overage room/storage as well.

The Veloster gets a decent bit better highway miles, but I drive city for the most part, and the Juke is rated at 27, which seems pretty impressive for the power it has. I'd be willing to sacrifice the highway mileage a bit for the extra power/fun to drive the Juke would be. The Veloster does come standard with some cool technology in the cabin, but being a car, the other points are more important to me.

The Veloster is going to have a turbo variant for the 2013 model, but I don't know if I can wait that long, and it will probably be more expensive than the Juke which has a turbo standard.

I don't care much for the Focus and Feista offerings by Ford.

I may do some test driving this weekend.

P.S. - I'm not hugely into cars for my fun vehicles, that's what bikes are for to me .

*EDIT* - Ok, well I did some more research on the Juke... Looks like I'll probably cross it off vs the Veloster now. Reviews and users are reporting MUCH lower mileage than EPA ratings. Also, there are many complaints of comfort/interior, and the back seats actually have less room than the Veloster. Finally, turbo lag seems to be a big issue with it as well. It also has less cargo space with the rear seats up, and equal with them down.

[emexiagog]

Check out the Chevy Cruze. It's a decent size car, good gas mileage, doesn't look too bad and the interior reminds me of a spaceship (which is cool)

[en-druzhba]

Check out the Chevy Cruze. It's a decent size car, good gas mileage, doesn't look too bad and the interior reminds me of a spaceship (which is cool)

It's ok, but it doesn't have a hatch version/the ability to fold the rear seats down for cargo room, which is a pretty important feature to me.

[CO2490pL]

So just a hatch then?
AWD really important to you?

I would get the Subaru Impreza with the 2.0L. You get the best AWD for your dollar. The other AWD systems imo don't appear to be very good at all. Not nearly as good as Subaru's at least for the Impreza. The 2.0L model also gives you 27/36 mpgs. Not bad considering the standard AWD.
You can basically get the high trim model with some options in that price range.

[LoohornePharp]

I drive a Mazda 3 2.2l diesel sport personally.

Decent load space, 0-62 in 8 seconds, 185 horsepower and decent torque aswell as averaging 47MPG. Which is good considering I mainly commute in heavy traffic to work.

[DoctorWeryDolt]

Ford Focus

[CO2490pL]

I drive a Mazda 3 2.2l diesel sport personally.

Decent load space, 0-62 in 8 seconds, 185 horsepower and decent torque aswell as averaging 47MPG. Which is good considering I mainly commute in heavy traffic to work.

If only the USA had diesels.
Instead we get silly hybrids.

[netamargr]

Curious why you won't consider the new focus?

They're well built, very fun to drive, practical, and (in my opinion) quite good looking.

[en-druzhba]

Curious why you won't consider the new focus?

They're well built, very fun to drive, practical, and (in my opinion) quite good looking.

I suppose I may consider one still. Definitely not a Fiesta though. Do you have one? I haven't looked into them too much beyond Ford's own site. Have they reviewed well/deliver very close to EPA estimated mileage? It looks like they do have a lot more cargo room than the Veloster, and a bit more than the Mazda 3.

So, I suppose now it's between:
Mazda 3 5-door
Hyundai Veloster
Ford Focus 5-door

Between all of them, the Veloster has the best warranty: 5 year/60,000 miles vs 3 year/36,000 on the other two. The other two have better engines, and more cargo room.

[OwdBKKHO]

Curious why you won't consider the new focus?

They're well built, very fun to drive, practical, and (in my opinion) quite good looking.

Massive issues with the new Dual Clutch transmissions. Yep, ford went with the dual clutch design for a grocery getter. Very harsh engagment issues right now. Some are better than others but Ford isn't fixing it right now. In fact, they are completely playing it off as "different"

Having ridden in one, I'd never touch it. Its HORRID. Get a real manual compared to that POS transmission that will be expensive to replace.

http://www.dailytech.com/Consumers+N...ticle21954.htm

Others have also mentioned problems concerning Ford's PowerShift dual-clutch automatic transmission, which can be found on the 2011 Fiesta and the 2012 Focus. The PowerShift combines two manual transmissions where one clutch controls first, third and fifth gears while the second clutch controls second, fourth and sixth gears. The idea behind the system is to enable more efficient shifting in order to improve fuel economy.

Despite its best intentions, the system isn't perfect. Consumers have noted that the system overall is "jerky" with unexpected shifts. Also, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration noted that "huge metallic noises" occurred when downshifting at low speeds, and "dangerous gear changes" made the vehicle surge and eventually stall.

"The Focus is a little slow to find the right gear as you're slowing from 50 miles per hour," said David Champion, director of Consumer Reports' auto test center in East Haddam, Connecticut.

But Ford spokesman Richard Truett assures that the PowerShift is just a "different type of transmission" that uses actuators and solenoids to change gears electronically, and that it just takes some getting used to. ________________________________


Now, as one of FM's official Petrol Heads I can agree that the Subaru Imprezza is a definite win. I went with my G6 because for what i was willing to spend on a car, I could either get a G6 with 10k miles, or a WRX with 80k miles. No one wanted a G6 GTP like mine because it was a manual car and a 2dr at that. But I love my G6, its fast and sporty. What I don't like is that I have no upgrade path, but I actually CHOSE the G6 for that reason, I didn't want to modify, thats what the TransAm is for.

[CO2490pL]

Caranddriver didn't like the transmission very much, but still was rated higher than say the Honda Civic in their June 2011 comparison.

Gets first place here too.
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...car-and-driver


I guess consider at your own risk?


Now is the tranny just poor build quality, or is there maybe a tuner on the market that can tweak the transmission programming to shift smoother and more confident?
Seems like it should be a fairly easy fix if it is just the software which controls the transmission and not build quality.

[homerdienru]

Oh nice another ford trans issue. Right along with the crustang Chinese built transmission problems. People wonder why I still hate ford. [rofl]

[emexiagog]

Oh nice another ford trans issue. Right along with the crustang Chinese built transmission problems. People wonder why I still hate ford. [rofl]

Hey, at least they didn't need a bailout

[OwdBKKHO]

Re-reading your post now. Based on the 3 cars you listed Mazda 3 hatch, Juke and Veloster

It looks like you are looking for a more utilitarian car. But if you want a "sporty" car in that class there really only is ONE car that comes to mind.

The Mazdaspeed 3 - 6spd Manual, 270 Turbo-charged I4.

If you want AWD you have to step up to the Mazdaspeed 6.



________________________________

And though it screams cheap the King of the pocket rockets right now is the Chevrolet Cobalt SS Turbo. It only has 250hp, however it is the handling king and still the fastest production FWD coupe on the Nurburgring. Everyone who drives one of these cars raves about the handling, and I have to agree. I was looking at them instead of my G6, but the prices were just too high and I didn't want a Supercharged model.

You want punch? The Cobalt SS will knock the 1/4 mile down in the mid 13's with a competent driver at almost 105mph. Top speed is somewhere above 160.

Downsides? Its a cobalt. Its an econobox turned into a rocket.

[RokeIdeadioke]

manual or auto? and i would stay well away from cars with only 2 front doors and rear seats - more people die in those in accidents than any other vehicle type (escape factor)

[en-druzhba]

manual or auto? and i would stay well away from cars with only 2 front doors and rear seats - more people die in those in accidents than any other vehicle type (escape factor)

Probably auto. I'd only really want a manual for a fun car that I wouldn't be commuting with every day, which for me I pretty much reserve for bikes. The only car I'm considering that has "2" front doors and rear seats is the Veloster, which actually has 2 front doors and 1 rear, but I rarely, if ever have 4 passengers.

[OwdBKKHO]

Probably auto. I'd only really want a manual for a fun car that I wouldn't be commuting with every day, which for me I pretty much reserve for bikes. The only car I'm considering that has "2" front doors and rear seats is the Veloster, which actually has 2 front doors and 1 rear, but I rarely, if ever have 4 passengers.

When I first got my G6 they were doing construction on the major highway that leads me to work. So I'd spend 20 minutes in pure stop and go traffic. It was a pain at first. But now after driving manual every day for over a year its no big deal. It doesn't bother me. I'd rather have the manual for daily driving. Simple to fix, cheap to replace. The only annoying thing is replacing the clutch when it wears out but it doesn't bother me that much.

[RokeIdeadioke]

i`ve had an auto twice in my life and hated them - sorry , but i find them detatched from driving - maybe because here in the uk most drivers , drive manual rather than auto.

[en-druzhba]

I'm sure I'd get used to it over time, but for a commuting car, city driving, I'm really not interested in a manual, and if someone needs to drive my car that can't drive stick, it'd be a problem... Even on a bike, in stop and go traffic, I get a little annoyed with a manual, and personally I find bikes easier to shift than cars.

Anyway, I did some looking and test driving today. Test drove the Hyundai Veloster, Mazda 3, and a 2011 Subaru Imprezza. I also looked at a 2012 Ford Focus hatch, but the dealer wasn't open so I couldn't test drive it.

Overall, I prefered the Hyundai to be honest. Like the Focus, it has DCT for the auto transmission. The car I test drove only had 96 miles on it, and I didn't feel anything really odd or alarming about the way the DCT performed (seems Hyundai's DCT is regarded to be the best tuned from online browsing). It also has paddle shifters standard. It would be cool if you could tell the computer not to shift, and have it rely soley on the paddle shifters, but no such option. The features and cabin/seats I preferred over the Mazda 3 and 2011 Imprezza.

The Mazda I really didn't care for too much, seemed like more road noise, and just felt like an older model. Technology features are very basic in the standard model, and not even a USB port which every other car I looked at had. Driving felt ok, a bit stiffer than the Hyundai wish isn't necessarily bad.

The Imprezza I looked into because they don't have 2012 models in yet. They said they'll be getting them towards the end of the month. It's the only 2011 model left on the lot, and they're willing to sell it at invoice, and offered pretty good financing as well. Overall, however I just feel like it's not the car I'm looking for. It's not a hatchback, and mileage is fairly poor. The seats weren't the greatest either, but I thought it drove pretty well. A little underpowered for AWD, but not bad overall.

I need to get more info on financing from Hyundai, and still need to test drive the 2012 Focus, but so far I'm leaning towards the Hyundai.