Buying a Hatchback!! What should I get???

[broski499]

Hey guys I'm finally turning in my toyota 1999 le. I'm tired of getting 25mpg so I'm upgrading. I really love the flexibility of hatchbacks so that is what I'm leaning towards. I would love to stay around 14,000 to 17,000. Basically what will give me the best MPG and best car. I don't know how to drive manual, I know I'm lazy, so it needs to be Auto.

I've been looking at

Nissan Versa Note - CVT, active grill shutters, pretty basic, solid MPG 31/40

Mazda 2 - simple, clean, but the MPG is just ok. 29/35

Honda Fit - great MPG 33/41

Kia Rio 5 door - lot of standard features 27/37

Hundyai Accent 5 door - lot of standard features 27/38

Let me know if you can think of any others. I'm not really particular on car brand and I don't need anything fancy. Maybe you have one of these and know that it is capable of way more MPG then is listed. Thanks guys!!!

Kyle

[Sven7]

For what it's worth my girlfriend has a 2012 Sentra and the CVT is atrocious. Unresponsive, mushy, inconsistent... I've driven a Mazda 2 manual and it was a fun chassis with a numb but precise shifter. Out of your options, even without driving the Korean cars, I'd be between the inefficient but fun Mazda and the efficient but presumably less fun Fit.

[broski499]

interesting, yeah the CVT are really interesting to me. I imagine they can achieve better gas mileage then a normal automatic but probs not as much as a well trained hyper miler with a manual.

[Daox]

I'm test driving a 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage right now. It falls right in your price range, and gets crazy good mileage. Its rated 37/44!

[broski499]

wow I will definitely have to check that one out!!! Thanks for the info!!

[Fat Charlie]

My short list from a year ago:

Tiny cars- Chevy Spark and Mitsubishi Mirage, too small for my needs.

Nissan Versa- If you want a manual, you can't get power anything. If you can stomach a CVT, take a longer look.
Chevy Sonic- If the 1st gen (Aveo) doesn't scare you entirely away, worth a look.
Ford Fiesta- I sooo wanted one, but the cargo space was on the small end and the price was on the high end.

I got a Honda Fit for $15k. If you want real mileage, spend a few minutes learning the manual. It's more fun and pays off in mpg.

[Sven7]

I really wonder about buying a Mitsubishi over the long term. You don't see a lot of older ones on the road (questioning reliability) and the company itself seems to be half-hearted in this country these days. Just food for thought. It could be a great car!

^^^x2 on learning a manual. 30 minutes in a parking lot will get you roadworthy, and from there it's just refinement.

[vskid3]

How about a Prius? Beats the MPGs of the others by far despite being an automatic and you can get a pretty new/low miles one for your budget. Good amount of cargo space with the seats up or down.

[broski499]

that is a great point, def going to look more into used priuses.

[user removed]

Originally Posted by Daox

I'm test driving a 2015 Mitsubishi Mirage right now. It falls right in your price range, and gets crazy good mileage. Its rated 37/44!

There is your car.

regards
Mech