Wooch, I did a lot of traveling this summer and got to drive the new Ford Focus. I was very impressed to say the least. The car was designed in Germany and it shows. The car rides and handles like a German car. It has a very well controlled firm but comfortable ride. It handles corners well without excess body lean. The car feels much heavier than it is in a good way. It feels more solid, not cumbersome. Handling feels crisp and precise Fit and finish was very good. It's also very quiet inside with very little road noise for a car in this class. My only beef's with it are that the electronic controls can be confusing and that one of the turn levers was cheap. The car could also use a bit more take off power but I did not get to drive the sport model that has a bigger engine I believe. The Focus comes in Sedan and Hatchback models.

If I were looking for a small comfortable well handling car the Focus would be it. Ford really has a winner with this car.

If you are looking for a fun car to drive then I would consider the VW Golf. But reliability and maintenance costs can be an issue. I think that VW's are good if you are only going to keep the car for 3-4yrs.

I am also a fan of the Mazda 3 and was a fan of the Civic till Honda downgraded the car to cut costs. The same goes for the VW Jetta. Read the reviews on the new Civic and Jetta, they are not very good for the most part.

The new Elantra is a very nice car, good styling, great mpg and interior fit and finish is a big notch above the other cars I mentioned. But road noise is an issue.