Car Talk: I'm looking for a compact hatch

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As an individual who is used to the richly textured interior of an acura, I'm surprised you're content with the mazda. I like mazda and all, they really are a fun drive with quick reflexes and great power, but I could never get past the cutrate feel of their interiors to where I'd consider owning one. They look awesome on paper, and in person, the fitment is on par with other Japanese brands, but there is just a sense of cheapness about them. And I thought hyundai's were moderately guilty of this.

If handling characteristics, fuel economy, reliability, and the versatility of a hatch factor largely into your consideration, I would have a look at the VW Golf diesel. This seems to fit your bill well. The interior is well appointed with a nice feel and available options galore. The TDI makes fantastic torque that is great for tooling around the city and commuting. The structure is extremely solid and with a million airbags and electronic safety system nannies like TCS, ESC, ABS etc, to keep you safe. I know the VW diesel drivetrain is renowned for its dependability, however, I can't attest to the quality of their electronics, power features, etc. I hear they can be hit or miss with the early 2000's generation VWs, but I've read in various reviews that the new VW's are a vast improvement. Overall, the diesel golf is really a great package.

My vote would go to the new hyundai veloster though. The looks are certainly unique, definitely a love it or hate it affair. Yes it looks like a two door, but the coolest feature of this car is the third door on the passenger side. It is forward hinged like the other two, can be opened independently (unlike the old saturn sc2 and mazda rx-8) and really adds extra versatility. The door handle is hidden in the c-pillar trim so it really does look like a two door.The 1.6L DI engine yields a very economical 28 city/40 mpg highway rating with the 6-speed manual, and can move at a surprisingly un-leisurely pace courtesy of 132 horses and 123 ft lbs of torque. It boasts best in class interior volume and a stylish interior with superb fit and finish relative to class competitors. Like the golf, it has all the safety features you'd expect in today's compact- abs, tcs, esc, enough airbags to catch a falling elephant. No crash test data available yet as it is in its first year of production and was released for sale only a few months ago. Where this car really exceeds expectation is in the tech department. 450 watt dimension 8-speaker stereo, bluetooth connectivity, satellite navigation are all things we've come to expect in an entry level sport sedan, let alone a compact. It also takes fuller advantage of the in-dash lcd by including realtime eco monitoring graphics, turn by turn navigation, ipod/iphone connectivity including Pandora internet radio via your iphone, and bluelink which hyundai's proprietary version of Onstar. It's astonishing how technologically capable this car is. I would make car this my next move, personally, but I'm going the performance route (RWD has become a must for me). The warranty is great too. 5 yr/60k bumper to bumper coverage, and 10 yr/100k powertrain (not that you need it). Also, hyundai has announced a turbo version soon to come, with 200 hp and most likely similar torque.

I can attest to hyundai reliability as I've owned a 2003 Tiburon GTV6 for going on 10 years, a first year model, and have had very few issues with this car. A window motor here, sunroof motor (common issue for the early models like mine), alternator. The engine itself and the transmission have been absolutely bulletproof, as has the chassis. No odd squeaks, clicks, whines, ticks, noises. As quiet as the day I bought it and it runs like new after 150k miles. The only powertrain repairs were the alternator at 70k and the valve cover gaskets at 90k, the latter were covered under warranty. The interior has developed a couple of vibrations/rattles more recently, most notable on rough pavement, but nothing very intrusive. No electrical bugs, everything works on command as it is supposed to, everytime. The reliability is probably the best attribute of this car along with the very communicative steering, agile handling and engine torque of course. It has really surpised me since I took a chance on buying this car when hyundai's reliability was just starting to improve and I can confidently say I'm glad I did.

As far as the others you mentioned, the Honda Fit is also very nice, well built, has a nice, spacious interior, but is just too slow for me with its weed-whacker competitive torque figures. The Civic is just plain ugly, and has fallen behind the other compact mainstays as they have improved greatly in recent years, whereas the civic has stagnated.

I would give a good recommendation to the Focus, but I don't trust ford reliability quite yet. This goes double for GM and Chrysler. Regarding the Kia Forte, it's a nice car with a good options list and nice available power from the 2.4L, but as you stated, the handling is a bit quirky, it gets jittery and twitchy over rough pavement and bumps. The price can't be beat, but you can get a better car with a lame-ass vanilla toyota corolla. On that note, go with the hyundai and get way more for way less. I know I sound like I should sell for hyundai, and maybe I should, but I'm a firm believer in their commitment to the more-for-less business model.