Hatchback of choice, pros, cons, etc.

Could do a Kia Soul. Had one in 13 and liked it. Pretty sure the fogger would sit upright in that. Familiar with most of HyunKias reported issues. $20k new.
 
FreedomOne said:
Could do a Kia Soul. Had one in 13 and liked it. Pretty sure the fogger would sit upright in that. Familiar with most of HyunKias reported issues. $20k new.
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Interesting jump from a car with some soul like Mazda, GTI, , GTI, Corolla GR to the Kia Soul(ess). Whatever works for you!
 
If you don't need AWD I would say there are better options than Subaru, but you might find once you have AWD, you might find yourself using it too.
I do like our Outback, its a good swiss army knife of vehicles, and ours now has a bit of an oil seep on both heads, but so far its not getting worse or bad enough to matter. I like the built in roof racks, and decent tow capacity, car-ish ride and feel, compared to relatively narrow and tippy RAV4/CRV/CX5. Reasonably quiet on the highway too, and if you try, you can pull some decent mileage out of it.
If you see a manual 2012+ Focus Hatch, they are quite a nice driving car, with some space in the back too.
 
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.......not the most popular vehicle out there but its good basic transportation, has a great warranty, and priced about as low as you can get for an awd vehicle.
 
Corolla Hatchback FX is kind of sharp and barely under $30k. Has some nice upgrades. Front seats might be the same as from the GR.
 
Had a similar convo with a friend earlier this week. He’s been toying with the idea of getting a new Miata as a fun, don’t give AF car on the street. It’s manual, lightweight, and the power won’t get you into trouble. For context, he owns a 992 GT3 that’s only seen the local track after break-in, and a Caddy CT5-V Blackwing.

I suggested an alternative- GR Corolla. He mentioned that the GR Yaris he drove on the Nurburgring was a better car, but still felt like an upright econobox. He really enjoyed the VW Golf R more - fun on dry, and weapon of choice for rain.

So… VW Golf R. But I’ll throw another hatch that’s gotten a lot of buzz for being fun as heck: Hyundai Ionic 5N.
 
Looks like I'm probably going with a left over 25 Mazda cx30 turbo with 300 miles. Ill post a pic if everything goes smoothly.
 
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FreedomOne said:
Could do a Kia Soul. Had one in 13 and liked it. Pretty sure the fogger would sit upright in that. Familiar with most of HyunKias reported issues. $20k new.
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$1,000 rebate at this time . Have 2 '25s' and get 36 M.P.G. calculated for both as an overall average . Easy access , good ride , handing , and plenty of space inside . Also easy maintenance . The LX starts at around $22,200 . Get armrest with storage and glove box light that other vehicles don't have at base price . Last , the SOUL has 6.7" ground clearance . Its minus are the O.E.M. 205/60-16 ( H ) NEXEN N Priz AH8 . Had a tendency to hydroplane , especially in heavy rain . Had them removed about 9 months later with 205/60-16 GENERAL Altimax 365AW ( V ) . Much better in the rain and not much impact on gas mileage .
 
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odie said:
$1,000 rebate at this time . Have 2 '25s' and get 36 M.P.G. calculated for both as an overall average . Easy access , good ride , handing , and plenty of space inside . Also easy maintenance . The LX starts at around $22,200 . Get armrest with storage and glove box light that other vehicles don't have at base price . Last , the SOUL has 6.7" ground clearance . Its minus are the O.E.M. 205/60-16 ( H ) NEXEN N Priz AH8 . Had a tendency to hydroplane , especially in heavy rain . Had them removed about 9 months later with 205/60-16 GENERAL Altimax 365AW ( V ) . Much better in the rain and not much impact on gas mileage .
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I drove the Soul and liked it. Good ride, nothing fancy. Lots of room. If I didn't get the Mazda the Soul would have been 2nd.
 
Drove the Mazda 3 which I didn't really like due to the ride, very rough. CX30 felt completely different, nice and smooth, good power and still feels small. Drove the Crosstrek as well and it's considerably bigger and feels like it. Also didn't like the giant screen in it. The Mazda is pretty simple and basically like my 16 Cx3 which I liked.
 
It really needs a clay bar. Dealer washed it and I washed it again when I got home and put some Griots on it just to have something on there. Ran a Carfax and the car went through pre delivery inspection 7/25/25 with 4 miles and was just put out for sale 12/24/25 with 5 miles, and became a service loaner for 1 person for a couple weeks. So it sat a lot probably because the dealership was bought out and they ended up building a new building. Still not completely done yet. Battery feels a little weak also.
 
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