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I have been shopping for a small sporty, fun commuter car (with preferably stick shift) for a while now. I deviated from my initial characteristics to even consider vehicles like 2015-16 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Veloster, VQ GTI and Honda Civic Si, Mazda3 GT.
I liked them all, they all have PROs and CONs, no doubt but if you want a vehicle that will be a keeper with low maintenance cost. I have the key the thumbs up to 2019 Corolla Hatchback. I really do not like and want a CVT transmission car but if I had to pick one, Corolla's CVT would be it as well. Also, of all the cars I reviewed, it is the only one using the tried-n-true dual-injection fuel system brought down from the Lexus line. All other makes are using DI which we all know will have issues 30+K miles down the road which can cost easily above $2K to resolve. That is a hefty maintenance cost to deal with every 30K-50K miles, if you ask me, and it is not even covered under and warranty!
I like the interior as well, despite the stick on infotainment system which really annoys the hell out of me.
Cargo and rear seating is very limited but this is a compact vehicle so I find it a bit ludicrous to expect much space at either area. The front seat area was roomy enough for a bigger guy like myself with ample head space as well.
I do admit and wished it had a more powerful engine. 168HP won't get my nipples hard but similar to cargo space expectations, you cannot have a fuel efficient compact 4 cylinder car to produce a power output to get you excited. Mazda3 is also NI same as Corolla Hatch which I prefer, but offers another 16 ponies if you get the GT trim which costs quite a bit more than base model Mazda3 with 155HP.
That said, the fuel efficiency of Mazda3 is not quite as good as Corolla either. I have watch numerous reviews online and they all claimed over 30 MPG combined even when they were being aggressive during the test drive. I heard the figure was in the high 20s at best for Mazda3 even with modest driving.
I think it will come down to BUY or LEASE. If Leasing, one can get ANY car, without worry. Even a FIAT would be fine since you have nothing to worry about during the lease term, then you can just turn it in and walk away.
However, if planning on keeping the vehicle pass warranty period, the only vehicle I see that will create the minimal headache would be the Corolla Hatchback, imho.
I finally got a chance to test drive the Corolla Hatchback in XSE trim with manual transmission. Visually, it is a very nice looking vehicle. Trim wise, get what your needs and budget dictates but I personally prefer the tires and couple of options that comes with the XSE trim. To me, worth the price difference.
Handling was superb. Braking and acceleration was better than I expected. I was really impressed. The only thing better than the handling was the shifting. I have test-driven about half a dozen different stick shift vehicles in the last year or so, and this was, hands down , the best one!
For giggles, I turned off the iM (Intelligent Manual or whatever it is) feature which can be access easily by a button on the lower center part of the dash. It still shifted very nicely but it seemed more "raw", almost like driving a really good manual transmission vehicle from the 80s, there was no computer interference, you were on your own with the controls, mainly revs. So, iM is Toyota's "Rev matching" feature.
Anyhow, I am definitely hooked on this car. I would still love to see N30 from Hyundai but if I can get a great deal on a stick shift Corolla XSE in Blizzard Pearl, I might pull the trigger.
The back of the 2020 corolla sedan looks like a ford. Japanese Fiesta?
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