Subaru Outback was an excellent car for me. Currently drive a Toyota hatchback and intend to keep it until it falls apart. Love them!

We have a 2016 Subaru Impreza and love it. Previously we have driven three Prius's. We have the whole package and like most everything. The back is slightly smaller for our two dogs than the Prius , but we have the sunroof and heated leather seats. It doesn't get the gas mileage of the Prius but pretty good. My only complaint is the touch radio where I have to reach over to get my Sirius stations. It's much handier for the driver and he has controls on the steering wheel.

My Hyundai Veloster is a hatchback. Love, love, love it! Love the car and the hatchback. Prior to that I'd always owned sedans, but don't plan to own another.

I think it depends where you live as to what your needs are. I drive a 4WD SUV with snow tires as I live in a snow belt. What do I like about it? It stays on the road like no car ever did. It's roomy inside and high enough that I don't need to scrunch down to get in or out. Groceries are loaded at hip level so it eliminates bending while lifting. I wouldn't drive anything else.

I have a Kia soul and love it!

Honda Fit owner here.... I've been a fan of Hondas forever. Very reliable, rarely break down, easy to work on (says my mechanic father and husband). Previously I had a 4 door civic, hated the fact that I couldnt fit things into it. The door/trunk openings were too small or obstructed. While the Fit is also a 4 door (Would be fantastic as a two door if they ever went that way) is better, I really like the way the seats fold down for a flat cargo space or they can flip up for a taller space behind the seat.

Regarding price/value, you do get better features and upgrades included for the price. Compared to american brand cars, when you factor in those upgrades, they will cost you more. The interior finish is ok for a value car, but the carpeting quality is not so good. You need good floor mats, like weather tech.

The only thing you should be aware of with the Fit (mine is a 2008, maybe the newer ones are better?) is that it is intended as a commuter car with good gas economy. For long hauls it is a bit rough and does not have a luxury ride. I have driven it to Boston and back (240 each way) and as long as I stop and walk every 1.5 hours, it is do-able. Otherwise my back starts to ache and my butt falls asleep (ha!). I have heard that tall people (6 foot +) find it uncomfortable. I think it has to do with the height of the seat to the floor.

Just a note, the haul capacity is 800lbs including passengers. I have hauled 400 lbs of Belgium block, which of course does affect the handling. I have also brought home furniture from Boston and bagged mulch from Home Depot. They would not include the Llama that was shown in the commericals, I really wanted one!

I drive 280 miles a week commuting to work, it is a stick sift (the most fun of all small cars) and I really enjoy driving it. But on long hauls, we take the pick up which has a much nicer ride and comforts.

PS- My sister just got a Subaru Forester and loves it. It is taller off the ground than the hondas and it is comfortable for her 6' stature.

Hyundai Veloster Turbo hatch owner. I've had it 4 years. LOVE the car. It's zippier than the Mercedes Benz SLK that it replaced. :) It can also haul a fair amount of stuff. Two weeks ago it held three wall cabinets (from Home Depot - we're renovating our house prior to putting it on the market), a vent-a-hood, and three gallons of paint.

Hyundai's have the BEST warranty - 10 years/100,000 miles powertrain, 5 years/50,000 miles bumper-to-bumper.

Build quality is similar to Mercedes Benz.

Edit: Mine's a 6-speed manual. Wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Honda HRV anyone? What do you think of the style? http://automobiles.honda.com/hr-v

I have had hatchbacks that I liked better than sedans. One was a Chevy Citation that was very useful. There were a lot of other downfalls about that GM series, but the use of space, utility and driver visibility was great. Another nice feature of hatchbacks is the hatch is hinged at the top and when opened, it provides a rain shield over your back and head as you lean over to pull things out. It also reduces the amount of rain that might fall into the cargo space when open.

There has been a few SUVs with the rear door hinged at the side rather than at top. The advantage is these tend to stay open better; The disadvantage is required space at the rear to swing the door open. It can't be opened if there is another vehicle parked close to your rear bumper. I had one of these and was able to manage it, but liked the top hinged versions much better. The gas struts on a top hinged door has to be kept in good repair and these weaken in cold temperature owing to lowered gas pressure and maybe increased seal leakage. A typical hatch strut lasts about 3 years before it needs replacing due to leakage of the gas.

I just bought a Mazda CX5 with AWD and so far I've been very happy with it. Even though you are primarily interested in a hatchback, you may want to also consider a crossover. The reason is the crossovers are higher up than a hatchback but not as high up as a standard SUV which makes them ideal for anyone who is older or may have back trouble.

I have had my Honda HRV Navi for 8 months. I love it. It is a good height for getting in & out. Not to big but roomy enough to haul a good amount. I would recommend try one. Good gas mileage for AWD.

I like cars, but husband and daughter love them ... so I let them do the choosing. Daughter bought herself her first car, a Mazda 3. Husband bought us a VW Golf GTI (not a diesel). I do like these hatchbacks better than sedans. It's possible to fit bigger items in them. When it's raining, I can stand under the open hatch and stay dry while putting groceries in.

The car I liked best was a small station wagon, a Mazda 5 wagon, that we bought maybe 10 years ago and just recently sold. It was so easy to take our large-ish dogs along and still have room for human passengers.

eandhi2: how do you like that camera that tells you what's in the right hand lane? Also, why is it only in the right hand side? Don't people need to check their left blindside as well? I am crazy research buyer and all of you guys are awesome for sharing info with me!

I love my Subaru Outback. Unlike SUVs I've had, its center of gravity is fairly low and it drives like a car. Also, the roominess is impressive. When I first looked at it I remarked about the comfort and leg room of the backseat, but when we dropped the seats to load up the back with ham radio equipment for an event, my son commented with surprise that the Outback held more stuff than my previous vehicle, a very large Toyota 4Runner Limited.

Annegriet, I don't know why only right side. I do love the back up camera, built Nav. I knew I didn't want to climb up into my car or climb up out. Nice grade leather interior, sun roof. Back fold down 2 ways so tall things fit. The HRV is the perfect height. I have been driving AWD drive vehicles for years. My daughter has & likes the Subaru crosstrek.

I test drove a CRV and was told the right side camera is to help with parallel parking. I seldom ever park parallel so I didn't care about that. My mother had a CRV and loved it. I found the inside to be a bit cramped and the ride to be both a bit noisy and bumpy. Spunky though. I liked the Mazda because it does have a more open car like feel to it.

In addition to the rear view camera which is on most cars now, the Mazda has a blind spot warning for both sides that lights up on the side mirrors when someone is in your blind spot which I've found to be very helpful. It uses wi-fi to detect objects which I think is pretty clever.

Maybe the warning camera is only on the right side because it's easy enough to check the left side by leaning forward.

My Nissan Versa is not in the same quality category as the Subaru, I think (I previously drove a Legacy for many years, a very good car, except for the problem with the CV joints) or others, but I do vote enthusiastically for the interior room in this small hatchback. I have carried a dresser, two full bales of hay can go in, I can put my bicycle in the back without taking the front wheel off -- that was a major want. The MPG was the best for the lowest cost at the time that I was shopping -- and the seat is far more comfortable than my Mazda's. So it ticked all my boxes for very little $$. I'm actually on my second one.

Its big flaw, to me, is that the seats don't fold flat to the floor, leaving a rather big step up in the middle of the cargo space.

I'd recommend that you think about why you want a hatchback (what will you be hauling?) Look at the clearances -- some hatchbacks cut the door much narrower than the interior, which limits the size of items you can get in even if the interior space is there. Look at the height of the cargo space too, because wide and shallow isn't all that useful.

Toyota has a new Corolla Hatchback -- I haven't seen one yet, but I am always positively inclined toward both Toyota and Honda.

If there a right side camera only and it's intended for parallel parking, it's because that's the side people normally parallel park on.

Eandhi2--thank you for all the great feedback--how's the HRV on the highway. I take a 5 hour drive frequently to see my parents.

We got excellent gas mileage, found the ride comfortable. Longest we have been so far is 3 hours.

Thanks--you have been a tremendous help. With the money i have to spend, I am considering the HRV and the Impreza now. Researching the Hyundai Tuscon now.

OH for peets sake, obviously, I meant a left side camera....