Annual auto shows – such as the one in San Francisco over Thanksgiving weekend and the Los Angeles event the week before – offer plenty of excitement for those who love cars. They’re filled with sports cars, super cars, driverless cars and cars powered with alternative fuels.
Recently, however, we’ve been most impressed by the practical end of the market – the growing number of really good multipurpose automobiles selling for prices that younger buyers and people on budgets can afford.
Last month, the luck of the draw provided us with three of these five-door hatchbacks in a row to review: the 2015 Honda Fit EX-L, selling all-in for $21,590; the 2014 Hyundai Elantra GT M/T for $25,485; and the 2015 Mazda3 S Grand Touring for $28,585.
Aside from their similar MSRPs, the outstanding features common to all three are the broad range of new safety features standard in this price range.
Even at the lowest end of the range, the Honda Fit comes equipped with dual-stage front airbags and sensor-triggered side-curtain airbags. It also has anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution and brake assist – to make sure that brakes are applied properly and effectively in any potential collision – vehicle stability assist to prevent or mitigate loss of control, tire pressure monitoring and a body structure that absorbs collisions while maintaining the integrity of the passenger compartment. With these new systems introduced over the past few years, drivers and passengers are much safer in these small, easy-to-drive cars than they would be in a hand-me-down full-size SUV more than even a few years old.
Power
Power is certainly more than adequate in all three, so no driver is going to feel at the mercy of other cars in freeway merging situations or when acceleration can be the best way out of a traffic problem.
The Honda Fit is probably the most limited in the power category, with a 1.5-liter 130 horsepower and continuously variable transmission – one of the reasons it is the least expensive – but it’s still practical. The Fit gets the best mileage of the trio at 35 mpg combined.
The Hyundai Elantra has a solid 2-liter engine with 173 horsepower. Our tester was equipped with a satisfying six-speed manual transmission and smooth-as-silk clutch, but most models will be sold with the six-speed automatic – probably a better choice for most drivers. The Elantra comes in at only 28 mpg combined.
The Mazda3 is most powerful – not surprising given that it’s the most expensive. It’s equipped with a 2.5-liter engine producing 184 horsepower, mated once again to a terrific six-speed manual transmission that is more typical in the MX-5 Miata but most often sold with a six-speed automatic. SKYACTIV engine technology gives the Mazda3 respectable fuel efficiency of 29 mpg combined, considering the responsiveness of the higher-powered engine.
Test-drive
We enjoyed driving all three of the cars, with each having its own feel. The Fit is light and maneuverable, the Mazda quick to accelerate and turn and the Elantra has grown-up stability. We recommend prospective buyers drive each of them to make sure the ride and handling is to their taste.
We noted that once we were driving, we couldn’t really remember what the exterior looked like on any of these cars. When we stopped to actually check them out, the Fit could best be described as quirky, the Elantra sleek and grown-up and the Mazda3 looked most avant-garde in its styling.
The interiors differ among the three: the Fit is fairly utilitarian, though with good materials and excellent fit and finish; the Elantra has the most elegant interior look, which is a surprising but appropriate adjective to use for a car in this economy category; and the Mazda3 seems almost minimalist in its interior appearance.
The most memorable feature on any of the cars was the passing camera feature on the Hyundai, standard on that car line. When the car was in motion, if the driver actuated the right turn signal as we’re taught to do three seconds before changing lanes, the screen in the middle of the dashboard would show the view from a camera mounted in the right exterior mirror. The view comes complete with caution marks to help calibrate whether a car on that side was far enough to the rear to make the lane change safely. With this feature, there was almost no need for the exterior side-view mirror. We wondered why all the carmakers in the world don’t adopt this feature.
The Mazda3 was the most complete in terms of new safety technologies. It offers active cruise control, a heads-up display showing the vehicle speed and warning alerts – if necessary – projected onto the windshield and collision-mitigation technology that brakes the car and tightens seat belts should a collision be imminent. That’s part of the higher price on the Mazda3, with the remainder due to the Grand Touring that comes with nearly every bell and whistle an owner may expect to find on a near-luxury sedan.
Our bottom line when it comes to these three cars: Any one of them would be a great deal for a first-time buyer, a parent purchasing a car for a student commuting to school or an older consumer scaling down to a more practical and manageable automobile. If budget is the governing factor, then the Fit is a great value; if a fun driving experience is part of the equation, then the extra money for the Mazda3 is justified; and for the middle-of-the-road buyers who want to economize but don’t want to feel as if they’re doomed to a no-frills “econobox,” the Hyundai Elantra is a satisfying choice.
