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Sporty Hatchback or Similar: What Car to Buy?


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Currently have an Audi S4. It is 5 years old and works fine but looking for a car with a little more space given the amount of cross country driving we do. No kids, just pets.

We want a bigger car but not an SUV. I was thinking a hatchback but all are so ugly. Must have all wheel drive as likely buying a ski house next year so will be our car for winter driving and daily errands. We likely buying my fun car (old school porsche) but looking for something practical but nice.

Budget is flexible and like the Porsche Cayenne but worry about cost/ maintenance. Frankly, we are really cheap so don't like spending money so think Subaru Crosstrek but meh on it.

Any other suggestions?

Must have:

  • All wheel drive
  • Not an SUV (small suv may be ok)
  • Space for cross country driving is key
  • Sporty and nice so no Honda, Toyota, etc
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Currently have an Audi S4. It is 5 years old and works fine but looking for a car with a little more space given the amount of cross country driving we do. No kids, just pets.
We want a bigger car but not an SUV. I was thinking a hatchback but all are so ugly. Must have all wheel drive as likely buying a ski house next year so will be our car for winter driving and daily errands. We likely buying my fun car (old school porsche) but looking for something practical but nice.
Budget is flexible and like the Porsche Cayenne but worry about cost/ maintenance. Frankly, we are really cheap so don't like spending money so think Subaru Crosstrek but meh on it.
Any other suggestions?
Must have:
  • All wheel drive
  • Not an SUV (small suv may be ok)
  • Space for cross country driving is key
  • Sporty and nice so no Honda, Toyota, etc
RS6. You're welcome.
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On 7/10/2023 at 12:13 PM, Rimbo said:

Best thing to do is to plop your ass down in some cars and test them out.

Car buying is one of those things you gotta do face to face.

definitely!

test driving this week and next. not pressing but ready to buy if we find the right fit.

On 7/10/2023 at 4:22 AM, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Sounds like it's time to embrace your inner lesbian.

given my likeness to move to pacific northwest, it is fitting!

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3 minutes ago, wackawacka said:

given my likeness to move to pacific northwest, it is fitting!

I haven't said anything regarding specific suggestions, because I do have a little bias here.

I owned a WRX wagon for 10 years. Then I traded it in... and bought another WRX. Which I've now had for ten and a half years. Just passed the 100k mile mark ... like, last week.

20230628_155732.thumb.jpg.1466c712141c027a837e603532b62ff9.jpg

 

If you put a gun to my head and forced me to get a new car today, it'd probably be an Ioniq 5.

What can I say? I like station wagons.

Edited by Rimbo
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I assume you are aware that the A5 and A7 are "sportbacks" with a hatch trunk that seems to expand cargo space fairly significantly.  Although maybe not as much as a true hatchback, they're bigger cars in the first place.  They also lower the rear roofline from the sedans but if the backseat passengers are mostly ringmeat kids, shouldn't be much of an issue.

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Also, I will fucking die on this hill:

  • 2 doors: Coupe
  • 3 doors: Hatchback
  • 4 doors: Sedan
  • 5 doors: Station Wagon.

An SUV is a 3 or 5 door vehicle built on a truck chassis. It must have 4WD and off-roading suspension. If it is built on top of an automobile chassis, doesn't have off-roading capabilities or 4WD, it's a fucking station wagon or hatchback (depending on the number of doors).

There is no such thing as a "small SUV" or "Crossover." They're station wagons.

My car? Station wagon. Yes, it's a station wagon that does 0-60 in under 5 seconds (stock). But it's still a fucking station wagon.

Edited by Rimbo
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I would take a FWD Civic Type R / Acura Type S over a Subaru Crosstrek 1000 times over, unless you do actual trail and uphill snow shit.  Same interior room as your current car with more luggage capacity. 


There's also the Tesla Model Y.  Genesis GV70.  BMW X3, but all are SUV/CUV'ish.

Wanting a hatchback/wagon thats sporty and roomier than an S4 AND has AWD makes a tiny venn diagram.  There's Golf R but its based on same platform.  Volvo V60 is not so sporty.  S6 wagon is logically step up but not available in America...RS6 not compatible with being cheap.

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@wackawacka not to turn this into a debate but is there a reason you seem adamant about not wanting a suv? For cross country trips with pets, it’s hard to beat a solid SUV that gives you plenty of room.  And I understand that SUVs can just be overgrown station wagons bot grocery getters, but they offer a lot flexibility.

on driving trips, SUVs can allow you to overpack.

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5 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

@wackawacka not to turn this into a debate but is there a reason you seem adamant about not wanting a suv? For cross country trips with pets, it’s hard to beat a solid SUV that gives you plenty of room.  And I understand that SUVs can just be overgrown station wagons bot grocery getters, but they offer a lot flexibility.

on driving trips, SUVs can allow you to overpack.

Probably the same reason I couldn't pull the trigger on a truck or SUV.  Coming from an S4, that's a tight-handling, sporty little rig.  Driving most SUVs (Cayenne & Macan excepted, and the BMWs are pretty good), feels like captaining the RMS Titanic in an ice field.

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2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Probably the same reason I couldn't pull the trigger on a truck or SUV.  Coming from an S4, that's a tight-handling, sporty little rig.  Driving most SUVs (Cayenne & Macan excepted, and the BMWs are pretty good), feels like captaining the RMS Titanic in an ice field.

Why not both? If someone likes their S4 then also get an average SUV for trips or other errands. I know multiple vehicles for specific purposes sound or look extravagant to some but in my experience it can be very useful. And fun.

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50 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

People joke about Audi reliability, but my S6 has been very reliable.

Volkswagen/Audi will honor a warranty, that's for sure.  Newer iterations can make the owner feel like a bit of a Beta tester though.  Once they figure it out and the quirky parts get replaced, they'll go for the long haul.

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4 minutes ago, dcbc said:

Volkswagen/Audi will honor a warranty, that's for sure.  Newer iterations can make the owner feel like a bit of a Beta tester though.  Once they figure it out and the quirky parts get replaced, they'll go for the long haul.

A bad part was the cause of my only unscheduled service to date.  Oil screen to the turbos got clogged and killed both of them.  Covered under warranty and a new oil screen part was installed.  Has been great since.

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46 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:

A bad part was the cause of my only unscheduled service to date.  Oil screen to the turbos got clogged and killed both of them.  Covered under warranty and a new oil screen part was installed.  Has been great since.

An injector on my 2.0T VW malfunctioned and grenaded the upper end of my engine at 40k miles.  All fixed under warranty, but that was concerning for me.  Still have the car with 150k miles on it now.  VW extended some warranties, which covered most problems through 120k miles.  Only real issues I've had is an oil leak and coolant leaks.

 

/knocks wood.  

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Loved the Volvo CX40 we test drove today. Audi Q5 was nice but damn if I am over Audi "quirks"

Looked at Mazda but frankly just ego about driving a Mazda. Just feel dumb driving a Mazda to our winter, ski house.

I'd lean Volvo if the ratings of the car weren't so poor and seems as much if not more reliability issues as Audi. I have had no issues with my current Audi except stupid design choices.

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12 minutes ago, wackawacka said:

Loved the Volvo CX40 we test drove today. Audi Q5 was nice but damn if I am over Audi "quirks"

Looked at Mazda but frankly just ego about driving a Mazda. Just feel dumb driving a Mazda to our winter, ski house.

I'd lean Volvo if the ratings of the car weren't so poor and seems as much if not more reliability issues as Audi. I have had no issues with my current Audi except stupid design choices.

One choice that I know next to nothing about but have seen pics is the new Fisker Ocean.  Not sure how well it meets your checklist, it might be no better than an electric rav4.  

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Golf/GTI still has stick, as does Mazda3 (but only one trim level). Last gen cx5 actually had a manual transmission for a few years, unfortunately that went away.

 

If you want the best sporty value on the market now, Elantra N has a manual transmission and lap times identical to Civic R for 10k less. Hyundai N was led by the former head of BMW M for that car, so in many ways EN is the actual successor to the e46m3. And it's a totally practical sedan.

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4 hours ago, Celery Man said:

Is there such a thing as one of these with a stick anymore, or are those days gone?

Autos are just more fuel efficient because they can pack more gear ratios into a box than you can with an MT.  They also tend to be quicker these days, as well, and that includes lockup slushboxes and not just "dual clutch" automatics.

I think mileage also explains the CVT.  They're intended for use with low-power, low-torque econobox engines because of the potential for slippage, but they offer potentially infinite gear ratios and certainly more than the six that's the practical max in an MT.  Problem is, they slip even with squirrel cage engines.  And I'm not sure the shifting technology is quite ready for prime time, either.

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19 hours ago, wackawacka said:

Loved the Volvo CX40 we test drove today. Audi Q5 was nice but damn if I am over Audi "quirks"

Looked at Mazda but frankly just ego about driving a Mazda. Just feel dumb driving a Mazda to our winter, ski house.

I'd lean Volvo if the ratings of the car weren't so poor and seems as much if not more reliability issues as Audi. I have had no issues with my current Audi except stupid design choices.

That's interesting.  The rap on Volvos is very nice cars, but not really driver's cars.  I didn't know their reliability was in the shitter.

It's funny, I am not Rodney Racetrack, but I guess I spent so much time driving 60-90s luxobarges that I just really enjoy a nice-handling car with a solid-enough engine to push it around, at least at highway speeds and below.

Edited by TwiceHorn
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Yep. I would not but a CVT. I hate that so many carmakers are going on that direction.
My kid has a 2010 Outback with a lift and off-road tires. But the party piece is the 6MT in the first year of Subaru's CVT
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7 minutes ago, Chewbacca said:
2 hours ago, dcbc said:
My kid has a 2010 Outback with a lift and off-road tires. But the party piece is the 6MT in the first year of Subaru's CVT

I hope he doesn't have the 4 cyl engine. As far as i know, about 1/3 of them still blow a head gasket around 100k miles.

The thing is 13 years old. I’m sure both head gaskets have been replaced long since. 

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17 hours ago, Sam Lin said:

Golf/GTI still has stick, as does Mazda3 (but only one trim level). Last gen cx5 actually had a manual transmission for a few years, unfortunately that went away.

 

If you want the best sporty value on the market now, Elantra N has a manual transmission and lap times identical to Civic R for 10k less. Hyundai N was led by the former head of BMW M for that car, so in many ways EN is the actual successor to the e46m3. And it's a totally practical sedan.

VW Golf took about 10 steps back with their interior design (particularly with poorly-designed capacity controls). 

Guy should go for 600hp+ Ioniq 5 N...or bite the bullet on a Taycan Cross Turismo (wagon)

https://www.hyundaiusa.com/us/en/vehicles/2025-ioniq-5-n

2024-ioniq-5-n-0444:16-9?wid=1440&hei=81

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  • 4 weeks later...

Leaning towards Macan. I wasn't looking to buy via Autonation and know that is problematic but seems like a good price!

https://www.edmunds.com/porsche/macan/2020/vin/WP1AA2A58LLB05703/?radius=100

Too bad the dealership has NO clue what options are in the car. When I tried to test drive it, the car was out of gas and said it would take hours before it could have gas...

 

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On 7/13/2023 at 12:36 PM, Celery Man said:

Is there such a thing as one of these with a stick anymore, or are those days gone?

Subaru Crosstrek.  Bought it because wanted a stick, but driving up to the mountains all winter.  Had a lot of engine problems and wound up trading it in, but supposedly the new ones are better.

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Subaru Outback is one of the best choices for your criteria.  The longer wheelbase makes it a smoother ride than the Crosstrek with a lot more space.  The integrated roof rail system that folds away when not in use to reduce air drag is a neat feature as well.  Since one of your main criteria will be mountain driving, get the turbo option.  As the turbo helps counteract the thin air at high altitude by compressing it with the turbo (learned this when lookin at trucks a few years back).

I have always viewed Audi's as a good car to lease, and an incredibly stupid car to buy.  As apparently "german engineering" means shit like partially removing the engine to be able to change out the A/C compressor for example.  WTF?

You can always get something like a Toyota Land Cruiser as well, however I think that one of the best things about non-SUV style wagons is simply the ability to easily reach the roof top racks. So easy on and off with things like skis for example.  Or lease an Audi, so they can pick up the repairs on their dime not yours.

 

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54 minutes ago, Sam Lin said:

See my comment earlier about mechatronics, read up on the transmission and go in with eyes open. Change the tranny fluid frequently.

I didn't see.  Are they problematic?  Pretty cool concept, but then again so was the hydramatic.  Somewhere I was reading an article about dual-clutch automatics and the basic layout was defined in an pre-WWII patent out of France, I believe.  But electronics made them actually feasible.  Does seem like very little friction area.

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