Yaris
'06 was the last year for the Elantra in Hatchback.
Right now you can get a sedan or a wagon.
Oh, and for the record, if you can stand a sedan, the Hyundai Elantra has mid-sized-car interior room and if I baby it at 55 MPH on the interstate, I can easily get 36 MPG on my way to work, up to 40 if I don’t get caught at any lights.
For the record, here are my gas mileage logs:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG(US)&viewcar=2613
I’m with whomever mentioned buying a new/used car. Don’t pay for the depreciation! If you can find one that has reasonably low mileage, manufacturers warranties are transferable.
You are going to be logging a lot of mileage on whatever car you get, so do your homework on customer satisfaction/reliability surveys for all models you consider.
VW Jetta Diesel.
A friend drives one and claims over 35 mpg.
I thought this might be the case, but I felt I should bring it up, if only to consider and dismiss it.
Thanks.
Audi is also coming out with a diesel version of their A3 hatchback, which (I think) is basially a fancy VW Rabbit. Website claims 42 mpg highway, but I bet it will cost around $30K.
I would go with a year-old Hyundai. My 2002 Accent still gets about 36 mpg on the highway. They still have a bit of a stigma and so resale price is pretty low.
I had a Yaris recently for a rental and hated it. Speedo is in the center, dumb cup holder arrangement, and it felt junky and weak, even compared to my Hyundai. 
The Elantara is also a good choice, but maybe not quite as high mileage as the Accent, just because it’s bigger. I think they released a “Touring” version in 2009, which might be worth checking out since you’ll be doing so much driving.
Also, at the expense of slightly worse fuel efficiency, you might look into something with AWD if you’ll be driving that much in snowy weather. Toyota Matrix maybe, or the smallest Subaru.
A friend recently purchased a Honda Fit, and I’ve ridden in it and driven it (once). It’s a nice car. It’s pretty zippy (at least with the manual transmission), gets excellent mileage, isn’t too expensive, and has an amazing amount of useable space inside for such a small car. It’s also quite comfortable for a compact, even for me at 6’2".
If you’re wanting to compare vehicle MPG on US-market vehicles, www.fueleconomy.gov is a good starting place.
Incidentally, I went there and checked: combined MPG ratings are 1 MPG different between the Elantra and Accent.
My last car salesman observed that used low-mileage Accent seem to never come on the market. I’ve got no idea if Cleveland and Ottawa have similar vehicle marketplaces, though.
The Accent is a decent “run it into the ground” choice, if you plan on buying new and driving your car to high mileage.
Note that in the US, the Hyundai 100,000-mile powertrain warranty turns into a 60,000-mile warranty if you buy it used.
Now, for absolutely lowest-total-cost-of-ownership on a vehicle where MPG matters, I’d seriously consider the following, based on US prices for 09 Model Years:
Hyundai Accent GS Base Hatchback, $10,665
Nissan Versa 1.6 Sedan, $10,685
Kia Rio Base Sedan, $12,145
Chevrolet Aveo, $12,625
Out of this, assuming you went for the auto transmissions, the Accent actually has the best fuel economy.
26 - City
29 - Combined
35 - Highway
If you cared about resale value, I’d consider a Toyota Yaris, which is the only car in this general price/size range that will actually have any.
Finally, I quoted auto mileage above, [and manual prices], but I strongly suggest a stick.
Keep in mind that Toyota’s reputation is suffering a serious beating right now, they are no longer the quaity leader that they once were. I would expect resale values to suffer somewhat because of that.
If you can get a cheappp junker that gets decent mileage, the many thousands you save can buy alot of gas to make up for the so so gas mileage vs great mileage for the latest planet saver. You’ll also save a good bit on insurance.
You are in Ontario? That means 200 miles in snow and sleet . I have driven the 401 when it was crazy icy and vehicles were in the median every mile. No way I would even think about that trip everyday. I suggest you buy a tank.
I have a 2003 Jetta TDI (which I bought new) with a manual transmission. Last year I did a measurement over a three month period and averaged ~47 mpg. I have a daily 5-mile commute (each way) and I did the test from Aug - Oct. On a cross-country trip in December a few years back I averaged just under 49 mpg. I heartily recommend the Jetta TDI based on my experience but I do know people who have TDIs with automatic transmissions who get in the low- to mid-30’s mpg.
I don’t have any problems starting the car (I live in the Boston area) on cold days but it is bit annoying to wait for the glow plugs to warm up the engine. Getting diesel fuel hasn’t been a problem once I found out where the local sellers were (I’d estimate that about 1/4 of gas stations in Boston sell diesel–plenty enough that I never worry about running out.) During the run-up in price last year diesel was about $5/gallon compared to $4/gallon for gas. I still feel like I come out ahead since I get such good mpg.
If you spend $10,000 on the replacement car, it’s going to take you almost two years of saving $200 every two weeks on fuel to break even. Wouldn’t it be better to stay with the current car?
Good point.
Assuming $2.75/gal and 200 working days per year, I came up with $2646 per year in savings [1].
Now, at the end of 2 years, a $10K Hyundai Accent [2] is worth just under $7K at private party value.
Assuming acquisition cost of $11500 [3], we’re up $792 at the end of two years. We can also safely assume that maintenance will be cheaper on a new subcompact than an aging full-sized SUV.
The only two downsides I see are reduced winter traction and decreased crash safety.
With good snow tires, the winter traction can be less of an issue, but that does cut into the savings. In the US, Dayton Winterforce is probably the cheapest name-brand snow tire; no idea if that’s available in the Great White North or not. Certainly, cutting-edge Michelin snow tires will be glad to eat your entire savings for years.
Either way, congrats on the job!
[1] Assume new vehicle has 35 MPG highway and current vehicle has 19 MPG highway. Assume commute is exactly 200 miles.
[2] $10518 with delivery cost. Add 8% sales tax, now it’s $11360.
[3] I just slapped on about $150 in “doc fees” and titling expenses. I’ve got no way of speculating as to insurance/property tax/etc fees, which could blow me out of the water. There’s also whether or not the other vehicle gets liquidated and saves registration/etc expenses, which is outside of my knowledge.
Noway, it’s just about the only Toyota that gets bad marks from Consumer Reports.
SmellMyWort is right.
Although the VW Jetta Diesel does get good mileage, the reliability isn;t there and the price of diesel outweighs the mileage advantage.
I have a VW Passat from 2001, and I love it. It has a Turbo 1.6 liter engine, and I can get 30+mpg on the highway.
Yes, VWs are on the average less dependable, but I remember Consumer Reports once praising cars as well built because they only had 12 minor defects and three major defects (of which, only two were lethal). Cars are simply extremely dependable – especially compared to a decade ago. Even the cars with lower than average dependability are pretty well built. I’ve had quite a few problems with my VW, but I would consider something that made me regret buying the car. A Toyota would probably have fewer of these issues, but I’m still pretty happy.
Don’t bother with a hybrid. Hybrids save you money in CITY driving. I take it you’ll be spending most of your time on the highway. What you’ll find is that the Prius highway mileage isn’t that much better than the Jetta’s (if it is actually better), and simply doesn’t perform as well.
Personally, I would look at a diesel. The new ones perform great, get high mileage, and are fairly dependable. I am waiting for VW to bring in the Polo. I’m getting the diesel with the manual transmission. I want a red one.
Except again, diesel costs more than even premium, usually. There goes the MPG savings.
Where I am, it’s exactly the same price as regular right now and in the last few months has been either a few cents higher or lower. While it seems like changes in refining practices and markets have ended the days when diesel was usually 2/3rds the price of gasoline, I don’t think there’s any reason to think that diesel will consistently be much higher than gasoline in the future.