Which Hatchbacks meet these reqs?

Hey guys.

I've always been an SUV person. My first car was a 2-door GMC Jimmy, then I had a 2-door Blazer, and recently I've been driving a Jeep Cherokee since I got it in 2005.

I loved every one of them. But I'm running into an issue now where I'm commuting a lot more than normal. I'm often on the road 3 hours a day and my Jeep is eating through the gas. I've got to get something with better gas mileage.

As far as I can tell that's going to be a hatchback. If I downsize I might as well go to something fairly small since I rarely have people in the car with me (and I'm not very large).

Vital points in vehicle to consider:


Seats in the back must go all the way down. Not angled. I often pull into rest areas to nap in the car and I need to be able to lay down in the back.
25-30+ MPG
Not a Hybrid or Electric car. I don't trust them, whether that is stupid or not is beside the point.
Approximately the size of a Camry (which I have been borrowing lately and like the size of). I think most Station Wagons are too large (again, if I'm not getting all the benefits of my Jeep I might as well go smaller). Though I don't want something tiny -- I'd prefer a small 5-door than a 2-door I think, but will consider both.

Pretty sure that's going to end up being a hatchback yeah? I've never heard of any other small vehicle that had the seats going all the way down. The Beetle looked okay but from what I can see the seats don't go all the way down.

But then I know very, very little about cars.

Suggestions? Price isn't a huge deal, but I'd like to keep it around $30k, preferably closer to $25k.

[edit] Nissan Juke maybe? But I worry a little about the safety ratings.

Hey guys.

I've always been an SUV person. My first car was a 2-door GMC Jimmy, then I had a 2-door Blazer, and recently I've been driving a Jeep Cherokee since I got it in 2005.

I loved every one of them. But I'm running into an issue now where I'm commuting a lot more than normal. I'm often on the road 3 hours a day and my Jeep is eating through the gas. I've got to get something with better gas mileage.

As far as I can tell that's going to be a hatchback. If I downsize I might as well go to something fairly small since I rarely have people in the car with me (and I'm not very large).

Vital points in vehicle to consider:


Seats in the back must go all the way down. Not angled. I often pull into rest areas to nap in the car and I need to be able to lay down in the back.
25-30+ MPG
Not a Hybrid or Electric car. I don't trust them, whether that is stupid or not is beside the point.
Approximately the size of a Camry (which I have been borrowing lately and like the size of). I think most Station Wagons are too large (again, if I'm not getting all the benefits of my Jeep I might as well go smaller). Though I don't want something tiny -- I'd prefer a small 5-door than a 2-door I think, but will consider both.

Pretty sure that's going to end up being a hatchback yeah? I've never heard of any other small vehicle that had the seats going all the way down. The Beetle looked okay but from what I can see the seats don't go all the way down.

But then I know very, very little about cars.

Suggestions? Price isn't a huge deal, but I'd like to keep it around $30k, preferably closer to $25k.

[edit] Nissan Juke maybe? But I worry a little about the safety ratings.

I remember reading ( in some automotive magazine ) when the Honda Fit first came out , that one of the unique features of the car was that the front seat backs ( don't remember if both or only passenger side ) would fold completely flat allowing a person to sit in the rear seat and use the folded front seat as support for your legs ( perhaps even being able to lie flat on your back ? ) . I have not personally tried to verify these claims so I can't say if they are credible ? It might be worth your time to investigate and see if this is true ? Good luck !

Thanks! I'll check into that. I think the Juke has the seats going all the way down too. Haven't heard of any others. Glad to potentially add the Fit to the list though.