A good NA daily?

[baege]

So recently had access to my Mom's car for almost a week and it made me appreciate how the right tool for the job really do make sense.

In the congestion and rough roads of where I live I appreciated just getting in the automatic car with a comfortable ride and easy in and out access and clearance.

I enjoyed those congested utilitarian drives in my Mom's car more than I do in my manual GTS 4.0.

The GTS is just not the right tool for that job.

And then when I did drive the GTS one weekend morning with no traffic, it was so much fun, it was the right tool for that job.

So I am looking for a daily.

I want something newer and reliable as it will be going on long trips.

Big wants for me are a comfortable ride, good clearance, good visibility. I also would prefer naturally aspirated.

I am looking to spend 30kish canadian

the 2023 corolla hatchback comes to mind

any other suggestions?

[XutvJet]

Mazda 3 5 door hatchback. Period.

[stein_325i]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Mazda 3 5 door hatchback. Period.

Agreed Mazda3 is the best option. Super reliable powertrain and tech (not to mention no CVT), great styling inside and out, and feels much more premium than anything in its class.

[Alfisti]

THey sell cars for $30K CDN?

I'd be looking at the little SUV thingies, CX30 or whatever it is called.

[freakystyly]

Hybrid facelifted (2024) Elantra for ~$31k comes with a DCT transmission and a whopping 140 horsepowers.

[dreamingat30fps]

I owned a 2020 Corolla sedan and I liked it. It was very comfortable, cheap (at the time) and still had all the basics I wanted. Came standard with adaptive cruise and lane keep assist for longer trips. I also installed a comma.ai "self driving" device on it and it worked great on long trips.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by baege

So recently had access to my Mom's car for almost a week and it made me appreciate how the right tool for the job really do make sense.

In the congestion and rough roads of where I live I appreciated just getting in the automatic car with a comfortable ride and easy in and out access and clearance.

I enjoyed those congested utilitarian drives in my Mom's car more than I do in my manual GTS 4.0.

The GTS is just not the right tool for that job.

And then when I did drive the GTS one weekend morning with no traffic, it was so much fun, it was the right tool for that job.

So I am looking for a daily.

I want something newer and reliable as it will be going on long trips.

Big wants for me are a comfortable ride, good clearance, good visibility. I also would prefer naturally aspirated.

I am looking to spend 30kish canadian

the 2023 corolla hatchback comes to mind

any other suggestions?

Why naturally aspirated? How many doors and how much luggage space is needed?

[diirk]

Originally Posted by baege

So recently had access to my Mom's car for almost a week and it made me appreciate how the right tool for the job really do make sense.

In the congestion and rough roads of where I live I appreciated just getting in the automatic car with a comfortable ride and easy in and out access and clearance.

I enjoyed those congested utilitarian drives in my Mom's car more than I do in my manual GTS 4.0.

The GTS is just not the right tool for that job.

And then when I did drive the GTS one weekend morning with no traffic, it was so much fun, it was the right tool for that job.

So I am looking for a daily.

I want something newer and reliable as it will be going on long trips.

Big wants for me are a comfortable ride, good clearance, good visibility. I also would prefer naturally aspirated.

I am looking to spend 30kish canadian

the 2023 corolla hatchback comes to mind

any other suggestions?

Interesting. I daily my GTS with no issue. Crappy roads, construction, massive potholes, including trips to Costco and the grocery store.... And it gets better mileage then anything else we own.

Don't get me wrong, I take the 4runner if it's snowing and I love driving the X3MC. But I got the GTS instead of a GT4 because it's so usable

[mecheng77]

Vw GTi

[baege]

Originally Posted by chassis

Why naturally aspirated? How many doors and how much luggage space is needed?

I just prefer the response of an NA engine.

4 doors preferred, luggage space not that crucial.

[baege]

Originally Posted by diirk

Interesting. I daily my GTS with no issue. Crappy roads, construction, massive potholes, including trips to Costco and the grocery store.... And it gets better mileage then anything else we own.

Don't get me wrong, I take the 4runner if it's snowing and I love driving the X3MC. But I got the GTS instead of a GT4 because it's so usable

I mean it's definitely more useable than a GT4. This is my third cayman that is my only car. It's doable, just not enjoyable.

I noticed this past week that if I knew I was going to be in traffic, driving over rough roads I would prefer to take the automatic with the comfortable ride. The GTS can't be appreciated in that context and in fact borders on making you feel annoyed. It just isn't the right tool for that job, it shines on open smooth roads with no traffic.

[c1pher]

New Prius Prime.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by c1pher

New Prius Prime.

This is actually not a bad idea.

[c1pher]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

This is actually not a bad idea.

It’s not fast, but not deathly slow and very efficient with modern safety and automation to make city driving easier. I really like that you can drive it like a regular hybrid or plug in too but not required. Plus it’s miserly on gas.

[freakystyly]

The new ones look great to boot, but they start $10K over his posted budget.

[Alfisti]

Honestly for a daily I'd struggle to get past a 3 year old RAV4 hybrid.

[x3sm]

I’m in the same boat… but the problem with most of the cars mentioned above is that they all “float” too much on the highway. Very unpleasant to drive, with very unresponsive steering.

That being said, why not a slightly used G30 540i? One can be had with under 60K miles for under $30K (depending on options, but most are optioned nicely).

EDIT: I know he said NA, just throwing out suggestions.

[Alfisti]

He also said reliable.

I take a different tack if your miles per yr are not too high. Get the best car you can for say 10K or so, invest a bit in it and avoid all the bullshit associated with modern cars and a huge wad of cash in your pocket even if you need to repair a few things along the way. A 10 yr old Mazda 6, well looked after, should run forever if maintained correctly and is a nice car to drive.

[Mingwan]

Ground clearance on the 4th gen Mazda 3 is ok, visibility is poor in my opinion (for a B-segment vehicle) and it's probably not the best vehicle for rough roads, but that depends on who you are - in my opinion, that torsion beam in the rear end does make a difference on choppy roads. Most people won't notice it, but if you're attuned to driving, you'll notice it.

The 3 does drive really well, especially considering what it is, though. I would say the CX30 or CX5 would also be good options.

[jkoral]

Mazda 3 5-door is firm riding and you feel every pothole. It does handle great up to about 7/10ths. I know you mentioned NA, but I have the 2.5 Turbo Mazda 3 sedan, 250 hp, 320 ft-lb makes moving around in traffic easy. Downside is I average 23-25 mpg. I paid ~30K USD plus tax/tags.

[///MPhatic]

I hate to admit how much I love my '15 RDX. It does everything so well, is so easy to drive, and I don't have to worry about it at all. It'll go anywhere in any climate, gets great gas mileage, rides very well and I can fit just about anything in it. Lastly, the quality is amazing, with 135K on the clock it drives much like new (even the brakes lasted 125K). It runs like crazy too. I would never have guessed that a 3700 lb SUV with only 273 hp would get up and move like this thing does, but man does it haul the mail. And being an N/A V6, it has plenty of torque, and immediate throttle response. I can only dream of having that in my M2.

[JasonCSU]

I'll throw another option out there that hits your requirements aside from cost possibly:

Pre-owned Toyota 4Runner.

It's very reliable, naturally aspirated, has great visibility and clearance, and is pretty comfortable for trips.