[onewhippedpuppy]

Some good suggestions here! Big spread in terms of sportiness, if you want fun the Focus ST and GTI are the best bets named thus far. Mazda3 is probably a good middle ground. I would add the Fiesta ST as a contender, much of the same goodness as the Focus ST but smaller and more tossable (and less money). I compared the GTI, Focus ST, and Fiesta ST back in 2014-ish and ended up buying the Focus ST from Sid’s (Porsche4Life) parents. One other suggestion, the current body style Civic Si isn’t a hatch back but it is VERY good. If I needed a fun and economical daily driver it would be my first choice, I actually prefer it over the Type R.