Of all of them, I like the VW the best, but the reliability story might give me pause. I don't like the looks of the Mazda, and the Solara is pretty but otherwise a yawner. The Hyundai is overwrought.
So, that leaves the Focus SVT and the Scion. The Focus has done pretty well of late in the reliability department, and it's actually a pretty good platform. I've heard lots of good stuff about the Scion, and aftermarket support looks like it will be good. Maybe the handling issues could be fixed?
