Best new "dad car?"

Please excuse/indulge me in a "what car" exercise. I am in need of a 4 seater "dad car" that does not feel like a penalty box. Current fleet: a very tired 2000 4runner which my wife has had since new, which has become mine over the past 5 or so years. A new Toyota Sienna, which is very nice and comfortable, and has the whole family covered for weekends and for out of town trips. And finally, after being a longtime lurker/reader here since the late 90's, I bought my first enthusiast car last year, a E30 318is.

My two kids are in forward facing child seats and have grown to the age where I need to run them around town, independently of Mom and the minivan. My spider-sense is telling me that I need a new, modern vehicle with modern safety features. My 4runner has no redeeming qualities other than nostalgia and sentimental value -- it is in need of a front end rebuild, and is currently not driven due to a tie rod end death wobble. Even after fixing this, I won't feel well karting my kids around in it.

I love the light weight, look and character of the 318is, but it is old. My 5 year old son diagnosed a dying fuel pump a few days ago right before we broke down -- he could feel the sound and vibration underneath the thin rear seat ("what's that noise under my booster chair?"). I no longer want to drive them around in it either.

I will be in a financial situation to buy something new in the near future. I tend to keep vehicles for a very long time, and I drive an almost negligible amount of miles in a year (daily commute is 5 miles round trip, no red lights, no traffic, no freeway; I drove ~3000 miles in the past year). What 4 seater would you buy new with the intent on having it for a long time? Budget would be ~$35k + or so. Buy once, cry once.

I have no track aspirations, but this car will be enjoyed on nice backrads and hopefully be autocrossed. Priorities on fun handling, practicality, light-ish weight, fuel economy over absolute speed. A E46 ZHP is sort of the ideal car I have in mind (seems like just enough of everything, 4 doors), but I don't think there is anything quite like its niche in today's new car market.

On my list (haven't driven any):

Fiesta ST - seems like fun - as much power to the front wheels as you can have before significant compromises? Are the Recaro's as uncomfortable as people make them out to be? I have a Ford dealership in my small town, but the two sales guys I talked to were apparently oblivious to the fact that there was such a thing as a performance Fiesta and had not seen such a creature in West GA

WRX - seems to get fair praise for handling, makes torque everywhere, still really ugly. Is Subaru build quality still suspect (engine woes/interior rattles, etc)? Is the FA20 holding up well?

FR-S - can you put two small-ish kids in the back? probably not. I will admit to watching Initial-D as an adult and a deep subconscious desire to dorifto. Plus it seems like my 318is, only new. 2 doors seems like a big compromise though

BMW F30 3-series - the 235i seems to get high praise for being fun, "like the cars that made BMW what it is," while the F30 reviews seem sort of lukewarm. The same range of engines is available in both -- are the 3's a disappointment in terms of handling? I have eyes for anything Alpine White with a BMW emblem on it, but it seems like these cars keep getting heavier. How scary is a turbo BMW to own?

Evo X GSR - would you dare? The last chance new ones are rolling off the lines now, and I would absolutely not buy a used Evo. I will admit I have a thing for the styling of the last Evo -- the car in white is like the freaking Death Star on wheels. I even have a Mitsubishi dealer in my small town, but I doubt they have ever seen an Evo on the lot. I am glad the Focus RS is coming around to fill the gap, but I'd rather have the saloon type than a hatch for near $40k.

Not on the list: Anything VW/Audi

Camaro, Mustang, Challenger - too big, too heavy, two few doors. Had a 4th gen f-body with poor build quality.

ATS - nice sedans, I am rooting for Cadillac just because, but don't actually want to personally own one.

These are the thoughts that keep me up at night.

Out of that list I would choose the BMW but I'm not entirely sure it fit's within the budget. You'll probably need to go 228i to keep it under 40k.

Genesis coupe?

I would not want to be putting two smallish kids into car seats without 4 doors. The FR-S backseat is more of a your kid gets in the back and buckles himself seat. But here is my opinions.

Fiesta ST and its larger brother the Focus ST actually handle their power quite well, I think the Fiesta ST is more fun but the Focus ST more practical IF your kids are small enough to still have the larger car seats. These will also be available with more new options/discounts/opportunities to get them cheap than anything else listed

The WRX. Very impressive car, I like it in the darker non world rally blue but its still a bit homely for sure. Build quality on this one seems good the FA20 motor I have not heard anything bad about.

BMW. -BMWs have been turbo for quite a while and the N54/N55 motors are quite legendary. The 4 cylinders are a little bit more new but they have owned mini for some time. I'd have no hesitation but you will pay for it. I have heard good things about even the 320i with the ZSP

Arguably money for fun dollar the Fiesta ST will be the best option if it works for you

I forgot about the kids.

Used 335i. Be happy get a 4door with a manual trans

^^ can't argue much with that

CTS-V. Wagon too for Super-Dad image.

E63 or c63 AMG with a really good warrenty

Really I think the last evo's get regular Lancer front seats or something like that. WRX or BMW.

Any BMW will be the best bet and used e90's go for a good price, just be sure to get the M package otherwise it's kinda sloppy.

Remember that the fiesta is a small ass car, though fun, a focus will be a better bet with kids.

The wagons aren't $35k yet, but the sadans are. No penalty box, all awesome.

Focus RS, certified pre-owned T5 Volvo S/V60

I'm very happy (so far) with my 2004 Saab Aero convertible. It seats four, the top goes down, it's very safe in a crash (complete with pop-up rear roll bars), it's fun to drive, and it's not bad on a gas.

So far, it seems like a car I should have bought several years ago.

Brand new V8 Charger. Only downside is auto-only.

RX8 if you can take the fuel milage. My kids loved riding in mine. They fit forward facing seats and boosters fine.

I just went through the same exercise and bought an E46 ZHP. My kids are 6 and 8 and have plenty of legroom. Trunk is spacious enough for a weekend outing with three girls' worth of crap. I was looking at Ford STs, but the ZHP was a one-payment car. Always more fun to look for a title in the mail than a payment book.

@foxtrapper - My buddy has a later year Saab convertible and we took it to the Hilton Head show. Man...there's a car that is a lot more fun (and good in the snow) than it has any right to be.

I vote Focus ST or CTS-V.

I'd be looking hard at one of these, if I couldn't get a CTS-V wagon. I know they are not new (2006-2008 I think) but other than auto they are all awesome.

425 hp 370 ci hemi

Motor Trend Test Results:

0-60 mph: 5.1 sec 0-100 mph: 11.7 sec Standing 1/4-mile: 13.1 sec @ 108 mph (174 km/h)

another option would be find the nicest and newest Volvo S60 R you can find. 300hp, 6 speed, awd, and can fit kids pretty well.

but from your list i would say a focus ST over the fiesta ST, kids come with a lot of stuff and extra space is always handy.

New Ford Fusion. No, really. the 2.0 does 0-60 in 7.3, faster with a tune. Feels quick, looks good, has decent aftermarket, and you can get one with all toys other than driver assists under budget.

But he mentions autocross, and autocrossing a fusion just doesn't seem like fun.

I have a 2016 WRX, and it is the essence of a Dad car. Comfortable, but plenty of zip to be fun. I only have 1000 miles on it, so I'm not a good indicator yet of reliability etc. However, we have 3 2015 models where I work. All have about 25k miles on them. Gas, oil, oil filters and winter tires have been the only items of need, aside from some self inflicted damage to a bumper. 2 are our recce cars, and have been driven cross country to rallies, then used on less than perfect roads for recce, then they come back home. In between used at shop vehicles. Despite spending a lot of time of rally roads, the interiors are still quiet and rattle free. Having had every generation of Impreza, the new model is a gazillion times improved.

In an FR-S, without the seats moved forward, rear legroom is nearly nonexistent. So the number of people who can sit in the back depends on the height of any people sitting in the front.

The RX8's a decent option if you can handle the poor MPG and high-maintenance engine.

Jaynen wrote: But he mentions autocross, and autocrossing a fusion just doesn't seem like fun.

They corner surprisingly flat, and have great pickup. The AWD system apparently helps a lot.

Lot's of good suggestions. Just out of curiosity why the early dismissal of anything from the VAG group? Especially with the low mileage you'll be doing and nice buy in price you could have a CPO S4 with a V8 and 6 speed that would be safer and nicer to drive than about anything listed so far.

But everyone has their own prejudices so I'll see myself out.

I've thought about getting a real dad car on and off, I REALLY like the Mercedes C class right up until the 2015(?) redesign when they were beaten mercilessly with an ugly stick. The E class is nice too but for those the W211 was much nicer looking IMO.

Not sure if slightly used is on the table or not?