I'm helping my wife seek out a new car, and am hoping the GRM hive mind can help me come up with anything I may have missed. She's got a fairly specific set of requirements(kind of unicorn-ish), and (barring any problems) will be trying to keep this car for ten years or so. She's looking for something comfortable, but at least a bit sporty for about 18-20K miles a year of driving. This will be replacing a first-gen Mazda6 4 cylinder automatic. Looking at about a top price of around 30K, new, CPO used, or maybe used Carmax with a warranty. So, here we go:
Size: Preferably compact, she liked the size of the 6(about 70-71" wide, 187" long), but there's no mid-size cars out there that small anymore, so smaller is the objective. A mid-size isn't out if it drives "small", and a subcompact is okay if it meets enough other requirements.
Body style: In order of most to least preference: Sedan, Coupe, Hatch, Wagon. No CUVs(except maybe Subarus)
Performance/Comfort: Would like it to be faster than the 6, but not needed. Needs to be an automatic. She liked the 6's handling. Needs to be reasonably comfortable for highway and city commuting, and long distance driving. Preferred mileage comparable or better than the 6 (about 27 MPG in mixed driving)
Color: Can't be Silver or White. Would like Yellow, Red, Blue, or Purple. Other colors are probably acceptable, she wants a car that stands out a bit. I've mentioned we could get the car wrapped if need be. Would prefer not to have a black interior, but if the exterior color is light enough, its possible.
Dependability: As she'll own it for a while, she wants something that won't be likely to be a hassle to own. This doesn't rule out the Germans, but it makes us somewhat wary of them. Good dealership experience would be nice, which is why Acura and Lexus would be kind of tempting.
Features: Heated seats are a must. The car should have good outward visibility (neither of us are fond of massive A pillars and tiny rear windows). Would really like to have Bluetooth and a leather wrapped steering wheel. Would be nice to have the following, but not required: Heated mirrors, leather seats, auto-dimming rear view mirror, backup camera, active safety like adaptive cruise control, etc. Cooled seats would be neat, but unlikely in this class. She is indifferent towards sunroofs, navigation, and touchscreens, if the car has it that's okay, but she's not looking for those features.
Top tier list of cars I've suggested:
2016 Acura ILX - Base model or base model with Acurawatch. Older models are a no go due to the chrome beak being butt ugly.
Mazda3s Sedan Touring or Grand Touring - The 3i may be a possibility, too.
Honda Civic EX-L - Basically a downmarket ILX. May not be powerful enough.
VW Jetta SE - With the 1.8TSI engine this meets the power requirements, and I've heard visibility out of it is excellent. Just nervous due to the VW factor.
2nd tier list:
Used CPO 2nd or third gen Lexus IS250.
Hyundai Elantra - She's worried the seats may be too hard, like in other Hyundais she's been in.
VW Golf - Probably a nicer interior than the Jetta, but its a hatchback.
Dodge Dart GT - Don't know enough about it yet to eliminate it. Can get it in bright orange, though 
Audi A3 - Stretching to get it, plus dubious long term reliability.
Farther down the list are: Impreza, Crosstrek, Forester, Honda Fit, Mini Cooper, used GS350.
Okay, so after that massive dump of data, any opinions on the cars above, especially from owners? Any that I should cross off the list? Anything I am forgetting that should be added to the search? She hates going to dealers, so we are trying to minimize the number of trips to them as much as possible by eliminating options, and getting a short list together.
