If I were you, I would purchase new. It seems like you don't want the hassle of buying used, and with a budget of 30,000$, you can certainly get something new that's nice. Based on your lifestyle, it seems like a hatchback would be the best fit for you - you seem to agree on this, and I definitely think this is a good idea. Hatchbacks are much more versatile than sedans and can carry more gear. Since the Cruze comes only as a sedan, I wouldn't be considering this. I've seen the Sonic in pictures and the Fiesta in person. The Sonic looks small from what I can see. I know for a fact the Fiesta is tiny. The back seat in the hatchback in miniscule and the trunk certainly isn't very big. The sedan is very small. Once again, I would cross both the Fiesta and the Sonic off the list. Unless you're OK with the very small size, I don't think you'll be happy with these vehicles. While they're definitely not bad cars, they\re just not very big. As for the Focus, it's definitely a nice car. It's available with many high-end features, drives nicely, and gets good fuel economy. The price is a bit high for a nice version, but the features it comes with justifies it to some extent. The passenger area is a bit tight, but the trunk is a nice size. It's a nice car if you can handle the price and the small cockpit. I don't have much experience with the Prius, but I know it's a very boring drive, no driver involvement or excitement at all. You will pay a sizeable premium for it, but if you drive a lot you'll get a lot of that money back in fuel savings. Both the Prius and the Prius V seem nice, but the V is bigger and gets slightly worse fuel economy. It seems odd to me that you're comparing a Fiesta sedan and a Prius V. They're in completely different categories and are very different in size. The Prius can definitely be a good purchase if you're "that type of guy". The Sonata is a very nice car. I drove it multiple times and looked at it in detail and I highly recommend it. The Corolla is downright boring. There's nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't excel in anything. If you really don't what you want and want a safe, fuel efficient, and reliable car, buy a Corolla. Otherwise, if you look around a bit more, you will find that other cars surpass it in every way.The Elantra sedan is definitely a beautiful vehicle for the money, but, once again, it's a sedan (and not a very big one). It's hard for me to judge this, but from I read, it seems as if this isn't the best fit for your lifestyle. The Elantra Touring is not a bad car by any means, it's just very dated compared to the competition in styling, powertrain, technology,etc... You don't seem to care about styling, but the 1.8L 4-cylinder and the 4-speed auto definitely won't get you as good fuel economy as other cars would give you, and you may miss the more advanced technology that other cars have.
There's definitely a few other cars I would consider that you don't have on your list. As others have said, the Golf wagon or the Golf hatchback would be nice for you. They're engineered very nicely and are a bit more upscale than some of the others here. The TDI gets amazing fuel economy and returns a smooth ride as well. They also offer good cargo space and versatility. You can get the hatchback TDI in the mid-20,000$ and the wagon in the high-20,000$, so it would definitely fit in your budget. I would also highly consider the Mazda 3 Sport (hatchback). These vehicles are some of the best in the compact segment and they offer the most driving fun. Unlike many cars, all trim levels are good. You can get a GX for as little as 18,000$-19,000$, but with your budget I would consider the GS with the Skyactiv engine. It will get very good fuel economy, and with the GS, you can get many nice features. In your price range, you can even go up to the top-line GT. Depending on options, you can get the GS w/ Skyactiv for between 21,000$ and 25,000$. For 24,000$, you can get the GS fully-loaded with leather, sunroof, heated seats, power seats, etc... which is definitely a good deal considering the rest of the package. If I were you, I would go for the GT with the optional GT-E Package. The GT trim will get you the 2.5L engine, which although offers lower fuel economy, is definitely the driver's choice in the lineup. The GT with the GT-E will get you tons of luxury features, some of them unique to the class (keyless start, satellite radio, HID lights, blind spot monitoring, navigation,etc...) While this version will cost you around 29,000$, it's definitely an amazing vehicle, from what I hear. You may also want to consider the Toyota Matrix, Nissan Versa hatchback, or the Suzuki SX4.
