View Photos of the Mazda 3 vs. Civic, Corolla, Golf, Elantra

Enthusiast-oriented hatchbacks are a healthy genre of the U.S. car market, despite their relatively narrow appeal. Even as the demand for SUVs encourages automakers to tack body cladding on to increasingly improbable vehicles, sporty hatches are hanging on. Read the full story here.

There's an undeniable logic to buying one of these row-your-own hatches if you've only got the cash for one car.

Hatchbacks are compact, so they're relatively efficient and feel light and lithe on the road. They typically have more cargo space than sedans do, so they're practical for drivers who demand flexibility from their cars.

And these not-quite-hot hatches are often tied to performance variants of the same cars, so you can have a taste of what you can't quite afford.

The Honda Civic Sport hatchback isn't exactly fresh, having made its debut in 2017, but it earned its spot here as the winner of an April 2017 comparison test.

The Sport hatch comes standard with a 180-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four—that's six more horses than you get in the base Civic—and a manual transmission.

A CVT is available for $800, and it's possible to spend a few grand extra on a fancy set of wheels or a performance appearance package.

We like the Civic just as it is, so our test car cost a completely reasonable $23,170.

2019 Honda Civic Sport

2019 Honda Civic Sport

2019 Honda Civic Sport

2019 Honda Civic Sport

2019 Honda Civic Sport

2019 Honda Civic Sport

The Hyundai Elantra GT N-Line is a newer entrant in this segment.

Europhiles will recognize the GT as a rebadged Hyundai i30. It was new to these shores in 2018, and the N-Line trim, intended to evoke the hard-edged sportiness of Hyundai's Veloster N, is new for 2019.

The GT starts at $21,370, but to get the N-Line's 201-hp turbo 1.6-liter four, retuned steering and suspension, and manual transmission, you'll have to pay at least $24,220.

2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N-Line

2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N-Line

2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N-Line

2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N-Line

2019 Hyundai Elantra GT N-Line

The Mazda 3 has been redesigned for 2019, and it's taken a hard turn toward luxury.

The hatchback starts at $24,520, but the pricey Premium trim is now the only way to get a manual transmission. That package adds leather seats, LED lights, a head-up display, floor mats, and navigation.

With a few dealer-installed extras, this example crossed the block at $30,060.

All Mazda 3s come with a 186-hp 2.5-liter inline-four under the hood.

2019 Mazda 3

2019 Mazda 3

2019 Mazda 3

2019 Mazda 3

2019 Mazda 3

2019 Mazda 3

2019 Mazda 3

2019 Mazda 3

2019 Mazda 3

2019 Mazda 3

Toyota's Corolla hatchback was also redesigned for 2019 (ahead of the ubiquitous sedan's 2020 overhaul).

The hatchback's new look is angular and sporty, and the 168-hp 2.0-liter inline-four is significantly more powerful than the outgoing 1.8-liter engine, which topped out at 137 horsepower.

The Corolla hatch starts at $21,070, but we would have had to pay $25,578 for this particular XSE-trim model, the big-ticket options on which were the adaptive headlights and rear spoiler.

2019 Toyota Corolla XSE

2019 Toyota Corolla XSE

2019 Toyota Corolla XSE

2019 Toyota Corolla XSE

2019 Toyota Corolla XSE

2019 Toyota Corolla XSE

Rounding out the pack is the aging Volkswagen Golf, due to be replaced by the eighth-generation model in 2020 but still included here because of its place on the 10Best list and its strong perform­ance in past comparison tests.

Starting at $22,740, the Golf S comes standard with a six-speed manual and a 147-hp turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four. That engine, new this year, is quite a bit less powerful than the 170-hp 1.8-liter it replaced—not usually a good sign.

Our Golf, an SE model fitted with a $1295 driver-assistance package, totaled $26,335.

2019 Volkswagen Golf SE

2019 Volkswagen Golf SE

2019 Volkswagen Golf SE

2019 Volkswagen Golf SE

2019 Volkswagen Golf SE

2019 Volkswagen Golf SE

2019 Volkswagen Golf SE