Five Door Hatchbacks Under $15,000: Toyota Yaris Vs. Chevy Aveo5 Vs. Kia Rio5

There was a time in the United States when if you saw a person behind the wheel of a five door hatchback you pretty much assumed that they only bought the car because of its fuel economy or low sticker price. It must not be their year, you usually thought to yourself, or why wouldn't they have bought themselves a nice, sensible sedan? Well times and gas prices and mall parking space sizes have most definitely changed.

But even if a person doesn't really want to spend over $15,000 for a new car do they really have any decent options nowadays? Well as a matter of fact there is an overabundance of choice in the $15,000 five door hatchback market and that only looks to grow in 2010 with the arrival of the Ford Fiesta and the Mazda2.

Currently the best seller in this category is the Chevy Aveo so to see if this five door variant of the evergreen rental favorite can stand up to a little competition it's time to do a little comparison shopping with the Toyota Yaris and Kia Rio5. And remember, cheap can always still be cheerful.

Kia Rio5

There is a cheeky appeal to the styling of the Rio5 from the happy looking Pokemon-like headlights (so many headlights are designed to make cars look angry nowadays) to the abruptly arched rear hatch. The interior, while not quite as characterful, is solidly built and the upholstery used on the seats looks durable enough to survive 10 years or 100,000 miles of Big Mac wrappers and spilled Diet Cokes.

Choosing between the manual transmission and automatic I would have to say the auto is the better choice as the manual has a loose feeling, vague shift action and gets lower highway fuel mileage than the automatic. While not overburdened with power (110 horsepower), the Rio5 can handle the cut and thrust of highways and city streets just fine.

One caveat to those interested in the Rio5. Be aware that anti-lock brakes are a $400 option whereas they are standard on most other cars sold today barring, you guessed it, the Chevy Aveo which itself charges $440 for the privilege of being able to make the car stop moving. While it is understandable for Kia and Chevrolet to want to be able to advertise a car with a lower sticker price, holding back essential safety equipment is not the way to go about it. So if you are looking at a Rio5 (or Aveo) make sure yours is specified with ABS.

Chevy Aveo

It is amazing what a few years and a little visit to the plastic surgeon can do to make a car look so much better. When the Aveo was first released it had easily the ugliest, most poorly assembled interior of any car in its class. The plastics were cheap and everything just felt nasty when you touched it.

But after a mid-life refresh and some clever placement of soft touch plastics, faux-chrome and stylized dials, the Aveo is at least the front runner for most improved status. Some might say that, barring a pretty tight on legroom rear seat, that the Aveo has the nicest interior of all three of these cars.

Powered by a buzzy 108 horsepower four cylinder, the Aveo is much like the Rio in that it is best ordered with an automatic transmission. Let's just say the Aveo's manual has quite a way to go before it can claim to match a Honda Civic's shift action. The automatic shifts cleanly enough and always manages to be one step ahead of you by being in the right gear for optimal revs at all times. This means there is plenty of fun to be had in the Aveo but does that mean it is good enough to beat Toyota?

Toyota Yaris

If there is one huge selling point for the Toyota Yaris (and this is especially important for anyone buying a car like this for a first time driver) it is the issue of safety. Thanks to the standard Star Safety System the little Yaris easily qualifies as having the most standard safety features in its class.

In addition to standard Anti-lock Brakes the Star Safety System includes Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Electronic Brake Force Distribution and Brake Assist. What does all this mean? It means you will stop in shorter distances and you will maintain more control of the vehicle in emergencies. Sounds kind of important, huh?

But the Yaris isn't all fun and no play. New for 2010 is a "Sport Package" which adds power windows, locks, tachometer, rear spoiler, fog lamps, leather steering wheel and shift knob as well as and iPod interface. Also, for those people who routinely need to carry everything they have ever owned with them in the car at all times the Yaris offers more hidden cubbyholes and drawers than you will probably ever be able to find without consulting the owner's manual.

The Yaris is motivated by a spunky 106 horsepower four cylinder and is the only subcompact on this list with a sweet shifting manual transmission option. And thankfully Toyota has finally introduced it on the five door model just this year (prior to this the five door only came with the automatic.) The manual really transforms this car from your average commuting appliance into a truly fun to drive, almost European feeling hatchback.

Who wins?

The beauty of this test is that now no one really loses no matter which one of these cars you invest you decide to buy. But if it were my money I would definitely get the Toyota Yaris due to its spaciousness, design cleverness and superior drivetrain.

Toyota Yaris: (Starting at $12,905): (29 city/36 highway)

Kia Rio5: (Starting at $13,305): (25 city/35 highway)

Chevy Aveo5: (Starting at $12,115): (27 city/35 highway)