Hyundai has really upped their game of late. I would check out their offerings were I in the market. My kid in Texas is looking at the Veloster N.
There aren't many "bad" vehicles out there today. Some of the Dodge things don't appear to me, their heavy Chargers etc. I think some cars are over priced (duh) based on image like the Fiat 500, but whatever, it's not a terrible car. We had a MiniCooper S in Boston which I drove quite a bit and did not care for at all.
You can just about go with whatever styling you like, and whatever fits you the best. My kid in Columbus is driving my little Chevy Sonic and it seems to be doing fine.