Safest small car on par with the Matrix and Versa?

Question

A friend is considering the Nissan Versa and a slightly used Toyota Matrix. She snowboards and needs space for tall guys and long boards. No Honda Civic or Mazda3 for her, she also wants/needs the wagon for moving to and from college. She did consider the Corolla but wants that open back space. I suggested the Versa SL for its CVT but I need more information. I've read that it's a safe car but is it too soon to know if it's reliable?

The bottom line is that these are the most important criteria:

Gas mileage

Interior space (availability and usability)

Price (definitely under $15,000)

Safety (she already walked away from a flipped 1997 Altima when she hit black ice)

Thanks, everyone. Any alternative suggestions or information will be appreciated.

Answer 1

Check out the Subaru line...they are sporty, fun to drive, all of them are AWD and they have a wagon version of every model.  My favorite is either the Baja or the Imprezza.  Fast and fun and great gas mileage around town, enough clearance and AWD to go anywhere you want.  Depending on the area of the country you live in you can get great deals on them, most Subaru dealers will sell them for $200 over invoice and still give great rebates and financing.  It makes them less expensive than a lot of the Nissan/Honda/Toyota line.  They also run forever...the average is 200,000 miles.

Answer 2

Try to check on the Scion Xb. It's more space and price is low and safety and mile per gallon is good too.