This is interesting, and you have gone into more detail than most upcoming buyers, however in a way that, for your benefit, begs you to narrow things down and rate things within your lists to narrow down where you bother looking in real life.
Just a guess how that might appear, to you, but its obviously your choice what in the end is more important and less important:
- I wouldn't even look any more at "things that don't matter to me at all". Especially features, you are going to get some mix of extras regardless and you don't care - done deal.
- "Things that are most important" - Your choice to not have a car and instead get an SUV may mean the fuel economy requirement may not be automatically 'quite' meet within your price - a sedan or coupe at that price would get better than 9L automatically and therefore be a non issue. I'm not sure if people who don't own Fits could know if their answer was good enough about seats going flat down, I wouldn't despite my wife's Elantra GT hatch having power seats that lower a lot. Your requirement to have the most possible cargo space eliminates all hatches - too bad, maybe reconsider how much you need? Other than Fit, what else does Honda make that works for you, as you seem mostly decided on them regardless.
- "features that are important but not absolute musts" - I suggest you may reconsider and move the first one about Japanese and Korean up to Most Important, and maybe add Mazda back to your lists. The Cronos was last made 18 years ago, things have changed. It seems to me that psychologically there is no way for you to own North American or European. Floor mats already covered in a previous post - I like WeatherTech over Findway, I own both. Seats, where armrest is, cupholders are solely personal preference items but you can get a good idea from reviews and forums and pictures before venturing out.
