Which car should I buy? Ford Fiesta or Focus, Mazda3, VW Golf?

Or any others? I've looked some at the honda fit and civic, VW Jetta as well. Cheaper is generally better, I definitely want to stay below $21,000 (although the Fiesta ST is looking very tempting, despite that I don't know how to drive manual transmission).

I commute 30-45 each way 5 days a week in Chicago, so some city and some highway parts both. Single, no family in the immediate horizon, so "fun-to-drive" is one of the biggest criteria for me, along with gadgets and comfort. And fuel efficiency.

BTW I'm looking at the Fiesta + Focus Titanium trim, probably the Golf S, and the Mazda 3 i Touring.

So, any suggestions or ideas?

VW golf. The cheapest one to own. Minimum drift cost and minimum gasoline drain.

Not the VW.

Focus & Mazda3 are good choices.

I'd Choose Mazda for their reliability.

I test drove a lot of cars a couple years ago. My criteria were a fun to drive, engaging but reasonably practical, very reliable, fuel efficient commuter car with a manual transmission. I also have a long commute (42 miles each way) and also live in a place with a long, snowy winter.

I wound up buying a 2012 Mazda 3, although it was the least expensive car I test drove. I've had it for 2 years and have put 40K miles on it and have been pretty impressed. It is very engaging and fun, I really like the manual, and I've averaged 36MPG since I've owned it. (I'm an enthusiastic driver, but most of my commute is on highways with very little stop and go). It's also well appointed, and I've not had anything other than standard maintenance. The only quibbles are that I would like a little less road noise, I miss having an oil temperature gauge and I'd rather have a fuel gauge with a needle instead of lights. Oh, the stock tires are not very good in snow and ice. The first winter I had it there wasn't a problem, but last winter was harsher, and I had some scary experiences (I wound up using my old car as I had winter tires for it on a few days. I plan to replace the tires before this coming winter).

Anyway, I didn't drive the Fiesta. I was in a Focus briefly but liked the Mazda better. VW Golfs can be fun but reliability can be a gamble on them (and my mechanic told me he and his employees tend to dislike working on VWs and Audis more than any other make).

As for other cars to test drive/consider, you may want to look at the Subaru Imprezza and Honda Civic, but I still personally prefer the Mazda 3.