You buy car magazines to get an opinion of how the car behaves on the road as well as the gas mileage. Car magazines are a very poor source of reliability and durability info. So you go to Consumer Reports or TrueDelta for how well the car stands up. Since 1965 I have relied on Consumer Reports to get the reliability data. But I tested each car to see if I liked it enough to buy it. Don’t let Consumer Report tell you what you NEED! In the 60s their definition of an American “family car” was one roomy enough to seat 6 male adults and a trunk large enough for a weekend trip. One reader questioned their definition of a US FAMILY!!!
Of the cars you mentioned, the Mazda3 is the best overall for fuel economy, reliability, and expected life. The Dart was rated poorly by CR and is an unknown, and the Impreza will cost more to operate and maintain. The Cruze is not showing up that well either, although it is a pleasant car to drive. But the Mazda will cost you the least over its life. And it’s fun to drive.