What car (under $22,000 MSRP) excites you?

[MS Fowler]

I'm a life-long self-professed "car guy". My passion extends back into the 1950's so its been quite a while.
I have been away from the new car scene for a while. Part of my personality is to "have a plan", in mind for various situations. I just realized that there is no new car in the under $22,000 or so price range that really excites me. There are a lot of decent sedans, and the definition of "decent" makes for a MUCH better car today then 20 or more years ago. "Quirky" doesn't even exist in this homogenized marketplace. Where is today's Peugeot 504, or Citreon 2CV?
So I thought I'd ask my friends here.

If you had to replace a family sedan type of vehicle today and the budget was $22,000 MSRP or so, what would you look for? Basic requirements are true 4/5 passenger capacity and 4 doors--getting into the back seat of a 2 door for the people I might have a passengers would be cruel. Is there anything that is really exceptional?