Small, practical, AWD and good gas mileage? Sort of a tall order.
I'll tell you I bought a mazda protege5 hatch and its been a freaking champ. I carry a good bit of equipment for work and it has never left stuff sit. I have put 4 adults, 4 sets of gears, 4 mountain bikes on it and went for a few all day events. On my last trip across the state I got 38mpg... Its just been a great car, 5 speed to boot! The only thing that sucks is the tires on it but I will be getting winter tires and rims for it soon. The best part is it was only 5k and insurance is 240$ a year on it.
Its worth a look, though the newest ones are 2003.