I’m probably not the poster child for that trend, the worst commute I’ve ever had was an hour and fifteen minutes one way so I bought an ‘07 Corolla to keep the fuel and maintenance expense down as well as to keep the miles off my good vehicles. Pretty comfortable, still have it, very solid competent car, does what it’s designed to do quietly and well, not even harsh riding or noisy inside. Nothing more than routine maintenance, it just goes. A little dorky looking I guess, but other than that the car needs a telescoping steering wheel due to an unusual long-arm short leg driving position. No complaints otherwise, I’d recommend an ‘05 - ‘07 Corolla to anybody looking for competent, reliable transportation that is relatively comfortable.
I’m a freelance consultant so I don’t have a regular daily fixed commute, it varies a lot. So my daily driver is a 2002 Honda 919 motorcycle. Stupid fast, excellent fuel economy and most importantly I can use HOV/HOT lanes legally and freely. :P
If I did have a long fixed commute, I’d probably consider something a bit more air conditioned and comfortable, which lets my Bronco out of it. And reliable/easily serviced, which lets my older Jag out of it. :P