My plan is to keep my FiST until the wheels fall off, but the only car in my consideration set right now for a replacement would be the Civic Type-R.
I'll never own anything by GM (laughable the Sonic would be compared anyway), the Veloster N is more comparable to the Focus ST, Minis are cool but their maintenance scares me, and hopefully I'm wrong but VW reliability scares me too.
The current gen Civic SI is very well reviewed, but if I was spending the $$ for a new car I just go balls deep and get the CTR.
Weird that your ChatGPT list ignored the Elantra N too. While its power and weight is more akin to the Focus ST too, at least it's still for sale. The Veloster N hasn't been available new for like three years.
Edit: The GR Corolla is very well reviewed too, but for my money the CTR is the more practical choice.