1ST PLACE
MAZDA3s GRAND TOURING
Still looks fresh, still dances like a sport sedan, still a steal, still the best.

2ND PLACE
HONDA CIVIC EX
Avant-garde design and small carbon footprint can't compensate for lack of excitement.

3RD PLACE
SUBARU IMPREZA 2.5i PREMIUM
Serene, all-weather champ hindered by weight and subpar tranny.

4TH PLACE
TOYOTA COROLLA XRS
Solid, quick, and capacious but lacks cohesive feel of others.

In objective handling and braking tests, though, the 3 "drinks the others' chocolate milk," as technical editor Reynolds puts it. Around the skidpad, the 3 runs circles around its competitors, gripping for 0.86 g, which equals the lateral acceleration of a Mini Cooper S. Figure eight? Posting a time of 27.5 seconds at 0.61 g, figure it the best here, not to mention superior to the Hemi-powered Dodge Charger R/T that dispatched 27.8 at 0.63 in last month's comparison. Perhaps most impressive is the Mazda's 60-to-0, which, at 112 feet, matches that of the all-new Pontiac G8 GT.

Out on the drive loop, our notes mirror these fantastic stats. "Always impressed by the dynamics," claims Loh, adding, "Steering feel is best of the group."Harwood opines, "This is the sportiest of the four, and the one I want." St. Antoine says, "Nothing else in this field feels so lively and well-planted-you can feel the racing DNA in the 3's bones."

Regardless of trim, the 3 manages to deliver the ultimate small-car driving experience. As St. Antoine states, "It feels an awful lot like another '3'-one that stickers for about twice the price." Not only did it win this test, but it did so with flying colors.