NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT THE SUB-$35K SPORT COMPACT COMPARO

IN SEARCH OF THE BEST NEW RELATIVELY LOW-BUDGET DRIVER’S CAR

- CHRISTIAN SEABAUGH

If you spent your teenage years in the aughts, there was something tremendously appealing about sport compacts like the Subaru Impreza WRX. The bug-eyed, boxer-powered sedan (and wagon) wasn't just affordable and practical-it was fast for its time. The car packed more horsepower per liter than the Porsche 911 Turbo of the era; the WRX was like the Pontiac GTO of the millennial generation. Following its entry into the American market were more high-power sport compacts from Mitsubishi, VW, Ford, Dodge, Chevrolet, and others.

Flash forward to 2022. The WRX has dropped the Impreza name, but the scene hasn't changed much. It's is new for this year, as are the Honda Civic Si and Volkswagen Golf GTI-both names also familiar to any enthusiast in the early aughts. And although some competitors, such as the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo and Dodge Neon and Caliber SRT-4, are no longer with us, others stepped up in their places. The new Hyundai Elantra N entered the market this year, picking up the performance mantle with a distinctly South Korean twist. Each of these cars can be had for about $33,000, depending on how judicious you are with the options list.

We also included the similarly priced rear-drive Toyota GR86 coupe, a finalist last year at our inaugural Performance Vehicle of the Year competition, to compete alongside the front- and all-wheel-drive four-doors in our quest to identify the best performance car at a killer value.

DNF: Volkswagen Golf GTI