Three for the Road: Sports Compacts
August 3, 2006 - Story and photos by John LeBlanc

The “How fast do you want to go? How much money do you have to spend?” adage can be thrown out the door with this trio of recently introduced sports compacts. Bang for your buck is the predominant theme here, as all three of these front-drivers deliver near, or over 200 horsepower and under eight second 0-100 kilometres per hour runs, all for under $30 big ones:

THIRD PLACE: 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged With the most horsepower, the quickest acceleration times, and the highest top speed—all for the lowest price—the breathed-on Cobalt came very close to dropping the Honda to third. The Cobalt is a hoot to drive, and of the three amigos here, has a genuine boy-racer/tuner car feel (c’mon look at that rear wing!) Even with the $2,365 Performance package that adds Recaro front seats and a Quaife limited-slip differential, there’s still plenty in the budget for (occasional) speeding infractions. Needless to say, the Chevy’s rough edges can’t be ignored. The five-speed manual transmission—borrowed from Saab’s 9-5—has shortened throws, but its still floppy in use compared to the Honda’s slick six-speed stick. The SS Supercharged’s exclusive strut valving, stiffer springs, bigger anti-roll bars, lower ride height and 18-inch Pirellis deliver minimal body roll and understeer and remarkable front-end tenacity when charging hard. Except when the pavement isn’t tabletop smooth; remember this is Canada, not California, which means that’s 99% of the time. Plus gobs of torque-steer requires two hands on the wheel.



SPORTS CAR ALTERNATIVE Chevrolet Corvette, $67,805 BOTTOM LINE The Cobalt upholds both the American hot rod traditions of straight-line superiority and unrefined on-the-road manners. If you don’t count old Cavalier Z22s (we don’t!), Chevrolet is the new kid on the sports compact block as Honda and Volkswagen have been at this game for decades. And it shows.

SECOND PLACE: 2006 Honda Civic Coupe Si The last Civic SiR was such a dud, the anticipation for this new performance Civic has been justifiably overwhelming, and certain elements of the Honda do live up to the hype. The new Civic’s cockpit ergonomics may seem unconventional, but the placement of the shifter and handbrake and the dual-level driver instrumentation function particularly well; the six-speed shifter’s action is close to the vaunted S2000’s in sweet snickety-snickness. And where the Cobalt is only fun to drive on a smooth surface, the Civic is fun to drive anywhere, anytime, with a compliant, yet controlled suspension. So why second? Initial turn-in is sharp, but the steering has a non-linear, artificial feel the GTI manages to avoid. And where the Civic’s 2.0-litre four cylinder mill is silken smooth, it’s only making its i-VTEC magic between 6,000 and 8,000 rpm. Below that, its gutless, which means day-to-day urban driving is a bit of a lunch bag let down.



SPORTS CAR ALTERNATIVE Honda S2000, $50,300 BOTTOM LINE To get the most from the new Civic Si, you have to drive it like you stole it. For some, that might get awfully tiring, awfully fast.

FIRST PLACE: 2007 Volkswagen GTI Recent VW hot hatches had grown soft around the middle. But the new GTI adds muscle and finesse with an all-new chassis that includes an independent rear-suspension for the first time and a wicked 2.0-litre turbo four that’s not only smooth, but also pumps out maximum torque between 1,800 and 5,000 rpm. Admittedly, the VW isn’t as sharp in it’s handling as the other two; its extra height and weight are the culprits here. But with the optional 18-inch rubber that my test car wore, the GTI still smothers all but the worst of our pockmarked roads. Except on a racetrack, this suspension’s flexibility conjures up a good compromise, whether it’s a Sunday morning cobweb clearing, or a daily commuter grind. Throw in one of the best steering wheels you’ll ever grasp, plus supportive sports seats, and the VW edges (just!) the Honda for first place.



SPORTS CAR ALTERNATIVE Spending your money within the VW Group, try Audi’s TT Coupe 1.8T $55,980 BOTTOM LINE The new GTI is the best all-around sports compact on the market today. As it pretty much invented this genre way back in the 1970’s, there seems to be no replacement for experience.

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, www.straight-six.com

THIRD PLACE: 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged
ENGINE 2.0 L supercharged inline-four
POWER 205 hp @ 5,600 rpm; 200 lb-ft of torque @ 4,400 rpm
ACCELERATION: Zero to 100 km/h 6.2 seconds
TOP SPEED: 232 km/h
FUEL ECONOMY L/100 km 10.1 city, 7.3 hwy
BASE PRICE $24,195s

SECOND PLACE: 2006 Honda Civic Coupe Si
ENGINE 2.0 L inline-four
POWER 197 hp @ 7,800 rpm; 139 lb-ft of torque @ 6,200 rpm
ACCELERATION: Zero to 100 km/h 7.2 seconds
TOP SPEED: 218 km/h
FUEL ECONOMY L/100 km 10.7 city, 7.6 hwy
BASE PRICE $26,080

FIRST PLACE: 2007 Volkswagen GTI
ENGINE 2.0 L turbocharged inline-four
POWER 200 hp @ 5,100 rpm; 207 lb-ft of torque @ 1,800 rpm
ACCELERATION: Zero to 100 km/h 7.4 seconds
TOP SPEED: 208 km/h
FUEL ECONOMY L/100 km 10.0 city, 6.9 hwy
BASE PRICE $29,375

© National Post 2006. This article originally appeared in The National Post's Driving.