6-car compact sedan showdown

Even though the new Dart was outgunned at the dragstrip by the lighter Ford Focus and Mazda3 (the Dart is the bruiser of the entire group, outweighing the Civic by 500 pounds), it's still a rip to drive. Credit the tiny turbocharged 160-hp 1.4-liter engine pulled right from Fiat's hot 500 Abarth. The surge of turbocharged torque throws your head back as it peaks, and you reach for the next gear. Despite the extra heft, the Dart corners with little body roll, thanks to underpinnings based on the sporty Alfa Romeo Giulietta chassis.

Those European roots make the Dart (tied with the Mazda) the car we'd most like to take for a lap around a racetrack. Even electrically boosted steering didn't numb the feel. But the Dart rides more roughly over pockmarked roads than any car in our test, and it rattled over big bumps. Partial blame lies with the 45-series tires, the lowest-profile rubber of any model here. Inside, we liked the Dodge's Uconnect system and monstrously large navigation screen. When you're behind the wheel, this car feels spacious. And that's also true in the rear seats, where the Dart provided the most shoulder width of the group. (Headroom is limited, though.) The Dart requires buyers to trade comfort for sportiness — a tradeoff you might want to make, since this is the most entertaining car of the bunch.

Read:  2013 Dodge Dart: First Drive

Party animal Dart has a boisterous exhaust note and a punchy turbocharged engine. But the ride can get rough.

BASE PRICE/AS TESTED - $19,995/$25,760
POWERTRAIN - 160 hp, 184 lb-ft; 1.4-liter I-4
WHEELBASE (IN.) - 106.4 /// LENGTH (IN.) - 183.9
CURB WEIGHT (LB) - 3288
0 — 60 MPH (SEC) - 8.79
QUARTER-MILE (SEC/MPH) - 16.34 @ 84.66
60 — 0 MPH BRAKING (FT) - 119.01
LANE CHANGE (MPH) - 57.98
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (CITY/HWY) - 27/39
PM FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) - 40.7

2013 Dodge Dart

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The Cruze splashed onto the scene last year and already it has become the second-best-selling car in the class. And those 230,000-plus buyers aren't wrong. Americans like comfortable cars, and the Cruze was easily the best riding car of the bunch, absorbing jolts without drama (or passenger displeasure) and delivering the best compromise between comfy ride and reasonably taut cornering. The Cruze's steering requires only a light touch, so it's a pleasure to park and pilot.

Though the Chevy uses a small turbo like the Dart's, the personalities are as disparate as Brett Favre and Peyton Manning. The Cruze is quiet, subdued, and rock-solid — and the slowest car of the group. Although the 1.4-liter feels reasonably peppy around town, on the hills of our handling-test course the Cruze's automatic transmission had a tendency to hunt for the right gear. Inside there are pros and cons. We like the simple controls, but room is tight, especially aftward, where three adults can barely squeeze across the bench. Then again, trunk space won the test by a huge margin. Overall, the Cruze is one of the best compacts here. Its obvious quality has made us completely forget about the lackluster Cobalt and Cavalier that came before it.

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The grownup of the group remains agile, reasonably peppy, and composed. But back-seat room is tight.

BASE PRICE/AS TESTED - $20,605/$23,070
POWERTRAIN - 138 hp, 148 lb-ft; 1.4-liter I-4
WHEELBASE (IN.) - 105.7 /// LENGTH (IN.) - 181
CURB WEIGHT (LB) - 3176
0 — 60 MPH (SEC) - 9.47
QUARTER-MILE (SEC/MPH) - 16.93 @ 80.62
60 — 0 MPH BRAKING (FT) - 121.47
LANE CHANGE (MPH) - 60.66
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (CITY/HWY) - 26/38
PM FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) - 38.5

2013 Chevrolet Cruze

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Time has not been kind to the Civic. Its once-rewarding chassis — so good that it became one of the pillars of the sport-compact movement — has been more defanged with each generation. After a snaky back-road stint in the Honda, you yearn for the communicative steering of the Mazda, Dodge, or Ford. The Honda's numb tiller, as one tester put it, "feels as though there's a rubber band wrapped around the steering column as you turn."

The Civic rolls quite a bit in corners, but it is feathery (the lightest car here by 115 pounds), and that keeps the Honda from feeling ponderous on good roads. But fun? Nope. At least it's one of the comfiest cars here when pavement quality suffers, although on those occasions the cabin boomed with noise, while the better competition was quieter. The Civic's futuristic digital gauges look like they belong in a hybrid. Trouble is, in certain sunlight conditions they get washed out; the simplicity and depth of analog instruments don't typically suffer from this problem. In the back seat, the Civic was very tight for three large guys — especially in the headroom department. And it had the smallest trunk of our test group. But for all its faults, the Civic positively sips fuel. On our 340-mile economy run, it returned almost 43 mpg. That's solid.

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The once-venerable Civic — fun, tossable, and cute — has now become a merely comfortable, frugal commuter.

BASE PRICE/AS TESTED - $20,505/$21,275
POWERTRAIN - 140 hp, 128 lb-ft; 1.8-liter I-4
WHEELBASE (IN.) - 105.1 /// LENGTH (IN.) - 177.3
CURB WEIGHT (LB) - 2753
0 — 60 MPH (SEC) - 9.45
QUARTER-MILE (SEC/MPH) - 17.01 @ 81.73
60 — 0 MPH BRAKING (FT) - 128.25
LANE CHANGE (MPH) - 59.6
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (CITY/HWY) - 28/39
PM FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) - 42.7

2013 Honda Civic

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While Subarus were once as quirky as Saabs, the latest Impreza is perhaps the most mainstream car in our group — save that unlike any other car here, it comes with standard AWD. For 2012 Subaru also cured the old Impreza's poor fuel economy. An available CVT boosts combined mileage to 30 mpg, a 25 percent gain over the 2011 model. The new car's cockpit is airy, with a steering wheel that tilts and telescopes with more range than any car here — offering near-luxury-sedan adjustment.

The entire car feels comfortable; there's plenty of leg and shoulder room as well as big doors that open wide. Under the hood is a 2.0-liter flat-four-cylinder — but it's not WRX-nasty. This boxer engine is tuned for efficiency. Ours came paired to a five-speed manual that worked well, but opt for the CVT and you'll get even better fuel economy. Besides, the manual doesn't add much sportiness, as the engine dislikes free spins to redline and the soft suspension rolls on sinuous back roads. It corners if it must, but it's no sports car. By contrast, it's rock-solid over brittle asphalt, where the Impreza is at least as composed as the Chevy. And if what you need is a spacious compact that delivers all-wheel-drive traction, this is the one.

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The Impreza delivers a solid — rather than sporty — ride, a spacious cabin, and, of course, all-wheel drive.

BASE PRICE/AS TESTED - $19,095/$21,914
POWERTRAIN - 148 hp, 145 lb-ft; 2.0-liter I-4
WHEELBASE (IN.) - 104.1 /// LENGTH (IN.) - 180.3
CURB WEIGHT (LB) - 2981
0 — 60 MPH (SEC) - 9.25
QUARTER-MILE (SEC/MPH) - 16.85 @ 80.72
60 — 0 MPH BRAKING (FT) - 114.52
LANE CHANGE (MPH) - 60.23
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (CITY/HWY) - 25/34
PM FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) - 37.10

2013 Subaru Impreza

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The edgy Focus with its elegant lines and sporty proportions, looks like it just rolled off the streets of Milan. It was one of our favorite designs. But beneath the skin, the Focus was equally appealing. This was very much the all-star of our group, finishing at or near the top of every performance test and subjective rating we could throw at it. It was the quickest compact to 60 mph, and yet it nearly matched the Honda's fuel economy. And that's not easy to accomplish, especially since the Focus gets a five — rather than six-speed transmission. But the car's well-spaced gears and strong 2.0-liter four never felt overmatched on rolling hills or over-revved on interstate hauls.

Grab the Focus's thick-rimmed steering wheel and you'll expect this to be a fun ride. Good thing the Focus doesn't disappoint. Ours came with a $1130 Sport Package, which helped make the Ford a frisky partner on twistier roads. The Focus's reflexes might be slightly duller than those of the Mazda, but the incredibly competent Ford delivers excellent grip and can be pushed very hard without overmatching its 17-inch rubber. Inside, the Ford's interior looks fresh and more cockpit-like than any other car here. Downside? Sporty cabins feel less airy. The upside includes front seats that were easily the most comfortable, offering deep bolsters and soft, supportive cushions. We could drive across the country in these seats and never have a backache. And the rear seat is roomy enough for three. Unlike with some of the equally talented performers here, handling poise does not translate into a rougher ride. Though the Ford's dash was a tad buzzy over the worst roads, the ride was firm. The Focus excelled by nearly every measure, and, as an added bonus, that goodness comes at a nice price: The Focus has the lowest MSRP here.

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The happiest medium — the Focus gets a sporty ride but not at the cost of comfort, room, or style.

BASE PRICE/AS TESTED - $17,270/$20,580
POWERTRAIN - 160 hp, 146 lb-ft; 2.0-liter I-4
WHEELBASE (IN.) - 104.3 /// LENGTH (IN.) - 178.5
CURB WEIGHT (LB) - 2966
0 — 60 MPH (SEC) - 8.19
QUARTER-MILE (SEC/MPH) - 16.25 @ 86.41
60 — 0 MPH BRAKING (FT) - 118.15
LANE CHANGE (MPH) - 60.66
EPA FUEL ECONOMY (CITY/HWY) - 26/36
PM FUEL ECONOMY (MPG) - 40.9

2013 Ford Focus

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