The point of buying one of these four cars is to have fun while driving, period. Otherwise, you’d be saving your money by choosing the less entertaining models on which these four sport compacts are based, spending it instead on the newest tomes featured in the Quality Paperback Book Club’s monthly catalog, or maybe getting your Pomeranian a pedicure to match your own. That means a sport compact must possess thrilling handling in addition to a punchy powertrain. It must turn the task of driving into an adventure to be relished rather than a chore to be endured. Finally, since a car like this is usually used as a daily driver, it must balance impressive feats of braking, steering, and grip with a ride quality that won’t fuse your spine’s lower vertebra. Our winner meets these criteria with ease.

Scion tC Supercharged: Fourth Place
For cruising around town, the 2006 Scion tC Supercharged works just fine once you get used to the poor brake pedal feel. It’s quick, it’s got a nice ride quality thanks in part to its long wheelbase, and when you don’t ask much of the tC, it comes across as a good value for the dollar. The trouble is, the Scion tC isn’t a great performer out of the box, nevermind those standard 215/45 Bridgestone Potenza tires mounted to handsome 17-inch alloy wheels. The steering is vague, the body rolls excessively, and the anti-social brakes don’t get any better. The result is a car that’s little fun to drive, therefore missing the main reason for choosing a sport compact car in the first place.

“Brakes feel squishy, a little nerve-racking in hard corners. Lots of body roll, vague and unresponsive steering, floaty and detached ride – feels ready for a leisurely Sunday drive rather than aggressive cornering.” – Blackett

“Really vague steering, needs a suspension kit in order to compete with these other vehicles, most compliant ride, not really fun to drive.” – Chee

“Understeers, gets twitchy under hard cornering and braking, difficult to drive fast, firm but not harsh ride.” – Perry

“Terrible brake pedal feel. The car grips well and the tires don’t squeal, but the body rolls and the steering is awful. Long wheelbase provides good ride.” – Wardlaw

Honda Civic Si: Third Place
Our 2006 Honda Civic Si was not equipped with the summer tire option, Michelin Pilot Exaltos that add $200 to the bottom line. Based on our test team’s comments, this would have been $200 well spent, because each driver rated the Civic’s handling on the standard 215/45 Michelin Pilot HX MXM4’s as merely adequate. Some also thought the Civic’s brakes were too touchy, and that the electrically-assisted steering filtered out too much road feel even if the assist levels and responsiveness were spot on. The taut ride helped to make the Civic Si feel more buttoned down in the city than the smooth Scion, and the quick steering made it easy to maneuver in traffic. Still, we didn’t enjoy driving the Civic as much as the other two cars in this test, whether commuting around town or blasting along our favorite two-lane roads.

“Very touchy but effective brakes. Dances too much on high-speed sweepers, and the steering is hard to modulate – it’s not tight enough, and needs more road feel.” – Blackett

“Felt some fade when the brakes heated up. On twisty roads, the back end loses composure pretty quickly and the tires really squeal. During regular driving it feels nicely buttoned down, right up there with the GTI as far as providing an enjoyable daily ride.” – Chee

“Corners OK but you have to work really hard to wring it out. Suffers typical understeer. Firm ride – surprisingly firm for a Honda product.” – Perry

“Instant brake pedal response – almost touchy. Decent grip could be better with summer tire option. Steering is almost surgically precise with perfect assist levels. Body rolls some, but you can almost drift this car. Pleasingly taut ride.” – Wardlaw

Volkswagen GTI: Second Place
Volkswagen could have taken first place here, if not for its brakes. Considering how capable this car is otherwise, the poor braking system is an even greater disappointment. Three out four of our test drivers complained about fade and feel, which kept us from confidently exploring the GTI’s other performance parameters during the twisty road portion of our loop. Around town, where brake fade was not a problem, the GTI was the perfect companion, providing an exceptionally absorbent ride on the broken and crumbling streets of Los Angeles while simultaneously serving up the responsive handling required to slice and dice through the city’s notorious traffic. If you decide to buy a new GTI, your first upgrade should be a better set of binders.

“Lots of brake fade when they’re hot and abused. Responsive steering with good road feel, and it’s a great feeling to grip the GTI’s thick leather-wrapped wheel and slice through the twisties.” – Blackett

“Too much pedal play for the brakes. Tire grip is excellent with very little squeal.” – Chee

“Good brakes with good feedback. GTI understeers but isn’t twitchy, though the steering is a bit light at speed. Best ride quality of the lot.” – Perry

“Brakes are not confidence inspiring. Body roll is an issue, and the tires give up when pushed. The GTI’s steering is excellent, and the ride is soft, smooth, but 100-percent communicative.” – Wardlaw

Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged: First Place
Based on our week-long testing of these four cars, Chevrolet’s Cobalt SS – surprise! – does the best job of delivering a grin each time you drive it, whether with the docility required in a car used primarily to travel from Point A to Point B or when hammering it along a favorite back road. GM engineers did their homework in producing the Cobalt SS, and despite its torsion beam rear suspension, this is the car we’d prefer to drive on a daily basis for its ability to entertain at all times, whether the venue is a city street, an Interstate highway, or a twisty mountain two-lane.

“Good brake pedal modulation, no fade, panic stops are quick and sure. Tight steering, excellent grip, neutral cornering attitude, and great stability – though at speed there’s a tiny bit of play in the steering. Cobalt delivers a comfortable ride except over potholes, which noticeably disrupt the ride quality.” – Blackett

“The brakes are not too touchy and accurate in stopping. Cobalt is superbly planted in corners, but ride quality is pretty bouncy.” – Chee

“Good brake pedal feel, best handling of the group with a chassis that relays what’s happening at all times, Cobalt never felt out of shape or twitchy, ride was a little stiff but not bad for a car of this type.” – Perry

“Brakes feel great with no fade, instant response, and great modulation. Tires produce terrific stick, body roll is well controlled, the steering feels good and responds quickly, and the Cobalt produces an excellent ride quality given the handling capability. It communicates clearly without beating up occupants.” – Wardlaw