There has never been a better time to be a driver. The average modern automobile is comfortable, relatively efficient and safe – but it’s also easy to buy something that moves more than just your physical body. Sure, the high end of the market offers the maximum amount of performance, but almost every mainstream manufacturer offers a sporty version of the practical compacts Canadians love to buy.
The launch at the Los Angeles Auto Show of the new Nismo variant of the Nissan Sentra and the re-emergence of the Honda Civic Si point to a coming golden age – or do they? We’ve seen the proliferation of turbo technology before and not every car that came out during the 1980s and 90s with a GT badge on the back was automatically good.
Where making a sporty compact car out of a run-of-the-mill commuter once involved taking advantage of a lightweight chassis ideal for fuel economy, today’s manufacturers have to work with vehicles designed to hit targets for road noise and safety. In other words, how are you supposed to get pulses racing in a machine that’s built to be an isolation chamber?
Clearly, this is going to take a bit more than a couple of Turbo decals and some pinstriping. Here’s a look at the current state of the sport compact market.
Nissan Sentra Nismo
Nearly every modern car suffers a little when compared with the purity of its ancestors, and the Nismo Sentra is no exception. The now-rare Sentra SE-R of the early 1990s was never officially sold in Canada, but it’s a cult classic: boxy lines, revvy 140-horsepower 2.0-litre engine, a limited-slip differential and curb weight of about 1,100 kilograms. Basically, it was a 1990s version of the Datsun 510.
The Nismo Sentra, on the other hand, is available with a continuously variable transmission. Also, for some reason, its 188-hp turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder makes less power than the Nismo-ized Juke. Uh oh. Still, there’s good news here: It’s lower than any other Sentra variant, comes with a specially tuned suspension, and should come in at an aggressive price point. And you don’t have to take the CVT – a six-speed manual is on offer.
Honda Civic Si
Canada has been in love with the Civic for decades, but the simple lightweight original is now a complex machine. Similarly, the Si sport version has grown from elemental coupe, to the world’s angriest dustbuster, and now to this.
We don’t have horsepower outputs for the new Civic Si, but expect its turbocharged 1.5-litre engine to produce between 200 hp and 230 hp. The standard Civic coupe is good fun, so this tuned-up version should be ready to again give the Volkswagen GTI a run for its money. As to styling, well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So is a giant spoiler.
Volkswagen GTI/Golf R
In terms of buttoned-down zip, the Volkswagen GTI is still the king. The original can’t be beat for that stripped-down driving feel, but the Germans have done such a good job polishing their signature sporty car that it’s hard to find a flaw. It’s fast, reserved, composed (maybe a little too composed) and fun, with a proper dual-clutch gearbox as the automatic option. Go for the six-speed manual to wake things up.
The Golf R tops the GTI range and is in high demand. Quick enough to hang with a Subaru STI at the track, yet toned down enough to not attract unwanted attention in the parking lot, it’s perfect for people who have to pretend to be grown-ups between Monday morning and Friday afternoon.
Hyundai Elantra Sport
Hyundai doesn’t really have a sports compact history to live up to, so it feels as if it hasn’t bothered setting a yardstick against the past. Instead, it has simply tried to build an Audi. For the most part, it has succeeded.
The sharp-looking little Elantra sedan has a great chassis and the Sport version finally gives it a powertrain to match. Its 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo makes 201 hp and there’s either a six-speed manual or a proper seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. Like Volkwagen’s offerings, it’s reserved on the outside, carrying a big stick but speaking softly.
Subaru WRX/STI
The addition of a CVT as an option for the WRX sedan displeased the rally faithful. However, it’s essentially doubled sales of Subaru’s turbocharged gravel warrior. Subaru would like to pretend that the sales results make up for the lack of a hatchback variant, but it doesn’t. Bring back the hatch, Subie, some of us have stuff to haul.
The STI has outlived the Mitsubishi EVO and has gained many of its attributes. It’s a sharperhandling car than previous versions, but the venerable 2.5-litre motor is a letdown. From 2002 to 2017, the WRX gained 40 hp. The STI has gained about five. Step up your game, Subaru.
Ford Fiesta ST/Focus ST/Focus RS
Of all the manufacturers competing in the sport-compact class, Ford is clearly having the most fun. The Fiesta ST is the most invigorating car you can buy for less than $50,000, a darty little front-driver that out-Minis the Mini Cooper. The Focus ST is a lift-throttle hooligan that’s far less buttoned down than the GTI.
And then there’s the Focus RS, which is out to steal lunch money from actual sportscars. Powered by a 350-hp turbo-four and fitted with sticky Michelins and a clever all-wheel-drive system, it’s an absolute monster. It’s shouty and the seats are ridiculous, but it’s an absolute riot, the current king of the hill.
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