The Toyota, however, would likely run away from the Focus and the Mazda3 on a track or a mountain two-lane whatever tires they wore. When the road and crowds open up sufficiently to rev this engine, the chassis is more than capable of putting the power down deftly. Supple damping helps keep the contact patches pressed to the pavement, and a firm brake pedal suffered no noticeable fade with repeated hard use. At any point on the mountain road, the Toyota could maintain a four- to five-mph advantage over the rest of the pack. If your commute is from Mount Crumpet to Whoville, this is the only car to consider.
To answer the original question: Yes, most of these cars can generate smiles on a twisty road, while squeezing into that last tiny parallel-parking spot and certainly at the fuel pumps (our group averaged 26 mpg). So which one should the discriminating commuter choose? If you paid for this magazine, the Cobalt is a great car to recommend to friends and neighbors who don't read car magazines. It's a solid player that ranks highly in family-values categories like safety, security, and utility. It's just a tad bland in this field, so, until next year's SS arrives, Chevy takes a respectable fifth.
Ford's Focus is the opposite--so spicy and sporty, bumpy and noisy that one almost doesn't notice the aging and slightly rattly structure. Almost. Aficionados of torque who live in smooth-road states may rank it higher, but here it earns fourth place.
Tester St. Antoine summed the Kia perfectly: "The engine is smoother than the Toyota's and the chassis less harsh, the structure is more solid than the Ford's, and the dynamics are livelier than the Chevy's." If price is paramount and you don't plan to spend too much time driving on the slightly raggedy edge of its performance envelope, it's a compelling choice, and a solid third.
When a car with the quality, reliability, and resale track record of a Toyota posts the best performance numbers, it's guaranteed a spot at the top, but the extreme driving required to realize the Corolla XRS's potential, coupled with the lack of fold-down seats and generic styling, left just enough room for the Mazda3 to squeak past. Avant-garde design, accessible performance (especially with a manual transmission), and agreeable dynamics under all driving conditions make Mazda's 3 the taste sensation for commuter transportation.