2007 Honda Civic vs 2007 Hyundai Elantra vs 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer vs 2007 Nissan Sentra

The Lancer GTS starts a grand or two higher than the others, but it's the only trim level we could get our hands on this early, which reflects Mitsubishi's new direction in the U.S. market. It sold only 118,558 cars and trucks in the U.S. last year, a number just 636 higher than Nissan's Sentra sales. Now it's taking a Subaru, "we're not going to try to be Toyota or Honda" approach, concentrating on a lower volume of slightly upscale, well-equipped, sportier models. Designed to benefit from the halo of Mitsubishi's upcoming Evolution X, our Lancer GTS was fitted with 18-inch wheels and tires (versus the others' 16-inchers), a paddle-shift CVT, a boy-racer rear wing, and a front strut tower brace. Omitting the $1500 sun and sound package-it was our only tester to come with a sunroof-would've brought its bottom line to within $1100 of the Nissan and Honda.

Choosing the Civic as the benchmark eliminated several well-established models from consideration. The Chevrolet Cobalt represents a decent effort from a company that has struggled to produce a credible compact sedan, but it's an also-ran next to the Civic. So is the larger Volkswagen Jetta when equipped with the standard 2.5-liter five. And the 2008 Ford Focus wasn't yet available. Toyota has held up replacement for its aging Corolla, having rushed back to the drawing boards when the company saw the current Civic, a credit to our 2006 Car of the Year.

None of our commuters came equipped with its optional stick shift, which says something about this mission. These are daily drivers for everyman. The Lancer and Sentra have continuously variable transmissions, the Civic has a five-speed automatic, and the Elantra has a four. Serious enthusiasts who need cars like this and don't mind a workout for the left leg during rush hour ought to consider a manual, though, which would've provided more fun and probably better acceleration in any of our combatants.

Were we to choose the winner among these four based on our enthusiasts' proclivities, the Mitsubishi Lancer might top our list, but it isn't the best commuter compact for rush-hour traffic, nor is it necessarily the most rewarding drive. Running these little sedans down the hardscrabble highways in and around Detroit and flinging them around an entertaining country road proved that a stiff suspension doesn't automatically deliver the best handling.

The Sentra was the big surprise, offering the most comfy and cushy commute. It's as if Carlos Ghosn dropped a few old Citron parts into the Sentra's Renault-based architecture. A combination of soft springs, lots of travel, and stiff damping, the suspension soaks up bumps nicely, with no reverberation. Simply step inside the car and it rocks gently, like a 2CV. Wring it out through a few turns, and the 16-inch all-season doughnuts grip as well as the tires on the other three. There's no sense of float in the suspension at speed-French handling without nautical body motions.

The car's comfort level is flawed, though, as we discovered some itch in both front door frames and some light lumber noise in its chassis over severely crusty roads.

Its 2.0-liter four isn't as powerful as the Mitsubishi's, but has a smidge more torque. While some automakers are backing away from CVTs, Nissan is embracing the transmission. Its second-generation CVT winds up at low revs for much better feel than the otherwise sportier Mitsu. One judge even criticized the Sentra's throttle for feeling too touchy at tip-in. But the CVT-equipped Nissan feels quicker than it is-the opposite of most competitors' CVTs.