2007 MazdaSpeed3 vs. 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX

In this day and age, power comes at a premium. From pricey electric bills and rolling blackouts to rising oil prices and $3-a-gallon gasoline, power and the means by which we obtain it have become especially costly. For the typical American buyer who's out to purchase a new car, the average transaction price now hovers around $29,000. Finance that debt over five years at a reasonable 6.0-percent interest rate, and you're looking at roughly $560 per month. Ouch. So if you want some muscle under the hood but don't want to empty the bank account, what can you do?

Happy to say there are some rides out there that offer maximum muscle for minimal moola. These mini-musclecars deliver levels of power and performance that belie their pennywise price tags. In this frugal and fast field, no two vehicles deliver more bang for the buck than the veteran Subaru WRX and the newcomer Mazdaspeed3. The rally-bred all-wheel-drive WRX received significant upgrades for 2006--notably a 230-horsepower turbocharged flat-four--while the all-new front-drive Mazdaspeed3 has entered the arena with a force-fed inline-four whose direct injectors help kick out 263 horses. Best of all, they both start for under $25,000. To find out which one is best at terrorizing the tarmac, we subjected both vehicles to the hilly roads and commuter highways in and around Los Angeles as well as a full day at the test track, the latter including myriad laps on a demanding autocross. Which electrifying econobox delivers the strongest current for the least currency? Plug in and find out.

AC/DC
It's hard to believe the Subaru WRX made its U.S. debut five years ago. In car years, that period represents almost a full generation--in the Subie's case, one that includes two face-lifts, a couple nose jobs, and a heart transplant. The WRX's new-for-2006 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-four utilizes an 8.4:1 compression ratio and 13.5 psi of maximum boost to pump out 230 horses at 5600 rpm and 235 pound-feet of torque at 3600, useful upgrades compared with last year's peaky 2.0-liter, which put out 227 horses at 6000 and 217 pound-feet at 4000. To cope with that extra oomph, Subaru reworked the WRX's chassis, fitting it with additional aluminum suspension bits, a quicker 15.0:1 steering ratio, bigger 17-inch wheels with 215/45 Bridgestones, and a more robust brake system with four-piston front and two-piston rear calipers, the rears squeezing larger 11.3-inch discs that are now vented.

For this shootout, we opted for the entry-level TR, which, at $24,620, stickers for $1000 less than the standard WRX. Fresh for 2006, the TR replaces many of the standard WRX's plusher accoutrements with those more Spartan items, such as black side mirrors, manual climate controls, and plastic inner door handles. This is not to say that the TR is a penalty box, as it still comes with A/C, an 80-watt CD stereo, keyless entry, and power mirrors/windows/door locks. Our tester sported the $579 Premium Sound Package 1 that adds spiffier speakers and a subwoofer, bringing the bottomline up to $25,199.

While 25 large gets you into the base WRX, at the Mazda showroom, it puts you behind the leather-wrapped steering wheel of a nearly loaded Mazdaspeed3. Starting at $22,835, the Mazdaspeed3 Sport comes replete with just about everything you could ask for in a car, including automatic climate control, heated seats, and six airbags. For those who want more in their ultrazoom 3, there's the $24,550 Grand Touring trim, like our tester, which sweetens the pot with auto on/off Xenon headlamps, LED taillamps, a Bose stereo with six-CD changer, partial leather seats, a security system, and rain-sensing wipers. Our True Red example, brilliant enough to out-red a fire engine, also had the $1750 DVD-based navigation system, an option that raised the tally to $26,300.