00:00 Hi, I'm Ron Kino, senior editor at Motor Trend Magazine.
00:02 I'm here with eight sporty cars that epitomize the phrase,
00:05 bang for the buck.
00:06 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:34 So the contenders in this comparison test are the Chevy
00:37 Cobalt SS, the Subaru WRX, the Honda Civic SI, the Mitsubishi
00:42 Rallyart, the Mini Clubman S, the Dodge Caliber SRT4, the
00:48 Volkswagen GTI, and the Mazda Speed 3.
00:52 Each features a high-powered four-cylinder engine, a
00:54 sport-tuned suspension, and a price tag of around $25,000.
00:59 Round one, the first round, the winner is the Chevy Cobalt SS.
01:02 The Chevy Cobalt SS is the fastest car in the quarter
01:04 mile, and the fastest car in the quarter mile.
01:07 It has a top speed of 25,000 miles per hour, and a top
01:10 speed of $25,000.
01:13 Round one for this comparison test starts with
01:15 instrumented testing, which includes zero to 60
01:17 acceleration, quarter mile, braking, and figure eight.
01:21 So at the test track, two vehicles that really surprised
01:23 us were the new WRX and the new Chevy Cobalt.
01:26 WRX was the quickest from zero to 60 and in the quarter mile.
01:30 While the Cobalt was the best in figure eight and on the
01:33 skid pad, recording a figure eight time of 25.4 seconds,
01:37 and a skid pad number of 0.91 G.
01:41 At the other end of the spectrum, both the Mini
01:43 Clubman and the Dodge Caliber put up less than impressive
01:46 numbers, and have a lot to prove in our next round.
01:50 For the next round, we're heading to the demanding
01:52 Streets of Willow racetrack in Rosemont, California, to put
01:55 down some hot laps and see how these cars
01:57 handle at the limit.
01:58 So stay tuned.
01:59 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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