Pat 
2008 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V SE-R Spec V 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
So far, love it
 Looked at GTIs, civic si, minis, Astra, the usual sporty compact crowd.  Drove the Sentra Spec V and it just seemed to do everything well where all the others did some stuff better, but fell short in other ways.  The Sentra fit my needs - more space, great mpg, Nissan gave me moonroof, LS diff, xm radio, fun ride but not brutal, torque means any gear pulls great.  Love it!