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"  A romp on an empty back road with the right car can deliver a double shot of high-performance fun. When the chemistry is just right, the driver melds into one harmonious bond with the hardware. Yet the cognitive man-machine mashup isn&amp;#039;t the exclusive domain of the six-figure sports car. There are plenty of inexpensive rides that deliver a hardcore mission--with little fluff.  We gathered six of the newest cheap speed machines and divided them into three groups based on driveline. In the rear-drive class, the Chevy Camaro V6 went tire-to-tire with the Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T. Driving all four wheels, the Subaru Impreza WRX took on the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart. In the front-drive class, the new VW GTI battled the Mazdaspeed3.  We tested each car at Chrysler&amp;#039;s Chelsea, Mich., Proving Grounds, then blitzed the rural Ohio back roads before spending two days on the Nelson Ledges Road Course. This 2-mile, seven-turn racetrack is just as tough and gritty as our sporty steeds. The rough, pockmarked surface chews up tires, and the undulating pavement puts a beating on any suspension system. Hot laps around the track--and the time spent swapping stories of the day&amp;#039;s adventures--were invaluable to our testing regimen. And, yes, extraordinarily fun too. Sure, we burned up plenty of rubber and fuel to get the quickest times. But speed was not our sole criterion. These cars were judged on how well they connected with the driver and how enjoyable they were to drive in all conditions.  &amp;amp;gt; REAR-WHEEL DRIVE  The Good: Equal division of labor--the front wheels turn, and the rears put down the power, so the only limit on horsepower is traction. The car&amp;#039;s weight is more evenly distributed, which works all four tires equally in the turns. The Bad: The driveshaft tunnel soaks up interior space. On slippery surfaces, traction is an issue, and when the tires break loose, a rear-driver tends to fishtail. The Bottom Line: Generally, the best option for optimum, neutral handling. A required layout for lurid power slides. Chevrolet Camaro V6  You won&amp;#039;t find a car that turns more heads for less money than the Camaro. Folks still stop and stare at this concept car come to life, likely unaware of its basement-level $22,995 entry price. In keeping with the spirit of the test, we skipped the V8 option and tested the less-expensive 304-hp V6 paired to the six-speed automatic. We were surprised at the powertrain&amp;#039;s effectiveness. The 24-valve V6 pulls briskly and manages to haul the hefty 3779-pound coupe into 14-second quarter-mile territory. Better still, the Camaro returned an excellent 26.55 mpg--the second best in this test. The Bowtie bruiser, however, had some chassis deficiencies. The Camaro was impressive in our handling tests and managed a second-best run around Nelson Ledges, thanks to its tenacious grip. But the steering wheel jitters over bumps, and it feels like a layer of molasses coats every engagement point between you and the road. The Camaro is isolated and aloof. The gun-slit windows offer poor visibility and create another layer of fog between the driver and the road. Of all the cars here, the Camaro&amp;#039;s design is universally striking. But even that 1960s cool couldn&amp;#039;t create a lasting bond with our testers when we pointed the Camaro&amp;#039;s nose toward twisty roads. The Camaro&amp;#039;s beauty does go beyond skin deep, but not as much as it should.      The Racelogic Video VBOX ($1795), used here, integrates two lipstick video cameras, data--showing engine and vehicle speed and steering-wheel angle--from the car&amp;#039;s computer, and GPS acceleration and position data. The resulting videos display the data with a simulated dash at the bottom of the screen. Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T Car Specs and Test Results  &amp;amp;gt;  All-Wheel Drive Cars &amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;    &amp;amp;gt;  ALL-WHEEL DRIVE   The Good: It has roughly double the traction of two-wheel drive and isn&amp;#039;t hampered by weight transfer. Handling can be affected by how the power is divided between the axles. AWD allows automakers to raise horsepower without increasing torque steer.  The Bad: Not only is the hardware expensive, the extra weight and mechanical drag hurt fuel economy. The Bottom Line: Just because an AWD car can accelerate quickly in snow, that doesn&amp;#039;t mean it can turn or stop any better than its 2WD brethren.  Subaru Impreza WRX   While numbers don&amp;#039;t accurately portray the Mitsubishi&amp;#039;s talents, the WRX&amp;#039;s figures speak volumes. The 265-hp flat four-cylinder engine is burdened with only 3235 pounds to pull around the racetrack. And unlike the traction-challenged Mazdaspeed3, the WRX has all-wheel drive--so every pony is channeled to the ground. The WRX is a scrappy, point-and-shoot specialist. The blown motor suffers little turbo lag and dispatches straights with startling brevity. Directional changes take an aggressive hand. You pitch this car, rather than delicately thread an arc, and count on the all-wheel drive to handle corner exits. While the WRX has an excellent, everyday, plush ride, it leans dramatically into the corners. And the body heaves and bobs, which makes the driver wonder just which way the car wants to go. The brakes are another confidence killer because they fade quickly and the pedal gets spongy. Finally, there&amp;#039;s the overly stiff clutch, which really saps the fun of rowing the manual gearbox. The leather-wrapped steering wheel falls perfectly to hand, and the seats are all-day comfortable. Better quality interior plastic, however, would be more fitting in this $30,000 car.  Though the WRX includes heated seats, automatic climate control, Bluetooth and touchscreen navigation, we&amp;#039;d skip all of it for a tauter suspension to match the Subaru&amp;#039;s straight-line speed.   Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Car Specs and Test Results  &amp;amp;gt;  Front-Wheel Drive Cars &amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;gt;    &amp;amp;gt;  FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE   The Good: Combining the engine, transmission and differential into one compact unit mounted ahead of the firewall saves interior space and weight. The car&amp;#039;s mass, concentrated over the driven wheels, increases traction.  The Bad: The front wheels have two tasks: steering and propelling the car. Handling suffers because the cars tend to be nose-heavy. And front-drivers struggle with torque steer (the car darts from side to side under power). The Bottom Line: There&amp;#039;s a limit to how much power an FWD car can handle. Mazda Speed3   In the hot hatchback class, the Mazda\u00ADspeed3 is the bully. Armed with 280 lb-ft of torque and 263 hp, the Mazda smokes the front tires at will. That much grunt requires a delicate balancing act at the dragstrip--too much throttle bakes the tires; too little, and the motor bogs. But don&amp;#039;t be fooled by the Mazda&amp;#039;s seemingly unremarkable acceleration times compared to the others; it&amp;#039;s a rocket. The racetrack lap times tell a more accurate story--it outran everything by nearly 2 seconds. Driven aggressively, the body moves more than the taut GTI. It feels as though the engineers tuned in ride comfort at the expense of handling. Those extra body motions erode driver confidence.  There&amp;#039;s flypaper-like grip from the big tires, and the Mazda is benign when that grip runs out. But the steering tends to wander under full power and, yes, launching hard in first gear, you feel the torque tug in your hands.  The Mazda&amp;#039;s muscular rawness split our testers down the middle. Some loved its hair-on-fire urgency. Others thought the Mazda needed all-wheel drive to tame that power. Inside, the dash is awash with too many buttons. The materials are a little low-rent and a little unsophisticated. Those gripes aside, the Mazda&amp;#039;s combination of a bargain price tag (under $24,000) and outright speed make it the undisputed bang-for-the-buck winner of this test.        Volkswagen GTI WINNER  The new GTI carries the VW performance torch lit 27 years ago by the very first Rabbit GTI. And it is impressive. The GTI may be down on power compared to most here, but VW&amp;#039;s performance defies hard numbers--it&amp;#039;s so full of heart and spunk that we felt an immediate bond with it. The steering is nearly telepathic. The body motions are tightly controlled, yet the chassis doesn&amp;#039;t hammer occupants over rough-patched roads. The brake pedal summons the perfect linear response too. Equipped with the Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG), an automated dual-clutch transmission, the GTI performs brilliantly quick shifts. The engine snarls with a sinister but sophisticated exhaust note that wouldn&amp;#039;t be out of place on a $50,000 Audi sports car. And it sounds hauntingly good, howling along the front straight at Nelson Ledges. The responses from this car are so precise, it feels as though you could take one corner at maximum speed over and over again and make the tire contact the same square foot of pavement every time. No surprise then, the GTI was the fastest in our handling tests.  Inside, the GTI has the highest quality interior of all six cars. Everything feels solid and crafted from materials normally found on cars one price class up. The scope of this car&amp;#039;s capabilities is impressive. Fold the rear seats, and it holds 46.1 cubic feet of whatever you&amp;#039;re packing. More importantly, the VW is not only a responsive little road burner--it provides a more cohesive package than just about any car here.   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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