Nobody buys a sport-compact coupe to toodle along in traffic with the commuting masses. These cars are made to slice and dice between the office drones trudging along in their look-alike Accord and Camrys, sipping Starbucks and listening to National Public Radio, so getting the powertrain right is critical. Each of our contestants came equipped with a four-cylinder engine, but before you groan about a lack of motivation, check the stats: the least powerful car registers 197 ponies on the horsepower scale. Since these cars are frequently used as daily transpo, torque is just as important when shopping lanes during rush hours because the car needs to respond quickly and take advantage of holes in traffic. As important as horsepower and torque, however, is a sport-compact car’s transmission. The shifter needs to feel good, the clutch needs to be easy to engage, and the last thing you need when zipping around Grandma in her pristine Buick LeSabre is a missed shift.

Scion tC Supercharged: Fourth Place
Despite its $3,200 supercharger and 200 horsepower, the Scion tC Supercharged slipped into last place by less than a tenth of a point because of its gearbox. The juiced 2.4-liter motor pulls strongly, but wasn’t as lively or as rev happy as our two favorites, and at least one test driver complained that it was too easy to bang into the tC’s rev limiter in lower gears. We did prefer the Scion’s engine to the torque-deficient Honda Civic Si, mainly because its supercharger provides quicker, low-effort response to a prod of the gas pedal. Plus, it’s important to note that the Scion scored the second best average fuel economy of the test, at 22 mpg. However, every editor on staff complained about the Scion tC’s long-throw gearbox, griping about the lack of a sixth gear for highway driving, kvetching about a balky clutch, and moaning about the add-on OBX gearshift knob. Of course, you can swap out the standard five-speed transmission for a close-ratio unit with a performance clutch, but that’s gonna cost extra – like every other go-fast goody in the Scion’s bag of tricks. The other cars in the test do just fine right out of the box.

“Lacks torque, must keep revs high. Very long throws, buzzy at highway speeds – needs a sixth gear.” – Blackett

“Aggressive shifting is difficult with so much third-gear real estate.” – Chee

“More responsive than Civic; less than or equal to Cobalt. Tranny feels sloppy.” – Perry

“Strong but not lively like GTI; more like SS but without a revvy nature. Easy to bang rev limiter. Long throws, clutch a bit balky.” – Wardlaw

Honda Civic Si: Third Place
Ten years ago, everyone was very impressed with Honda’s Variable Valve Timing and Lift Control (VTEC) technology, which extracts maximum power and efficiency from a four-cylinder engine. Today, it’s clear that Honda needs to get on board with supercharging and turbocharging. Yes, output of 197 horsepower from two liters of displacement is an impressive engineering feat, but 139 lb.-ft. of torque just ain’t getting the job done. To make this mofo move, you’re spending a ton of time high in the rev range, shifting between second, third, and fourth gears and making plenty of noise about the fact that you’re driving harder than most cops would like. This is fun at first, but gets old after awhile. Even though the Civic Si returned a test average of 23 mpg including a good flogging at the track, and despite a six-speed manual gearbox that is sheer joy to row, it barely beat out the Scion tC Supercharged for a third-place ranking in the powertrain department.

“What a dog. Slightly more power above 6,000 rpm, but you have to wait awhile for revs to climb and there’s not much of a payoff. Big disappointment.” – Blackett

“Live high in the revs and you’ll enjoy this car, or low enough not to be bothered. The transmission – loved it, even though it makes you work.” – Chee

“Low on torque until VTEC kicks in. Great shifter, short and smooth.” – Perry

“Dearth of power unless you flog it. Lots of racket, not much forward thrust. Tight little shifter.” – Wardlaw

Chevrolet Cobalt SS Supercharged: Second Place
Who could predict that GM’s rather unrefined Ecotec four-banger could be turned into such an entertaining powertrain? Equipped with a supercharger and making 205 horsepower as well as 205 lb.-ft. of torque, the Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged was a crowd pleaser, its greatest strength the ability to entertain no matter where we drove it – city, country, highway, or race track. This flexible character helped us to overlook the Cobalt’s 19.6 mpg test average, but ultimately we decided that the Chevy’s lack of refinement and less entertaining torque band relegated it to second place.

“Engine has good power; builds strong and steady through the revs. Slick five-speed with short throws.” – Blackett

“Ribbons of power, and transmission is well matched. All in all a pleasure to drive, either taking corners or going straight.” – Chee

“Very sporty, pulls hard, lots of torque at all RPM.” – Perry

“Doesn’t feel as lively as GTI – torque band not as thick. Clutch takes up high – easy to slip it. Not the most refined powertrain.” – Wardlaw

Volkswagen GTI: First Place
We’re big fans of Volkswagen advertising these days, making friends with our fasts and un-pimping our autos, but hopefully not getting T-boned in an intersection after a lovely evening out with friends. However, this is not why the Volkswagen GTI comes in first as our choice for best powertrain. Smooth, refined, and whooshfully responsive, the GTI’s 207 lb.-ft. torque peak is spread across a Kansas-flat plateau stretching from 1,800 to 5,000 rpm, where the 200 horsepower pick up the slack from 5,100 to 6,000 rpm. The result is an exceptionally responsive car, one that rushes to speed with grace and alacrity, one endowed with what seems like an endless well of power. The Volkswagen GTI is a real thrill ride.

“Nice off-the-line power. Don’t feel the turbo – no lag. Pulls well in all gears.” – Blackett

“Too quick to redline, but only because you simply can’t drive this car any way but flat out.” – Chee

“This car pulls hard, definitely the smoothest. Loves to rev. Lots of torque. Smooth shifter.” – Perry

“Tons of thrust. Smooth and responsive, but shifter is a bit rubbery with average throws. Heat affects turbo.” – Wardlaw