Inside the new 2006 Volkswagen GTI*, sport-bolstered seating with a retro plaid pattern grips front occupants in turns, and the driver faces a meaty flat-bottomed steering wheel that would be right at home in a racing car. Silver trim pieces lighten the gray interior décor, and there are metal alloy pedals for your feet. Side-impact, side-curtain, and whiplash-reducing head restraints help to minimize injury in an accident, and standard stability control works to keep a wreck from occurring in the first place.

* The similar Volkswagen Jetta GLI is shown