The Pure Sports Car
2009 Nissan 370Z
Since 1969 Nissan’s Z coupe has been an argument that you don’t need to pay a Porsche premium to chase nirvana in a sexy two-seater. Now tightened and lightened, the new 370 makes “Z” best case yet. It’s sexier and stronger than ever: Flared fenders and a fastback rear windshield are both cued from the iconic ’69 model, while its 3.7-liter V-6 gets a bump in horsepower to 332. Its best trick? The six-speed manual gearbox has a sweet “synchro rev-match” system that blips the throttle up to match your speed on downshifts, eliminating lurches, uncool noises, and coffee stains on your pleated wrinkle-frees. Our borrowed Z provided nearly unlimited grip and cornering on the track and stayed scarily composed at speed: When we took it to 115 mph on a deserted Nevada highway, the Z was so maneuverable and rattle-free that our ass-hauling felt like a gentle 65.

SPEC CHECK
Price: From $29,930, nissanusa.com/370z
Engine: 3.7-liter V-6 (332 hp)
0–60: 4.7 seconds
Fuel: 18 city/26 highway

The Stealth Speeder
2009 Pontiac G8 GXP
Not all new muscle cars scream for attention. Take the Pontiac GXP—its sheet metal may be subtle, but underneath lurks a deeply sonorous 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 engine ripped from a C6 Corvette. Sound like a blast? Yep, it’s the kind of rich, torquey four-door fun that you could pay 45 grand more for, in the form of a BMW M5. Even though the G8 GXP weighs more than 4,000 pounds, its Nürburgring-tuned suspension makes testing its outer limits a challenge: On our test drive, opening the throttle through turns amplified the musical tha-thump tha-thump of road seams, but the GXP never gave or slipped. Built by GM’s Australian arm, the G8 comes equipped with a few native quirks, like an exhaustion-preventing “rest reminder” that chirps once you’ve driven for two hours without a break. Really? A driver dozing off in this ride? Doubtful.

SPEC CHECK
Price: From $39,995, pontiac.com/g8
Engine: 6.2-liter LS3 V-8 (415 hp)
0–60: 4.6 seconds
Fuel: 14 city/20 highway

The Rally Rocket
2009 Subaru Impreza WRX
 A funny thing happened to the WRX: In revising their hot hatch for ’09, Subie’s engineers turned out a harder- edged car with a faster 0–60 time (4.7 seconds) than their rally-king STI model (5.1 seconds), a car priced $10K more. Sure, this snub-nosed beastie is fugly, but plunk yourself into the driver’s seat and magic happens: Aesthetic concerns get squeegeed from your cerebrum as quickly as you can blow through second gear. Speed gains for ’09 come thanks to the addition of the STI’s big turbocharger, boosting hp to 265. Paired with a manual tranny, she’s a perfect all-wheel drifting machine. On a midnight run our tester car confidently laid waste to a snowy parking lot (you’re welcome, Wal-Mart!). The woman in your life won’t dig the hard shifts or the plastic-fantastic interior, but when you torch Benzes off the line, she’ll laugh right along with you.

SPEC CHECK
Price: From $24,995, subaru.com
Engine: 2.5-liter turbocharged flat-4 (265 hp)
0–60: 4.7 seconds
Fuel: 18 city/25 highway