By Leftlane Staff
Friday, Dec 23rd, 2005 @ 4:02 pm

Car and Driver has ranked the Volkswagen Jetta GLI first in a comparison of five sporty yet practical cars. The magazine praised the Jetta’s torquey turbo motor and sports-car braking. Interestingly, the Jetta GLI was also the least expensive car tested — starting at $27,605. Also on the list were: the Honda Accord EX V-6, Acura TSX , Mazda speed 6, and the Pontiac G6 GTP. Despite having reasonable power and slick styling, the Pontiac G6 was plagued by “oppressive wind noise” and a “primitive” shifter, and, as a result, ranked last. The Mazdaspeed 6, while powerful and responsive, had a “psychotic-vacuum-cleaner exhaust note” that didn’t jive well with the C&D testers, and a “low-rent” interior, earning it a rank of fourth. The Acura TSX ranked a respectable third, thanks to its “sweet” engine, great transmission, and nice interior. On the other hand, “i-VTEC [is] not necessarily an asset here.” In second place was the Honda Accord EX V-6 — it offered plenty of smooth power an an excellent interior, but hints of first-gear torque steer kept it away from the number one spot.

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