2010 Volkswagen GTI and 2010 Mazda MazdaSpeed3

It never fails. No sooner do you pick a winner, then a new challenger arrives on the scene. And that's the way it is with the MazdaSpeed3. This hot hatchback is a big reason that we picked the Mazda 3 as our Drivers' Choice Best Small Car of the Year. But, here comes the new Volkswagen Golf, and this GTI, the latest version of the original hot hatchback. Seems like they've both got a score to settle, and we knew just where to go to do it. Of course, we mean the twisting two miles of Roebling Road Raceway, the scene of our most epic road battles.

The 2010 Volkswagen GTI arrived cloaked in Carbon Steel Grey metallic paint, a fittingly subdued color for this sixth generation hot hatch. Exterior lines are redrawn all around for a smoother visual flow and harken back somewhat to the original GTI designs. Both two- and four-door bodystyles are available. Interior updates include a new steering wheel, instrument panel, and revised accent trim, while minor suspension upgrades further refine the GTI's fine handling.

The MazdaSpeed3 enters 2010 with a more substantial list of updates, mostly meant to draw more attention to itself. Aggressively sculpted body add-ons adorn the front, sides and rear of this five-door-only car and include a roof-mounted rear spoiler. The hood blister is a functional intercooler intake.

Inside our Velocity Red Mica tester was... more red, splashed across the seat fabrics and stitched throughout the seats, door trim, shifter boot and steering wheel. Both our cars came shod with 225/40R18 tires all around, but the Mazda's Dunlops were standard size while the GTI's had to be ticked off on the options list.

The Mazda powerplant is an all-aluminum 2.3-liter intercooled turbo four. Output is 263 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque. The Volkswagen's slightly smaller 2.0 –liter unit delivers a more modest 200 horsepower and 207 lb.-ft. of torque.

Acceleration testing delivered an expected edge for the more powerful Mazda: this red pocket rocket romped to 60 miles per hour in a seriously-quick-for-its-size 5.6 seconds, en route to a quarter-mile time of 14.1 seconds at 109 miles per hour. The Volkswagen lags behind by nearly a full second, hitting 60 in 6.5 seconds and winding up the quarter mile at 14.9 seconds and a terminal speed of 101 miles per hour.

That margin got tighter on our road course, though, where the Mazdaspeed3 circled the circuit only about a half-second faster than the GTI. The Mazda's power advantage was a distinct plus in straightaway speed and when exiting curves, but its power delivery was a liability inside the corners.

Turbo boost comes on with a rush, sometimes at inopportune moments, causing heavy understeer and tire squeal and demanding constant steering correction to stay on course. The Mazda makes you work harder, and also chewed through its tires more rapidly.

The Volkswagen is much easier to drive at the limit and allows the driver to make better use of its available, if limited, power. Most corners can be taken flat-out, and while there is less speed to begin with, there's also less understeer to scrub off that speed. The GTI's more efficient cornering allows it to nearly keep pace with the Mazda despite a 63-horsepower disadvantage.

Braking numbers for the pair were nearly identical, with the Mazda scrubbing off 60 to zero in 118 feet, just a foot shorter that the GTI.

Government Fuel Economy Ratings, however, skew towards Volkswagen, with a fine 21 mpg city and 31 on the highway. The Mazdaspeed3 manages just 18 around town and 25 on the open road..and that's if you can keep your right foot under control.

Base sticker for our two combatants is so close, they're barely a tank of gas apart: $23,945 for the MazdaSpeed3, and $23,990 for the Volkswagen GTI. Both the 2010 MazdaSpeed3 and Volkswagen GTI combine everyday practicality with enough spice to keep your commute interesting and your weekends memorable.

Results mean a lot in a contest like this, and the Mazdaspeed3 backs up its boy-racer looks with genuine high performance. It holds a clear advantage in acceleration, it powered its way to a faster lap times, and its bold attitude appeals to today's younger enthusiast drivers.

A significant minority of our crew preferred the Volkswagen for its solidity and refined driving dynamics. But for others, the Mazda held off its challenger with its overall performance advantage, and visual come-ons. But whether you pick the Speed3 or the GTI, you'll discover the intrinsic appeal of the hot hatchback, and that it's alive and still kicking asphalt.