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But lap times aren't relevant when you're looking for fun. The FR-S may be the slowest, but we always grabbed its keys first. Pinto: "I really like the Mustang, but when there are smaller cars around, I'm going to play with the smaller cars. Although the Scion's engine is torqueless, noisy, and joyless, the seating position is stellar, the cowl is low, and the shifter is the best of the group by a large margin." The FR-S requires more of the driver, but it returns the favor by giving back more satisfaction.

If the Scion is an example of a car that does more with less, the BMW is an example of how to do less with more—more grip, more speed, but less finesse and far less entertainment. And the Mustang? It's just an American glutton: more size, more weight, more better. Then again, the GT's 5.0-liter V-8 does even more with even more. The 2.3-liter EcoBoost is fine on paper, but when you factor in real-world fuel economy (we saw 13 mpg overall, the worst of the bunch), you'd have to be insane not to buy the V-8, especially since the four, as Prince points out, "has the aural appeal of an unmuffled 1980s Volvo turbodiesel."

On paper, the Scion needs more power. In practice, it needs no such thing. It's fast enough to keep you interested and balanced enough to steer with the rear wheels. Best of all, it spurs you to use everything it's got, on the road and around a track.

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