We have been recently talking about the civic type-r, csx-type-s and the civic-si that honda has lined up...but i am beginning to think that there is some very serious competition in the works...lol
The new mazdaspeed3 (soon to be launched worldwide) is rated at around 270hp and a mind boggling 280 lbs-ft of torque (make no mistake on torque...it reaches its peak at JUST 3000rpm)
the motor is the same as the mazdaspeed6..a dsi turbocharged 2.3L powerplant....award winning for mazda when launched last year.
the best part so far is the price...the base model starting at under $23K....which is peanuts considering how much power this car can generate.
here is the complete article....
http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4024238