5 Great Little Pocket Rockets

The Civic Si has been on everyone's "best" list for four years running, and here it is back again with some styling tweaks for 2009. It's hard - if not impossible - to find a better sporty bang for the buck.

It's the only one of these five that isn't turbocharged; although like the others, it's got the firmer suspension and alloy wheels with high-performance tires.

The Civic Si does everything right. Hitting 8000 rpm (watch for the shift light) gets you every time, with this screaming 2.0-liter engine making 197 horsepower. The suspension, redesigned in 2006, makes cornering very satisfying: precise turn-in without oversteer. The Si comes equipped with great synthetic suede bucket seats with red stitching. The throw of the six-speed gearbox is a bit long, but shifts are good.