2018 Subaru WRX Premium Package $22,990

With its 305-hp engine and sport everything — brakes, suspension, seats, steering — we would love to recommend the WRX STI, but we can't. Out of the box, it's a competitive weekend race car that you can drive to work during the week, but its high-strung manner and unforgiving suspension limit its appeal. Instead, we'd steer you to a WRX Limited. While the Premium trim costs less, moving up to the Limited beings a 10-way power-adjustable driver seat, adaptive LED headlights, keyless entry and ignition, as well as a range of options, including navigation and various driver safety features. The 2018 Subaru WRX is among the swiftest and best-handling compact cars around. It's not especially quiet or comfortable, but it's a reasonably priced performance car you can drive daily. You might reasonably expect some rough edges in a car born of Subaru's decades-long participation in rally racing, a form of motorsport largely run in dirt, mud and gravel. But the real surprise is just how domesticated these cars really are. The WRX and even-faster WRX STI are powered by turbocharged four-cylinder engines optimized for performance but capable of decent fuel economy. The WRX delivers 268 horsepower and an EPA-estimated 23 mpg combined with the manual transmission, while the STI wrings out 305 hp and 19 mpg combined. The WRX also offers a good serving of modern tech and convenience, either as standard equipment or options, including a choice of two multimedia systems, two audio systems, smartphone app integration, navigation, and driver aids such as blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and automatic emergency braking. These attributes, plus comfortable seating, a roomy cabin and excellent visibility, make the WRX a legitimately practical daily driver and family car. Notably, we picked the 2018 Subaru WRX as one of Edmunds' Best All-Wheel-Drive Sedans for2018.