Just the name MAZDASPEED3 engenders a bevy of mental pictures. Is it a race car? Is it turbocharged? Will it zoom with go-kart abandon almost anywhere someone wants to go? Will it knock the socks off that stuffy sedan owner down the street who always glares when something trendy drives by? In a way, this Mazda auto is all of the above. And on top of all that, like a rolling "high five," it has to be the epitome of fun.

Just the fun part would seem to be enough to have wooed RTM jurors into naming it best Entry Level - Most Spirited car for ICOTY 2007. We envision all smiles whenever someone gets behind the wheel. That said, it seems that Mazda accomplished what it set out to do with this design as the flagship of its "3" vehicles. A compact, lightweight body, a 250-plus horsepower turbocharged 2.3-liter four banger, and a thirst for running a little wild in the real world set it apart from anything mundane. Add the same six-speed manual transmission found on the big sibling MAZDASPEED6, and there's a wide torque curve to tap into for play.

Nimble front-drive performance in a given. Kicky, spoiler-anchored 5-door looks an expected plus. Stingy fuel use and low emissions are conscience pleasers.

This baby hunkers down like a racer at the starting line, aluminum accelerator pedal ready for action, well-bred functionality set aside for the moment. Here's the countdown: "Three. Two. One..."

(Find Your MazdaSpeed3 Now)