2017 Mazda Miata
2,332 lbs | $24,915 (Details Below)
When you see that the Mazda Miata’s engine only produces 155 horsepower, you might think that there’s no fun to be had. Of course, you would be horribly mistaken. The Miata’s light weight, exceptional balance, and excellent suspension tuning make it hard to beat at any price.
You can get into a 2,332-pound 2017 Mazda Miata soft top with a manual transmission for $24,915. That's a great price for a sports car, and the Miata's weight is well below the average weight of a new car, which is around 4,000 pounds.
An automatic transmission is available, but if you want to wring the best performance out of the roadster, you'll want to stick with the manual. Mazda recently introduced a retractable fastback (RF) version of the Miata with a retractable hardtop roof, giving drivers an all-season alternative to the soft top.
The Miata holds a spot atop both our rankings of sports cars and our rankings of convertibles.
2017 Fiat 124 Spider
2,436 lbs | $24,995 (Details Below)
The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider shares much of its structure with the Miata, but it’s equipped with a different engine that pumps out a few more horsepower. The 1.4-liter turbo produces 160 horsepower in most 124s, or 164 horsepower in the 124 Spider Abarth trim.
If you’re looking for an affordable two-seat touring roadster, the 124 Spider should be on your shopping list. Its handling is confident and nimble, but not quite as crisp as the Miata’s. Opt for the Abarth trim, and not only is the handling razor sharp, but its performance exhaust sounds a pleasantly raspy tone.
Prices for the 124 Spider start at $24,995. The Abarth trim is priced from $28,195. The Fiat 124 Spider is the winner of our 2017 Best Sports Car for the Money award.
2017 Toyota 86
2,760 lbs| $26,255 (Details Below)
The 2017 Toyota 86 is a lightweight 2+2 sports coupe with a pair of comfortable front seats and a pair of rear seats best reserved for packages or people you really don’t like. It’s a refreshed version of the FR-S that left the lineup with the demise of the Scion brand.
Depending on whether you get an automatic or manual transmission, the 86’s four-cylinder engine will produce either 200 or 205 horsepower, respectively. For most buyers, the engine power provides plenty of fun, though some enthusiasts would prefer a few more horses under the hood.
The Toyota 86 was a finalist for our 2017 Best Sports Car for the Money award and has the highest predicted reliability score in our rankings of sports cars. Prices start at $26,255.
2017 Subaru BRZ
2,785 lbs | $25,495 (Details Below)
The 2017 Subaru BRZ is the Toyota 86’s doppelganger. It’s produced in the same plant and shares nearly all of the Toyota’s technology and features. The BRZ underwent a significant refresh for 2017, gaining improvements to its suspension and a few more horsepower from its 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.
Subaru now offers a performance package ($1,195) for the BRZ that includes upgraded shocks, bigger brake rotors, and Brembo brake calipers. The enhancements improve what are already exhilarating driving dynamics.
A base BRZ will set you back $25,495 with a manual transmission and $1,100 more for one with an automatic. Though they’re not as much fun to drive as ones with the manual, BRZs with the automatic earn EPA fuel economy estimates that are significantly better.
The BRZ was a finalist for our 2017 Best Sports Car for the Money award.
2017 Porsche 911
3,153 lbs | $89,400 (Details Below)
Few cars can be considered truly iconic, but the 2017 Porsche 911 is certainly one of them. The coupes received a facelift for 2017 but retain their rear-engine setup with rear- or all-wheel drive. The base engine produces 370 horsepower, while other engine options produce up to 580.
Even the slowest 911 reaches zero to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds. The fastest gets you there in 2.8. Seven-speed manual and automatic transmissions are offered. Every 911 comes standard with leather upholstery, and most seat up to four, though, realistically, you’ll never want to put anyone in the tiny rear seats. Porsche includes a navigation system as standard equipment, as well as Apple CarPlay support and an onboard Wi-Fi hot spot.
Porsche 911 prices start at $89,400 and climb to more than $200,000.
2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
2,944 lbs | $53,900 (Details Below)
Is the Porsche 911 a bit out of your budget? Porsche also offers the 2017 718 Cayman, a midengine, rear-wheel-drive sports car with performance that’s worthy of the Porsche badge. It received a substantial refresh for 2017, gaining new engines and a “718” prefix before the Cayman name.
The base engine in the 718 Cayman is a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that produces 300 horsepower. Using launch control with the available automatic transmission, the 718 Cayman can go from zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. The higher-trim 718 Cayman S uses a 2.5-liter turbo that’s good for 350 horsepower and a 4-second zero to 60 time.
Compared to many cars in the segment, the 718 Cayman is a bargain. It’s priced from $53,900, though that price can climb quickly when you start adding multi-thousand-dollar option packages. The 718 Cayman S starts at $66,300. If you prefer a roadster, you should consider the 2017 Porsche 718 Boxster, which is essentially a Cayman with a convertible top.
In our rankings of luxury sports cars, the 2017 718 Cayman holds a spot near the top.
2017 Audi R8
3,737 lbs | $162,900 (Details Below)
The 2017 Audi R8 straddles the divide between a high-tech touring car and high-performance supercar. With a 540-horsepower V10 stuffed into the car just behind the passenger compartment, the R8 can move from zero to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds with little drama from its seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
If that’s not quick enough for you, opt for the R8 V10 Plus. It produces 610 horsepower and is good for a 3.2-second leap from zero to 60 mph.
The R8 also includes a host of interior technologies uncommon in the sports car class, including a virtual cockpit with a 12.3-inch display and Google Earth mapping, automatic climate control, and a Wi-Fi hot spot that uses a dedicated 4G LTE data connection. It’s available in both coupe and convertible (Spyder) configurations.
Of course, you’ll have to open your wallet pretty wide to get the R8’s performance. The base V10 coupe starts at $162,900, and the V10 Plus will cost you at least $189,900. Start adding on options and take advantage of Audi’s customization program, which lets you make the interior and exterior color combination one-of-a-kind, and you can easily push the price past $200,000.
2017 Volkswagen Golf R
3,283 lbs | $39,375 (Details Below)
Stuff a 292-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine under the hood of a benign VW Golf, add all-wheel drive, leather sport seats, plus an adjustable suspension, and you create the 2017 Volkswagen Golf R. Unlike most of the other cars on this list, the Golf R has four doors and a back seat that’s usable.
At $39,375, the Golf R with DCC adaptive chassis control and navigation isn’t the cheapest Golf, but it’s most certainly the most fun. When you back its high-performance engine with the available six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, the Golf R can leap from zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds.
The 2017 Golf holds a spot in the upper third of our compact car rankings and was a finalist for our 2017 Best Compact Car for the Money award.
2017 Ford Focus RS
3,459 lbs | $36,120 (Details Below)
Ford follows the same formula as the VW Golf R with the 2017 Focus RS, but amps its engine up to 350 horsepower, providing a trip from zero to 60 mph in only 4.6 seconds. In order to retain grip, the RS employs all-wheel drive with dynamic torque vectoring.
You'll have to learn how to operate a manual transmission if you want to drive one, as there's no automatic available. There is, however, a drift mode that uses the car's computers to make you look like a drifting pro as you cook the tires off in a smoky spectacle. The Focus RS is a relative bargain, with a starting price of $36,120.
The base 2017 Ford Focus scores in the upper half of our rankings of compact cars.
2017 BMW 2 Series
3,373 lbs | $33,150 (Details Below)
The compact 2017 BMW 2 Series is a sports coupe with pronounced sporting intentions. The base 230i packs a 248-horsepower four-cylinder turbo, which is quick but only offers a hint of the model's potential. The lineup tops out with the BMW M2, a 365-horsepower pocket rocket.
Not only does the 2 Series have a high placement in our rankings of luxury small cars, but its starting price of $33,150 is reasonable for the class. Perfect safety scores, a high predicted reliability rating, and a trunk that's big enough for a week's worth of luggage only add to the reasons that it should be on your shopping list if you're looking for a lightweight sports car.
An eight-speed automatic transmission comes standard, but a six-speed manual is a no-cost option.
2017 Honda Civic Si
2,889 lbs | $23,900 (Details Below)
Honda has spent the last year filling out the lineup of the 10th-generation Civic. The newest family member is the 2017 Honda Civic Si, a sporty take on the highly ranked compact car. It’s available in both coupe and sedan models and features a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine that produces 205 horsepower.
The Civic Si recently went on sale with a base price of $23,900. If you prefer Goodyear Eagle F1 summer tires fitted on the included 18-inch alloy wheels in place of the standard all-season tires, it will cost you $200 more.
Suspension components in the Si have been upgraded and tuned for a sportier personality than you’ll find on the standard Civic. Following the tradition of previous Si models, you’ll have to learn how to shift a manual transmission if you want to drive one. No automatic transmission will be offered.
More Shopping Tools From U.S. News & World Report
The only thing better than a great sports car is getting a great deal on one. By taking advantage of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Price Program, you can save thousands on your new ride. We work with local dealers to save buyers an average of $3,279 off MSRP.
No matter what car you choose, you should explore our car deals page. We track the best financing deals, cash back offers, and lease incentives so that you can potentially save big money. Knowledge is power, so before you head to the dealer, you should refresh your understanding of the car-buying process and learn how to have a financing offer in hand.
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The Best Way to Add Performance: Add Lightness
There are a couple of ways to make a car go fast. Either you can put a massive engine under the hood, like a Dodge Charger Hellcat, or you can put the car on a diet, reducing the amount of weight that the engine needs to propel.
Some of the best sports cars in the market follow the latter option, trading extra ounces for quicker acceleration and lithe handling. In fact, if you make a car light enough, even a small engine can provide an excellent driving experience.
On the following slides, we explore some of the best lightweight sports cars you can buy today. The average new car weighed 4,035 pounds in the 2015 model year, according to the EPA; all of the cars on this list weigh less. We’ve left the exotics out, focusing on mainstream models that range from super-affordable to just slightly outrageous. You can compare them head to head in our new car rankings, and find great deals on some of them on our car deals page.