Want a small car that’s great on gas but also in posession of enough grunt to allow safe merges onto the highway? Hate the idea of joining the ‘I don’t give a flying rat’s rear about cars, just give me something that will get me to work” crew that swarms the Toyota and Honda dealerships every Saturday to hem and haw over the color of the Corolla or CIvic they’re driving off in? Luckily for you, there are plenty of small cars available now that offer a less anonymous experience than the Corolla and Civic. The 2012 Hyundai Elantra and 2012 Mazda3 are two of the most exciting small cars on sale this year.

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The 2012 Hyundai Elantra and 2012 Mazda3 both offer gas mileage over 40-mpg, starting prices around $16,000 ( $16,445 for the Elantra and $15,200 for the Mazda3) and around 150-hp. The 2012 Elantra has just one engine avaialble, a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine with 148-hp and 131 lb-ft of torque rated at 29-mpg city and 40-mpg highway. The MAzda3, on the other hand, has three different engines that buyer’s can choose from. The base model with the low $15,200 starting price comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 148-hp, 135 lb-ft of torque and gas mileage ratings of 25-city and 33-highway. The sportiest Mazda3 comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with 167-hp and 168 lb-ft of torque, rated at 22-mpg city and 29-mpg highway. The 2012 Mazda3 also has a Skyactiv 2.0-liter rated at 28-mpg city and 40-mpg highway with 155-hp and 148 lb-ft of torque.

Both the 2012 Mazda3 and 2012 Hyundai Elantra have bluetooth connectivity, heated seats, keyless ignition and navigation available. Both come standard with side curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes and stability control.

Inside, the 2012 Hyundai Elantra and 2012 Mazda3 are very closely matched. Front head room is 40 inches for the Elantra and 38.9 for the Mazda3. Leg room up front is 43.6 inches in the Elantra and 42.0 in the Mazda3. In the back, the Elantra has 37.1 inches of head room and 33.1 inches of leg room. The Mazda3 has 37.5 inches of rear head room and 36.2 inches of rear leg room. The 2012 Elantra has a larger trunk with 14.8 cubic feet of room to the Mazda3’s 11.8.

The 2012 Elantra has 5.5 inches of ground clearance to the 2012 MAzda3’s 4.7 inches, so if you drive on rough roads or regularly navigate really high speed bumps (college campuses have the worst I’ve ever experienced), the Elantra will be less likely to scrape.