Has anyone noticed how the higher performance sport compact cars/sporty hatchbacks (i.e. Mazdaspeed Protege, Focus SVT, etc.) seem to get really good slalom times in the car mags? Take the Road and Track article where they tested the MP3 Protege (not the mazdaspeed!) along with a host of high end sports cars to determine the best handling car? The MP3 Protege was tied for 2nd in the slalom test (the sub-2000 lb Lotus Elise was 1st). It finished higher than the Ferrari 360 Modena, EVO VII and Boxter S! In general, the slalom speeds of these cars tend to be better than a lot of sports cars, some of which are high end.

Now, I'm not in any way trying to say the slalom test is a test that proves handling ability. There are lots of indicators, both objective and subjective, that go into that..and this is just one of them. To me, I always saw the slalom test as a measure of a car to make quick transitions..and a rough indicator of ability in the twisties. I'm just curious to know if anyone can explain the why behind this phenomenon?

It's a good SIGN of having good handling, but not a necessary deduction :)

If the steering feedback and other things suck, the car can slalom at 200mph and I won't buy it :)

Yeah, slalom tests provide insight to a car's transitional handling abilities. A car that wants to get loose on you in a slalom might handle great on the skidpad and get a high rating for that, or vice versa. My MR2 is the slalom king but it understeers quite a bit in sweepers. Anyhoo, I think one reason FWD compacts go quick through the slaloms is because they're so gosh darn easy to drive.

not only that, but biggish exotic sports cars like the Modena also have big engines, which have a considerable mass attached to them... i think that mass plays a very big role in these slalom times (much less horizontal momentum), but also the way in which the suspensions are setup.
compact cars, although they have a high centre of gravity and thus more body roll (which ISN"T always a bad thing), have soft, pliant suspensions, which on a very smooth slalom course would be adventageous, and on a violently undulating one extremely adventageous. of course, C&D or R&T or whatever aren't slaloming over potholes, but the stiff suspensions of the exotics may not be the ticket, in only that one condition (the slalom).
also, the light, spongey, forgiving compact car (as Bryan said) is really freakin' easy to drive, and would inspire confidence, more than a rocketship under your right foot would.

I would be willing to bet that the width of these cars is also a major factor in explaining the speed differences in the slalom, after all, the 67 in. wide Protege, MR2, and Elise are able to drive a significantly straighter line than the 75 in. wide Modena.

All I know is when I drove the MazdaSpeed Protege, its easy to believe it's predecesor (the MP3) broke 70 mph in the slalom. Amazingly nimble, feels lighter than it is (2850 lbs). I read somewhere that the MS Protege's transitional time (from when the steering wheel began to turn to when the vehicle began to turn) was better than almost anything out there, and I'm inclined to believe it!

No doubt about it, the SVT and MS Protege are amazingly nimble, fun to drive, and handle extremely well. These two cars (and maybe only these two cars) would not make me miss RWD in 95% of driving situations. And I am a dyed-in-the-wool RWD fan, so that is saying a lot. No other FWD vehicles would make me say that.

Now, are they sports cars? No. But they can hang with them through the twisties, and cost a fraction of the price. Perfect for the enthusiast on a budget. The MP3 would have had a much higher score in that R&T comparison if it had a few more ponies. The MS Protege takes care of that deficit. A rematch perhaps? :D