We brought her home from the dealer on Friday. She's a sinewy 3180 lbs and, while she may look dainty on the outside, she's all brawn on the inside. You know it at soon as she opens her mouth. She lets out a pretty ferocious roar at the slightest touch of the gas, and even growls impatiently when she's idling at red lights. If you give her the right love, her 263 horses will do 0-60 in just under 6 seconds. And she's obedient around turns.

She's a Mazda, of the 'Speed 3' variety, and needless to say, C and I are in love. We're star-struck, even. And because we're star-struck, and because she brought with her a couple of beautiful clear nights and a full-moon weekend, we've given her the name of Hoshi, which means Star.

Hoshi seems a lot like Carmen at first blush. They share a lot of the same physical characteristics. Both are hatchbacks. Both have a red finish. Both have nice rims and low profile.

But Hoshi comes from a different land, and has a very different personality - one that's more no-nonsense and less high-maintenance. But she's not without her pet peeves, and we're quickly finding those out. For one thing, Hoshi doesn't seem to appreciate any conversation when she's accelerating. If you try to speak, you'll suddenly find yourself without oxygen, the words you were about to utter trailing off somewhere behind you. It's alarming and a bit embarrasing. You'll also be startled to find that your lungs and stomach have somehow flattened against the wall of your back. We've learned it's best to just brace yourself during launch, remain quiet, and let her do the talking.

This isn't to say she's rude. Quite the opposite: once you're at a comfortable cruising speed, all passengers are free to talk amongst themselves. Basically, she won't interrupt you if you don't interrupt her. She even sports a few extra rear doors - something Carmen could have desperately needed - which make three and four passengers feel much more welcome.

Another difference between Carmen and Hoshi is in their street-fighting skills. While Carmen looked like she may have been able to hold her own in a fight, she was no martial arts master. I mean, come on, she hailed from Germany. The only hand-to-hand combat training she'd ever had came from a day-long beginning Kung Fu seminar - and I remember she spent most of the class flirting with the instructor. Hoshi brings from her homeland skills in the ancient martial arts. She was taught by a team of ninja warriors in a remote mountain region of Japan. I shouldn't really discuss any of it with you in much detail, though. I'm sort of afraid she might kill me. But I've seen a few moves, and let me just say that if somebody chooses to pick a fight with her, she can hold her own - and that somebody will probably wind up with his face against the concrete.

I think you'll probably be hearing a lot more about Hoshi as we introduce her to DC and its environs. And I'm sure a few of you will be meeting her in person.

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