i've driven one and i wasn't impressed. i have a protege 5 and i like mine alot better. one thing is the suspension sucks on this thing. even my stock suspension on my p5 is a hell of a lot better. also another thing is they may have put a bigger engine in it but they also gained alot of weight. i think it was close to an extra 1,000 lbs. when i drove one i thought to myself that i'm glad i have the p5 over the mazda 3. In my opinion if your looking for a mazda i would get the mazda6 v6 6 speed. that sucker hauls. if you can find one cheap enough for you buy it. i think it's a lot better quality car than the mazda 3