I’m such a homer, but the 3rd gen Mazda 3’s are so good all around. Independent suspension, OK power, the stick and steering feel great, comfortable with great tech, very easy and cheap to work on, 30mpg combined easily. Can fit my wife, kid, his backpack + stroller in the back.
Wish they had a turbo’d version, it kind of sucks that they just skipped the 3rd gen with that. I’m not buying a $5k kit and installing it on my daily, but love seeing other people do it.
Yeah I have no interest in upgrading to a new turbo 3, it just feels much less “raw” than the 2.5l 6 speed. All of the power is down low and that’s great, but there’s no drama to it. The suspension also feels so soft from the factory. My wife has the turbo CX30 and it’s great for her, but it’s meh when I drive it. Great for roadtrips though.
That’s why I am either keeping my current 3 and getting an older miata to satisfy my cravings, or just upgrade to a GR Corolla at some point as a single do-it-all car. Not really sure which way I’ll go