Did you consider the Mazda3 SPEED version at all?
Were you able to deal on the car or was it held close to MSRP?
DH
Yes, I did look at the Speed version they had on the showroom floor. Without a doubt, that car would be an absolute BLAST to drive with over 250HP being generated. Two things kept me from doing it...one, they'll hardly deal on those, as people who really want them will pay at or near MSRP...two, it only comes in a 6 speed manual and this is our only car. We're both retired, so really have no need for 2 cars any more. We sold her Murano a couple of months ago. Manual transmissions are fun...when you're not in heavy traffic. If I was getting a nice car for a "toy", the SPEED would be up there on the list.
From my understanding, Mazda got an alottment of 2012 versions of this car they deemed an "R" group...The tsunami in Japan messed up production for a while, so when they got back up and running full speed, they shipped a bunch of these with good dealer incentives. I got the car for below invoice...even got them to eat their dealer holdback. I did most of the deal via the internet, then phone. All I had to do was go in, test drive a similar model, and they went and got this one out of Savannah, GA on a dealer swap after we agreed on the deal. I sold new Toyotas for a while via Internet, so kind of know how that whole thing typically works. They'll make a little money off my trade, and I'm OK with that...they have to make money somewhere. I could have sold it myself (I usually do that), but didn't want the hassle this time.
This car has 167HP @ 6000 RPM, and 167 TQ @ 4000 RPM, tied to a 5 speed "intelligent" automatic. EPA ratings are 22/29 mpg. It has a "manual" mode, which amounts to a slap stick, if you want to override the auto shift points. It's "smart" though...will keep the car in the same gear entering and exiting a curve. Fun to drive, and a lot of bang for the buck with some of the techy features. Quiet ride too, with very good feedback from steering inputs. The stereo is kiss azz...