Well, I just test drove a new 3 (s, sedan, mt) and it was pretty nice. Definitely a plus up in power, among other things. I love the fact that it's quieter than my P5 and "pulls" like nobodies business. Wish I could've driven the hatch, but the only MT left was in the showroom. The suspension is still great and I may wanna trade ...oh well, it's nice and a definite improvement over my P5. Mazda seems to be pushing the "more for less" (more features, less money than the competition) philosophy and I like it. If you're local, check out Matt at Hall Mazda on Holland. He let me test it...I pulled off the ramp on Independence to 264 at 80 and didn't really know it. In the P5, you know when you're going above 60...