Positive reinforcement

It's nice to have somebody confirm that you (or rather your lovely wife) made the right choice. The current Gearbox article on Slate (Mystery of the Mazda 3) does that for me. When we bought Mandy's new car over a year ago we had the choice of getting the newly released Mazda 3 or one of the last of the discontinued Protege5 for about the same cash. Mandy was set on the P5 so thats what we ended up with. I have looked back with regret several times because the 3 has a bit more horsepower and shares a platform with the Volvo S40 and the European Focus, and therefore will eventually have a decent amount of aftermarket support.

The Slate article however confirms for all the great things about the Mazda3 (it has been ranked the top small car or sport hatchback by almost every car mag out there), it still does not measure up to the P5. Apparently for the little bit of extra horsepower, and the minor refinements to the handling and interior, it just doesn't have that zoom zoom feeling that makes the P5 so much fun to drive. I hate front drive cars, but I love driving fast in Mandy's little red rocket. Plus the more I look at the 3 the more I think squashed mini-van. Way to go honey!