Glad you'll be checking out the Mazdas! I would just mention to make sure to check out the Mazdaspeed line. Despite the similar sounding names, the Mazdaspeed 3 is far superior to the Mazda 3.

I don't know if anyone reads the follow-ups to these, but I went out and test drove a MS3 yesterday, and I ended up buying one this morning!

Thanks again for the tip to check it out, I hadn't really thought about it; and it was the perfect solution to my problem - Still fast enough to be fun, but I can also put things in it if I need to pick someone up from the airport or go buy a chair or something.

I'll be out driving!

Ha! That's great! So glad to hear you found the right car for the job. Go Hacker News!

I was very impressed with the MPS3 (Mazdaspeed in the US). I was expecting it to be like the SP23 line - sporty looking, but the same internals. Blew me away. It is FWD though - not sure if that's going to be a concern.

Surprised no-one has mentioned the BMW 135i Haven't driven one, but everyone I've talked to has been pretty impressed.

135i not mentioned because OP wants more room.. not something the 135i can offer. But it is a spectacular car. You know it has 6 piston brakes? Not even the new M3 has 6-piston brakes. And with an ECU tweak it can do 380hp.

If you are getting a Mazda 3 of any sort in a climate where you might be driving through snow, _please_ purchase some good all-weather/snow tires.

The three Mazda3's I've sat in or driven have all had extremely poor winter handling. Better tires solved the problem in at least one case.

you should be buying a dedicated set of winter wheels/tires anyways. It really not that much money, all things considered. You'll recoup the cost the second you avoid sliding into a tree or rear-ending the car ahead of you.