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Just outside of the new big three, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan, the Fun Japanese car company, Mazda, works to get noticed. They have lots of different, fun type cars. If you're just about ready to settle for an econobox, they can save your the day with their Mazda 3. A fun, sporty, small, car.

You can mix your fun and economy of operation and acquisition several ways. The I model, only available as a four door, it comes with a plenty sporty 2.0 four that makes 148 horsepower and gets 28 mpg in the City and 35 mpg on the Road, it comes with a lot of the small standard features that you often expect, but don't get with other base models, like reclining seats, Starting at $14,500 for the Sport trim and nearly 18K for the Touring, it looks and drives better than the 14k type Competition, think base model and lower models.

Click up one notch to the Mazda 3 S , along with a few more goodies and a Hatchback, 5 door option, you get the 2.3 engine that makes 156 hp (about 8 more than the I series) and 33 Highway (2 less than i). The s series comes in three trims, the sport, touring and Grand Touring, about a thousand dollars more per trim level, 18K to 20 K.

My vote goes for the Mazdaspeed 3, a hotrod from the factory, it takes the 2.3 ,turbo and tunes it and gets 263hp and 280 lbs of torque out of the same engine that made over a hundred horses less, just one model lower. Stats sound pretty darn good, 0-60 in 5.8, top speed of 154.5mph, it does go. At almost 23K it not real cheap, but it's a bargain for the group of cars that it compares with. Some critics claimed that it might not corner as well as the other hot hatchbacks, but some didn't, so it might not corner as well, sounds like a reason to go test drive one tomorrow to me, it is fun to scare the sales guy.

The Mazda website has a cool little animated movie of the Mazdaspeed 3 in action. It lets you know just what Mazda is aiming for. So if your need for speed is greater than your desire for sophistication and your pocket book says you might not get either, the Mazda 3 might just be for you.

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