Faults:

Digital display replaced under warranty.

Door screws loose fixed myself.

AC seems weak.

General Comments:

The car handles very well for it's price range. It wants to be a BMW, hence the 3 designation. It is not, but for half the price it is 3/4 of the way there My girlfriend dislikes the ride too stiff for her. The AC is weak, consider getting a white, silver, or tan colored car with a light interior if in a warm climate. Shifter and clutch is the best I have driven (I have had many) Mileage for me is 26 city, 35 hwy, I was hoping for a few more, but acceptable. OEM toyo tires on the 2.0 liter are great on dry pavement, horrible in rain and snow. Tread-life was dismal, 300 tread-wear rating, I replaced them at 16,000 miles, not worn out, but performance was lousy anyway. Replaced with Yokohama AVID TRZ (700 tread-wear) sacrificed a bit on dry weather for an improvement in rain and snow and longer life. The car has rear shocks not struts easier and cheaper to replace, but it does result in a smaller trunk. The trunk is not tiny, but has a small opening, some things will fit inside the trunk, but you can't get them in. I wish 5th gear was taller (lower RPM on hwy) but that is trade-off when a car is marketed for performance. If someone is looking for something similar, but a bit cheaper, the ford focus is a sibling, a bit cheaper (and cheaper feeling) and has a bit softer suspension if the Mazda rides too harsh.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong. I've had to put back the rubber seal at the bottom of the driver's door on a couple of occasions, and the black plastic interior tends to mark easily, but there have been no major problems.

General Comments:

After the dull, but extremely competent Premacy, the 3 is like a breath of fresh air. Worked hard, and using the manual gears a bit more than I'd like, the 1.6 is willing and quite a lot of fun, but no rocket of course. The real fun comes from the handling, which is precise and direct (a vast improvement on the Premacy).

The Katano version has nice grey mica paint, rather fetching red-flecked black seat material, some extra chrome bits, climate control and the Smartnav guidance system... but the price was right, too.

I know the red lights on the audio equipment are not to everyone's taste (reminds me of Knight Rider!), but the rest of the dash is quite stylish and well laid out. I have a serious issue with the non-removable Smartnav touchscreen (an open invitation to car crime, even if it wouldn't be much use to the perpetrator), but the system itself is a must-have on the UK's crowded and camera-infested roads.

I hoovered the interior last week and almost sucked the flimsy carpet up, due to over-zealous use of the crevice tool around the rear-passenger air-con ducts! Be warned-avoid turbo-vacs in this car!

These minor gripes apart, the 3 is a joy to drive and to own. Reliability comes as standard, but not at the expense of enjoyment (cf. the Premacy!). Oh, I almost forgot, it doesn't look bad either, does it.

Faults:

The digital clock occasionally is off by random chunks of time.

When removing 1 or more discs from the in-dash 6 CD changer, it doesn't always recognize that those slots are now empty and won't let you load another disc.

General Comments:

The car is an exceptional value. I opted for the 2.0 liter version as I commute 80+ miles a day and was looking for the best mileage. I am completely impressed with the performance given the smallish engine and excellent fuel economy. It is a much better value than anything else in its class, and delivers much better performance and fuel economy than anything Toyota, Nissan, Honda or any of the other imports offer, and the domestics don't even come close. I consistently get 35 mpg mixed. It's fun to drive, looks nice, and the trunk is deceptively large. I've been on several extended trips (family of 3) and have never run out of cargo space. I don't understand why it is not getting more recognition from Consumer Reports and other mags.