Erm, well, put it this way, my best friends Mum has just gone from a 1998 Volvo V70 SECD 2.5 Auto to a 2004 Mazda 3 TS 1.4 Hatch and she's not unhappy about it, in fact she loves the Mazda, sure she doesn't have the ability to kick the throttle and have an instant blast of power like she did (and quite often) in the Volvo but she says even though her 1.4 has, and I quote, 'the power of a potato' she doesn't really notice it much, even with 2 kids, the husband and dog in the car because it handles so damned well. She says it just wont lose grip and the chassis is amazing. The sound doesn't leave much to be desired though but I'm sure it can be easily rectified.