Quote Originally Posted by niky View Post
The 1.5 Vios has decent sound insulation, but it's still noisier. The new Mazda3 also has softer springs. It's not as rigidly controlled as the old Mazda3 (which is bad if you're a boy-racer), but it's still 100% better than any non-Mazda/Ford compact on the market right now.
Niky, you mean the facelifted one?
Haven't seen very many of those on the streets yet.

The pre-facelift is really firm. Everyone here in the office (for some reason Oracle people are buying Mazda3's in droves) is complaining about it, vis-a-vis Honda and Toyota. But for me it's fine. Not fantastic (the FD Civic is cushy by comparison) but I like it not leaning in turns.

True, the "3" is a questionable value in terms of economy and resale compared to the Vios... but for the same price, you're buying more luxury and solidity. That's got to count for something.
It's a matter of priorities. The 3 gives you more room and luxury, at the expense of worse resale and fuel consumption. If all you want is reliable AT transport, then the Jazz 1.3 CVT cannot be beat by ANYTHING.

Makes me wonder why the OP doesn't like the Jazz.. it sure beats the Vios in the practicality department (even the Mazda3 hatch cannot swallow a FRIDGE, but the Jazz can...)