Agree with regards to the transmission. Toyota's 4 speed ATs are kind of blech compared to the competition. Honda's CVT is the best there is, right now... followed by their 5 speed ATs and Ford's new 5 speed ATs.

It's a crime that the Mazda3 and Focus don't come with those. The Mazda3's 4 speed AT sucks a lot of life out of the engine. At least the "Activematic" mode helps overtakes. With Toyota, you have to nail the gas pretty hard to get the tranmission to shift down on the road.