you are right sir. compare it to other brands Mazda3 1.5 is solid specs wise and performance. Compare it to the new Elantra 1.6 GL Automatic priced at 1,018,000, interior and specs wise Elantra feels cheaper and dated. The worst thing about it, for this day and age, it doesn't have an auto up/down for the driver window and they have the guts to priced it more than 1M. Even an old honda or toyota has this standard feature.
My first choice was the Elantra but when I tested the Mazda3 1.5 I never turned back.
For the performance, it's quite adequate for my needs. There was once a previous generation Montero Sport tried to overtake me it struggled to pass and took a while to overtake me. I haven't been in Sport mode yet and light on the gas peddle. It was even on a long stretched road without traffic. I just don't know if the Montero driver is hesitant or was just amazed by the beauty of our Mazda3
For my experience, driving up hill might a bit sluggish sometimes but when sport mode is activated no problems.