Two weeks into it and very happy, My C1 Mazda

Ok, so I picked up my 3 almost 2 weeks ago, and I've been driving it everyday, and now it's time for driving/owning impressions. I've had a lot of cars over the years, almost 20 different vehicles in just over 20 years. I've had big luxo barges, trucks muscle cars and little eono boxes. And while the tendancy would be to lump the 3 in with that last bunch, I'm not so sure. I mean I know it's a "Box" and it get's great milage, but there's so much more to this little hatch.

For one, the interior is just outstanding, the feel of almost all the materials is just Quality. The only cheap feeling material is the carpet, not the carpeted floor mat, but the actual carpet, especially in the rear seat area. But how often am I going to touch the carpets with my hand? Not enough to take away from the feeling of the dash, steering wheel, door panels, shifter and every control switch.

And it doesn't drive like an economy car, it feels sporty. I know that's an overused term, every schmuck says "sporty", but the handling is as good as any car I've owned, including my Taurus SHO or my Mustang, and they were both Sporty cars. The brakes and steering are absolutely fantastic, the car feels planted on twisty roads at speeds over the legal limit. And around town it feels comfortable and solid.

Now fuel economy isn't as good as I'm expecting, but with only 250 miles mostly urban loop, I'm not disappointed with the 22 mpg that I've gotten from the first tank two weeks. And maybe, just maybe if I wasn't having so much fun doing sprints up and down the parkway, mileage would be closer to EPA ratings. Just a reminder that "your mileage may vary."

I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, Ford needs to bring the C1 Focus, especially the ST here to the states and they need to do it soon.