 For the price and class of car, we had been pretty satisfied overall with our 2010 Mazda 3, 2.5L automatic Sport Sedan.  It really is zippy..zoom zoom.  It was always on the noisy side, but that wasn't a big deal.  Why my family and I are breaking up with Mazda...after only 5-6 years, 95,000 miles, the transmission failed.  Most cars are lasting well past 140,000 miles before having any serious problems.  And if you are wondering, Yes, we followed Mazda's advised servicing/maintenance.  As a comparison/data point, I had a 1997 Honda Accord with 165,000 miles that never had a transmission problem or any other significant problem, which we replaced in 2010 for the Mazda 3... We enjoyed the 5-6 years, but paying $3000 - $4000 to replace a transmission after such a short time is completely unacceptable.  I do not consider this reliable.  So, now we are faced with either buying a new car, or paying for the repair...either way, we are out a lot of money... And i called Mazda Customer Service...they were very polite about letting me know that I would receive NO support from them.  We won't be buying a Mazda for a very long time.