[Vision67]

I've driven my daughter's Mazda 3 5-door hatch and it is certainly a worthy competitor to Caliber. The interior seems a bit smaller, the roof is lower, and the legroom is a bit less.

One interesting data point is the weight/power ratio.
Assuming the FWD version of the R/T weighs the same as the SXT,

Mazda 3: weight = 2826, Power = 160 hp; W/P= 17.66

Caliber R/T FWD: weight = 3039; Power = 172 hp; W/P = 17.67

Seems to be a dead heat.

 

[Vision67]

is your daughter's Mazda3 a rattle trap like all of the ones I've ridden in?...not trying to be anti Mazda...just curious.

It did have a rattle in the door that was fixed under warranty.It also required a replacement fuel pump. Those were the only two problems since she bought it in Jan-04.