The Old Guy...
HA! You kids... smart, but mostly kids to a guy like me. I'm 35. Clinical Mental Health Therapist (kind of like a psychologist).
You guys rock for stepping up to the plate and taking a great thing when it presents itself! Truthfully, I have historically been a Porsche man, with a bias toward all things German in the auto relm. My age and income puts me more in the Porsche buyers club, but seriously, this thing is HOT! What moron would pass up performance like this for half the price of an entry level Porsche? Oh, thats right, guys with "something to prove" by saying their car can corner .05g faster.... whatever! 98.6% (normal body temp BTW) of the time you'll NEVER use that extra performance. My Speed3 is fun, AND I pay all my bills on time, contribute too my retirement AND can still have nice vacations. Call me crazy, but that Porsche can wait till I don't have any kids or friends in the back seat. The Speed3 is wicked fun, but perfectly practical. If the economy around here were better, I suspect I'd never have gotten my hands on one. As an older dude, who expects people I give big bucks to to cater to me... I just wish Mazda had more options to make this thing more personal off the line. The VW GTI got that part right. Still the Speed3 thumps on the overly subdued GTI...
I live in the land of the UAW and from a family of small engine (midget and 3/4 midget) builders. So, loving anything Japanese is quite a stretch for me culturally... All of you here seem to be on to something... this car is frankly, just the tip of where the potential for this DSI and other technology could lead to. AWD, twin turbo, ceramic brakes, and carbon fiber anyone??? Zoom to Super Zoom! The only thing that threatens this for the mass market is the carbon fuel consumption... then again... most of you probably would buy an Zero Emission or Hybrid for more boring long commutes, I am sure. Right? Please say yes.
Personally... I cant wait to race my rich brother-in-law in his Audi RS4... Even with mine totally stock, its neck and neck... I'll keep you posted, and my racing location secret!