I agree Vegasdriver, that the Mazda3 is a well rounded car. I also looked at the tC, and chose the MZ3. It is a fun car to drive and practical. I also like the styling quite a bit. Much better than the run-of-the mill econo-box.
I think it offers very good value for the money as well. I have about 18,000 miles on mine and I have been extremely pleased with the car.