hi there...

suddenly feels like writing  , i will answer ur wonder as a 4 months owner 2.0 M3 

1. agreed, the engine doesn't have wow factor as civic let alone 308 turbo, so i always press 'down' on the paddleshift into 3rd or even 2nd gear and then the surge is 
2. handling is M3 forte along with its siblings ford focus, agreed with the rest of ur statement
3. also agree that space is average, not much can do here if it's ur 1st priority
5. noise absorption is better than civic (from my exp), even drive at 170 wind noise is quite minimal... ride comfort i think is greatly affected by the 45 series tyre, suspension is good in absorbing bumps but not much help from tyre so making it quite hard, but not that jarring... M3 1.6 is using 55 series i guess, should have much better ride

my other comments?
- i wish the stock radio has RDS function (my previous waja got one - stock!!)
- the auto lights on function shouldn't be as sensitive (even at 3 pm the lights do switch ON!!)
- gear changes can be felt (although still minimal) now at 12000 km compared to during new
- steering feedback from road is very good even for a little bumps, but too good sometimes driving at 120km/h also feel not stable
- can't think anymore

but after comparing with other C segment (performance, FC, space, handling, features), i can say Mazda 3 rockk!!!!     

hehe, i dont think M3 is a performance car (even its has speed cut around 190+km/h), the owners (including myself) here basically love its handling, look and its kinda being different from the norm (apart from what normally T&H that M'sians use to choose
handling wise, i prefer this compared to altis, (taking quote from my friend, even better handling than civic)

Else agree with you, comfort may be due to its tyre profile. handling wise, I feel more secure becoz of its 'heavy' steering during high speed.

Maintenance wise, that what I've been thinking since M3 is quite rare species in my area huhuhu... but never regret it lah 

hoho!

found a dealer selling new M3 2.0 at 115k!

Rm115k Mazda 3 Sedan 2.0

link : http://www.mudah.my/Mazda3+2+0+READY+STOCK...ns-12536533.htm

how true is this?

Plan to get a Mazda 3 2.0 but still thinking whether to go for Sedan or Hatchback. Any advise ?