Theres some that will buy the Caliber SRT-4 for its pure, brutal power, but theres some that will want the total package and that could very well be the MS3. The regular Mazda 3 was on my short list last year under "cheaper" cars compared to the Mustang GT. A loaded Mazda 3 w/ Nav was like $23K, then factor in the Ford "A" plan and the car was probably a tad over $20K. I still think its a bargain and the MS3 will be even more of a bargain IMO. It looks like the fall of 2006/spring of 2007 is going to be very interesting