Suprisingly enough (waiting for the flames), I drove the 2.3l 5 spd sedan mazda3 before I got the si... And I liked it more
While it's not as fast, I thought it looked better, and the interior was just so absolutely gorgeous for the car I was driving (17k).. And it honestly felt as fun to drive as the SI.
Now that I own the Si and really have a feel for it, I'm sure the SI is a lot more fun than the mazda3.. but back when I was doing initial test driving, I woulda gotten the mazda3 no doubt if the dealership had been closer than a 1.5 hour drive from home.