 The car's strength is definitely it's performance. It's a manual transmission and it accelerates well, it handles the curves well, it shifts well. It's a lot of fun to drive. I've had the car for over a year now and I have had no problems with it whatsoever. With a child at college 4 hours away, we are putting mileage on and still we have no mechanical problems. My concern was bad weather, but this car is much better than the car I had before. We didn't have much snow this year, but when we did, the car handled it well. And wet roads are no problem. The main issue would be the comfort. The front seats are comfortable, but the rear seats aren't roomy. And even the front seats could be better. For the long rides, I use a cushion, it helps tremendously. The ride is a bit bumpy. The trunk is small. But those are my only complaints, and they are minor.I'm still loving my Mazda.