In general they're great if they're 2006 or newer, it's when they really went for it to break away from Ford a bit more.
I had a 2007 Mazda6 auto and loved it, only issue was bad gas cap caused the purge valve to work itself to death and that was a warranty repair (it was an ex-rental car I bought at 26k miles).
Had a mazdaspeed miata, different animal but tons of fun. Only smaller issues like exhaust gaskets and broken exhaust studs from factory turbo heat.
Now have a previously neglected 2007 Mazda3s (2.3L) MTX hatch and am slowly returning it to fully functional from neglected. Got a steal on it and have done all wheel bearings, shocks, belts and water pump, brakes... but most of that would've been avoidable by someone with a competent mechanic on a 135k mile car.
Girlfriend has a 2010 (smiley face) 2L auto and it's right at 65k and will be in need of shocks soon. Just did her first overdue transmission flush with Amsoil and as per usual that fluid is awesome, better shifting and overall smoothness improvements. She's bent two wheels since she doesn't know how to avoid potholes and lost a fight with a curb and a rear wheel. Nothing on the car bent and it aligned perfectly and wheel still balances perfectly with roadforce.
Her mom just got a 2014 3i GT auto and I've driven it a few times and it definitely has a sharper ride than most other small cars but somehow my girlfriend mistakes shock absorption for lack of road feel and likes her worn 2010 better. Once the new shocks are on (we'll be going stiffer since she likes my car on KW coilovers) we'll reassess. The automatic only uses the TQ under 5mph so when slowing and accelerating it's more akin to an automated manual and rev-matches downshifts wonderfully, even when manually shifting the automatic. Floor it and it drops gears very nicely and the torque of a skyactive engine is not to be understated, it's GREAT! Best part is after you floor it, the car holds the lower gear for a bit just in case you have unfinished business, a great feature for smaller-engined cars and as a lover of a manual transmission it gets great respect for that. It has the most caster of any FWD car and it feel VERY planted and stable for having such a linear steering feel, the more you turn the harder it gets with great self-centering.
If you don't end up with the Mazda, I'd bet money it'll most likely be because the ride was too harsh compared to other cars in the segment.
