I’ll plug the mazda 3 hatchback as well. If you drop the seatbacks, you can fit (with the trunk closed):
-a 9’8″ longboard surfboard,
-8′ x 2′ boards, i.e., plywoood cut in half lengthwise

and for $40 bucks get the vinyl trunk liner. You could pour a gallon of paint in the back and not mess anything up – just don’t go around curves too fast.

You can also get roof racks that screw into threaded holes hidden in the rain gutters, so you don’t have to clip them to the door frames.

The low end torque of the 2.3s is a bit disappointing for it’s size, similar 2.3 -2.4 engines (Altima) don’t need to be cranked as high to get moving. But that’s the trade off for PZEV emissions.

I’d also ask the dealer if he would swap the stock 17″ rims on the 2.3s for the 16″ rims that come stock on the 2.0 mazda 3. Unless you gotta have the bling, the low profile tires blow out much more easily, will cost $much $more to replace, and they exacerbate wheel hop when you are accelerating over bumps. The dealer will end up with a more valuable set of rims, so they should be happy with the trade.