in terms of handling/luxary vs Straight line performance, its up to personal preference.

if you guys have watched Top Gear(or something like top gear, cant remember what its called), they tested the Mazda 3 MPS, Golf R32 and the BMW 130i. MPS has the quickest laptime. It handles quite well considering the amount of power it has for a FWD. It did beat the Golf R32 which is AWD as well.

I will choose the MPS over the new CTR anyday if i have to pay for anything within that price range. Its bang for your bucks from what i can see.

Thats just my personal opinion.