Been around VWs my whole life so I will have to disagree with this. The current golf and golf GTI are superior in most facets to our 3s and speed3s.
Well, I have been all my life around JDM Toyotas, Hondas and Nissans... As for VWs, I have never owned one, but there is enough information on them, for example here:
http://www.truedelta.com I strongly suggest to look into what kind of malfunctions VWs have, it is kind of entertaining. I was particularly impressed by airbag going off with no reason. For Mazda 3 usual problems are radio and fuel cap.
But a great comment from a guy who hates more things about his mazda3 than he likes.
Please refrain from demagogy. I clearly stated that in spite of the listed annoyances (which almost any vehicle will have), I like the car overall.