Originally Posted by Lug

For me it kinda comes down to if/when you want to mod. The MS3 has a proven mod order that has already been bought with blood sweat and tears, the ST will be an unknown for a few years. The stock performance window will be very close but I expect the MS3 to be the goto mod car for about 2 more years. After that I'm sure the Ford will catch up. I'm also waiting to see what Mazda plans for the 2013 model but they are keeping pretty mum so far. After carefully considering all these details, I'm sure Mrs. Lug will have the final say, probably based on cuteness/color.