^Yeah Cooper was on my mind when writing that but I dunno man I think the MS3 has more power, costs less, etc. I've driven both spiritedly on public roads and enjoyed the Mazda more. Felt low-slung like a race c0ckpit and begged to be pushed and handled.
A quick search from
Grassroots Motorsports "The Hardcore Sports Car Magazine"
Mazdaspeed3 Gen1 > MS3 Gen2 > MINI S Turbo > MINI S S/C > Mazda3 Gen2 2.5 > Mazda3 Gen1 2.3 > Mazda3 2.0 > MINI N/A
and
AskMen prefers the MS3 in a comparo of the previous gens.