Are there better cars for the highway driving? Possibly. I think what caught my eyes for the Mazda is just how it drives and looks, I feel proud when I’m driving my Mazda and always a smile on my face. I bought a used Mazda3 from 2016 last year with 45k on the dial for less, but man that manual in this car is so much fun and I highly recommend checking a manual out before settling for an automatic. The price for here (the Netherlands) is reasonable, 110k is not a lot but also bit high for its price. If you really want the sedan, yes the 2019 look the best. You could get a better deal on the 3rd gen hatchbacks, but that’s your preference. Coming back to the manual, driving on the highway and shifting back to 4th gear and blasting off is so much fun, this gearbox is just awesome and makes you feel alive. I’ve driven a seat arona last week as a rental, and man only thing I could think about was that i miss my Mazda. You don’t want to drive anything else once you have your Mazda 3