The "asian rubbish"
Mazda 3 SP23 is pretty cool. Sounds decent with an exhuast, hauls a car load of people ok too. I wouldn't pass it by as a potential purchase.
Otherwise I reckon the Focus is pretty sweet. The main gripe I've heard is just the power in them. Otherwise as an overall package they're pretty cool. Others here will give you a more comprehensive answer on them tho.