03,04,05 differences?

[BUMMER]

Aside from cosmetics and horsepower changes ,are there any other differences with an 03,04 and 05? I drove an 03 with 70k and an 05 with 48k and the 05 just seemed to drive nicer. Could it be the age of the vehicle, mileage, the way it was taken care of or perhaps the 05's are built better. The brakes on the 03 were "mushy" and had alot of play in it, the 05 did not