2019 Mazda3

coryclifford
Three doors are the true hatchback to me and that Brera nailed it. That looks great. Mazda isn't too shabby though.

Alfa seems to have a great design crew on board.
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The Brera/159 was the best looking mainstream car of the 00s, IMO. I had the pleasure of driving a 159 Sportwagon (6spd manual) throughout Italy (more than 2,000km total!) back in 2007....it was a truly memorable experience and the car was lovely to drive, and painfully lovely to look at it. It was also a remarkably good companion for the trip...plenty of space, comfortable, excellent economy (JTD). I would probably actually buy one if I was in Europe....but I digress.

That Mazda is even in the same ballpark is what I find heartening. I don't think it's as special looking as the 159, but it's close and should be better to drive and to own.
 
Apparently the new 3 will have it's bass speakers mounted in an exterior cavity behind the front wheels. From my limited knowledge of car audio, I know that the traditional door-mounted location for bass speakers is not ideal. I wonder if this is actually just a standard kick-panel mounted speaker and either Mazda not-quite explaining sufficiently, Mazda intentionally jargonizing, or carbuzz just not really putting all the pieces together.
 
Sounds good in the video. Look like a dinosaur bone right in the middle of the dash. Love that it's uncluttered..
 
Looks like the same trend as that Kia... C segment hatches getting bigger with the C pillar getting thicker.

Its a good looking car... with the 2,5 would be a nice drive... the sedan is extremely good looking... if its the same 6 spd auto then meh but consumers dont care.
 
Canadian pricing & models released

From what I can tell, the sedan will start at $18k. The 2.0 can be paired with a manual, but the 2.5 cannot be.
The hatch, called the sport, will start at $21k and have a 2.5L/manual option, but at $24,000.

Pricing seems pretty inline with the previous car. I hope you can get a 2.5L/manual in the states for about $20k, but I doubt it.

I've also read elsewhere that Jalopnik will be doing a review next week, and I assume that means a host of other publications as well.
 
US Market Mazda 3s will start at $21k

If you want a manual, you're looking at a minimum of $27k. While I get that it's a more premium car than a Honda Civic...it's also a lot more money! You could get a nicely equipped Civic Si or even a Veloster N for the price of a way, way slower 3 with a manual....

I had a feeling the car would be more expensive, but I think this is verging towards too expensive.
 
Eunos_Cosmo
US Market Mazda 3s will start at $21k

If you want a manual, you're looking at a minimum of $27k. While I get that it's a more premium car than a Honda Civic...it's also a lot more money! You could get a nicely equipped Civic Si or even a Veloster N for the price of a way, way slower 3 with a manual....

I had a feeling the car would be more expensive, but I think this is verging towards too expensive.
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My manager couldn't even order a Mazda3 with a stick. We're only guaranteed 3 for our dealership on top of that. On a side note, I'm somewhat happy (if it's true) that the base model doesn't offer a stick any more because now their national ad numbers will be on a car we'll probably stock as Manual Transmission cars do not sell here unless it's a Corvette or an MX-5.

*Edit* Turns out the National ad never used a stick car like Subaru does. Carry on :lol:
 
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The pricing of the manual seems very strange to me. They seem to have aimed it driving enthusiasts by only pairing it with top trim levels (as opposed to aiming it at value shoppers by only pairing it with bottom trim levels, which other makes seem to do). But driving enthusiasts have much more exciting options at that price point or even well below:

-Golf GTI
-Civic Si
-Focus ST
-Fiesta ST
-Fiat 500 Abarth
-Veloster N
-Elantra Sport
-Forte5 SX

..to name a few...

I struggle to see how Mazda thinks they will sell more than a handful of manual 3s. Maybe they are trying to justify killing off the manual all together? If you look hard enough, you can get a new Mazda6 with a manual for $18k....it will be a base model, but the 6 comes pretty well equipped even as standard.
 
So yes, the Canadian and American offerings are differing even more than before. 2.0 engine is Canadian exclusive, and we still get (as always) much wider manual availability. I can only put it down to the Mazda3 being far more successful up here, it’s always been a viable Corolla/Elantra/Civic competitor, and it’s only a niche compact in the US.

That American pricing and trim structure is ridiculous though. Seems like they’re shooting themselves in the foot/trying to force everyone into a CX-5 instead. I definitely breathed a sigh of relief when I read the Canadian pricing and it’s staying about the same, and I can still get a GX manual hatch which is what I’m planning on buying (if I can’t find a decent deal on one of them new Elantra N-Lines anyway)
 
bloodyboyblue
So yes, the Canadian and American offerings are differing even more than before. 2.0 engine is Canadian exclusive, and we still get (as always) much wider manual availability. I can only put it down to the Mazda3 being far more successful up here, it’s always been a viable Corolla/Elantra/Civic competitor, and it’s only a niche compact in the US.

That American pricing and trim structure is ridiculous though. Seems like they’re shooting themselves in the foot/trying to force everyone into a CX-5 instead. I definitely breathed a sigh of relief when I read the Canadian pricing and it’s staying about the same, and I can still get a GX manual hatch which is what I’m planning on buying (if I can’t find a decent deal on one of them new Elantra N-Lines anyway)
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I wonder if California was it's own country whether we would have better or worse options....I'm inclined to think better in terms of selection of manuals. Side note: Mazda 3s sell really, really well in northern California. I see them probably as often as I do Civics. I can't seem to find any state-by-state sales figures. I'd be curious to see the data.

Thinking more about it. I think this is Mazda's biggest attempted step forward to becoming the Japanese BMW. I think they realize that the vast majority of BMW buyers don't care about things like engine output, manual gearboxes, or performance statistics. They care about having a sporty-feeling, sporty-looking, premium-feeling, practical vehicle and...well driving a BMW. Taken as an entry level BMW-esque experience, the car is probably head & shoulder above all of it's competitors. So instead of thinking about it as $5k more than a Civic, maybe thinking of the top trim as $5k less than an A3, BMW 2, or MB CLA is what Mazda is hoping. The problem is the badge. So I think I understand what they are trying to do, even if I don't like it particularly much..
 
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The Mazda probably costs 5k more in materials then the Civic anyway, I mean sitting inside the current Civic the quality of the interior feels like something from the early 2000s(Same applies to the Fit/Jazz), it does look good on the exterior though.
 
Reviews starting to trickle in.

MT
Autoblog

Big takeaways
-Pelvic obsession
-Far more refined than before
-Still engaging to drive, especially good brake feel
-Low end torque feels lacking, apparently.

The time and money Mazda invested in studying the human body really appears to have paid off. Ride quality is simply exceptional.
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Although I've yet to sample a base-spec 2019 Mazda3, the loaded Premium model is certainly a convincing alternative to the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz CLA. Mazda did its homework here—materials, from the leather seats, to the knurled metal knobs and accents are all top notch. Mazda says it paid particular attention to how its knobs and buttons feel when turned or pressed, and the attention to detail shows; all have a quality heft and feel to them.
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The new 2019 Mazda3 captures the fun-to-drive spirit of the Mazda we know and love, while delivering on the entry-level luxury experience that might actually give Audi A3 and Mercedes CLA buyers some pause
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Looks like I was right about the 3 being basically a budget CLA/A3. A top trim 3 is probably a far nicer car and a better ownership experience than those two in base trim, for a not-small amount of money less. In certain markets (like Marin county, where everyone has a multi-million dollar house but wears casual hiking gear everywhere) where there is a lot of money, but not necessarily a taste for showing it, I think the 3 can do very well. Adding the AWD option was a brilliant move. This will be the car most likely to have an expensive road bike or Kayak strapped to the roof and these things will be crawling all over Tahoe this time next year. :lol:

I was really hoping the new 3 was going to be an excellent car for me. It turns out the new 3 is going to be an excellent car for my GF. Time to start the propaganda machine. :lol:

edit: I should also not that I find it refreshing that the Mazda doesn't have a million settings for its dynamics. A sport mode holds gears longer for the automatic trans, but does nothing else. Per Mazda, it "is because we've already found the ideal setting."
 
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Still don't like that they went to a torsion beam rear suspension. I mean, Mazda is good at what they do with suspension so maybe you don't notice it as much, but I was driving a new Sentra this week with multi-link rear and the difference is astounding over the old beam setup. It was also one of the main reasons I bought an Elantra Sport over a Sentra Nismo. Just can't do that beam...
 
I'm not going to knock it until I drive it. Sounds like a perfect urban-suburbia car though.

The interior in the Mazda6 is so good that I have a hard time getting out of it. It's the first car that I've ever heard my mom say, "I just want to keep driving it around town, just to be in it.". If the new 3 translates this into an even more affordable package, it should be shockingly good. The other Japanese cars are in the minors leagues.
 
Eunos_Cosmo
I wouldn't, and I hope Mazda hasn't, bet on that. I don't think they could sell a 181hp 2.0L engine for MORE than they sell a 187hp 2.5L engine, because I don't think a typical buyer would have the patience or technical proficiency to appreciate the technology in the 2 liter. As far as I've seen, the 2.5L will be the only initial engine option for the US Market....which makes me think the 2.0 might actually become the base engine when it arrives. But their output is so similar that doesn't make much sense either. I wonder if it will be like the 2015+ Mustang where the V6 was sold more or less alongside the 2.3 ecoboost as a hedge on the adoption rate/consumer reaction to the 'new' technology, with the eventual goal of eliminating the old technology.
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Well apparently my confusion (as seen above) is also shared by Mazda. They don't quite know what to do with the Skyactiv-X at the moment, at least as applied to the US Market.

Mazda told Jalopnik the company is still exploring the SkyActiv-X technology for its full potential. As it stands, the initial excitement over the new technology was its improved and more reliable efficiency gains over the SkyActiv-G engines. But it’s efficiency in combustion also has the potential to produce more power compared to a normal gasoline engine of similar displacement.

This could be where Mazda’s focus for the engine is at now. Moro mentioned that the company is fine-tuning the engine in preparation for production, and that he believes the engine needs to do more than just get better fuel efficiency, since gas prices are low and it would be tougher to market it on fuel savings alone.

The suggestion is that Mazda is now working to tune as much performance out of the engine as possible, possibly even with turbocharging. When we previously drove a prototype back in September of 2017, the 2.0-liter SkyActiv-X could produce 187 horsepower—as much as the 2.5-liter SkyActiv-G engine in the 2019 Mazda 3. If Mazda can push that level of performance enhancement higher, then it has a new way of marketing its fancy new engine.
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Whispers of hints of rotary...echo echo echo...

The most exciting thing I heard at this dinner table, though, was Moro outlining all of Mazda’s future powertrain options—SkyActiv-G, SkyActiv-X, SkyActiv-D, Hybrid—and then pausing and raising his eyebrows to say “SkyActiv-R.”
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Moro [President of Mazda North America] says he wants Mazda to produce a new RX-7, especially now that Toyota has debuted the Supra. He doesn’t see it as another model that has to fit into the lineup in any particular way, or serve any sort of financial support for the company. He just wants it to exist, and to serve as the soul for the direction he sees Mazda headed.

With the Supra, we talked about how it was almost disappointing that it will become the face of that brand, but it’s not Toyota’s engineering underneath the car (it’s BMW’s, in case you’ve been living under a rock).

He said if Mazda were to do a modern poster car, it’d do something they could be proud of having on every magazine cover, every website and in every advertisement.
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Part of me really likes how sort of casual Mazda is compared to most OEMs. You'd never get an executive from, say, Toyota speculating about the future company direction in such a free-wheeling way. Most automotive execs always seem entirely buttoned up, walking the company line. Mazda seems to grant a lot autonomy to its engineers and executives, for better or for worse, and they tend to have different opinions and ideas of where the company is going. I'm not sure it's really better (they tend to get hopes up) but it is refreshing. Ultimately, you get the sense that Mazda people have passion for cars on every level of their payroll. For the President of the company's largest single market to have the desire to build a product for the sake of building that product, that is a special company, in my opinion.

Another interesting bit I saw in the other 3 article by Jalopnik

Mazda’s roadmap to premium started with the refreshed 2018 Mazda 6, but the new Mazda 3 is the first all-new car to debut under its new initiative. Its new platform will be the foundation of upcoming model replacements, and maybe even a few all-new models, according to a few wink-eyed teases from the Mazda team.
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I can't help but think of the MX-6 badge being re-trademarked recently. While I know this is off-topic I do wonder what a modern MX-6 would be and what market space it would occupy. It would obviously be some sort of sports car or at least sporting car - the MX badge didn't used to absolutely denote Sports (the MX-6 was more of a grand-tourer) but the overwhelming legacy built by the MX-5 is pretty tough to ignore. So lets say it is built to be the MX-5 + 1. I wonder what that would be! I think more than likely it would be a coupe. It could be a 4 door coupe. And it would probably have 4 seats. And it would probably have rear wheel drive. As 6 is greater than 5, it will probably be faster & more expensive than the MX-5. My best guess in this irresponsibility speculative exercise:

-MX-5 platform stretched and widened slightly
-Fixed roof coupe body shape. Perhaps a 4 door coupe.
-2700-2900lbs.
-Upmarket, sophisticated looks (Probably something like the Vision Coupe)
-2.5L N/A engine as standard 2.5T engine optional, mated to either a 6M or 6A gearbox
-Base price of $34,000USD up to about $45,000 all-in

If you think about it, not many of the mainstream car makers (or any of them?) have attempted a 4 door coupe shape (does the Stinger count? It doesn't really look like a coupe...) that has become so ubiquitous in the luxury game. I think it could actually fit Mazda's increasingly aspirational portfolio pretty nicely. Ok that's enough off topic rampant speculation for now.
 
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I was wondering why the hatch was so much more expensive than the sedan until I read Jalopnik's article.

The sedan starts off with 16-inch wheels and cloth seating and door trims standard, and the hatchback starts off with 18-inch wheels, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, leatherette seating and door trims, dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers and keyless entry as standard. You can see why the hatchback starts $2,600 pricier than the new sedan.
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Interesting how the hatch comes with much more standard

https://jalopnik.com/the-2019-mazda-3-is-smoother-quieter-and-still-fantast-1832068014
 
Eunos_Cosmo
Well apparently my confusion (as seen above) is also shared by Mazda. They don't quite know what to do with the Skyactiv-X at the moment, at least as applied to the US Market.






Whispers of hints of rotary...echo echo echo...





Part of me really likes how sort of casual Mazda is compared to most OEMs. You'd never get an executive from, say, Toyota speculating about the future company direction in such a free-wheeling way. Most automotive execs always seem entirely buttoned up, walking the company line. Mazda seems to grant a lot autonomy to its engineers and executives, for better or for worse, and they tend to have different opinions and ideas of where the company is going. I'm not sure it's really better (they tend to get hopes up) but it is refreshing. Ultimately, you get the sense that Mazda people have passion for cars on every level of their payroll. For the President of the company's largest single market to have the desire to build a product for the sake of building that product, that is a special company, in my opinion.

Another interesting bit I saw in the other 3 article by Jalopnik



I can't help but think of the MX-6 badge being re-trademarked recently. While I know this is off-topic I do wonder what a modern MX-6 would be and what market space it would occupy. It would obviously be some sort of sports car or at least sporting car - the MX badge didn't used to absolutely denote Sports (the MX-6 was more of a grand-tourer) but the overwhelming legacy built by the MX-5 is pretty tough to ignore. So lets say it is built to be the MX-5 + 1. I wonder what that would be! I think more than likely it would be a coupe. It could be a 4 door coupe. And it would probably have 4 seats. And it would probably have rear wheel drive. As 6 is greater than 5, it will probably be faster & more expensive than the MX-5. My best guess in this irresponsibility speculative exercise:

-MX-5 platform stretched and widened slightly
-Fixed roof coupe body shape. Perhaps a 4 door coupe.
-2700-2900lbs.
-Upmarket, sophisticated looks (Probably something like the Vision Coupe)
-2.5L N/A engine as standard 2.5T engine optional, mated to either a 6M or 6A gearbox
-Base price of $34,000USD up to about $45,000 all-in

If you think about it, not many of the mainstream car makers (or any of them?) have attempted a 4 door coupe shape (does the Stinger count? It doesn't really look like a coupe...) that has become so ubiquitous in the luxury game. I think it could actually fit Mazda's increasingly aspirational portfolio pretty nicely. Ok that's enough off topic rampant speculation for now.
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I see everything you’re saying about the MX6 happening other than it being on the Miata platform, I imagine it’d be a “coupe” version of the 6 (like the CC or Arteon to the Passat), but yes, inspired by the Vision Coupe and more upmarket in price and materials, and maybe the next 6 will adopt a more formal sedan profile like the new 3 sedan. Then they can crossoverize it for a new CX7. Since if it doesn’t have a crossover version it has no reason to exist. There’s a pretty big gap between the CX5 and CX9 for a two row Edge and Blazer competitor (like the original CX7 was), but more upscale.
 
bloodyboyblue
I see everything you’re saying about the MX6 happening other than it being on the Miata platform, I imagine it’d be a “coupe” version of the 6 (like the CC or Arteon to the Passat), but yes, inspired by the Vision Coupe and more upmarket in price and materials, and maybe the next 6 will adopt a more formal sedan profile like the new 3 sedan. Then they can crossoverize it for a new CX7.
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I only say that because the RX-8 was based on a stretched NC MX-5 platform and is very nearly what I'm describing, only piston powered. That is to say, there is precedent for what I'm suggesting.

I don't see a Mazda6 based coupe succeeding. The Accord Coupe basically proved the segment is dead, so much so that Honda axed it after 2017. It has to be more 'bespoke', IMO, to succeed.
 
Eunos_Cosmo
I only say that because the RX-8 was based on a stretched NC MX-5 platform and is very nearly what I'm describing, only piston powered. That is to say, there is precedent for what I'm suggesting.
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No sales potential for anything like that nowadays, and the RX8 is not fondly remembered by many people outside of a cult following.

They do have to use that rotary range extender one day. And don’t forget Mazda is slowly being swallowed by Toyota so expect to see a lot more tech being shared there
 
bloodyboyblue
I see everything you’re saying about the MX6 happening other than it being on the Miata platform, I imagine it’d be a “coupe” version of the 6 (like the CC or Arteon to the Passat), but yes, inspired by the Vision Coupe and more upmarket in price and materials, and maybe the next 6 will adopt a more formal sedan profile like the new 3 sedan. Then they can crossoverize it for a new CX7. Since if it doesn’t have a crossover version it has no reason to exist. There’s a pretty big gap between the CX5 and CX9 for a two row Edge and Blazer competitor (like the original CX7 was), but more upscale.
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Remember the CX-4. China only, but anything can happen. Maybe a CX-6 in due time.
 
05XR8
Remember the CX-4. China only, but anything can happen. Maybe a CX-6 in due time.
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I still don’t know why the CX4 wasn’t sold worldwide. It’s not like it’s based on an outdated platform or sold with oddball engines, it’s just a CX5 “Coupe”. It wouldn’t have set the world on fire but a small company like Mazda needs all the help they can get.

The only thing I can think of is maybe they were scared off by the failure of the Crosstour. The CX4 isn’t nearly as goofy looking though.
 
I'm looking forward to seeing the hatch on UK roads. It's quite a D-pillar, but the closest we've seen to the Lancia Delta look in way too long.
 

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