2019 Mazda3

@Jay
How is the 3 sedan holding up? My Mazda 6 lease ends next month so I test drove a Mazda 3 select today; 2.5L, AWD, leather, deep crystal blue like yours and my 6. It seemed nice although I wish it had the blacked out grille surround and taillights like the hatch. The sedan is more practical for me though.

I test drove a Hyundai Elantra GT and Elantra Sport a few days ago. Both had a 1.6L turbo and dual clutch auto but were not nearly as nice inside or out. Much faster and better handling for the same price but the fit and finish on the new Mazda 3 and CX-30 is crazy. I wish an updated 6 was available because I would get one without even shopping around.
 
The car has been great, only issue I've had with it is when you park it in 45 degrees C temp (113 degrees F) the display goes black for a little while. Otherwise brilliant. I love it.
 
Jay
The car has been great, only issue I've had with it is when you park it in 45 degrees C temp (113 degrees F) the display goes black for a little while. Otherwise brilliant. I love it.
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To be fair, if you parked me in 45 degree temp I would also probably black out. :lol:
 
That is such a good looking race car. Would be nice to have a widebody variant for the road but with the inevitable economic downturn, Mazda have even more of a reason to distance themselves from performance cars.
 
I've got one of these as a loaner, while the MX-5 is getting a new roof.

I love it, it's exactly what I expected. Between the lane keep assist and the hyperactive yaw control, the car pretty much absolutely doesn't need you, the driver, to help it around town. The engine is torquey and somehow smooth despite being big and high-compression, it feels like a small turbo without the lag. Suspension is stiff as all hell, but once you stop paying attention to it, it becomes more comfortable than anything I drive at work (Mercedes). Interior noise levels are similarly high but not distracting. Interior is nicely made, with no rattles, and I was thrilled to discover dark grey leather (though pairing it with super light black panels is a tragedy on par with the firebombing of Dresden). Radio is goodish, sounds awesome at high volumes but way too much treble at low volumes. Steering is unbelievably heavy.

The weirdest thing is the size and shape of it. I can't exactly process it: a hatchback with long hood, wide body, shortish hindquarters. If you've ever done time in a Nissan 370Z, it's literally that. Makes sense, they're positioning the hatchback to fulfill the role of a coupe.

I haven't yet gotten the chance to take it out for a fast drive, but whipping it around on a freeway offramp you can observe the rear wheels moving sideways in relation to the body. Does it count as oversteer if they're not sliding but the car is pivoting due to suspension flex?

I kinda love it, and the 2.5 is the perfect engine for it. Of course, what you want is their turbo or supercharged engine.

Btw: the CX-5 is (a) a more nimble car than some Miatas, (b) wildly unstable on the freeway going through puddles, and (c) equipped with a transmission you can wear out in one sitting.
 
Yeah, I'm seeing quite a few more than usual. 50:50 between sedan and hatch.
I'd still get the hatch. However, the sedan looks sweet to. Mazda got the styling right with this gen. That front clip is everything. 👍
 
Me looking at other markets enjoying the Turbocharged Mazda 3 that will most likely not come to Europe because of emissions regulations
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R1600Turbo
This article is super click bait lol. If you want to call it a 'hot hatch' with a turbo engine and a 6-speed auto with no performance frills. It's going to flop.
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Plus, 182kW versus 200+kW? Come now.

I think an Australia tuner will come eup with something. Similar to the FD RX-7 SP. A turbo AWD Mazda3, will push that Mazda3 price past a 6.
 
Honestly i am not surprised and i am very proud that Mazda received the 2020 World Car Design of the Year for the Mazda 3.

It is perhaps the most beautiful car design currently on sale and within the past few years as far as i can remember:

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I have caught myself turn my heads 180 degrees several times in the streets while driving and see either the new New Mazda 3 hatch but ESPECIALLY the sedan ! I LITERALLY love this Mazda 3, and want to have it.

This is Perfection Mazda !

I wish more people recognize it and bought it over the lame looking competition. Other car manufacturer can't be bothered anymore to put their soul into their design like Mazda does. As lame as it may sound, but Yes this design totally reflect the soul of Mazda and their true passion for automobile over spreadsheet or finance... Mazda deserve more recognition for their passion, and i want to see more Mazda in the streets.

So thank you to those of you who bought one.


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Edit:
this Mazda 3 sedan reminds me of and is a huge improvement over what was already an excellent and timeless design by Acura/Honda with the original TSX (Euro Accord) back then:
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Remember when it looked like this:
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But even back then, it wasn't bad looking at all... still held up pretty well despite the association to Ford.

i honestly dont know how they will top this off in 2023:
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We'll, here, a WRX has about 270hp and costs about $47k. If Mazda Australia get the green light, might help sales.
 
Ironic the base car has a 2L, while the Mazda TCR has a 2L turbo. The TCR isn't developed by Mazda directly, but find it interesting. At least it will, hopefully, afford tuners to work across all models, with a package for customers.
 
2.5T Mazda 3 to start above $30,000

I suppose you could make a case that if a Golf GTI can sell for $28k base, then a better* equipped and more powerful Mazda3 2.5T is reasonably priced starting at just over $30k. And if you compare it to the Audi A3 (probably more Mazda's target) it looks like pretty good value. But...man, that's a lot of money for a Mazda3. I still barely see any of the new 3s on the road...I can't imagine they are doing particularly well. If anything, the 2.0 model seems like the right move in terms of sales.

That being said, a street-version of the TCR race car is begging to be made. Do it Mazda! Take out 300lbs of insulation, make that interior nice and boomy, give it a proper rear suspension, TCR-inspired body kit, and either a good DCT or a manual. I'd be alllll over that, especially with the 2.5T tuned towards performance rather than, like...towing

*I'm assuming the premium Mazda3 is better equipped than a base GTI, but I haven't dug into it.
 
I'm surprised no one posted these yet.

The Mazda 3 Turbo reviews are out. It's a very nice car. They had to reconfigure a lot of things to get the CX-9 engine to work with the Mazda 3. The only downsides are that it's a bit expensive.

In this video, they got Dave Coleman, a Mazda engineer, to talk about the car again

 
Earlier this year, my local dealers wanted $30k for a loaded 3 hatch. I'm guessing the turbo will push the sticker up to $35k at least. :eek:
 

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