Sage
Staff Emeritus
- 12,533
- United States
- GTP_Sage
Well, I’ve had my car for over 10 months now (can’t believe it’s been that long!), and I’ve done plenty of driving in it, so I figure some people might want to hear a semi-long-term review, especially because this is the kind of car a lot of younger auto enthusiasts might consider buying.
(Pictures taken when I first got it.)
As a pure transportation device, it works nicely. It’s quite large for a compact sedan, and it’ll hold an unbelievable amount of stuff – you can fit a bicycle in the pass-through, and still fit a large suitcase and over five grocery bags in the car (don’t ask how I know). The back seats are a bit tight for taller people, but the seats themselves are wonderfully comfortable and supportive. I don’t know what the ride quality feels like for the passengers, though from what I’ve read it’s probably a bit crunchy – I’ve never received complaints though. Gas mileage is okay, but not great (I can stretch to 30 mpg if I really try, but I usually get closer to 23 mpg). If you’re just looking for comfortable transportation, you should probably look somewhere else; it does well enough, but that’s clearly not Mazda’s main goal with this car. And if you’re bothered by loud tires, then definitely don’t get this.
If you’re an auto enthusiast though – wow! The seats are supportive – sport firm. The clutch is light and relatively forgiving of any mistakes you might make (its uptake is a bit high though, so standing starts tend to be a tad jumpier than you intend). The gear shifter moves fluidly – shifting is very enjoyable in this car, and you can easily do it with your fingertips.
The most remarkable aspect of this car is its roll, or lack thereof. Chuck it into a corner at a stupid speed, and it’ll stay remarkably flat the entire time. Grip is excellent – there’s some understeer at its limits, as you’d expect, but it’s very gradual, and you can easily tuck it in by lifting off just a tad. The back end can be coaxed out, but let’s just say that I won’t condone that kind of driving. Heel-and-toeing is doable (and in fact, I do it all the time, even in regular driving), but it’s a bit meh just because the engine doesn’t perk up as quickly as, say, a Subaru boxer engine.
That engine is marvelous though – 160 hp (less if you live in communists states like me), and more torque than a naturally-aspirated 4-banger should be allowed to make. Its midrange performance is outstanding, and it’ll go like snot if you let it rip to the redline.
The steering is close to perfect, although you’re always aware that it’s electrically-boosted (whirrr-whirrr sounds in parking lots); it doesn’t feel artificial though. It goes exactly where you want it to go when you’re cooking (which is a bit of a problem on the freeway, as you have to constantly correct it, but that’s not where you want to be in this car anyway). The leather steering wheel has sporty dimples in it, and it’s nice and small and fat.
The interior is nice, and impressive for an econobox. Be careful though, because it gets scuffed easily (all-black). Some people don’t like the red instruments, but I think they’re perfect (white and green hurt my eyes at night). Everything feels quality, especially the seats. My only complaint is that mine doesn’t have an auxiliary input, but that’s been rectified for 2007 models.
My particular car has had three “issues” with it. The glovebox rattles, which is a well-known problem – I believe it’s been fixed for 2007 (don’t quote me on that). I haven’t bothered getting it fixed because it doesn’t bother me too much (only on really rough roads). My brakes squealed in the morning, which is another well-known problem – Mazda fixed that at no charge, and now my brakes are perfectly fine. Also, the hose that goes to the windshield wiper washer reservoir got disconnected somehow, so Mazda fixed that for free – I believe that’s an anomaly, because I’ve never heard of anybody else having that problem, and the service people were rather surprised.
So I’d say that quality-wise it’s been good, since none of those were serious issues, and best of all, no trim pieces have fallen off (which is a huge peeve of mine).
I’m sure there’s something I’ve forgotten to talk about – just ask if you have any questions.
[size=+1]Mazda 3 s[/size]
Trim: Base s with side/curtain airbags
Cost: ~$17,000
Pros:
• Fast
• Handling is fabulous for a FWD vehicle
• Interior looks like it belongs in a car that costs $10k more
• Wonderful clutch
• Still practical (even more so if you get the hatch)
• A feeling of substantialness
Cons:
• Not as frugal (gas-wise) as other econoboxes
• Won’t carry as much as some competitors
• Loud tires on the freeway
(Pictures taken when I first got it.)
As a pure transportation device, it works nicely. It’s quite large for a compact sedan, and it’ll hold an unbelievable amount of stuff – you can fit a bicycle in the pass-through, and still fit a large suitcase and over five grocery bags in the car (don’t ask how I know). The back seats are a bit tight for taller people, but the seats themselves are wonderfully comfortable and supportive. I don’t know what the ride quality feels like for the passengers, though from what I’ve read it’s probably a bit crunchy – I’ve never received complaints though. Gas mileage is okay, but not great (I can stretch to 30 mpg if I really try, but I usually get closer to 23 mpg). If you’re just looking for comfortable transportation, you should probably look somewhere else; it does well enough, but that’s clearly not Mazda’s main goal with this car. And if you’re bothered by loud tires, then definitely don’t get this.
If you’re an auto enthusiast though – wow! The seats are supportive – sport firm. The clutch is light and relatively forgiving of any mistakes you might make (its uptake is a bit high though, so standing starts tend to be a tad jumpier than you intend). The gear shifter moves fluidly – shifting is very enjoyable in this car, and you can easily do it with your fingertips.
The most remarkable aspect of this car is its roll, or lack thereof. Chuck it into a corner at a stupid speed, and it’ll stay remarkably flat the entire time. Grip is excellent – there’s some understeer at its limits, as you’d expect, but it’s very gradual, and you can easily tuck it in by lifting off just a tad. The back end can be coaxed out, but let’s just say that I won’t condone that kind of driving. Heel-and-toeing is doable (and in fact, I do it all the time, even in regular driving), but it’s a bit meh just because the engine doesn’t perk up as quickly as, say, a Subaru boxer engine.
That engine is marvelous though – 160 hp (less if you live in communists states like me), and more torque than a naturally-aspirated 4-banger should be allowed to make. Its midrange performance is outstanding, and it’ll go like snot if you let it rip to the redline.
The steering is close to perfect, although you’re always aware that it’s electrically-boosted (whirrr-whirrr sounds in parking lots); it doesn’t feel artificial though. It goes exactly where you want it to go when you’re cooking (which is a bit of a problem on the freeway, as you have to constantly correct it, but that’s not where you want to be in this car anyway). The leather steering wheel has sporty dimples in it, and it’s nice and small and fat.
The interior is nice, and impressive for an econobox. Be careful though, because it gets scuffed easily (all-black). Some people don’t like the red instruments, but I think they’re perfect (white and green hurt my eyes at night). Everything feels quality, especially the seats. My only complaint is that mine doesn’t have an auxiliary input, but that’s been rectified for 2007 models.
My particular car has had three “issues” with it. The glovebox rattles, which is a well-known problem – I believe it’s been fixed for 2007 (don’t quote me on that). I haven’t bothered getting it fixed because it doesn’t bother me too much (only on really rough roads). My brakes squealed in the morning, which is another well-known problem – Mazda fixed that at no charge, and now my brakes are perfectly fine. Also, the hose that goes to the windshield wiper washer reservoir got disconnected somehow, so Mazda fixed that for free – I believe that’s an anomaly, because I’ve never heard of anybody else having that problem, and the service people were rather surprised.
So I’d say that quality-wise it’s been good, since none of those were serious issues, and best of all, no trim pieces have fallen off (which is a huge peeve of mine).
I’m sure there’s something I’ve forgotten to talk about – just ask if you have any questions.
[size=+1]Mazda 3 s[/size]
Trim: Base s with side/curtain airbags
Cost: ~$17,000
Pros:
• Fast
• Handling is fabulous for a FWD vehicle
• Interior looks like it belongs in a car that costs $10k more
• Wonderful clutch
• Still practical (even more so if you get the hatch)
• A feeling of substantialness
Cons:
• Not as frugal (gas-wise) as other econoboxes
• Won’t carry as much as some competitors
• Loud tires on the freeway
), and it went into all the gears perfectly smooth. Comparing this to the Chrysler Voyager's, which was like operating a crane, and the Civic's now, which is a little rough, especially going into 5th and 6th, it was awesome.
