Went to get my plates at Hiley Mazda in Arlington, TX today. Saw the Mazda3's that are replacing the Protege. They are a really nice car! You can get the Mazda3S fully loadad with all the packages MSRP like 24,000!!! Mazda is offering $500 cash back for Mazda loyalty customers and good financing. www.mazdausa.com then click on Mazda3 logos.

If someone could find a better site with the S model with the 17"wheels and other pacckages let me know...Sin

It's in French but a lot of photos

http://frankosoft.dynip.com:85/m3q/photos.asp

Some others

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4126411&a=30961090&f=0

http://mazda3forums.com/viewforum.php?f=15

i saw the photos.. is the USA version going to have the auto climate ?

Thanx IkeWrx

I think they made them look to much like the 8. I really wish they would have made the interior not so close to ours.

If this is indeed replacing the Protoge has anyone heard if they are planning a Mazdaspeed version of the 3?

Hell for an extra grand you could have paid what I did for my RX-8!

wow i likes

yeah it's very nice. pretty strong engine and you can get it w/ HID and nav! and you know it's gonna handle, too! i love it!

You go to Hiley Mazda of Arlington? I am planning to buy the 8 there sometime next year. They seem pretty friendly but there is not many cars on the lot(and the car with the options I want too).

Bankotsu...they can do dealer trades easily to find the right package combination(thats what happened with me)...my 8 came from Hurst. If you go, Tim Faith was my Salesman...he didnt act like one so much so we got along well.

Good Mazda3 link:

BrunoLuong (http://groups.msn.com/BrunoLuong/)

If this is indeed replacing the Protoge has anyone heard if they are planning a Mazdaspeed version of the 3? Yes. :)

Car and Driver just did a piece on it which is in the January '04 issue. The loved it and were surprised by both its quickness and solidity. It's bigger than the Protoge by a bit and they felt it lost a lot of playfulness of the Protoge, but gained in every other category. They also could only liken it to the Alfa Romeo 147 and the Peugeot 307 which is pretty good company to be keeping. I can't wait to see one !!!

Check out www.focaljet.com, go to forums, then triospeed.
Ron is working on www.triospeed.com too.

The focus boys are interested in this car, the 3 shares the same chassis as the new european focus (c-1 or c-170, i forget).
also with the duratec motor, it's going to be pretty capable.

I saw the new 3's here in Atlanta last night. Looks like Mazda has another winner. They were almost fully loaded at just under twenty grand. That seems like alot for a little Protege replacement but it's way too early to tell. 90% Japan make. So the same motor in the 6 and similiar to the trucks 2.3 is made in Mexico, U.S. and Japan. The entire definately has an 8 look.. the front combines the 6 and new MPV. What a great time to be a Mazda fan... Now if they would only give us a non Ford truck that the rest of the world gets.

I thought the Ford Duratec engine is only the 6 cylinder in the Mazda 6s. I thought the other Mazda 6 models and the Mazda 3 have pretty much the same 4 cylinder AND that the engine is completely Mazda's own and not a Ford.

Duratec refers to the 3.0l V6 in the MPV. The one in the 6 is a modified version of the Duratec with the S-VT (Mazda's version of Variable Valve Timing).

I am not sure about whether the 2.3l is based on a Ford unit or not, but I do like the new 3 a lot. My P5 looks sporty already and the new 3 wagon (5-door in Mazda's word) is more than 1 step ahead than its competitors (Civic, Corolla......)

The available equipment makes the car looks like a small luxury car.

The Mazda 3 definitely looks great.

I have made comments lately to people about the 3, they say its just a focus..idiots

In actuality the Mazda3 platform was designed in co-operation between Volvo and Mazda. Ford uses the chassis, but from what I've read, they didn't have too much, if any, input into its design.

As for the motors, all the 4cyl motors are Mazda design and built, the rumor is that Ford will start using the Mazda motors for their 4 cylinder needs. I read that the Zetec motors don't meet Cali emissions and that all Focus models headed for Cali are equipped with Mazda sourced motors.

Originally posted by Sin
I have made comments lately to people about the 3, they say its just a focus..idiots

They do share a lot of parts, don't they?

Sat in a Mazda3 Sedan when i brought my 8 in to check the oil sludge and hesitation(everything checked out fine) The 3 is a nice car for the money....the wagon did not look as good as the last protege5(I had one) but I thought the sedan was cool....for like $19,000 you get one loaded except for leather....sport pkg, 6 cd, moonroof etc. What a great car for a great price.....in no way does it compare to the 8 but had a few little touches(bezel vents erc) like the 8. The yellow paint was metallic which was nice. Did not drive it but if it was like my previous Protege5 then it's a blast and I'd highly recommend it!!

They do share some parts, but the 3 is no fuckus

i think that this car takes away from the uniqueness of the rx-8.

I saw one of these babies the other day at a restaurant. Absolutely gorgeous, love the exterior and interior.

I saw that the 5 door got .87 on the skidpad and ran to 60 in 7.4 seconds. Not bad numbers. It's easy to guess the sedan would be even better since it's lighter.

I drove a 3s sedan (2.3 liter engine from the 6i) with manual, but no sport package (16 inch tires instead of 17) the other day at Hiley Mazda. We took it out to their "mini-racetrack" which Sin should be able to tell you is a GREAT test-drive route. The little thing was a blast. Perfectly balanced, little body roll, responds like it's reading your mind (much like the 8) and most importantly, quick on the straights.

Definitely another winner from Mazda.

Anyone complaining about the "8-like" interior.... dude look at the Atenza (Mazda 6)... the same theme there. That's where is began. It was carried over to the Demio (JDM car) first and then to 8 and the Axela (Mazda 3). When the MPV undergoes a full makeover it will get it as well.

The FD was "UNIQUE" and because of that costed mazda a furtune. Not to mention I went to buy the center air vent piece for my 94 and its 148.00, what a joke.

I would expect the parts will cost mazda less money to manufacture and should carry over to the consumer for replacement parts.

Originally posted by meeh
... is the USA version going to have the auto climate ? According to this (http://groups.msn.com/BrunoLuong/mazda3.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=54), the answer is no. I don't know how authoritative this web page is. Judging from how many styling cues the 3 takes from the 8, I'd say the North American version won't offer climate control.

From the pix on the above link, I notice two interesting differences between the 8 and the 3. First, the display which is red LEDs in the 8 looks like LCD in the 3. Second, the nav controls instead of being just aft of the shifter are to the right, on the passenger side, perhaps intentionally making it hard to reach for the driver.

Originally posted by zerobanger
I would expect the parts will cost mazda less money to manufacture and should carry over to the consumer for replacement parts. Considering commonity of interior design among several models, this is true. But it doesn't mean Mazda will charge us less; they may (and will probably) just increase their profit margin on these parts.

I just bought a 3S sedan to go with my 8! Great car, sport pacakge, moonroof and 6CD changer for $16,659!

Zoom, zoom.

So what kinda mpg do you get on the 3? I could probably save enough on gas compared to the '8 to make half my monthly payment on a 3.

Edit: And I meant that as a supplement to the '8, not as a replacement.

See...what a great value and you get the zoom, zoom too. Do you like the seats? I thought they seemed a little stiff when i sat in one?

Actually, I don't pick the car up until Friday:( I'll let you know about the gas mileage, but it's rated 25/32. As far as the seats, I didn't have any problem with them; a little firm, but good for long rides.

I take it the 3's reputation for reliability will be near bullet-proof with the protege's history?

It's sad to say but I may be looking at the 3s and not an RX-8 - I might have to sell the maxima a bit earlier (and for a bit less) than originally planned, and even a base 8 with low options at 27k-ish would probably be a bear on someone just coming out of college.

But the 3s doesn't look like a bad alternative especially with value in mind. I'd be a little wary of mazda service, but everyone I know with proteges in the past has seen great reliability.

Originally posted by co3
i think that this car takes away from the uniqueness of the rx-8. I totally agree. Im reallly am disappointed that they did that. They even offer it in the winning blue. Its a nice car for the price, but really wish they wouldnt have offered it without my BLUE. Madza lost MAJOR points with me. First the HP issue now this. BASTARDS!!!

I haven't checked this thread in a while...like the comments and we still haven't made a decision about the Escape yet.