Federighi

iTrader: (7)

The reviews seem consistent with the product and their test driving appears to confirm most of our assumptions already made. Mazda developed a nice vehicle aimed at the entry level luxury market. We'll see how it plays out, sincerely wish the best of luck to them. Looks like a very nice daily but ultimately nothing special; I do wish someone had the 100th AE to review.

And I certainly don't consider the Rx8 to be vintage. Ha!

Imo, something needs to be older than 30 years from production to be considered vintage. I don't consider the 90's vintage, nor the 80's. Enter the 70's and we're starting to get there. 1960's and older absolutely, so approx 50+ years by my calculations.

Federighi

iTrader: (7)

May I present... the new MAZDA 3!

An early bday gift from me to my wife and also it's her first mazda. We've only had it a few days but so far she really, really likes it. It's fun, sporty, cute (subjectively) and an excellent replacement to her beloved Volvo C30. She's even going to start doing her own track days with me pretty soon. I've already got a few mods coming from Japan (LEG TCR parts, AutoEXE stuff, you know me) but beyond that, it will be in her hands. Always more than happy to offer advice on mods of course, ha.

Thanks for reading club!


Pick up at Steven's Creek!

Just got home!

ps- I promised her I'd stop giving the brand such a hard time, literally.

peloponisios

The Mazda 3 hatchback is one of the most beautifully and emotionally designed cars on the market imo. And this awd turbo trim suits its "personality".
Tip of the hat Paul. A tasteful and against the norm choice. I'm sure you'll put your touch on it. Wish you and your wife many happy miles.

wannawankel

I like the Mazda 3 hatchback - I wish we could get it with the top engine output and in a delicious manual form.

MincVinyl

Figure I put my quick review. I've owned my 21 mazda3 turbo awd sedan for about a year now. I had bought it with the intention of a daily Massachusetts traffic car.

Pros:
+The engine and trans (in sports mode) is pretty much what I wanted for quick response, easy to pass or beat other cars at traffic lights when needed. However the manual mode feels pointless and slower than just leaving it in automatic. For commuting though the sport mode does not shift to 6th so your gas mileage on highway will be ~23mpg compared to nonsport mode ~27mpg. I just toggle between modes as needed. No noticeable difference between regular and premium gas
+android auto is great, actually am building my own Raspi kit for the rx8s to have a similar infotainment. The no-touchscreen dial is actually really nice, and also avoids fingerprints.
+awd does help in the snow compared to the rx8 drifting everywhere.
+the active radar works really well and provides good information
+the Accident avoidance braking and early warning system works very well. I can drive like a masshole without it going off, yet when traffic goes from 90 to 0 it gives a warning and auto braked(I broke 95% of the way to a stop and let off to avoid the car behind me rear ending me, the mazda3 auto applied the brakes to a stop) (another incident where I was behind 2 cars and someone in the opposite lane of travel had crossed the double yellow to pass a tractor, the mazda3 detected this event about 10 car lengths away at 50mph)
+Interior is nice, soft touch everything.
+surprisingly the audio options have quite a lot. This goes for options with the car as well. Blinker sounds, radar beeps, crash avoidance distance, etc
+Ride and suspension were definitely tuned for smooth starting and stopping. (non sport mode)

Cons:
-Suspension wise the car is extremely limited and understeers heavily in corners. Under heavy braking the rear end gets loose. In general on the highway the car is floaty in the rear after 70mph. I tried adding on the oem spoiler package which brought that threshold up by a little. Perhaps if the car was lowered and stiffened, but the rear torsion beam suspension is limiting.
-only driver seat is electric
-The bridgestone tires feel like a limiting factor, I'd probably swap to wider Michelin all seasons like on my Rx8. I think mazda chose a soft sidewall for a 'luxury' ride experience. The tires always look flat to me, I check them every other weekend.
-backseat belts flap with the wind, you can buckle them to reduce this
-android auto only has one plug in the center console
-the center console lid is kinda janky and feels cheap to open, much like how the rx8 center consoles all break easily.
-auto start does not have the remote ability to turn on climate control....defeating the purpose since I have to go out to my car anyways. The auto climate button must be left on every time you leave the car for autostart to warm up the car.
-Climate buttons are not labeled, making it hard to glance over and press the button you want.
-the HUD is really only useful for speedo, but not much point since you have your gauge cluster anyways. I would not recommend due to glare/reflection on windshield.
-the Lane assist works well, but for me felt like a death trap and was instantly turned off.
-the auto drive cruise control actually works, but leaves a huge gap to the car infront of you which again is asking for trouble especially in Mass.
-my car in particular has a high pitched humming noise after ~70mph (I do have extremely sensitive hearing, so far nobody else has been able to hear the noise) (comes from front right, tested everything from sunroof to climate control to windows....didn't touch suspension or wheels since I plan on selling the car.)

Now I only really got this for a daily car, which for the majority of people it would fulfill that role. However I have no need for my daily to drive in the snow, and would rather have a car that is a more stable platform. So I am awaiting the delivery on a 22 Manual Miata RF Club edition. Which will hold me over until an Rx9 gets announced, hopefully. Otherwise I still have 2 rx8s to build and prep for a rew turbo swap.

I did test drive an automatic miata and the transmission felt like garbage compared to the mazda3 and is most certainly felt slower in a straight line.....strange concept to spend more money for a less powerful car.

wannawankel

Great review and completely agree after having a 3 as a rental car for over a week. I really want a 3 with MT in the top engine output (no AWD).

Federighi

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for the kinds words club!

So far I am very impressed with the MAZDA3 all around. Some my personal highlights are that the Bose stereo is seriously amazing, the engine has a very pleasant sound for a turbo 4 imo (throaty is a word I'd use to describe it, makes decent power too) and the cabin is a wonderful place to be. Materials are comfy, ride is exceptionally quiet / compliant and nearly removed from all NVH. I have to admit that I think mazda was 100% successful in hitting their mark with an entry level luxury type vehicle that is also incredibly stylish / fun. This is definitely a special car and quite possibly the nicest mazda I've ever driven / owned (subjectively, for many reasons) and an effort worthy of praise in today's market imo.

McVinyl- I absolutely agree the Bridgestones' are a huge limiting factor in 'performance' but not bad for a daily driver m+s tire and yeah, there are def certain amounts of understeer to negotiate at times. I do find that the behavior of the vehicle is very predicable and stable during 'spirited' driving and just need to remember all you have to do is keep turning the wheel and pretend you're an Evo, ha. I'm already looking into an aftermarket set of wheels for her to use on track days, etc. I'm thinking of going with a nice 17x8.5 that'll wear a 235/40 summer tire but not sure on offset yet (stock wheels are a very undesribable 18x7 with 215/45). Also don't think my wife wants to deal with being a lowered vehicle, so springs/coilovers aren't an option (for right now at least) but there are a few chassis pieces I'm adding from AutoEXE / Odula which I figure should further improve dynamics. From my searches, there's not much aftermarket support for this vehicle stateside. Apparently some jdm tuners have already figured out they can make a DIY rear BBK using CX-5 rotors + caliper bracket, etc like that from the Speed3 (BL series 3) and Mazda5. Knight Sports does offer a front BBK but that's more of a mod for me, ha. My tech (wrentchllc on IG) said he knows a guy who's working on cracking the pcm too, etc. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this car evolves.

ps- I'm with you guys on the manual but this current auto trans is one of best I've ever driven from mazda. My wife's last primary vehicle was a 2016 x1 with the sport trans, etc and this one is on par, which I think says a lot. We'll have to wait and see how it operates after 30k, 60k, etc.

UnknownJinX

Congrats on the new car! I do like how the newer Mazda3 looks. Meanwhile, I will just have to contend with my 05 Mazda3 Sport 2.3 5-speed, heh. Looking to sell it to a friend soon.

Given how much Mazdaspeed3 was associated with torque steer and how easily the tires spin on my friend's Mazda6 2.5T(granted, it has an open diff, but still), I think you should be careful with what you wish for.

A manual trans also requires some work from Mazda. They would have to make something strong enough to deal with the extra torque as well as give it different gear ratios to account for the different torque curves compared to the NA engines. If Mazda also makes their FWD manual trans as lightweight as they can as they do with the Miata trans, then the early ND Miata 2.0 manual trans failure should be a good example of what happens when they rush things.

I am gonna be honest, I don't like the exhaust note the 2.5T on Mazda6(I don't think Mazda3 would sound any different - it's not like C7 and 6th Gen Camaro SS where they have different headers and cat backs). I think SkyActiv stuff sounds rather raspy and nowhere near as good as Honda K24 or even the MZR 2.3 in my old Mazda3. Then again, I hear that most DI I4s don't sound particularly great(the DI ticking doesn't help), so there is that.

Mazda generally has good logic with its auto trans in my experience, though I find it just upshifts a hair too late to my liking in daily driving. Then again, a lot of auto trans are like that, in my memory. It's just that having 6 gears does mean that the highway RPM is going to be a bit high. Also, strangely, 2.5T has a shorter 6th gear(higher RPM) than 2.5 from what I looked up. Go figure.

I do wonder how the small-ish gas tank holds up for Mazda3 2.5T. 48 L or 12.7 gal is a bit small given 2.5T's gas mileage if you are doing a lot of city driving. I find even the 55 L or 14.5 gal tank in my 1st Gen Mazda3 to give me some slight anxiety, and 2.5T SkyActiv is comparable to MZR 2.3 in terms of city gas mileage in my experience.

I am with you on the interior. I have tried a friend's 4th Gen Mazda3 Sedan and the interior is great. Vehicle dynamics are also not too shabby despite the whole rear torsion beam business. It's for sure a lot more competent than the new Kia Forte I tried(which IMO spends some good efforts on places you can see, but not at places you can't see).

kevink0000

Those are beautiful cars, especially in darker colors. Good choice.

My son had a 2018 3 and I thought it was very well made for the pricepoint. He t-boned a Young Dude who decided to do a u-ey across his lane in front of him at about 45-50mph. It was an offset crash that totalled the car, but my son walked away. Really sad, I wanted to see the miles rack up on that one.

hornbm

iTrader: (1)

Bought a 22 Premium Plus sedan in January (turbo, awd, leather) for a commuter and retired my M3 to weekend car duty. Serves the purpose well. Interior is nice for the price point.

I wanted to get the hatchback, but I just couldn't get get over the poor rear visibility due to the thick c pillars. The sedan was far superior in that aspect, and has a touch more rear seat legroom vs the hatchback, which helps with putting kids in the back.

Federighi

iTrader: (7)

Jinx- Awesome you're still driving your BK series 3, keep it on the road if you can! I've always had a soft spot for that generation 3 and you make an excellent point that the exhaust note/decibel level on this generation is very subdued. You're right it doesn't make much an impression and at this time I have no particular opinion of it. Corksport makes a small mid-pipe upgrade and I have considered the AutoEXE 'quad-tip sports muffler' (which requires their rear bumper exhaust flares) but the vehicle is quite literally brand new and ultimately belongs to my wife so I don't want to alter things too quickly. It's paid off so I told her she's free to do with it as she pleases, but we'll see what actually happens over time. And yeah, MS3 torque steer from the factory is wild, I couldn't imagine trying to wrestle a steering wheel with even more. So far gas efficiency seems excellent but we're still on the first tank; I expect to get 30+ combined mpg's (I typically drive like a grandma on the streets) dogs in the back, you know). 12.5 gal tank is def on the small side imo. MS3 would typical average around 400+ miles. Keep you posted.

Kevin- Thanks for the compliment! There were 'slim pickings' at the dealer with custom build / pre-order options not available and only 2 turbo hatches allocated in transit (they didn't even have a turbo hatch for us to test drive when we placed our deposit). We went with the 'black mica' (has a bunch of flake in it and appears to be a dark grayish blue (imo) in certain lighting environments) and is a really really cool color imo. And I'm so sorry to hear about the accident but glad your son walked away unharmed! Safety was a big factor in this purchase and mazda performs well in this category.

Horn- We have dogs and keep the rear seats down 90% of the time which helps and I agree the rear visibility is very much limited when compared to the sedan but worth the extra cargo space for us imo. V8 m3 (coupe?) to turbo I-4 mazda sedan is a big leap imo, ha. Why not replace with another BMW? My wife (and the salespeople at the dealer) felt this was a downgrade to her '16 x1. No auto lift gate, no rear passenger a/c heater vent, nighttime exterior lighting (door handles emit light), etc. I believe she's beginning to understand part of Japanese automotive industry philosophy and I always say that nothing in life comes without compromise imo. 'simplicity is the greatest form of sophistication'

hornbm

iTrader: (1)

I still have the M3, no plans to get rid of it unless Mazda finally makes a proper RX-7 successor.

The Mazda 3 was purchased simply to be a commuter and for kid transport. Basically a disposable appliance. Cheap on gas, reliable, parts are cheap. Not going to cry when someone rear ends me in traffic. The M340I was tempting, but more than I wanted to spend for a commuter.

That all being said, its kind of amazing how much was very much obviously copied from BMW on the current gen Mazda 3. The way the gas tank door opens, the infotainment is nearly a clone of the 2009 - 2017 iDrive systems. Lots of little things. Its very clear where Mazda wants to go market wise.

UnknownJinX

I saw people complain about the visibility of the hatch, but honestly, it couldn't possibly be worse than Camaro's, A
and I drive my Camaro fine. There is also the blindspot monitoring, which helps.

When you adjust your mirrors properly using the SAE method, you don't actually need to shoulder check anymore other than maybe when you are making a right turn. It takes a little time to get used to, but once you learn it, you will realize how useless it is to see your own car in the side mirrors.


I will give it to my friend since I have put some work into fixing it up, maybe a bit more than I planned to, but yeah, it is a decent car for DD other than the less than optimal gas mileage, but such is the price for a bit more power than a Civic from the same time period. One of my friends was also surprised that it's a car from 2005. Just didn't look that old styling-wise.

I don't know if a new exhaust will fix the exhaust sound. The 2.5T actually sounds a bit diesel-like on cold starts. Again, I think this is just a curse with most DI I4 engines.

My buddy's Mazda6 2.5T did 25.6 MPG when I tried to drive it easily in the city, which isn't too bad. Then again, if I am going to drive it easily all the time, maybe 2.5 would be enough. Driving it more spiritedly and I got 21~22 MPG which is fine. That's not much more than my 1st Gen Mazda3 2.3 hatch. How the technology marches on...

Federighi

iTrader: (7)

Horn- Cool you still have the M3, they've become very desirable vehicles recently. To me, the new MAZDA3 interior cues personally remind me of Mercedes quality; we used to own a 2013 C250 sport which I'm very much reminded of. Comparing the '13 C250 to the '16 X1, the materials are lower in quality, lacking / inferior tech features (although 3 years newer) and in general was less impressive of a place to be. The navi / infotainment on the new mazda is leaps and bounds over the BMW imo; I don't care for those sorts of things and I'm actually really impressed.

Jinx- You are spot on the diesel like sound on start-up! I think you're also correct in the curse of DI I4. Car should see mostly freeway miles with occasional spirited drives on weekends, etc so I'm optimistic we'll reach some high mpg's (I can easily get 25+ combined mpg's out of my fbo, tuned MS3). A little e-motor paired with the 2.5T would be awesome for some extra oomph imo too.

Federighi

iTrader: (7)

Hey Club!

Finally got my chance to do some spirited track driving with SpeedSF at Sonoma. Full disclaimer it is my wife's car.

Surprisingly fun out on track; very predictable handling dynamics, adequate power and overall a great day. Wheels are oem BBS (+5mm spacers) wrapped in Federal 595RS pro with AutoExe pads, DOT4 fluid, etc. Couple additional little things here and there but basically stock car / dog mobile.

Overall great looking car and fast enough to be considered a 'sporty' product imo.

Thanks for looking!







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TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

I’m sure it’s fun, but that is one ugly looking mutt of a car …

kevink0000

What a nice thing to say.

I actually think its the best looking car in that category on the road. Especially in a dark color.

jcagle

im gonna have to agree with you on this one, i love the look on the newer mazda 3. i wish they would make another speed 3.

Federighi

iTrader: (7)

Ha! Ouch Team, tell me how you really feel

I think it's a good looking modern car, they pretty much all look the same now-a-days anyways imo. Design is definitely on the unique side.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

sorry, it’s just a car and I’ll never refer to one with a person’s name either.

and not going to name name’s, but some people should know better than to have any pride, vanity, or arrogance about such worldly things. I own five vehicles now and the “newest” one is a 2011 model with scrapes, scratches, hail dings, and such. I don’t put on any airs over that sort of thing.

I do regret if it seems insensitive, but there’s no malice or bad intention. Which it could just be the angle the photos were taken. Some people feel the same way about the RX8 for that reason, including me.

but be honest, you didn’t really post about it for the looks, but the experience. If it helps, I feel the same way about taking a woman for a wife. So in that regard; great choice!
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