Sweet Ride, Designed in 2004
The Mazda3 5-speed hatch is a great car to drive -- good handling and driving dynamics. Designed to compete with the VW Golf / Rabbit, it offers similar performance and fuel economy out of its 2.3L 156 hp engine. The only thing keeping this car from blowing out the competition is fuel economy. The next generation 3 should address these issues.
Fun and economical
A car you should have if you are looking for practicality, fun and power. Mileage is great and balance on curves make it strongest in its segment/category. Great resale value and lot of things are already included in the base 's' model.This is not possible in civic as the required options make it $3k more expensive than Mazda3. There are no Cons, other than car could have used little stronger AC.
- i Touring SedanMSRP: $4,995273 mi away
- s Grand Touring SedanMSRP: $4,995316 mi away
- i Touring Value SedanMSRP: $4,300366 mi away
I LOVE THIS CAR
I spent a long time looking at cars and this is the best bet for the money. I live in New England and have no problems in snow, mud, or rain. The traction control works wonders. The features of the grand touring have everything I need. It handles like a charm and I find I get about 26 mpg with both highway and city driving. The manual is a blast, the stereo is phenomenal. There is a bit of cabin noise when your on the highway but I usually have the radio up. Overall, I have had no problems with this car and plan to keep it for a long time.
First Mazda
I had to buy a new car. We've purchased Hondas since 1980. A lot of bang for the buck compared w/ a Civic. Solid build quality. Great drive experience. More standard features than Civic. Bigger engine.
Great Car for the right driver
Overall, excellent choice and I'm very happy. I decided between this and the 2008 Toyota Corolla...my last car was a 1996 Toyota Corolla, which did the job, and got great mileage; was ready to move on though, and the Mazda3 had always caught my eye. Fun to drive, handles great, easy on the eyes; My 3 is blue with a beige interior. If you want a car to get you from point A to B that will never fail, with great mileage, get a corolla. The Mazda3 mileage isn't great (26 comb). I was getting 32 combined in my corolla. But...if you want a more all around package, go with the 3; no problems with it at all, and have gotten a lot of compliments on it; definitely feels a lot more expensive it is.