Mazda Dream
Its about time someone built a competitively priced vehicle that has great looks, handling, and of course power too.
GREAT CAR!
I don't usually follow up to write reviews, but this car is awesome! I only had about $18,000 to spend on a new car and wanted to get the most bang for my buck. I had driven a 99 Protege for 10 years and loved the reliability of the Mazda brand. After looking at the Corolla, Elantra, Civic and Altima - the Mazda 3 stood out as the best pick. IMO, the Mazda 3 exceeded all of the other cars in terms of looks, quality and performance for the money. I park next to a BMV and Acura every day at work and feel that my new Mazda 3 looks just as great as those cars do. Now I look forward to my morning commute because I get to drive such a nice car. Honestly, I couldn't be happier with my pick!
- i Touring SedanMSRP: $7,99593 mi away
- s Sport SedanMSRP: $7,495172 mi away
- s Sport 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $7,200172 mi away
Buyer's Remorse Does a 180
I had considered replacing the timing belt on my 2003 Honda Civic and keeping it for another 100,000 miles but I decided, somewhat impulsively, to get a new car. I test drove the new Civic but didn't like the drive-by-wire delay when punching the throttle. Handling and acceleration are much enjoyed. Fuel economy is not that big of an issue - as long as it's in the same ballpark as its competitors. This is the first automatic I've owned in a long while. I'm used to it and I like it.
I love this car...
I love this car. It handles great and it greets you with a zoom-zoom and hello and then a goodbye when you leave. The joker grin grille is a bit much, but it suits the personality of the car. I'm tempted to get a Joker license plate. The hatch allows me to carry my mountain bike or whatever from Home Depot. There's one thing I would change and that is the seat width in my upper back area. It's too narrow for me. My son just bought a new Subaru WRX and the seatback width is perfect. So Mazda make the seats as wide in the back so that the side bolsters surround the driver, not dig into my back. Funny I didn't notice it when I test drove it. Other than that I love the car. It's practical fun!
Great performance and surprising comfort
I work out of my car so I wanted something that was comfortable and had good cargo room, but was also fun to drive. Looked at the Matrix and Impreza, but they felt cheap compared to the Mazda. Plenty of room in the hatchback with the seats down for all my cargo. The interior is really comfortable, I can spend all day in and out of the car and still feel great. My drive is 70% city 30% highway and with a light foot, I'm averaging about 27 mpg. It takes discipline though as the car is so much fun to drive fast. It's smooth on the highway, a blast in the curves, and nimble in parking lots. On a rough road there is some road noise, but no more then my 2007 Accord had. I love this car!