Used 2012 Mazda 3 Consumer Reviews

UNCOMFORTABLE

takes corners and speed bumps terribly. rides extremely stiff

great mileage, cramped and impractical cabin

I drove a Protege5 for 10 years and I loved that car. I fully expected to love my new 2012 Mazda 3 but have been disappointed--no love yet. Yes, it gets awesome gas mileage -- but it is not nearly as spirited or fun to drive as the Protege5. Hugs the road well, but quite sluggish acceleration. If you have the 6 spd manual, plan to do a LOT of shifting very quickly. Disappointing driving experience compared to Protege5. Interior cabin is cramped due to enormous dash and console, and ceiling in rear is much lower than Protege so if you have a dog in the back, it better be a short one.

USED 2012

Great Utilitarian Vehicle with Pep!

Gas Mileage and Power Delivery

One of the reasons I bought my 2012 Mazda3 hatchback with Skyactive was the expected gas mileage. I check it every fill-up and am only averaging about 28mpg with mixed interstate/city driving. I never encounter stop and go driving and the terrain is mostly flat. My best highway-only result was 35 mpg. With other cars I have owned I can usually get better mileage than the estimate. The other issue I have is power delivery. When excellerating from a slow speed or passing the car hesitates for a full second before shifting to a too-low gear. Thank goodness there is a manual shift mode that works well. Don't expect to get 39mpg or Zoom-Zoom with this car. It has neither.

Transmission

When I down shift there's a huge clunk in 3rd and 2nd gear... Not very happy with it at all!!!

Terrible Choice

We researched several cars for their gas mileage ability. We chose the Mazda3 Skyactive and within days of driving it off the lot and only realizing an average of 31mpg we were so disappointed. The extremely small trunk and back seat space only added to our disappointment. This car looks appealing, but is not in anyway functional. We are a family of four with two small children we previously drove a jetta and we along with baby gear fit in the jetta, not even close in the Mazda. Also our gas mileage was better in the jetta. After three weeks we pleaded with the dealership who allowed us a straight trade with a new 2012 VW Passat. We all fit & are happily getting 39mpg+ & its not a tdi

I preferred my 2005 Mazda 3

I traded in my 2005 3 in Jan for a new '12. I absolutely loved my '05 3! So fun & sporty, I was very proud of it. The a/c had gone out on it and after 1 summer in Phoenix with no a/c, I couldn't take it. It does get better gas mileage than the '05 did. I like that you can easily check to see how well your doing with mpg.

the car that shutter. confirmed by mazda

The car is scary to drive. there is a shutter that mazda said should be there. It feels like a little earth quake. I didn't notice it when i bought the car but the first time it happened i got scared. On top of that the car slams into gear and has such a jerky transmission that i can't believe the car is not being investigated by the NTSB. as long as you don't mind a car that shakes and you hit your head because the throttle is all over the place this is the car for you. Me hindsight 2020 i wish i never got it. I can't be more disappointed with it.

buy one

just took delivery yesterday of my graphite grey sedan with fog lights,spoiler,bose,sunroof.when i took it for a test drive,going over 60,the computer showed 41.6..wow !on the 30 mile trip home,got 47.8 at 63mph.the ride is tighter than expected,but much better than the 2008 amanti i traded in for this car.lots of features & wow factor.thanks mazda