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Best of Both Worlds
mandowen, 05/17/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
14 of 14 people found this review helpful
This car will serve different needs, depending on your mood. If you are feeling economical, the fuel efficiency is great. I got over 41 mpg on a recent road trip. If you want to have some driving fun, the car is very responsive and, although I have the automatic, you can flip it into manual mode for more control. The hatchback is very roomy and I recently brought home my son's dorm refrigerator in it. Great car!
excellent car....wife "loves her zoom zoom"!
ajax13, 04/13/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring 4dr Sedan w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
21 of 22 people found this review helpful
First car review I have ever written, at 59 yo too. But this car warrants the review!! We have had this car since the end of Nov., & 3500 miles on it now. Is my wife's car & her choice after driving the Hyundai Elantra, Ford Focus, VW Jetta...this was her choice hands down, & mine too! This is the first car my wife says, "she loves, & loves to drive", that she has ever had! She calls it her "ZZ"=zoomzoom-lol. When reading the original reviews of this car before buying it, I noted that the word "love" was used by most reviewers in the 1st paragragh=now I/we know why-it is plain fun to drive! Excellent car in all ways, as my ideal owned past car was a 1990 Nissan 300ZX, & this car matches it!!
2012 Mazda 3 for sale near you
3 of 37 listings
- s Grand Touring 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $8,999107 mi away
- i Grand Touring Sedan w/SKYACTIV-GMSRP: $8,700120 mi away
- i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-GMSRP: $9,88016 mi away
See all 37 listings
The new Skyactiv engine has some flaws
DanaE, 11/01/2016
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
45 of 49 people found this review helpful
This new Skyactiv engine (as of 2012) has some drawbacks that new buyers should be aware of. It is a peppy little motor that squeezes a lot of miles out of a gallon of gas, but because it is a direct injection system, you are going to get carbon build-up on your intake valves in less than 80-100k miles. That means taking it to the shop and plunking down 800-1000 bucks to get the carbon removed. You'll know when your check engine light comes on. It happened to me. That same month, another check engine light revealed that a had a bad fuel injector, also costing me lots of $$$. And all of this happened before 80,000 miles. I bought this car new as a work commuter vehicle and I put about 50 miles per day on it (all highway). All of the money that I thought I was saving on gas was spent on maintaining the engine, and making the dealer rich. The car handles stiffly, which I like. Not the most comfortable or refined car. Not very reliable, considering I bought it thinking I would have zero problems until after 100k miles.
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My Mazda is a Rocket Ship
jennypenny575, 02/20/2013
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
20 of 21 people found this review helpful
I've been driving a 2000 Ford Focus SE Sedan before this car, so you can imagine that most cars would be a vast improvement. Not so, my Focus was a great car, it had great pickup, decent gas mileage(23 mixed) and a rather comfortable ride. But my Mazda is a rocketship. I had wanted a Mazda3 back in 2008 when I was originally car shopping. I ended up with a 7 year old focus because the Mazda was out of my price range. So the fact that I have it now is even sweeter. After test driving the Versa, the Focus, the Fit, and the Elantra, it was pretty much a runaway with the Mazda. I knew it was the car for me 5 minutes into the test drive. Smooth driving, fun to shift, everything is great.
25,000 MILE UPDATE
hoveringfalcon, 04/26/2013
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Sedan w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
19 of 20 people found this review helpful
I've had my 3 for just over a year, and have put 25,000 miles on it. I still think it's a fantastic car. It's not perfect, and I will soon explain why, but it provides a superb combination of sportiness and fuel efficiency that is unmatched in its class. If you love driving but need something that sips gas, look no further. However if you prioritize comfort and luxury options above all else, you might want to cross shop before you buy.
35 MPG Combined Thus Far
sn04, 02/28/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Sedan w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
I have had the vehicle for about 2,000 miles now, and am extremely pleased with the gas mileage. The 35 MPG average came from my own log of gas price/quantity/mileage driven. That being said, there are a few areas that need improvement. The seats are very uncomfortable (you'll feel it after about an hour on the road). The car does rev itself on start-up, and remains that way for a good 20 to 30 seconds before calming down. I haven't seen anything adverse to this, but I don't like to drive until it's calmed down. The center consol has a whirring sound - almost like an A/C fan is on, but it's low pitched and usually doesn't bother me. I have a creak in the back during low speeds.
Easy to drive. Easy to live with. Worth a look
D del Rosario, 07/18/2015
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Sedan w/Prod. End 09/11 (2.0L 4cyl 5A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
It's been a terrific car with no problems whatsoever. It's funner to drive than your typical civic or Corolla and gets as good if not better fuel economy. I think the design interior and exterior wasn't the most impressive - goofy front end, dash layout while functional not very appealing. But that's easy to live with given the other attributes of the car. Back seat is pretty tight, ride firmer than others but not uncomfortable and quite a bit of road noise. Steering is as good as it gets, impressive for this class. Handles well despite not having the grippiest of tires. Gas mileage is great, acceleration on par with others- patience is a virtue here as I've never driven a car in this class that pushes you into the seat save for a wrx or golf gti among others. I'd certainly consider getting another one of these in the future again and would recommend others to consider.
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My 4th Mazda wagon
gregstl, 11/25/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
Previously owned: -02 Protege 5 -08 Speed3 -10 Speed3 Many things remain the same through the years. Sporty handling, quirky but some how attractive interior, road noise, fun-to-drive, best hatch for the money, etc. What was new and enticing was the Skyactiv drivetrain and a Mazda3 getting over 30mpg.. let alone nearly 40mpg. Haven't quite gotten there yet on average, but it seems possible. If you keep the RPM around 1800-1900 which is close to 60mph.. you'll break 40mpg. After that it seems to dissipate pretty quickly. You'd be lucky getting over 30mpg at 70mph. At the end of the day, you can pick one of these up for under $17K brand new at some dealers. Best car made under $17K.
Smooth engine and transmission
durval20120m3, 08/24/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Sedan w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
9 of 9 people found this review helpful
In shopping for a new car, I evaluated the following Mazda 3 i Touring Chevy Cruse LT Hyundai Elantra GLS Honda Civic EX Ford Focus SE Kia Forte EX I chose the Mazda 3. Pros for the Mazda 3 Fun to drive. Smooth engine and transmission. Nice interior. 5K miles later, I am averaging 37 MPG in mixed driving. Cons for the Mazda 3 More rattles than I am used to in a new car. Not as stable on highway on-ramps as I am used to. This is probably due to the tire choice, they are high pressure and don't seem to offer the best grip. Of course this is probably part of the reason I am getting 37 MPG. The Cruze and the Elantra were also pretty good, but the engine in the Mazda won me over.
Great car with minor drawbacks
Daniel, 10/27/2015
2012 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 5A)
13 of 14 people found this review helpful
2012 Mazda3 S Grand Touring Hatchback (non-skyactiv) bought new in August 2013 since apparently I'm the only one who values tech and aesthetics over fuel economy, and the vehicle sat almost a year and a half with no buyer before I came along. The good: Great handling, a blast to drive, decent acceleration for a 4 cylinder. Love the look of the Crystal White Pearl Mica with black leather interior, side sill extensions and larger wheels than base model. MPG is very close to what it's rated at 24.6 avg mpg so far, roughly 60-40 city to highway miles. Awesome reliability. On my second Mazda since 2007 and roughly 100k combined miles between the two with absolutely no major issues whatsoever. Love the soft blue interior lighting, and the panning HID headlights which give awesome visibility at night. Like the infotainment system overall with the sat radio, etc., but no backup camera?? Blind spot monitoring works great. Interior space is good, and I like the layout of the controls and the overall aesthetic of the interior. Dual climate control is nice for the girlfriend who tends to like it cooler on her side than I prefer, but the auto feature is annoying. The bad: -Road Noise. Let me say it again: Road Noise. This car is DEAFENING at highway speeds. Forget using your stereo to actually hear your music, you have to yell just so your passengers can hear you. People are constantly telling me it's the loudest vehicle they've ever ridden in, which is ridiculous. If you take a roadtrip in this thing, prepare for a long one because it's exhausting to listen to all day. I find myself slowing down just to lessen the noise for a bit of relief. - I believe the navigation system was sent by God to punish me for my sins. Going from Jackson, MS to Panama City Beach, FL, it tried to send me to New Orleans first, adding a 3-hour detour to my trip. Thankfully I was also using my android phone's nav and recognized what it was doing. It never differentiates between "Bear left" and just a leftward bend in the road. Identifies your exit as you are driving past it. I despise this nav system and rarely use it. - The seats are some of the least comfortable leather seats I've ever sat in, and not great for extended use. - Not a fan of push-button starts and smart keys. Just give me a keyless entry and an actual turn key ignition and I'll be happy. My dash cam interferes with it, so if the camera is running and I get out of the car with the engine running, the vehicle re-scans for the smart key and can't find it, so it beeps at me and flashes its no-key light on the guages until the vehicle is restarted. And if the camera is running, the vehicle will not start. Also, there's no way to go from engine on to accessory mode without shutting the whole system down first. Finally, I hate having things in my pockets so I always take the key out and put it in the console, but since my garage is detached, I'm constantly getting up to my apartment door only to find I've closed the garage door and walked away without my keys. Push-button starts are just a hassle for someone like me. - Visibility isn't great with this huge fat C (or D?) pillar. Backing out of parking spaces is extremely treacherous, especially with no backup camera or sensors. - I also hate auto climate control. On a hot day, it's kicks on at full speed to get the temp down to your selected number ASAP. I don't need to be blown away, I just need cool air blowing on me. Never use auto feature.
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