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Used 2012 Mazda 3 Consumer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
117 reviews

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4.63 out of 5 stars

So Far an excellent car

minichrt1, 07/16/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
46 of 46 people found this review helpful

To keep this short and sweet my wife gets almost 500 miles per 11 gallons of fuel. It is a 14 gallon tank so when the fuel light goes on there should be 3 gallons left but it is hard to ignore the fuel light and the range being under 40 miles. Best example of mileage that we have repeated more than once... 60 mph in 6th gear on a straight and level stretch or road with the cruise control and AC on with 4 people in the car 44.7 mpg turn off the ac and it goes up to 47mpg. This is not drafting and the instant mpg readout will hold steady as long as the road is level.

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4.63 out of 5 stars

60,000 MILE UPDATE

hoveringfalcon, 02/11/2015
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Sedan w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
70 of 72 people found this review helpful

I’ve returned to update my review with three years of ownership and 60,000 miles under my belt. I take back what I said last time about the lack of driver seat comfort; a couple months after writing that I found a seating position that works for me. I lowered the seat all the way and that has eliminated all of my leg room problems. Piloting the Mazda is now a pretty comfortable experience if driving for less than a few hours. Steering and handling is still great. I replaced the stock tires with some Bridgestone Potenza summer rubber and this thing sticks to the pavement like glue.

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5 out of 5 stars

Best ever! Continues to amaze me!

Jerry, 05/15/2020
updated 11/28/2022
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
25 of 25 people found this review helpful

With over 137,000 miles, this wonderful car continues to feel just like the day I drove it off the lot. Alternator was replaced at 80,000 miles, tune up at about the same miles, front brakes at 115,000 miles and oil changes, windshield wipers and cabin filter. That’s the extent of repairs and maintenance. Really, this is among the best cars I have ever owned in my 50 years of vehicle ownership. Update: 144,000 miles and still great. Our daily driver, even on long distance trips. Update: 150,000 miles, one rear shock absorber aluminum mount failed a few thousand miles ago, total cost to replace both shock absorbers and mounts $300. Can anyone complain about that?! I will be having spark plugs changed this week for $155. Mechanic recommends waiting on coils. No change in opinion about this vehicle, just great! Update 156,000: everything I said above! Update 162,500: I hit a missing part of the road a few weeks ago. Felt the car "Shutter". I was concerned so took the car to our mechanic who did a thorough check of all suspension. Clean bill of health. Just an amazing vehicle. Have I said that before? Final update, 169,750: This is a sad day for me. We sold our other vehicle, became a one car family. Plan was to depend on our dependable Mazda3 for all transportation. Our kids said,"Really? Go get a new car." So...we did purchase a new vehicle and sold our beloved 2012 Mazda3. The young man who purchased our Mazda confided in me that he wanted a Mazda3 Hatchback! He purchased a gem and I am so happy my little buddy went to a good home. So, let's review the last 169,750 miles of this vehicles life. This is the best vehicle I have ever owned, 55 years of driving. It has been a true pleasure to drive, absolutely dependable, drives like the day I bought it, not a speck of oil burned, all...that's all features and systems are operational, and when we sold it, we received top dollar. I will point out that this vehicle was well maintained by an excellent local mechanic however as noted above, minimal repairs were required and maintenance was easy. If you are looking for a used vehicle, this is the best available. It's been 8 weeks since we sold my little buddy and I do miss him!

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4.88 out of 5 stars

Amazing, Fun Car with great gas mileage!

rbtower2, 11/12/2011
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Sedan w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
57 of 59 people found this review helpful

I just bought this car a couple days ago but already am in love with it!! The new SkyActiv technology is incredible. I have driven 250 miles 80% highway 20% city and am averaging 39 MPG! I love the Mazda3 styling inside and out. I got the Dolphin Gray Mica and the color is beautiful. Inside everything is really great too. I am learning all about the bluetooth system and Its amazing being able to play my Iphone music over the stereo as well and send and recieve calls =) I cant wait to be over the break in period so I can try out the engine to its full potential. The handling is outstanding as well.

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4.38 out of 5 stars

The Perfect Utility Commuter Car

tr_pe, 08/07/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
56 of 58 people found this review helpful

Having a 70 mile (round trip) commute to drive every day will make you think long and hard about what you want in a car. I waited about 4 months to write this review so I would have a large sample size to go on. About 80-85% of my driving are freeway miles, in San Francisco Bay Area traffic. Having now put about 9,000 miles on the car, I can tell you unequivocally that I made the right choice in a new vehicle. I am AVERAGING 39 mpg. I could probably get better than 40 if I slowed down a little. I've had the mileage get as high as 44.5 mpg over a 35 mile stretch with the cruise control locked in at 65 mph. YSeats are comfy for extended drives. Manual tranny and clutch are very precise.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

Great Value

dakotabmr, 11/20/2013
2012 Mazda 3 i Sport 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 5A)
24 of 24 people found this review helpful

I bought this used 2012 Mazda 3 isport , Automatic 4dr, 2.0 28K miles for my daughter her senior yr in high school to last through college. We compared the used Corolla, Sentra, Elantra, Civic for a max price of $12000 and found the Mazda3 the best value. It has a "Good" rating from the IIHS-which is the highest, 4 wheel disc brakes, ABS, stability control, multiple airbags. Good reliability, Great handling, comfortable, easy to use controls and layout. 60/40 split folding rear seat. We get 35mpg/highway, 14.5 gallon fuel tank makes for 450 miles on a tank!. I do most of the regular service, so the oil, air filter, cabin filter, wipers were fairly easy to change out.

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3.25 out of 5 stars

Mazda3 skyactiv

rxb3, 01/18/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Sedan w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
32 of 33 people found this review helpful

Traded my 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT with 200k on it. Great car and it got me 30mpg! The only reason I got the Mazda3 sedan was for the 39mpg (manual trans). So far, with 3k miles, I have been avg 38.2. That's better than my last car but... Pros: when in the right gear, it has some get up and go (for a 4cycl) Bluetooth is great. Works very well with iphone, hands free calls that are voice controlled are great, and streaming music. Handles well, seems sporty Of course the MPG is the real sell. Cons: the seats are horrible! I commute 1hr20min each way every day. 78miles each way every day adds up. This is a huge deal for me. The savings in gas is great but the seats suck!

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4.25 out of 5 stars

2000 mile review

zoomzoom2012, 12/24/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
37 of 39 people found this review helpful

Looked at the following Hatchbacks. All Subaru models Nissan Rouge GTI Focus Mazda 3 After looking at everything I was willing to buy, I purchased a 2012 I-touring with Skyactiv Engine and Auto Trans. This power plant it awesome. It is the smoothest I have ever driven. Power really comes on at 2800 to 3000 rpm giving me ability to choose gas mileage or Zoom zoom. The interior is 'Spartan' but still an upgrade from my 2002 Wrangler. I really like the BT hands free phone function. According to the computer I am getting 32.1 MPG since buying the car, (50/50 hwy and city). I checked at the pump and my numbers came back 31.8, that to me is pretty good.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

2012 Mazda 3 with 1200 miles on it now.

sirturkey, 03/16/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Sedan w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
25 of 26 people found this review helpful

I got my Mazda 3 when it had 15 miles on it, and now it has around 1200. I love this car. I upgraded from a 2004 Passat. The SKYACTIV-G engine truly performs. I've been getting a combined 34.8 mpg with mostly city driving but with a few long distance bouts. On my distance trips, I've been getting 40-44 mpg at around 70 mph. I generally drive like a grandpa but it's difficult NOT to accelerate quickly in this car! The seats are not nearly as bad as what other people say. I'm 6'0 and they fit me rather well. As for the complaints about the interior controls, I find them rather intuitive. In regards to weird noises from the engine, I haven't heard anything.

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5 out of 5 stars

My manual has great “zoom zoom zoom”

R Dub, 09/03/2018
updated 09/07/2021
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
14 of 14 people found this review helpful

2018- First off, mine’s a manual. I have excellent get-up-and-go (yes, with AC on) unlike some other reviews I saw on here, & I’m guessing it’s because I’m selecting the gear for acceleration. I’ve had this car for 5 years now. I get 32 mpg- some city, but mainly half mountain pass commuting and half So Cal stop-and-go traffic fwy commuting, with my average weekly commute currently at about 300 miles. To me, with rough mileage like that, 32mpg is excellent. I love scooting on up the mountain in this car, it’s always a pleasure to drive. It’s got great zip & has excellent handling. My husband says the road noise is higher than average but it has never bothered me since I put non-factory tires on it- it’s amazing what a good tire can do. Other cars I’ve driven on these same roads are a manual 2002 Nissan Altima, a manual 2001 hyundai tiburon, and an automatic 2013 Jeep Wrangler Sport Unlimited. They’ve all had good pep (thankfully the Jeep was post 2012 with the beefier engine!). The Altima performed very well, but my Mazda3 has performed the best on the mountian with the steep incline and some tight turns. No mechanical problems thus far. The dash glue can’t handle So Cal summers apparently, and a couple of years ago, the dash material separated by about an inch from the top middle instrument panel. The fake chrome paint stuff on my steering wheel emblem and the regular paint on my steering wheel buttons is starting to show quite a bit of wear this year which is annoying for a 6 yo car. I plan to drive it into the ground, so reselling this won’t be a problem & if all the markings go, I know what the buttons do, so not as big of a problem for me. Mine’s a hatchback & with the back seats laid down, i can fit four of those big rubbermaid bins in there plus extra room for smaller items on top. I think that’s excellent gargo capacity. I’m having a baby soon & I tried out the carseat in the back in all 3 seats and it fits well & is easy to lean in to maneuver and adjust straps. The depth is a little short in the back which has never been a problem with adult passengers, but with the bigger car seats you do have to make sure the front seats aren’t positioned all the way back. I’m 5’6” & my husband is 6” & we both feel comfortable in it. It takes full synthetic for oil, so an oil change is $45 on the cheap end on up to $90 depending on who does it, but keep in mind it’s synthetic and you get more miles between changes- 7000-8000 With synthetic instead of 3000-5000 with regular oil, so it’s comparable since oil change frequency is half. UPDATE-2021- it’s been another 3 years. The wear on the steering wheel emblem and buttons has gotten a little worse and the paint on the “spoiler” on the hatchback is sun damaged. The paint on the rest of the car still looks great. Still zippin’ along. No mechanical problems. Gas mileage is between 27 & 30mpg - no more mountain driving, now I do city and freeway. One infant or all-in-one carseat is fine, but the second one will limit the driver’s space. When we have another kiddo, I may need to get a different car just because of that.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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