Used 2012 Mazda 3 Hatchback Consumer Reviews

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.

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.