Used 2012 Mazda 3 Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Great all purpose driver's car
mark1169, 02/25/2018
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Mazdas fly under the radar in many ways. They are often overlooked, and therefore sell at bargain prices compared to more popular makes. The Mazda 3 hatchback, aka 5-door, is a great driver's car. With the 2 liter fourbanger and six speed manual, it frequently exceeds 30mpg in spirited driving. It's FWD, but is quite neutral in the curves, with just slight understeer. I've kept up with BMW M3's going over the Santa Cruz mountains on back roads. The Mazda's stick is a joy to use, and the clutch engages smoothly. Revving the engine doesn't sound painful, so you can pass cars easily with by shifting down a click or two, and the return to overdrive sixth and be back in the 30's for mpg. The low points are it's a small car. I'm near the limit at 6'0", and my right knee rests against the center console. More problematic is the sound level; this car isn't insulated very well, and the stock tires are loud. Switching them out made a huge difference, but I waited 25K before doing so. Also, this car with the stick is fitted with smaller wheels, so the absolute best tires (including quietest) aren't available without upsizing the wheels. If I were to do it over, I'd have gone up and inch and fitted it with better/quieter rubber. I did have a stereo system installed, and a lot of sound deadening in the doors and floor helped a bunch. It's an inexpensive car, so you don't get top shelf audio or features with the base model (which is the only one you can get the 6spd manual) but the joy of that shifter and teaching both sons to drive a manual was well worth the inconvenience of upgrading the audio and tinting the windows.
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2012 Mazda 3 i Touring
Ouloubay, 08/29/2018
updated 09/06/2019
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Just traded my beloved 2012 Mazda 3 i Touring for a 2019 CX 3 Grand Touring. I love the CX 3 but still miss my 3 i. The 3 i had much better fuel capacity (14.5 Gal) compared with around 10 for the CX 3 and got much better gas mileage. On the last day I owned the car, it averaged 48 MPG during the 45 mile drive from my home to the dealership where I traded. It then sold in 2 days. Somebody got a car that they're really going to love!
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2012 Mazda 3 for sale near you
3 of 41 listings
- i Touring Sedan w/SKYACTIV-GMSRP: $6,995101 mi away
- i Grand Touring Sedan w/SKYACTIV-GMSRP: $6,995133 mi away
- i Sport SedanMSRP: $7,995199 mi away
See all 41 listings
Zoom zoom fun
cal, 07/12/2019
2012 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
I love my car. It's the fifth Mazda that I've owned. I bought it used 1 1/2 years ago. It has a moonroof and 6-speed manual transmission. I bought it with 99,000 miles and now it has 134,000. There is a slight rattle at freeway speeds that's annoying...somewhere near the passenger front seat. The gas mileage averages about 25.5, which is less than the 31 mpg overall that I've gotten from my previous four Mazdas. This apparently is because of the 2.5-liter engine that is not SkyActiv. Aside from the relatively low fuel economy, it is a great car.
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18 Months of Driving
bronxy192, 04/12/2014
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful
I've had this car for 18 months now with over 8,000 miles. It's a skyactiv 6 speed manual. The only complaints I have thus far is the acceleration and the middle console. I find myself needing to downshift to pick up any speed. It's a bit sluggish, but once at cruising speed on the highway, the 3 drives great. The suspension is good. I have hit several pot small holes after a wild winter here in New Jersey, and the 3 has handled them with no problems. The middle console is little to be desired. I wish the arm rest would slide out to accommodate my arm, but it's very short and placed in an odd position. It has storage and I find I need to shift and turn my body around to open it.
Insurance way too high
AMR, 12/08/2016
2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
4 of 6 people found this review helpful
I pay more for my mazda 3 hatchback than my new juke and it is 3 yrs older. Allstate insurance company said something about it being considered a sports car.
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