Used 2012 Mazda 3 Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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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)
44 of 47 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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Best of Both Worlds
mandowen, 05/17/2012
2012 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
13 of 13 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!
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)
11 of 11 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.
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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)
8 of 8 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.
Great car with minor drawbacks
Daniel, 10/27/2015
2012 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 5A)
12 of 13 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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