Used 2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A) Consumer Reviews
2000 mile review
zoomzoom2012, 12/24/2012
i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
32 of 33 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.
The new Skyactiv engine has some flaws
DanaE, 11/01/2016
i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
40 of 42 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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- Reliability
My Mazda is a Rocket Ship
jennypenny575, 02/20/2013
i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
16 of 16 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.
My manual has great “zoom zoom zoom”
R Dub, 09/03/2018
i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
7 of 7 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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- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Perfect Package..Everything you want/need!!
surfnjm3, 03/07/2012
i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
14 of 16 people found this review helpful
I purchased my Mazda about 4 weeks ago and put just under 2k miles on it. The car has been awesome! I am a car enthusiast and since I currently cannot swing the money for a BMW I landed on the Mazda. It is a drivers car and has all the feautures you want. Great sound (even the stock system without the bose is clear and loud), bluetooth is awesome with my phone and music and the interior layout of the dash and such are clean, sensible, and easy to use. I never thought I woudl get an automatic car but commuting with a manual is just brutal, but the dual-clutch on the mazda is the most responsive ive seen in a car under 21k. Take off the traction control and the car just begs you to drive it!