Used 2012 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback w/SKYACTIV-G (2.0L 4cyl 6A) Consumer Reviews

My Mazda is a Rocket Ship

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.

2000 mile review

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

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.

My manual has great “zoom zoom zoom”

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.

My 4th Mazda wagon

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.

Perfect Package..Everything you want/need!!

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!

Great car for the money!

I don't know what the shutter noise is yet cause I'm too busy blasting music all the time. I picked this car after reviewing a lot of cars in this class and so far it's great. I'm nearing 10K miles and it has met my expectations. My previous car was a corolla so this is an upgrade for me. The car looks and feels better and I get the same fuel efficiency or better(540 mile range on a full tank) I also love the other fun features like blutooth that I didn't have before. No complaints here so I recommend it.

Great handling car but unexpected issues.

This was actually my 2nd Mazda 3 as I had a 2010 iTouring sedan which was totaled in a rear end accident. I really enjoyed the car as it drove well. I purchased a 2012 iTouring hatchback right away. Great handling and felt more upscale than other compacts in its class. Having come from a Audi A4 before the Mazda 3 felt nice and planted. Steering was responsive with great feedback. Not one issue after 4 years of owning the car. Then, after some routine maintenance I found out the rear shocks were bad and needed to replaced. I noticed the car had been riding roughly before had. This caused the tires to "cup" and required replacement. The car only had about 40,000 miles by then. At this point the car is out of warranty. About a year later the AC stopped blowing cold. I had the AC recharged and was told there's a small leak. This required nearly $600 in repairs. After another stop for routine maintenance I find out the front struts are now leaking and needed replacement. At this point I'd had enough and traded in the car.

LOVE this car!!

I got my Mazda 3 hatchback a few days ago and I absolutely love it! Crazy good mpg in town and on the highway (52.9mpg@55mph and 44.0mpg @70mph) all the power I ever wanted, fantastic handling and plenty of room for me and all my gear. I work at another brand dealership, and am willing to deal with the ridicule of my boss and co-workers to drive my 3, it is the perfect car for me. I drive all kinds of cars every day, and the Jetta/Civic/Corolla/Elantra just don't stack up. Only the Focus SE and Dart Ralley compare, the Dart is not offered in a hatch and I have had bad luck with Fords so it was an easy choice for me.

So far so good

Have had the car for 10 months, 6k miles, 0 problem so far. IMHO, it is the best compromise among gas mileage, cosmetics, reliability, and a sporty ride. On highway, the 40mpg is spot on. The hatchback is super useful, once I was able to put FIVE dinning chairs in it. Very good lumbar support too. Con: The ride could be bumpy on crapy road because of its sporty suspension. Not as quiet as toyota, could use better noise isolation

2012 Mazda 3 hatch skyactiv

This has been an excellent car overall. Fun to drive, economical, and extremely reliable. Have driven it 160,000 miles and have only changed oil, replaced a batter and tires. No issues whatsover, and it only now needs first set of brake pads ( about 100K of these miles are interstate). My only complaint is that I would like a little more power, but then I wouldn’t have gotten the excellent fuel economy either. So there’s a trade off there.

the wierd sound issue after 1700 miles on it

2 weeks ago, I directly emailed to Mazda company with the problem. Then, the issue was transferred to the representative of the dearlership in which I bought, so they was informed by me that issue, and they drove the car with me, but they just explained that " problem is because of new SkyActive transmission, so we cannot sovle the problem fundamentally because the wierd sound is part of manufacture." So with disappointment, I returned to my home.... ....I live Philadelphia suburban area, which means I live in a little bit cold area, but the wierd sound is not related to the cold weather.........

Great commuter car

After test driving the Civic, Focus and Elantra, I decided on the 3 because of that fun factor. It doesn't necessarily feel like an economy car when driving. I'm getting the advertised 32-33 combined mpg. 40+ highway mpg is feasible if you stay below 70mph. I've found 37-38mpg is more realistic if you're like me and tend to drive faster than 70mph on the highway. It's aged pretty good for an almost 3 year old design. I think newer designs like the civic and Elantra already look aged compared to the 3.

Good economy, stiff ride, limited space

I've averaged 29.5 in mix of city/hwy driving. The car will get 39 mpg on the highway (when my canoe is not on top). The ride of this car is very stiff off the lot. It was almost jarring, but I think the suspension has loosened a bit or I've gotten used to it. But this is typical of a small/compact car. The car handles superbly. The automatic transmission is so smooth and quiet. Highway performance is adequate, no problems passing or going up hills Cabin noise is minimal for a small vehicle. Cargo capacity is lacking compared to a small SUV or even a mid-size car. Technology/climate controls are simple and easy to use. Questionable value compared to Civic, Corolla, Kia.

Great all purpose driver's car

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.

Great little Hatchback!

Really surprised how well is this car running. Bought it with 31k miles on it and it runs like a new car, happy about it. Overall, considering purchase price against what I got (the value), I can't be happier ... good bang for the buck.

Tirrirrrr sound from engine

I bought 3 HB skyactiv 2.0 I touring a month ago. I drive city & hwy (60% & 40%), and get Average 36MPG, which is good. But, When I drive, I hear a very odd sound, that is heard like "Tirrrrr ttirrrirrrrrrr". It is not normal engine sound, it is extra abnormal sound. Especially in low speed, and at stop sign, that sound is very annoying. I told that problem to dearlership, but they couldn't find out the problem, and didn't fix it. I like eternal design and six speed auto transmission, but I don't want to recommend this vehicle to my friend.

A truly perfect car!

Safety, horsepower, fuel efficiency, value, reliability, and FUN, all in one! Every second behind the wheel of my new Mazda3 is incredible. With Mazda's super reliable track record under the belts of my friends and family and the assurance of my vehicle being a Top Safety Pick, I know that I'll be driving my kids around in this car years from now. So many great features and incredibly fun to drive, and I am still in disbelief at how hard my dealer [non-permissible content removed] worked to get me behind the wheel of this amazing vehicle. You can certainly trust them to put you in the car of your dreams! I would recommend this car to anyone any day!

It's the right car.

I've owned several cars, but I recently purchased my 2012 mazda3 Skyactiv hatch just last summer so I can have a car that will provide some longevity (I've never owned a car for more than 3 years) so I figured I get something economical with some cargo space for my camping and hiking. I was looking to get a Subaru, but I found this Mazda for 10k with only 29000mi on the clock. I can say this. The car is stellar, it lacks a little off the line with the AC going, but it's a little 4 pot, so don't expect much. It's not a car for traveling with a group (but by myself it's perfect) as comfort up front is a little tight on the legs (I'm 5'11") and lacks an overhead bin and some dash cargo space for your phones and stuff. BUT on the highway I average about 41mpg. and to a tank with mixed driving I get roughly 360miles on 28 bucks. So that says something. It feels nimble, and bulletproof, the ride is firm, so get yourself some michellins or pirelli P7 to soften up the ride a bit. But all in all it's a great car that doesn't cost much to own, and it has a terrific safety record. I'm an enthusiast and the technology behind these little zoomers is everything to write home about. No turbo charger which is great because those hey pricey, and it's always fun to drive.

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.

the car that shutter. confirmed by mazda

The car is scary to drive. there is a shutter that mazda said should be there. It feels like a little earth quake. I didn't notice it when i bought the car but the first time it happened i got scared. On top of that the car slams into gear and has such a jerky transmission that i can't believe the car is not being investigated by the NTSB. as long as you don't mind a car that shakes and you hit your head because the throttle is all over the place this is the car for you. Me hindsight 2020 i wish i never got it. I can't be more disappointed with it.

Mazda 3 valued transportation

If you are looking for a cushy ride, wrong car. If you enjoy driving, a little extra space from the hatch and dependability, this is your choice.

Zoom Zoom

A cute and vibrant car. It's been a great commuter vehicle