Used 2014 Mazda 3 Hatchback Consumer Reviews
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Reliable little car that's not a Corolla or Civic
Chris, 03/05/2019
updated 09/08/2020
2014 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I have had two Mazda Protégé 5's before purchasing a Mazda 3 and am still an owner of a 2003 P5. It was great timing as I was in the market for a new daily driver as 2014 was when Mazda 3 first came out with the new design. At that time, the SkyActiv engine had already been out a couple of years and I have had great experience with Mazda products in terms of reliability, so it was not a hard decision to go back to Mazda even though most of my friends and/family members were driving Civics or Corollas. Those are definitely great cars , but I wanted something that handles well, saves gas and looks cool at the same time. The Mazda 3 has not disappointed even as of today as the vehicle was purchased brand new almost 5 years ago. Throughout my years of ownership (M3 Hatchback I GT ~56K miles), I have only been to the dealership twice - once for a recall related to GPS map update or something while the second visit had to do with a the hydraulic belt tensioner leak which were both covered under warranty. The hydraulic belt tensioner was replace by the dealership but it started leaking again after another 10K or so. If anything, the tensioner leak is the only complaint that I have with the car. The Mazda infotainment system has also acted up a handful of times (frozen screen), but it would fix itself after restart. The most recent maintenance item was the rear brake pads which were replaced at 56k. I believe the rear driver-side pads were seized for some reason which caused premature wear as the front pads were still the OEM pads from factory with healthy amount of pads left. I could have fixed the issue earlier as the rear driver-side wheel was always covered with the most brake dust but I was too lazy to inspect the pads. The Mazda 3 has never left me stranded and has been a comfortable commuter. Everything in the car is still working perfectly fine as day one. My favorite part of the car is the blind-spot monitoring system. it's especially handy during pouring rains. The heated seats are also a plus. The infotainment system is intuitive and user friendly. I love the fact that the reverse camera's parking guide doesn't turn when you turn the steering wheel as a lot of cars on the market do (personal preference). The visibility is not as great as the older cars as the rear windows are smaller. The 2.0 liter engine is not powerful, but it's sufficient for what the car is built for, a gas saving commuter. The engine noise can be a bit noisy going uphill or accelerating with 4 passengers; however, there's plenty of power to get the car moving for highway merging at around 3k-4k rpm. The interior of the car is well built and cabin noise is well controlled. The materials used and fit and finish of the car is solid and probably one of the best in its class. Trunk space can be limited if you have a growing family (i.e. strollers...). Overall a great car! In August 2019, the Mazda 3 was sold to a family member and a 2019 CX9 was brought home. As of today (9/5/2020), at around 64k, the oem tires and the battery are the only items that will need to be replaced. My opinion on the car still has not changed. Great little car that looks great, feels great (interior), drives and handles well.
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Only two complaints
vandergelder, 02/16/2015
2014 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
8 of 11 people found this review helpful
I like everything about mine, I get good mileage, it's fun to drive, etc. I have had zero reliability issues. Great styling. Great handling. Almost perfect, but not quite, IMHO, see below.
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No regrets
kevin97223, 02/08/2015
2014 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
This is our fourth Mazda and our second 3. We are loyal to the brand because in our experience their cars are reliable, stylish and fun to drive, especially with a manual transaxle. This car is all of the above, although since it has less than 5,000 miles I haven't driven it far enough to rate the reliability. I have no reason to doubt that it will be as reliable as my wife's 2011 3, which has 30,000 miles and has needed nothing except regular maintenance.
zooooom zoooom
zoomzoom09, 12/31/2013
2014 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
9 of 15 people found this review helpful
Very nice car. Mazda completely reinvented the car for 2014. The interior is excellent. I opted for the almond leather with soul red exterior. Hot looking car. The 184HP is sufficient for me to zoom around town. Love the 7 inch display and amount of features. The car honestly feels like a 35K or higher sports coupe w/ the leather, high end details (carbon-fiber, red stitching on the leather, to sports suspension. I also own a CX-5 and this 2.5 L engine was worth getting. Much better response and performance.
Nice!
Jeff Belger, 02/03/2017
2014 Mazda 3 s Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Looks Nice - Rides Nice. I didn't even bother testing the standard 2.0 liter, for me the 2.5 liter engine is worth the extra $. Very nice acceleration even using straight automatic but added responsiveness when using the manual shifting. It has the option of manual shifting from the stick or paddles on steering wheel. There is also a "Sport" mode that will act as an overdrive and really gets you off the line quick with out having to manually shift. One point to make is that if you are in straight automatic you won't know what gear your in. If you switch to manual mode the dashboard will go through the progression 1-6 and not just "D". My 2007 Mazda 6 i sport showed the gear progression regardless and I feel like that makes more sense because I know I'm in 'D'rive but I don't know what gear its in. Also selected this vehicle because it had the Bose sound system. Great sound system for what it is. Had to get use to the front center speaker on top of the dashboard. Seemed like it was the only speaker I was listening to but with a few adjustments you can make it your own. Cargo space in the hatch area is good but not like an SUV, so don't expect it to be huge. There is limited storage space around the front seating areas but it will force you to keep things to real essentials. Headlights are nice and bright and you can manually adjust them up and down, the slightly annoying part is that at the most upward setting they still seem a smidge low. Meaning when your driving uphill say, they seem to be pointing directly to the road and you can't see what lies further up the hill. All in all the few minor cons are easily overlooked since my overall expectations are being met. Time will tell if this 2014 Mazda 3s holds strong mechanically and electronically but my 2007 Mazda 6 gave me a solid 160K miles so I expect the same here.
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- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value