Mazda 3s Review
Danny, 10/29/2015
updated 10/30/2017
2015 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
This is my second Mazda3, I previously leased a 2011 s Sport which I loved. This time around, I cross-shopped this car with the VW GTI, but decided on the Mazda, based on value, interior design and technology. So far I've really enjoyed the car, and have no issues. Pros: adaptive xenon headlights, design, connect/nav system, fuel economy, steering. Cons: road noise is very prevalent (seems to be common in all Mazdas), lacking some small details from 2011 model; i.e. no interior ambient lighting, visible dual exhaust outlets, or subwoofer. Overall this is a great car for the money, and feels premium behind the wheel. Happy with my decision! Update: I’ve had my Mazda since November of 2014, and will be returning it in February when my lease expires. Overall, driving this car has been a pleasure. It looks and feels just as great as the day I got it. If you’re looking for a car with lots of style, luxury features, and good handling, I would definitely check this car out. It has been great for me as a 28 year old with no kids, and no need to haul things frequently; if you’re looking for a spacious car, this is not it. Mazda continues to impress me, and if I was still in the market for a new car, I would most definitely check them out first.
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Great Value for a used car.
FJohnson, 09/06/2020
updated 03/16/2023
2015 Mazda 3 i SV 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
I was looking for a car for my son to go to college. Toyota and Honda were on the list, but they were thousands of dollars more for the equivalent car I purchased. I paid $9,500 for a one owner car with 52,000 on it. In 4 years and 10 months of ownership, I paid for one repair of a defective brake switch. The car has 99K on it now. The engine runs great and the 6 speed automatic is smooth in shifting. I have another son in a year from now that will need a car for school, I will look for the same again. Save the money and buy a Mazda, let the others pay the high end price for the same car value. People think of Mazda as an off brand, so depreciation is high. I don't care, I buy used and someone else loses the money. Updated 9/9/21 87,000 miles on the car and no repairs. The dealer put Michelin tires on that were rated at 80,000 miles. I think they may actually go 80,000 miles. Not bad for a tire that cost $107/each. Updated March 15,2023 The car has 99K and is on its second set of tires at 95K. It uses about 1/4 quart of oil per 7,500 miles. We are using the high mileage synthetic oil by Valvoline.
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2015 Mazda 3 for sale near you
Showing 3 of 37 listings
- i Touring SedanMSRP: $6,99518 mi away
- i Touring 4dr HatchbackMSRP: $9,49518 mi away
- i Sport SedanMSRP: $5,99916 mi away
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Perfect for city/hwy sporty commute
shouravv, 09/29/2014
2015 Mazda 3 s Touring 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
22 of 32 people found this review helpful
The Mazda 3S sedan certainly feels very sturdy compared to my previous car, a 2010 Corolla, specially when taking sharp turns, changing lanes in busy traffic, or simply when a speeding tractor-trailer crosses you. The brake is super responsive, and the acceleration is decent without the sport mode turned on, and superb in the sport mode. With the 18" alloy wheels, thin tires, and sport tuned suspension, the ride feels very sporty (to be positive) or stiff (to be negative). But I guess that's a matter of taste. In rush hour (50-55mph), I average about 41mpg. At off-peak freeway (70-75mph) or in local traffic (35-40mph), it is about 35mpg. Very decent numbers for a 2.5L engine :-)
Noisy car
Nelson, 10/29/2015
2015 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
16 of 23 people found this review helpful
I understand that noise perception is a subjective thing. Most drivers may not be bothered by the amount of road and wind noise in this car. To me, the amount of noise in this car is unhealthy, and I worry about long term exposure to this kind of noise. The noise level is "acceptable " when driving at low speeds. If your commute includes driving on freeways and interstate highways, the trips cease to be enjoyable. I can't imagine taking this car on a long road trip. The premium Bose sound system seems to be a contradiction of sorts. It does little to mitigate the noise, and the audiopilot is essentially useless. On the other hand, you can't really appreciate the premium sound system because the car is so noisy. One can appreciate the excellent quality of this sound system only if the car is parked. I understand that there options to decrease the noise in this car, but that would involve considerable expense, which I am not ready to spend after paying for a new car. For now, I've resorted to placing an ear plug in the left ear, and keeping the right ear open for safety reasons. With less noise, the car feels premium, and is a pleasure to drive.
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Transmission issues
Sj, 11/26/2021
2015 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I've had 2. They are nice to drive and the interior is nice. I take very good care of my cars, oil changes on time, tune ups, flushes..ext. both of them the transmission started to slip just after 85k miles. Both of them the front bumpers started to pop on the sides as the clips started to give . This is without an accident or abuse. The shocks were terrible as well and needed replaced. it's my mistake for buying 2. I thought they might have worked out the bugs 5 years later. Mazda could give me no reason other than normal wear and tear. Again no accidents and no crazy driving. This is not normal. I've moved on.
Love it Except....
Tom, 09/26/2016
updated 03/29/2021
2015 Mazda 3 i Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I have had my Mazda3 hatchback a year now. I love the car with the exception of the navagation and rear view camera. The first problem was the navagation which is a TomTom. I prefer Garmin because I think it is easier to work. The TomTom doesn't cancel the trip when you turn off the car or even after you reach your destination. If you forget to cancel the trip it keeps trying to get you to the last destination. This isn't really so bad except once you start out again you can't cancel until you put the car in park. Not horrible but an easy fix for Mazda. The real problem after about 6 months, the rear camera broke. Dealership spent four hours trying to fix it before they decided to replace the whole unit display which took another two hours. It was cover under the warrenty which was fine. Now yesterday the camera broke again one month after the warrenty expired. Calling the dealership today and hope they will fix for free. Love the car not so much the electronics. Update: I have now had the car for 2 1/2 years. It took Mazda four tries to fix the camera problem. This was not the dealership but Mazda who insisted replacing every part but the one the dealership and I said was the problem. Cost Mazda more money trying to save money. Still 2 years later I still love my car. Update: The car is now four years old. I have 24000 miles on it now. I know I don't drive much. Love the car and have had no problems since the camera was fixed. Update! I have had my car 5 years now with only 25,000 miles and haven't had any other problems. Still love it.
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Best car in its class! Value for dollar is huge
Brandon, 10/29/2015
2015 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I am very pleased with my Mazda 3 Grand Touring S Sedan. Dollar for value
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Fun to Drive
Henry Blank, 11/17/2015
2015 Mazda 3 i Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I think this is a very good car in many respects: Excellent fuel economy, fun to drive, great electronic driving features, love the rain sensoring wipers and rear cross traffic alert.
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So disappointed with my 3rd Mazda purchase
dD, 01/20/2018
2015 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
10 of 14 people found this review helpful
We bought our 3rd Mazda in 2015, since we were very happy with the first 2 models (one Mazda 5 and one Mazda 3). Pretty much right from the get go we noticed severe quality differences to the first 2 Mazda's we have owned. Within 1 month of having the brand new car one of the plastic hinges of the arm cushion over the center storage area broke off clean and need to be replaced. Pretty soon after that 1 of the small knobs that hold up the string of the hatchback privacy cover broke and needed to be replaced as well. About half a year into owning the car we notices hairline cracks inside the display on the center console. We did not think to much about it and waited, unfortunately too long, it turned out. When the cracks got more severe and were now starting to impair some of the information displayed on the screen, we went back to the dealership. There we were told we were just too late, that our warranty had ended in the meantime and that we would have to pay for the replacement of the screen (around $800-900). This was very disappointing/surprising news, since the cracks are clearly within the screen and not on the outside, which makes it clear, that it must be a production error and not our wrong doing. After talking to the service supervisor at the Mazda dealership we purchased the car from, he took some pictures of the screen and said he would talk to Mazda direct and ask if there is any possibility of us getting a screen replacement through Mazda. Unfortunately that was the last we heard about that topic. Acknowledging that we should have gone to the dealership within our warranty period, we cut our loss and gave up. Over the next 2 years the display continued cracking and makes our car now look like an old car. The software that is displayed on the screen is completely malfunctioning. While being dialed into a radio station the car/software starts skipping through all the buttons on the screen changes our station to one specific station. When we then try to dial back into any other station the same thing happens all over. When we use the phone function the software presses the mute button on its own over and over throughout the conversation which makes it impossible to carry on any phone call. This is extremely frustrating when I am on a business phonemail. The cars software has also dialed into the settings on it’s own while we were driving, changing settings on it’s own. All this is very dangerous since it all happens during driving. When you are alone in the car, you can’t pay attention to battling the cars software or what the car might be changing in your settings, while still paying attention to the traffic. When we went back to the dealership with this problem we were charged $163 for a software update (which I quite frankly would have expected to be free). The car performed fine for 2 days and then started doing the same thing all over again just a lot worse. There are moments were the controller doesn’t even let us change anything manual anymore because the software is so rapidly skipping through items that at this point it seam like a hazard to drive with this car. After having gone back to the dealership again, we were told that the problem scan results need to be sent to Mazda in order to evaluate what it is that is wrong with our car, but most likely, they said we might need a new screen or module for the screen which would run is around $800-900. And all this after just having spend $163 for a completely useless software update. To say the least we feel very let down by the dealership as well as the company Mazda and have decided that this will be the last Mazda we have purchased. We also don’t feel like we can recommend the brand to our friends and family anymore since there ha been such poor help/service. Everyone that gets into our car comments on the cracked screen and is shocked to here that our car is only 3 years old.
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Zoom Zoom Indeed Version 2.0
GBA47, 08/07/2015
2015 Mazda 3 s Grand Touring 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
9 of 13 people found this review helpful
In June of 2010 wrote in enthusiastic review of my then new 2010 S Sport hatch with manual transmission. Some changes in my financial situation allowed for an upgrade. In November, I purchased a 2015 SGT hatch with tech package. The most obvious improvement is in the quality and materials of the interior. The front, forward of the B pillars would not look out of place in an entry level luxury car. The Almond / Black seats look fantastic, and are all day comfortable too. The car is considerably more refined, most notably in the quietness and power delivery of the engine/transmission. The gas mileage is a major improvement too. I'm getting 24 to 25 MPG around town, and 37 plus on the highway. While I don't hot rod as much as I used to, I don't hyper mile either. I run at the speed limit at the least and most of the time with the AC on. I only have a little over 6,000 miles on the car and since the 2010 continued to improve in this category until 15,000, I would expect it continue to improve. The car is overall is smother, a bit quieter, a bit better riding, and a more relaxed cruiser. What hasn't changed is how the car drives. It's as fun, engaging, and satisfying as the 2010. Even though I'm a life long manual transmission fan, I'm really starting to like the paddle shifters. The problems, a noisy right rear shock was replaced under warranty. The infotainment system has had its share of issues. None of these has shut the system down completely, and all either cured themselves or were cured by shutting the car of and restarting. I've been told by my dealer that a major OS revision is in the works. Complaints, a little more sound deadening please. What happened to the door storage pockets, and who shrunk the center console?
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