Huge upgrade from the 2017!
Landon, 06/12/2020
2020 Mazda 3 Premium 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
31 of 33 people found this review helpful
I owned the 2017 Mazda 3 HB GT for a couple years now. Was an awesome car to drive and super reliable and one of the few cars still producing a manual (never owned an automatic). After getting the 2020 Premium manual, I could never go back. Every single part of this car is an upgrade from the 2017 which I already loved. The styling is next to none and the inside literally looks like a premier high end vehicle. Switching gears if effortless and more fun than ever. The entertainment system and Bose sound system are top notch. The Carplay is awesome and the sound quality is super crisp with great bass. The safety features are great too and make driving effortless and essentially worry free. There is less space in the back seats for additional passengers but honestly that is not an issue for me because I rarely have more than one passenger in my car. And the with the backseats down I can still very easily fit my road bike and golf clubs when needed. The margins are low on Mazdas for a reason, they offer top notch features and styling for a fraction of the price you'd pay for other car brands.
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Superb!
Pwith65, 10/04/2020
2020 Mazda 3 Premium 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 6M)
20 of 21 people found this review helpful
Way back in the day, my parents bought me a Mazda GLC to travel back and forth from college. That car was quality through and through... yet, I never considered Mazda again. Until now. I purchased a 2020 Premium Hatchback with all the bells and whistles you can think of having. Machine gray with the black trim kit. A beauty! I couldn't be happier. I got tired of the "keeping up with the Jones's life... and after having owned five previous Lexus models over the years, I decided to "downgrade" to the Mazda. Yeah, the funny thing is... it wasn't a downgrade. This car is everything and more. Premium high end interior, amazing ride and handling, lots of great "Hey, that's a good looking car" comments! Mazda, I'm back... and hooked!
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I love this car!
SSS Fence, 04/17/2020
2020 Mazda 3 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
63 of 70 people found this review helpful
I recently traded in my 2005 Base Mazda 3 for a 2020 Base Mazda 3. The price I paid was only $1,800 more than I paid for a new car in 1991 (YES! 29 years ago, and only $1,800 more!) -- the price point is EXTREMELY competitive! Imagine my surprise when I sat in the Base model for the first time, and saw leather dashboard, leather console, leather wrapped gear shifter, and leather trim on the doors! This car is truly fantastic! The bucket seats hold you in place while cornering, and this car corners like it's on rails. Acceleration is smooth, quick, and nearly silent. Steering is tight and responsive. Despite what the window sticker says, I'm regularly getting an average of 45 mpg! I have no idea why this car has such a poor rating on Edmunds -- I think people are complaining about things that don't exist. Do not believe the poor ratings here -- you need to test drive this car for yourself! The only thing I don't like about this car is the "Lane Departure Warning" (shakes the steering wheel and buzzes on the dashboard when changing lanes without signaling) and "Lane Keeping Assist System" (physically resists you changing lanes and pushes you back into your lane). I am not a big fan of software driving my car -- I want to be in full control of my car. The good news is that you can easily turn these features OFF via the on-screen display in the car. I also would have liked a sunroof -- but I can totally understand why the Base model (bottom of the line, el-cheapo trim level) does not come with a sunroof. Seriously guys -- there is nothing but GOOD THINGS about this car! This car deserves a 5-star rating! And remember my 2005 Base Mazda 3 that I traded in? It had 258,000 miles on it, and everything still worked! These cars are unbeatable, and truly amazing -- I truly expect to get the same quality out of my 2020 Base Mazda 3!
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I will drive this car until the earth reclaims it.
Austin, 04/21/2020
2020 Mazda 3 Premium 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
55 of 62 people found this review helpful
I can not imagine ever trading this in or selling it. It seems like every new car is following particularity bad trends (ie: every driving command controlled by a glitchy touch screen infotainment), but the Mazda 3 is going in the best possible direction. The amount of engineering, thought, and attention to detail in this vehicle is incredible. The infotainment is fast and you don't have to avert your eyes much from the road. Your arm rests right where the control knob is- so you don't have to look at the screen almost at all - once you get used to the UI layout. The handling on this car is superior to any car I've driven - and the AWD is an added bonus. Though, sometimes you can really feel the extra weight of the AWD system. If 0-60 speed is a concern, the FWD will feel quite a bit faster. The manual mode is very responsive and fun to use. Overall, there is very little about this car that I do not love. The seating in the back is a little cramped for tall passengers, so that is something to consider if that is applicable to your lifestyle. I have not had an issue with cargo space because the seats fold down almost flat - however I do not have kids and usually only have 2 to 3 people in the car at one time. Overall, I would buy this car again in a heartbeat. PS: Mazda, please bring the heated steering wheel to U.S versions. We like our hands to be warm too.
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Mazda is becoming a luxury brand
Thom, 07/23/2021
updated 01/26/2023
2020 Mazda 3 Premium 4dr Hatchback AWD (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
things i like: i enjoy driving this car. steering feels completely analogue and tight as heck without that disconnected digital feel you get from a subaru legacy or ford escape. It is similar in feel to driving a Honda which is a very good thing. comfy seats in the front with ample lumbar support for long drives and the pedals feel like they are in the right place for comfort and responsiveness. Neither Here nor There Observations: the car is very attractive from the front and the back but some argue less-so from the sides because of the odd shape of the hatch and window placement in the back seat. The car can accelerate to highway speeds quickly after you are out of first and second gear, but those gear ratios seem tuned to a little higher rpm so the car will sound stressed if you are using metered onramps where you need to accelerate quickly. the car can handle it with its 180ish horsepower but the sound might annoy some people. things i love: the premium interior legitimately rivals bmw and lexus. it looks sleek and is made with high quality materials. it is showy without looking tacky. very intuitive media controls that dont use a touch interface. this is a massive POSITIVE. touch interfaces require that you look at something to get feedback on what you are doing, Mazda instead went with a wheel that has satisfying individual clicks with a rocker directional input as well. it is simple and makes navigating menus very easy and fast. The placement of the media display means that you won't have to take your eyes off the road to use it. the heads-up display helps with this too and is an extra i recommend getting. Android Auto. Finally, a simple plug and go android integration. it works well with google maps and can handle multiple apps with relative ease. voice commands Things I am Disappointed In: The fuel economy is bad in the AWD model and much much lower than the epa rating shows. I am averaging between 23-24 mpg after 8000 miles on the car with a few roadtrips. Hills eat up your fuel economy like crazy. the glossy plastic center console scratches easily. Mazda should consider replacing that with a different material on their next iteration. The visibility through the rear window is a much maligned fault of this car. it can be overcome with a HUD and the wideangle backup camera, but it is what it is. I wish it had just a tiny bit more ground clearance so it could clear parking blocks, right now it is at the exact right level to just scrape the tops of them. This is just a minor annoyance though. Extras Worth Getting: 100% Get the heads-up display. it integrates with the safety warnings so you barely need to even turn your head when driving. it also completely eliminates the problem of poor visibility out of the rear window with the blindspot monitoring. The bose surround sound is perfect for live recordings or drive-in movies. it does a great job with directionality which is nice for movies but not super useful for driving around. definitely turn off the virtual surround sound. the post-processing muddies up everything. use the direct input and the audio sounds great. it is still great for studio music and it is well insulated so your car wont rattle when the bass hits. you could get better aftermarket sound but youll have to pay out the nose to have it dampened and present as visually clean as the bose system. Overall: I love this car, it feels fancy and road capable. I've driven it through the mountains and in stop and go traffic and its given a comfortable ride throughout (though i prefer it on highways). It is not without its issues but it has what I want in the places that matter to me.
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