CARLOS LAGO: (SINGING) Mazda is what got--
SPEAKER 1: (SINGING) I said, remember--
CARLOS LAGO: Mazda 3-- it's a little windy today, huh?
The Mazda 3 has been a perennial favorite of ours. So much that we've had examples from two previous generations in for a long term test. For those unfamiliar, our long term test is where we own and operate a vehicle for a year just like you would to see how it stands up for that first year of ownership.
Now this generation the Model 3 debuted in 2019 and had a few substantial changes that we felt were appropriate for a long term evaluation. First there was a change from a multi-link rear suspension to a torsion-beam rear suspension. How would that affect ride and handling? Then there was that new interior. It looked really glossy in photos, but how would it stand up to the rigors of daily use? And the same goes for that available all wheel drive system. The Mazda 3 is one of the few vehicles in the segment with one to offer.
Before we get started, though, make sure to give us a like, comment, and subscribe if you like these kind of videos and check out the links below for more about our long term test program. Also visit edmunds.com/sellmycar to get an instant cash offer on your car, truck, or SUV.
Regular viewers know that we like to purchase vehicles for the purpose of long term evaluation, but with the amount of vehicles that we test and evaluate you can imagine that gets pretty expensive. So in some cases we'll borrow vehicles from manufacturers for the test. That's exactly what happened with this Mazda 3.
This is a 2020 preferred trim with all wheel drive. It's painted in this very photogenic, soul crystal red metallic paint. The soul crystal red really aligns my chakras. And that preferred trim is one step below the premium trim. So that means it has all the safety features that you can get on the 3, plus some other niceties like faux leather, heated front seats, and an upgraded stereo.
It costs just under $28,000 with destination. Now, we like to get a minimum of 20,000 miles on a vehicle in that free year of ownership, but as you can remember, some stuff happened last year that prevented us from doing so. We tried our best though, and at the time of this recording we have about 16,000 miles on the odometer.
What was it like to live with? Well, we have a pretty diverse staff, so sometimes opinions can be mixed on a car. But that wasn't the case with the Mazda 3's interior. Everybody loved this interior. From the fit and finish and overall premium appearance this interior has, the material selection and the quality of everything just feels more elevated than most of the vehicles in this segment and that actually makes sense given the generally higher price the Mazda 3 commands versus its rivals.
As for how it wore over time, we see no premature signs of wear on the seats or any of the high touch points like you sometimes get with other cars, let's say.
The only thing that really looks grimy is this piano black material on the dash, and that's what you get every time you get piano black in your car. Stop putting piano black in interiors, automakers, please. It's ugly.
As for functionality, everybody really enjoyed the cabin space and trunk space. That trunk actually grew in terms of storage volume by a cubic foot versus the previous generation, and part of that has to do with that rear suspension change. Torsion-beam generally is easier to package and makes more space back there.
Amy, our video production manager, actually was able to use this to drive across country with suitcases and a big German shepherd.
Our team was split on two areas. The first is the engine. Some felt at the 186 horsepower from this naturally aspirated two and half liter four cylinder was entirely sufficient for a city runabout. Others, though, felt it lacked a little something that you get from the comparable engine in the Honda Civic. That's a turbo charged one and half liter four cylinder.
It makes less power on paper, the Honda engine, but that turbo feels nicer in the real world. And it also manages to be quicker in our acceleration testing figures.
Here's the big takeaway, if you drive a Mazda 3 and find that it needs a little more oomph, that's something that you can fix with some money. For 2021, Mazda offers a turbocharged four cylinder for the 3 that gives you up to 250 horsepower, which should satisfy all your giddy up needs.
The other area of disagreement was the rear suspension. This generation, as we mentioned, of the Mazda 3 comes with a torsion-beamer suspension, which tends to be less sophisticated and cheaper to produce than the multi-link that you would get in previous generations of the Mazda 3. Some members on staff found the ride to be a little too firm for a city-based economy car, while others thought the general added impacts were in line with the sporty handling characteristics you'd expect from a Mazda.
And as for driving fun, yeah, this isn't as exciting as previous Mazda 3s, but it's entirely sufficient for, again, a city commuter car.
But now let's hear from other members of the team on their experiences with the Mazda 3.
TRAVIS LANGNESS: I'm a big fan of the Mazda 3. I've really enjoyed having it in our fleet. I think it's one of the most refined vehicles in the segment. The interior is amazing. And now you've got the Mazda 3 turbo, which is a big favorite of mine.
CAMERON ROGERS: The Mazda 3 is one of my very favorite small cars. If I was in the market, I'd definitely consider buying one. The interior makes you feel like $1,000 when you get inside, and the exterior is gorgeous, especially in soul red crystal. There's only one issue, I'm 6' 4" and the small door openings make it difficult to enter and exit, and the eliminated interior room hampers that as well.
It's not something that would prevent me from buying it, but it's something I'd have to consider.
REX TOKESHI-TORRES: Tech is very near and dear to my heart. And while the Mazda 3 didn't have any hiccups early on in its stays with us, it did start getting a little bit glitchy towards the end. And while the rotary knob is easy enough to use, having a touchscreen wouldn't hurt. At one point in time Mazda offered you a touchscreen that you could interface with when you were at a stop. I implore you to please bring that back.
And even though you don't get a touchscreen, the sharp, bright, wide screen layout made Android Auto and Apple CarPlay present their best.
CARLOS LAGO: As in the time of this recording there were two recalls for the 2020 Mazda 3. The first were for fasteners on the brake calipers that weren't correctly torque during assembly. That one didn't affect our car. The second one did though.
You see, like many new cars, the Mazda 3 has a collision mitigation system that automatically applies the front brakes when it senses a collision is imminent. And there was a recall for the sensors that could send a false positive that would trigger that system. The car stops itself whether you want it to or not.
One editor noticed while driving this car that the system was flashing alert on the dash. Another of our team member, Ryan, our reviews editor, was cruising along at about 40 miles an hour, the system triggered from a false positive, and the brakes automatically applied in what would be an emergency stop.
Now, that was scary. Fortunately the car behind him was able to take evasive action so there wasn't a collision. But as you can imagine, we were pretty hesitant to drive the car after that.
We weren't alone because Mazda issued a recall for that exact same issue the same week. Once the fix was ready, we took the 3 to the dealer who addressed the problem. We got the car back and the system worked flawlessly for the rest of the Mazda's stay in our fleet.
A quick word about emergency braking systems. Most cars have these features on and a number of us have experienced these kind of false positives before. This is the first time we've experienced on a long term vehicle that has had a recall applied to it. Kind of wish we could have a kill switch for all these features in new cars.
You get a level gauge for your windshield washer fluid. Sits at the dipstick. Easy to access. What's this do?
The Mazda 3 requires maintenance visits around every 10,000 miles or so. And it's this kind of stuff you could do at home if you were mechanically inclined. We like to go to dealership service departments to closer mimic what a normal consumer would experience. But in the case of the Mazda, when it was time to get the first service, the dealership was entirely booked. So we went to an independent shop and paid about $100 for five quarts of synthetic oil, an oil filter, air filter, tire rotation, and labor associated with all that stuff.
How cool was that bird flying around squawking at me I'm trying to talk to camera?
As for the rest of reliability, the fit and finish on the Mazda 3 was solid and nothing else broke.
SPEAKER 1: What about that little fellow?
CARLOS LAGO: That guy? I wouldn't worry about that guy.
It's the fuel economy section. Now, because of the events of 2020, the Mazda 3 spent most of its life in our test driving around Los Angeles with the occasional road trip mixed in. Because of that we didn't have the highest of hopes for its fuel economy. That said, it averaged 28 MPG over the course of its stay with us, matching the combined rating from the EPA. Its best fill, though, was 38 MPG, and that was achieved over a driving distance of 333 miles on a single tank, and that's much better than the EPA'S highway estimate.
What's most impressive about all that is that this is an all wheel drive Mazda 3, and all wheel drive generally gets worse fuel economy. The front wheel drive Mazda 3 is rated at two MPG higher under the combined test cycle. So, good on you, Mazda.
Still smells good.
So, what's our Mazda 3 worth now? Well, the only way to know for sure is, actually, by selling it. But by using the Edmunds appraisal tool, which you can find at edmunds.com/sellmycar, you can get a value for your car that includes mileage, location, region, condition, and so on. After tallying it up for our Mazda 3, and that includes the higher than average mileage, we got a private party value of $19,500 roughly, and a trade in value of roughly $17,500.
Now that's a touch over 30% depreciation, which according to our data, is slightly higher than what you would find in an equivalent Honda Civic.
Oh--
SPEAKER 1: Having fun?
CARLOS LAGO: Getting too old for this.
Now we've reached the conclusion of our long term test, and this generation of the Mazda 3, like the one before it, and the one before that, are still favorite compact cars of ours.
There were some deficiencies with this one. We had some complaints about the engine and some complaints about the ride quality and one kind of hairy recall issue. But after that was addressed, looking at this car on balance, when you take into account its craftsmanship fit and finish, the way it looks, and the overall driving experience, this is still a really good compact car.
If you're looking for a car like this, the Mazda 3 should be near the top of your list.
If you didn't like this video, go ahead and comment, and if you did, like this video, reply to that first guy or girl's comment, and give us like and subscribe too. We'd really appreciate. It lets us know we're doing something right. Be sure to visit the links below to see more about our long term program and other things at Edmunds, and also visit edmunds.com/sellmycar to get an instant cash offer on your car.
