Used Mazda 3 for Sale in San Jose, CA
577 listings
Consumer Reviews for the Mazda 3
Read recent reviews for the Mazda 3
WSM456, 10/06/2021
2021 Mazda 3
First of all this is a great car, which is why I'm giving it 5 stars. I will outline some negative aspects of the, but it should be noted that these aspects weigh much less heavily on the total experience of the car than the positive aspects - if I outlined the minor positives like I will the minor negatives there would be way too many. I just want everyone to know the parts of this car … I wish were better.
The good:
The interior; if you've been looking at this car you already know the interior is amazing. I know there are some complaints about the new infotainment center but I like it and agree with Mazda that a touchscreen is definitely not what you want to be messing with (or what you want the other people on the road messing with) while driving.
The acceleration and AWD are a great...I really don't have more to say about it.
My commute to work is mostly highway/interstate and on the highway I average around 35 MPG, surprisingly. Now to average that I do use the radar cruise control basically the whole way - you would be surprised to see the difference between gas mileage while using radar cruise vs your foot. Radar cruise is smooth and doesn't repeatedly accelerate too quickly to speed that is too fast and then have to slow down like when you drive with your foot (this cycle can be subtle depending on how you drive but, trust me, everyone does it).
The comfort of the car is really great. The seats are very comfortable and have much more adjustability than my previous vehicles. They have 2 memory seating positions, which is nice, especially for people like me that can never get the seat back to that same spot after someone moves it. The ride is smooth and cabin noise is okay - my Audi A4 I had before was definitely quieter but it was also more of a cruising car than this car, which is a little more sport-oriented. Don't get in the turbo and expect the luxuries of a vehicle meant for a quiet smooth (boring) ride. That's not the point of this vehicle.
The exterior design of this car is amazing in my opinion (and most other enthusiasts seeing as the 3 won 2020 world car design of the year at the WCAs).I have the Soul Red sedan with black wheels and a black lip on the spoiler. It looks great, the red is probably the best red on the market today and really highlights the curves on the car.
The bose sound system is awesome.
The tech is great. So many driver support and safety features make you feel comfortable driving. Love the heads up display, too.
Gripes:
The rear torsion beam instead of independent suspension. Mazda has done a really good job keeping the effects of this covered up (apparently they have something in the computer that does something to counter the negative effects of a torsion beam but I don't know the specifics) and 99% of the time you won't know but occasionally you'll hit a bump just the right way and the car takes a slightly funny bounce. It's not something that you have to correct, it just feels "off" in relation to the regular feel of the ride. Like I said driving 2+ hrs each day I don't experience this every day, maybe you won't even experience it every week, but it is something that happens.
It beeps at you a lot. The parking sensors are mainly what I'm talking about. If you pull into a parking spot and get close enough to anything that the sensors alert you and you park there, when you get back in and start up it will immediately beep at you to let you know you're close, even though you're in park.
The navigation is nice...if you don't live somewhere with constant traffic jams and road work. I'm sure this is the same for all manufacturer's navigation system but it doesn't have any real-time data. It doesn't know when there's a traffic jam, it doesn't know when there's road work that makes a route slower. This means you're just going to use google. The good news? It has wireless android auto and apple car play so it's still easy to use. It's just slightly annoying that you have a feature that doesn't work as well as you want it to and you end up using data on google maps. Like I said - this isn't necessarily a Mazda or Mazda3 problem but don't get this car with maps expecting to not use data anymore.
Rear seats are a little tight on leg room (not the worst I've been in by a long shot), but the they are still very nice, comfortable seats - more so than other small cars I've been in.
Overall, this is a fantastic vehicle. I have always wanted a WRX/STI, Civic Type R, Focus RS but I have lots of driving to do every day and...I'm not as young as I used to be and my taste has changed. I enjoy not having an extremely stiff ride, sub-par interiors/tech, and I like the more sedentary styling because I'm not 18 yrs old anymore. That being said this is a great middle ground between still wanting a sports car and a wanting a comfortable driver.
Select Buying Experience
Filters
to
Year(s)
$
$
Price
Edmunds' ratings are backed by 15+ years of pricing research done by our data scientistsHow are ratings determined?We analyze millions of data points to generate our ratings. We look at vehicle configuration, options, history, nearby transactions, market pricing and more — the ratings are up-to-date and relevant to your search area.
to
Mileage
to
MPG
* Delivery of any kind does not apply to Alaska and Hawaii. Contact the dealer for delivery details, restrictions and costs.