Hi everyone!
My wife and I have a baby on the way (due in a week!) and the Miata just won't do anymore. Its sun visor has the same sticker as every other car saying that the back seat is the safest place for children - okay! So I've gone and bought this, a 2.5L GT 6MT. First new car I've ever bought, and it's great having built-in nav, USB music, the little pop-up HUD... it's a life of luxury! Especially when you're used to a 2002 Miata. I'll keep the Miata as long as is practical.
That does mean that the Mazda3 feels only barely sporty to me. All the controls are heavily damped, the clutch is ridiculously light (but the pedal travel is longer than I'd like), throttle response is glacial. I'm struggling to heel-toe. I do like the steering though. I'd prefer more vibrations coming through, but the power steering is well implemented despite being electrically assisted. My previous two cars had manual steering and I can see what Mazda means when they claim to have tried to mimic its feel.
I came close to buying a GTI, but I felt it had less steering feel, its suspension took longer to settle into a turn (that surprised me), and the turbo lag was frustrating. It should've been sportier but wasn't, imo. And I just felt more at home in the Mazda. Despite it being very different from the Miata, it does feel like it shares something in how it's tuned.
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The RSX is my wife's. Not a great family car either, but better than the Miata! She'll probably stick with Honda and get the new Civic once they release the hatchback version. It's annoying but possible to get an infant into a 2-door. Definitely need four doors once they get bigger and need a rear-facing convertible seat in a year (or less).
As far as mods go, not sure that I'll really have a chance. I usually only do suspension mods, as on the Miata, but in the Mazda3 I'd like to hear the engine more. Intake/exhaust is tempting, and then an OV tune would naturally follow. Could help with throttle response? I do have an oil catch can I need to install, just to stave off carbon deposits (I'm nervous about that aspect of direct injection).
My wife and I have a baby on the way (due in a week!) and the Miata just won't do anymore. Its sun visor has the same sticker as every other car saying that the back seat is the safest place for children - okay! So I've gone and bought this, a 2.5L GT 6MT. First new car I've ever bought, and it's great having built-in nav, USB music, the little pop-up HUD... it's a life of luxury! Especially when you're used to a 2002 Miata. I'll keep the Miata as long as is practical.
That does mean that the Mazda3 feels only barely sporty to me. All the controls are heavily damped, the clutch is ridiculously light (but the pedal travel is longer than I'd like), throttle response is glacial. I'm struggling to heel-toe. I do like the steering though. I'd prefer more vibrations coming through, but the power steering is well implemented despite being electrically assisted. My previous two cars had manual steering and I can see what Mazda means when they claim to have tried to mimic its feel.
I came close to buying a GTI, but I felt it had less steering feel, its suspension took longer to settle into a turn (that surprised me), and the turbo lag was frustrating. It should've been sportier but wasn't, imo. And I just felt more at home in the Mazda. Despite it being very different from the Miata, it does feel like it shares something in how it's tuned.
The RSX is my wife's. Not a great family car either, but better than the Miata! She'll probably stick with Honda and get the new Civic once they release the hatchback version. It's annoying but possible to get an infant into a 2-door. Definitely need four doors once they get bigger and need a rear-facing convertible seat in a year (or less).
As far as mods go, not sure that I'll really have a chance. I usually only do suspension mods, as on the Miata, but in the Mazda3 I'd like to hear the engine more. Intake/exhaust is tempting, and then an OV tune would naturally follow. Could help with throttle response? I do have an oil catch can I need to install, just to stave off carbon deposits (I'm nervous about that aspect of direct injection).
