[Desidarius]

I'm going to be buying a new 3 at the end of the summer. At first I was set on the i Sport, but am now considering the i Touring. I like that it has the aluminum wheels, my previous 3 had steel wheels/hub caps and found it to be quite ugly compared to real wheels. They even scraped on a few berms and got all scratched and stained. But the aluminum wheels seemed to be the only significant difference in the models. There are other features:

-Dual-zone automatic climate control
-Mazda Advanced Keyless Entry and Start System
-Push button start
-6-speaker audio system
-Bluetooth® hands-free phone and audio capability‡‡
-Rear-seat center armrest with cup holders
-Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob

I don't even know what dual-zone climate control really is, so odds are I won't need it. I don't care about the push-button start and I doubt you can have the 6-speed manual with remote start. I never talk on the phone while driving, even with bluetooth, and cup holders and leather don't interest me. The only other feature I'd enjoy would be the bigger speaker system, but is it that much of an improvement?

Are the nice wheels and speaker system worth the extra $? Does it add to the resale value? Will the prices of the Sport and Touring models not be much different later this year? I was hoping that when they're trying to sell the last of the 2013 models that the Sport and Touring will be selling for about the same, or at least closer in price than what they are now (at my local dealer, about a $1,200 difference).

 

[finaldrive]

Guess your talking about sedan hatch comes standard with alloy wheels. Bose speakers can be an add on but cost 2,000 more. Bluetooth comes standard too (correct me if I'm wrong) and don't worry its not just for calling you can stream your music from your phone too

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[swerv0428]

The options are nice. Trust me the push button start is nice. No fumbling for keys anymore. I though I'd never like it. Well I love it. Dual zone climate means you and your passenger can adjust the ac temp for their own side.
Do you plan on getting new rims? If so buy the hubs. If you plan on keeping the factory wheels I'd say get the touring.

And yes having more options will help the resale a little.

Of course you can have the 6 speed with the push button. The speeds come with it.

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[3i2011]

The leather steering wheel is niiiice. And 6speakers would be nice. But I could swap steering wheels and get a kickass sound system for under $1k

 

[mcmoose]

Another factor to consider is color. My iTour is Indigo Lights Mica with Dune interior, neither of which is available on the iSport... ditto for Velocity Red and Graphic Mica. But if you're happy with one of the four iSport colors and black interior, you're down to the features you mentioned.

As a previous owner of a Protege DX, I never thought I'd care for push-button start... but after a month, I'm hooked.

Good luck!

mcmoose

 

[11hatch]

The push start is the best part about the touring IMO. No more fussy keys to worry about, just get in hold the brake pedal and voila !. I love this feature in my GT. The Bluetooth option also gets a lot if use from phone calls to streaming music from my smart phone. Leather seats + steering wheels are a bug plus as it just makes the interior look stylish and sophisticated.
Bose system is off the HOOK !
Automatic driver seat is also a great option on the touring.
All in all, I am definitely glad that I decided to spend the extra $$$. Money well spent. Up to you to decide if its worth it.

 

[My spoon is too big]

Yes


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[byrdman77]

The options are nice. Trust me the push button start is nice. No fumbling for keys anymore. I though I'd never like it. Well I love it. Dual zone climate means you and your passenger can adjust the ac temp for their own side.
Do you plan on getting new rims? If so buy the hubs. If you plan on keeping the factory wheels I'd say get the touring.

And yes having more options will help the resale a little.

Of course you can have the 6 speed with the push button. The speeds come with it.

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That is odd... Can you elaborate on how to get it? It specifically says on the accessories that the remote start is for automatic only (I would have gotten the remote start, though maybe this was changed for 2013 like the dual zone climate control = sadness.) Looking at it a bit more it seems like this is the case, that it changed now that they have added push button start. If there is a way around that I'd love to know though.

To the OP I believe the 2012's only the touring had cruise control. As I see the sport has it now and you don't really want the other options then I don't see much of a reason to spend the money. Be absolutely 100% certain though, I certainly enjoy the bluetooth for calls and streaming music but depends on your needs.

 

[swerv0428]

I did not say remote start now did I?!? I said push button. As in push button start. :thumbup:

The op said he doubted you could get push button start on a six speed. Please re-read the thread.

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[kmac_321]

For me in my personal opinion... I would say "Why go for bronze when you could go Gold?"

 

[timeasterday]

I love the pushbutton start and keyless entry, especially for my hatch when I have a load of groceries and I need to pop open the back. It wasn't easy at first to get used to not using a key but now I love it. The Bose system is OK - I am not that impressed with the overall sound quality and there's not much control except the typical bass, treble and fader. Would love to have seen an equalizer function on the touchscreen. I don't have a leather-wrapped shift knob but don't really care about that. The leather seats are nice but I got waterproof covers for the front seats because my wife & I are runners and we often come back to the car soaked in sweat after running at a park or trail.

Overall I'm pretty happy with the iGT and don't regret getting it one bit.

 

[anto]

I've had the iTouring for close to 18k miles now, get the Sport with push button / other features. 2013 is the only year they offered it on the sky with all the other features IIRC. It's totally worth it.

 

[Crissa]

Push button start may seem silly, but OMG it's like being in the future. Blind Spot Monitoring is similar, it's like having someone in the car. The former I wanted for the coolness, the latter I got on accident and I don't think I'd want another car without it.

I don't actually like the steering wheel, but it's because the buttons are in a weird place, the wrapping is nice.

-Crissa

 

[byrdman77]

I did not say remote start now did I?!? I said push button. As in push button start. :thumbup:

The op said he doubted you could get push button start on a six speed. Please re-read the thread.

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Whoops, mis-read. I know there's a way to do it (a neutral lock-out or something with the e-brake), I just mazda would make an oem as I'm not feelin the expensive viper stuff at this time. That being said he said "I don't care about the push-button start and I doubt you can have the 6-speed manual with remote start" ..He clearly knew about the push-button start being on there and doubted about the remote start.

.. Maybe you should re-read the thread I'm already re-reading

 

[swerv0428]

Whoops, mis-read. I know there's a way to do it (a neutral lock-out or something with the e-brake), I just mazda would make an oem as I'm not feelin the expensive viper stuff at this time. That being said he said "I don't care about the push-button start and I doubt you can have the 6-speed manual with remote start" ..He clearly knew about the push-button start being on there and doubted about the remote start.

.. Maybe you should re-read the thread I'm already re-reading

@byrdman77 Dam ya got me. Lol. :thumbup::thumbup:

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[SneakyPete]

IMHO, there's no point in getting the iTouring if the only thing you really want is the wheels from the iTouring. I would just get the iSport and buy the wheels separately. Not sure if bluetooth is standard for all mazda 3's now or if it's only available on the iTouring, but it is a useful feature, but not totally necessary if you don't talk on the phone a lot.

 

[stevar]

For me in my personal opinion... I would say "Why go for bronze when you could go Gold?"

For me it's...*looks in wallet*.

 

[Mikes85]

The 13 Sport comes with more options than my 12 touring, it really pisses me off too cause price is the same for the 13 Touring as the 12 but has more of the 12 GT options. GRRRRRRRRR

Anyway, yes i think it's worth it for the wheels and other included options. Remember sticker price is always negotiable if they want to make the sale. My sticker was 20,550 or so and i got it for 17,900. And there's guys on here that have gotten much more off. Don't just shop based on sticker price, see what options you want, then haggle pricing. You might be surprised how much they will discount a car to make a sale. Especially with the 2014 redesign coming. The closer you wait to the 2014 launch the more they'll discount the 13 models.....Cause you can't sell a 13 with 14's on the lot.

 

[kmac_321]

For me it's...*looks in wallet*.

LOL that's true :beerchug 1:

 

[byrdman77]

The 13 Sport comes with more options than my 12 touring, it really pisses me off too cause price is the same for the 13 Touring as the 12 but has more of the 12 GT options. GRRRRRRRRR

Anyway, yes i think it's worth it for the wheels and other included options. Remember sticker price is always negotiable if they want to make the sale. My sticker was 20,550 or so and i got it for 17,900. And there's guys on here that have gotten much more off. Don't just shop based on sticker price, see what options you want, then haggle pricing. You might be surprised how much they will discount a car to make a sale. Especially with the 2014 redesign coming. The closer you wait to the 2014 launch the more they'll discount the 13 models.....Cause you can't sell a 13 with 14's on the lot.

Our only saving grace is that our sky blue paint is '12 only I believe, which I particular enjoy with the rarer combo with the 6 MT:cheesy: