[clutch cargo]

It was really really wonderful. It felt like a much more expensive car. Can I ask a stupid question...."What is it with this car? How can it be so cool to drive? Is it just Mazda R and D? i have owned a BMW,911sc,Audi....vw,volvo....This was very,very nice....This is going to sell like hot cakes........
One car magazine states not much difference between the 2.0 and the 2.5.......what are your thoughts?
But really the car was very exciting to drive (as I will get an auto....( washington d.c. traffic) . People were saying a poor man's BMW.....has Mazda always been this good.......how come?
what are your thoughts......or sorry could you fill or clue me in......as I have been remiss in my opinions
thanks a bunch ....Clutch

 

[IronLion]

Hey what dealer are you looking at? I did my test drive at Rosenthal Mazda.

The car, I agree, feels great. I would appreciate less road noise but don't mind it much with the renewed road feel I have compared to my ES350 on which the lease is ending this month. Mazda obviously puts a premium on handling which makes the 3 a great drive, I'd love to try a Speed 3 sometime but I wanted better fuel economy so am going for a 2010 automatic transmission 3 as well.

I don't know about the difference in engine sizes, I'm getting the hatch so I can only get the 2.5. This is my first experience with Mazda as well and my test drive certainly left a good impression as well, I just hope dealers in our area have good service departments.

 

[bipbip2fast4u]

I don't have the chance to drive a 2010 yet but for the first gen I can make comparisons. Take a 1st gen 3 and compare it with a focus which has the same body... the differences are really noticable, the 3 is much more fun to drive and so more.

I can tell you that Mazda has always offered good cars but since the 3 the zoom-zoom spirit is really great. We have the chance to have cars from a small company which is able to offer great cars with a little something more then others.

Poor man's BMW I don't know but CLEVER man's bmw surely, now you've tested 1 you can understand why... LOL

 

[jclin4]

I test drove a 2.5 GT 6-speed manual sedan this weekend as well. We own a Mazda5 and are very pleased with it; so pleased that we are thinking of getting another Mazda. I've been excited about the 2010 ever since it became available.

The 2010 Mazda3 left me with good impressions...but it did not 'wow' me. Certainly it handles very well and comes available with a ton of features at a good price. It did not seem very quiet to me and the shifting wasn't as smooth as I thought it would be. The position of the shift knob seemed too close to me. This is a smaller car than the 5-speed manual I currently drive -- Passat wagon, so it might be a matter of getting used to the smaller dimensions. The clutch in the Mazda worked better than my Passat. The steering is precise, but the weighting was lighter than I like, again maybe a matter of getting accustomed to it.

I'm probably being too picky, but feel it is a very good car, but not great...at least that is the impression I got after a very brief test drive.

The sales people at this dealer in CT were not desparate to deal and apparently some sedans had sold recently. No doubt these cars will move and we'll be seeing more of them on the street. Not sure at this point if I will be driving one of them.

 

[IronLion]

I agree it didn't "wow" me either, but I don't think any car I would buy in this price range would do that either, unless I were to look at a Mazdaspeed or similar that would probably "wow" me due to its engine, but cars like the Speed 3 are out of the running for me for a variety of reasons I will not get into. Bottom line for me was I couldn't find much of anything to criticize about the new 3, which given my expectations within this price segment was enough for me to decide to get one.

 

[clutch cargo]

I went to Brown's Mazda in Chantilly Va. Nice sales people...low pressure....new dealership.i also went to Rosenthal in Tyson's Corner Va. It's only a short walk from my house......They are trying to move as many 09's as possible....I really liked the new 2010's...around here I need an auto 2.0....tired of shifting my TDI....felt like a quality car,fun to drive,nice and compact. They said the new 3's are hurting the sales of the new 6's...........

 

[gsjr03]

Small world

Hey what dealer are you looking at? I did my test drive at Rosenthal Mazda.

The car, I agree, feels great. I would appreciate less road noise but don't mind it much with the renewed road feel I have compared to my ES350 on which the lease is ending this month. Mazda obviously puts a premium on handling which makes the 3 a great drive, I'd love to try a Speed 3 sometime but I wanted better fuel economy so am going for a 2010 automatic transmission 3 as well.

I don't know about the difference in engine sizes, I'm getting the hatch so I can only get the 2.5. This is my first experience with Mazda as well and my test drive certainly left a good impression as well, I just hope dealers in our area have good service departments.

I am from the area as well. I bought mine at Brown's Chantilly Mazda off of rt 50.

 

[IronLion]

Does either of you by any chance have a graphite mica 5dr hatch and take the E St expressway into DC each morning from Roosevelt bridge? I see a 2010 Mazda 3 hatchback driving along there sometimes and its right in front of my apt.

 

[ender78]

My dealer and I both squealed the tires a bit. Going from a 97 Civic, its weird to see a car where the gas pedal has a relationship to throttle. 0-60 [KM/h] comes in no time.

 

[Menion]

First post for me, hello.

Posting here since I test drove a M3 5-door at Browns in Chantilly as well. Test drove a Honda Fit in Leesburg also in comparison. My requirements were:

Need something with good MPG. Needs to be decent looking, fun to drive. Hatchback a huge plus. Around 20k. Would like automatic, for driving on the Dulles Toll Parking Lot Road. Current car is a Corolla stick and my leg (and multiple clutch replacement) hates the drive... but since I may move out west within a few years I could bear with it.

The M3. 5 door automatic. Tested with moonroof. They didnt have one with tech package (in Sport).
- Would have liked to have a USB port. (I have a pda phone that can go into storage mode, in that mode it can charge from USB)
- Just love the interior. Every bit of it. From the cloth to the plastic, everything feels like its high quality.
- The cargo area felt a bit cramped compared to the Fit. I'll be needing to stick the dog back there every now and then to take to the vet. But she's medium size, should be ok with the cover off.
- Zoom zoom. Now I know what it means. All I can say is wow.

The Fit with nav
- Cheaper than the M3. I don't get all the reviewers that say the Fit is expensive for the class. I'd like to see them find a 5-door with bluethooth and navigation for under 19k.
- Slow acceleration. Slow passing.
- Holy cheapness Batman. The cloth on the seats seriously felt like it was several years old. It goes from a nicer firm cloth to some smooth junk that just feels old. The plastic everywhere feels cheap. Hated the AC knobs.
- Navigation. Moving around, selecting items and the look of it all feel dated. The system looks and feels to have been designed 2-3 years ago.
- Excellent cargo room. Feels to have more room in the backseat than the M3.

Both:
- Felt every road bump in both cars. I guess that's just something to expect in a small car. Course my Corolla is no better.

So the Fit is off my list. I wanted to try a Honda Insight, but they didn't have any in stock - sold the last one that day. Its over my budget anyhow but I'd still like to test drive one.

Both dealers the salesmen asked for my information (several times at Mazda). I firmly told them I'm test driving a lot of cars, and don't want 10-15 people all calling me. I told them I'd contact the dealer if I decide to buy, and took their card. I'm not in a rush so once I find the car I want at multiple dealers in the NoVa area, I'll be doing an email negotiation (would rather get it in writing, phone is fine I guess) asking for their best price. Whoever has the lowest I buy from. Hopefully that will be Brown in Chantilly, its close to me. Good thing is that a search right now is turning up with a ton of these cars in the area = buyers market.

Anyway if anyone is reading these and wanting to compare the M3 to the Fit - don't bother. The Fit may get great gas mileage, but literally everything about the car is cheap. I'd buy it for a teenager however. They sure won't be getting speeding tickets in it, and it would be a great college car.

 

[ntechnic]

We also test drove the Fit. And the Matrix. And the Scion xD, and...

And we bought the Mazda. I don't know, sometimes car companies just nail it. It's a magic combination of engineering and marketing and design.

By the way, you can charge any USB port phone with a generic 12v car adapter. They make them in both mini and micro USB and sell for about $8 on the 'Net. I keep one of each in both cars, so I can charge our phones and have both types in case an associate needs to charge on the way to a meeting or something.

 

[Menion]

Yeah, I have a USB car adapter for an old Dell Axim. Unfortunately my phone (Verizon Omnia i910) won't charge from it, donno why. Both my wifes car and the Fit have a usb port that can power the phone when I put it in storage mode. In order to charge my phone I have to put a special adapter on the omnia, then put the car charger on. Minor inconvenience. With my wifes car I plug it in to play mp3s and it charges over the same cable. I can't wait to see how streaming mp3s over bluetooth works.

Btw, I read your page on breaking in a new car. Glad I saw that, will be putting that to use once I buy. Thanks!

 

[ntechnic]

Oh, bummer on the phone. Don't you hate non-standard electronic stuff?

 

[mkaresh]

Replying to some earlier posts...

The Insight is extremely cheap inside, the seats are terribly uncomfortable, the engine sounds like it's about to self-destruct, and the driving experience is thoroughly awful. Anyone who cares about any of these things won't buy one.

The current Matrix also seemed very cheap to me, and the doors sounds tinny when closed. Driving position has always been odd in these.

New Mazda3 struck me as less fun but more refined than I expected. Much better than the other cars mentioned. Dealer only had automatics. A stick is no doubt more fun. I currently own a 2003 Protege5. IMHO more fun, with a more agile feel, but a very rough, noisy car.

 

[Menion]

I still need to test drive a M3 stick. But with it going to be in traffic most of the time, I'm still most likely (99% chance) getting an automatic. The stick would really have to wow me.

On a related note, has anyone with the auto used the manual mode? I forgot to try that on my test drive. Hopefully that brings some fun into it on the rare times I get the car into the hills.

 

[clutch cargo]

well I drove the 2.5 and the 2.0 auto. The 2.5 was more fun to drive...the colors I like are white and silver...I think this car is going to sell like hot cakes....I have read four magazines about this car and they all were very positive...the grinning carp front end is much better in person.... first I did not like it from the magazine pictures but now I think it's great.....just some random thoughts....wonder if there could be a july 4th sale....nationwide...

 

[josh]

Mazda has been having a tough time selling (as have other manufacturers) lately so I don't doubt a July 4th sale is in the works. Mazda almost always goes for financing incentives though so expect to see 0% for 3-5 years before, say, $5000 off MSRP. If your credit/co-signer's credit is up to spec there are some crazy deals to be had!

 

[ntechnic]

On a related note, has anyone with the auto used the manual mode?

Yes, all the time. I went for a long drive (90 minutes) in the mountains last weekend--lots of tight twisty stuff--and it works very well.

In my Dodge, it's left and right, but the Mazda is a very natural forward downshift, rearward upshift motion. Shifts are quick and firm, just a nudge and you're in the gear you want.

Made the drive much more fun. I miss a manual, my Dodge is my first automatic for myself in over 20 years. But there are no 450 hp sport wagons with a manual to choose from. That and my 8 left knee surgeries made the auto a no brainer.

I've come to like these manu-matics. The only thing that would make it better would be steering wheel paddles. I've driven with those and they are perfect.

You'll like the manual shift. I use it a lot, for corners, down hills, freeway onramps, any time I want control.

 

[marsdog]

On a related note, has anyone with the auto used the manual mode? I forgot to try that on my test drive. Hopefully that brings some fun into it on the rare times I get the car into the hills.

I second that emotion! I use it alot. In the twisties, and even on the freeway. I say freeway, because if I'm cruising along and suddenly need to pass a slowpoke, a quick downshift blasts right by. I have to admit the "forward" for the downshift, and "backward" for upshift to me at first felt a bit counter intuative. Also, if you're used to a manual, you soon learn to delay your shifting a tiny bit, meaning that with this mode the moment you shift you've engaged the power from the tranny, with a manual you shift a bit earlier then deliver power via the clutch pedal. I soon got very used to all of it and it's great. The best part is, if I'm feeling not so energetic, or traffic is stop and go, I just slip it into full Auto mode!