2011 MAZDA MAZDA3 Consumer Reviews

I started looking for a new car after my 1993 Toyota Trecel began having death pains. My other car is a 2003 Toyota Scion XA (hatchback). I tend to keep my cars until they die, so my next car would have to be one I would enjoy keeping for a long time. I was looking for something sporty that also gets good gas mileage, good safety features and not too expensive insurance wise. My budget was around 20K. I looked at and/or test drove several 2013 vehicles: MazdaSpeed3, Mazda 3i Touring and Grand Touring, Ford Focus, Dodge Dart, Ford Mustang, Nissan Juke, Honda Civic. Last summer I rented a Chevy Cruz. After comparing the features I wanted and price (I got several quotes from dealers) I settled on the Mazda 3i Touring 5-door with the Preferred Equipment Package (moon roof, Bose sound and blind spot monitoring) and 6 speed automatic transmission. The outside styling of the 3i has nice curves in the front, back and along the door panels - so it’s not boring to look at. The doors have a solid feel to them when opening and closing. When I drove it home from the dealer I went through a mud puddle. After stopping I noticed mud splattered all along the front and rear door – from top to bottom. If you travel on wet roads a lot, I suggest you install splash/mud guards. They are available on eBay for about $130, front and rear (part numbers: BCN7-V3-450/BGV4-V3-460). The paint is almost perfect; one little blemish on the hood, but hardly noticeable. The spoke wheels have a coating on them which makes them easy to keep clean. However the front grill has recessed geometric patterns which tend to collect dirt and bugs. I was interested in the fog lights, but one Mazda parts man said he had a complaint from a customer about how weak they were. The regular headlights seem sufficiently bright, so the fog lights would probably be more for looks than anything else. The window sticker gives an overall MPG rating of 32. I drove conservatively for 245 miles (50% highway) and used 8.65 gallons between fill ups - this equals 28.3 MPG. The onboard computer readout shows 30 MPG. Hopefully the fuel economy will increase as I get more data to compare, since the reviews I read said the sticker figure matches real world driving fuel economy. This past week, since my last fill up, the current MPG is 32.1 at an average speed of 30 MPH. The interior features are way beyond what my previous vehicles offered. If you are driving a newer vehicle or luxury model, my comments may enlist a ho-hum or “what’s so great” response. (Lucky you.) I’ll start with the seats. They are black cloth. The leather seats on the Grand Touring feel stiff and are cold in the winter, although there is an optional seat warmer. The leather wrapped steering wheel has a nice feel. The 3i seats are comfortable and contoured. The driver seat has a manual height adjustment. This feature, combined with the telescoping and adjustable steering column allow for a perfect fit for the driver. The view through the windshield is excellent. I found the front view on the Mustang a bit narrower. There is a hands free blue tooth connection for a smart phone, but I don’t use it. I really like the way the interior controls light up at night. Each control has lettering and a symbol which shows its function. During the day the control knob lettering is silver and at night the lettering is red. The red lettering against the black background and blue and white instrument lighting looks good. When the sound system volume is changed, there is thin blue highlight bar which modulates across the radio control panel. The control knobs turn smoothly and have a rubber grips on the edges. There is volume control on the steering wheel, but I use the knob just next to my right hand at 4:00 o’clock. The auto climate control knob is just below the volume control. These are the two controls I use the most and are placed just right. The variable-speed intermittent wipers are controlled by a ring next to the wiper control. There are five speeds to choose from. The Preferred Equipment package was worth it. I compared the sound between the standard 6 speakers with the Bose 10 speaker sound and the quality difference is noticeable. There is a concealed USB port under the center arm rest cover. I plug in my MP3 and play it through the Bose system. The concealed connections under the center arm rest make it possible to keep any device plugged in and out of sight. There are volume and track controls on the steering wheel which make it easy to flip through recordings. The other two added features are the power moon roof and blind spot monitoring system. The center door column behind the driver seat tends to limit the view and the smaller rear window cuts down on visibility as well. Therefore the BSM adds reassurance when changing lanes. A separate button makes it possible to turn the BSM off if it becomes annoying. I’ve been using the cruise control as much as possible, even around town, to see how it affects the MPG. The set buttons have a raised center which allow me to feel them so I don’t have to take my eye off the road. I’ve used cruise control on another vehicle and found the Mazda’s acceleration with cruise control to be pretty smooth. Once the cruise control refused to engage; I shook the linkage under the hood and so far no more problems. The glove compartment is large. It has two sections. The standard front section measures: H:3”, L:5”, W:11”. There is also an additional rear section which measures: H:3”, L:13”, W:11”. The door has an easy open mechanism and the handle is placed on the left side so the driver can easily open it. These kinds of details are part of the fun factor of the Mazda. (I know, I lead a boring life.) The rear trunk has an attached cover (which can be removed) and rises when the rear lift gate is opened. This is convenient for loading and when the gate is shut, everything in the trunk area is hidden. There is a small light on the side of the trunk area and removable panels for accessing the tail lights along with four tie down anchor points. The floor covering is carpet like. If you load dirty or wet things, the carpet would get dirty very quickly and I image hard to clean. I’d suggest getting the optional rubber floor mat for the trunk area. The auto climate control feature adjusts the fan speed and air direction depending on what the temperature is set to. The temperature can be set in increments of one degree which is displayed on the digital audio screen. It can be over ridden, but so far I just let it run on auto. The passenger side has its own climate control knob, so no more fighting over whether it is too hot or cold. There in an “information screen” that displays warning messages: open door, trunk open, check tire pressure and others. The outside temperature, tire rotation, service reminder are displayed on this screen as well. It displays the current fuel economy along with the total fuel economy and average speed. This later read out can be reset. However, the tire pressure warning message does not display which tire is low. The “loose fuel cap” warning light did not come on even after I loosened it and drove the car around the block. The service manger said the computer has to cycle several times before the loose cap will be detected and activate the warning light. One small irritation is the gray screen background color. The audio screen next to the information screen has a blue background color. If both background colors matched, this would feel more natural. This is the first car I’ve owned which is “keyless.” There is no need to even take the key out of my pocket to open, lock or start the car – very convenient. Both front doors and the rear lift gate have push buttons which are used to open and lock the doors. No need to worry about locking the key in the car either. The outside door lock will not lock when the transmitter is left in the car. If the battery on the transmitter goes dead, the key fob has a built-in traditional key which can be used to open and start the car. (Don’t turn the key after inserting it, just push the start button.) This trim does not have an alarm system, but it does have an engine immobilizer feature which prevents the car from starting without the keyless transmitter present. The owner’s manual is very complete and easy to understand. It’s as thick as a 300 page novel. At first the driver auto down window button would not work. I read the manual and it explained how to reset it. One of the main reasons I choose the Mazda over the other vehicles is the way it handles. It has plenty of horsepower for me. It accelerates well at freeway speeds. Now I don’t have to always slow down when merging; instead, I can pull ahead of the car to my left. It holds the corners very well with very little sway. The 6 speed automatic transmission shifts very smooth. There is an option to manually shift as well. I haven’t used it much. I assume it would be a handy feature for going down steep hills or helpful to get extra traction in the snow. The ride is quiet, compared to what I’m accustomed to. The four wheel disk brakes make stopping very even and sure. Under the hood the windshield wiper bottle is easy to reach. The battery has a cover on it. The oil dipstick is in the center of the engine compartment right next to the oil cap and very easy to reach. There is no transmission dip stick, only a warning light to indicate if the fluid is low. Overall, after one month, I am very satisfied with the vehicle. I just hope I can say this 20 years from now. I always thought the Mazda “zoom-zoom” ads were just marketing hype, but now I understand what they are talking about from the inside out.