All-New 2019 Mazda3 Looks Sleek Inside And Out In Best Photos Yet

[Laconian]

Nah, it's still in their current brochures.

[12,000 RPM]

If Mazda dumps that 2.5 in a branded MPS 3 people will complain.  That is not a performance engine and from all the reviews I've read of it in the 6 its just kinda "eh".  Mazda definitely tested out this engine in the 3 at some point and was probably bored to tears and decided against it.  Mazda is very conservative about where its spending its resources and a performance engine that it can't dump in every application is probably not in the cards.  We should be thankful they updated the Miata's 2.0 but that car is literally the soul of Mazda so its a very special case.

I mean, if they can retune the Miata engine they can retune the 2.5T for an MS3. I suppose they are getting the volume they need from the CX-5, CX-9 and 6 but IMO they should put it in the 3 too.

Nah, it's still in their current brochures.

Yea one of their engineers just said it in a recent interview.

[12,000 RPM]

REALLY looking to see what's up with the mild hybrid powerplant and if it's coming to the 6 any time soon.

[MX793]

I mean, if they can retune the Miata engine they can retune the 2.5T for an MS3. I suppose they are getting the volume they need from the CX-5, CX-9 and 6 but IMO they should put it in the 3 too.
Yea one of their engineers just said it in a recent interview.

Depends on the extent of the re-tune.  Not sure what they changed on the Miata (cams, heads?).  If it was minimal changes to physical hardware, it may not have cost much.  With the turbo, you could be looking at a different turbocharger, heads, valves, cams, intercooler.  If the turbo is integrated into the exhaust manifold, then a new manifold.  Could add up pretty quick.

[Submariner]

It's "jinba ittai" now. Get with it!

I thought it was "Dogs love trucks!"

[Laconian]

I thought it was "Dogs love trucks!"

Nissan

[r0tor]

Nah, it's still in their current brochures.

It dates back to the NC mx5

[12,000 RPM]

Depends on the extent of the re-tune.  Not sure what they changed on the Miata (cams, heads?).  If it was minimal changes to physical hardware, it may not have cost much.  With the turbo, you could be looking at a different turbocharger, heads, valves, cams, intercooler.  If the turbo is integrated into the exhaust manifold, then a new manifold.  Could add up pretty quick.

I mean they need all those parts anyway. The cost increase would be incremental and mostly related to the R&D to do it. Bottom line if they have money to keep making the Miata, make a new turbo engine, and reinvent the combustion engine, I think they can find some change under the couch to hop up an existing engine. It really comes down to the will to do it, which they seem adamant to reject, which is a shame.

[MX793]

I mean they need all those parts anyway. The cost increase would be incremental and mostly related to the R&D to do it. Bottom line if they have money to keep making the Miata, make a new turbo engine, and reinvent the combustion engine, I think they can find some change under the couch to hop up an existing engine. It really comes down to the will to do it, which they seem adamant to reject, which is a shame.

Lower volume -> higher unit costs.

And had Mazda not had Fiat, or someone else, as a partner for the ND, I'm not sure there'd be an ND today.

[MX793]

It dates back to the NC mx5

Goes further back than that.  Mazda started the Zoom Zoom campaign in 2000.  Corresponded with the Protege facelift and release of the MP3 model, as I recall.

[r0tor]

Goes further back than that.  Mazda started the Zoom Zoom campaign in 2000.  Corresponded with the Protege facelift and release of the MP3 model, as I recall.

I was talking about jinba itai

The earliest I remember zoom zoom was the Protege 5

[FoMoJo]

It's "jinba ittai" now. Get with it!

So, horses again.  Where do the bows and arrows fit in?

[Laconian]

MAZDA Lane Assist(TM) drives the car for you while you line up your shot.

[cawimmer430]

Fun fact!

The new Mercedes W177 A-Class also features a rear torsion beam suspension on the lower end and midrange models. These are the A160, A180, A200, A220, A220 4Matic, A180d, A200d and A220d - basically the cars which driving enthusiasts (aka people who care about fun) wouldn't buy. 

Beginning with the A250 and A35 AMG, the rear wheels are managed by a multi-link suspension.

[Galaxy]

Sporty will be here any minute.

[cawimmer430]

Regarding the exterior, I think it looks great. Seems like a natural evolution based on Mazda's current design language and the influence one no doubt expects from their concept cars.


The visibility issue seems to be serious, though, especially when it comes to this:





Forget the electronic nannies and blind spot monitors which will no doubt work flawlessly. But as I am finding out with my new A-Class when making right-hand turns, seeing cyclists is a little difficult, particularly at night. I will need to check twice or thrice and slowly creep forward. Cyclists in my city tend to come out of nowhere and are very fast, so one always has to be alert. And they drive very aggressively and have the right of way. And despite the insane rules we have here regarding lights and helmets, many cyclists have no light and love to dress in black, so seeing them at night is difficult, even in areas that are well lit.

So, it's a little difficult seeing what's going on the rear right-hand side with the A-Class. On the new Mazda 3, the same situation would appear to be a total nightmare. One really has to be on the lookout and take it slow and steady. Safety first.


In the BMW, that extra rearward rounded Hoffmeister Kink gave the driver some excellent rear right-side vision when making right-hand turns.

[Xer0]

Pricing has just been released for this thing and its.....well its ambitious.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a26011657/2019-mazda-3-sedan-hatchback-pricing/

It loses the 2.0 and now comes standard with only the 2.5 starting @ 22K.  Ends at 31K for the AWD hatch in the top trim.  Only way to get a manual is in the hatch with FWD and it costs 28K which really begs the question; why not just buy a GTI or Veloster N for the same price?

This looks to be some 2K more expensive across the board vs the current 3 while having a, presumably, worst suspension.  Unless the interior is vastly better than the current model, or the AWD makes it that much better, kinda feels like Mazda jumped the shark with pricing.

[12,000 RPM]

"why not just buy a GTI or Veloster N for the same price?"

I think I asked a similar question elsewhere and someone said some bullshit like "for some it's not about performance, it's about the feel and connection"

Well to me the 3 had the exact amount of feel and connection as a Golf. Miata aside, Mazda's greatest strength seems to be its marketing.

[MX793]

I still need to drive a newer generation model.  The originals were fantastic drivers.

[BimmerM3]

Mazda's been slowly trying to position themselves as a "premium mainstream" or "affordable luxury" brand for awhile, but doing so with their cheapest model is a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for 'em. 

[2o6]

Entry costs for a manual hatchback is 27k.

That's more expensive than the Civic Si, and a lot of new manual small cars.


This car might end up flopping 

[BimmerM3]

The car might flop, but if it does, it won't have anything to do with manual transmissions. It's just not a big enough percentage of the market anymore, though I couldn't find MT vs AT numbers for the current 3 in a quick search.

Still seems odd to only offer it on the highest trim - probably an attempt to milk some extra money out of manual enthusiasts.

Isn't there some other car where the manual is only offered on the highest trim? Or maybe I'm thinking of this car and we just already knew that info.

[93JC]

Perhaps this is just a concession to American buyer preferences: they're not even going to bother offering manuals in the lower trims. I bet the take rate was quite low.

In Canada the pricing is pretty similar to what it was before, with the trims exactly as before: base GX, midlevel GS and top-of-the-line GT. GXs in both sedan and hatchback get the 2.0 L, the GS sedan gets the 2.0 L with the 2.5 as an option, and GS hatch and GTs get the 2.5 as standard equipment. The manual transmission is available in every trim except the sedan GT. When equipped with AWD they're automatic-only, no manual.

Poverty-spec GX sedan starts at $18,000, which is in line with the poverty-spec Civic DX @ $17,790 (even more poverty-spec Corolla CE starts at $16,790). GX hatch (2.0 L) is $21,300, but it's better equipped than the sedan. (Civic LX hatch is $22,090; Corolla hatch w/ manual is $20,980, CVT is a $1,000 option.) GS hatch (2.5 L) is $24,000 (Civic Sport is $25,790). GT hatch with manual is $28,400; Civic Sport Touring is $29,990. Civic Sport Touring w/ CVT is $31,290; Mazda 3 Sport (hatchback) GT with all the bells and whistles, including AWD, is $31,400.

So, at least in Canada, not much has changed pricing-wise and it's still pretty much in line with the competition.

EDIT: As a point of comparison the VW Golf is $22,500 to start, and tops out at $31,420 with an automatic and 147 hp 1.4 TSI; can't get the 1.8 anymore. A Golf GTI starts at $30,845 but comes with cloth seats, halogen headlights, manual seats, no 'safety' features like blindspot monitoring and adaptive cruise control... To get that stuff you have to step up a couple trim levels to a GTI 'Autobahn', which is $36,145; $37,545 with the DSG.

[12,000 RPM]

I respect the manual move. The manual whiners always complained about manuals being sold in  poverty spec

Overall though This starts at $22K with the 2.5. You know what else starts at 22K with the 2.5? The 6 What would you choose for the same money? Oh god I hope Mazda doesn't try to move the 6 upmarket.

[2o6]

Perhaps this is just a concession to American buyer preferences: they're not even going to bother offering manuals in the lower trims. I bet the take rate was quite low.

In Canada the pricing is pretty similar to what it was before, with the trims exactly as before: base GX, midlevel GS and top-of-the-line GT. GXs in both sedan and hatchback get the 2.0 L, the GS sedan gets the 2.0 L with the 2.5 as an option, and GS hatch and GTs get the 2.5 as standard equipment. The manual transmission is available in every trim except the sedan GT. When equipped with AWD they're automatic-only, no manual.

Poverty-spec GX sedan starts at $18,000, which is in line with the poverty-spec Civic DX @ $17,790 (even more poverty-spec Corolla CE starts at $16,790). GX hatch (2.0 L) is $21,300, but it's better equipped than the sedan. (Civic LX hatch is $22,090; Corolla hatch w/ manual is $20,980, CVT is a $1,000 option.) GS hatch (2.5 L) is $24,000 (Civic Sport is $25,790). GT hatch with manual is $28,400; Civic Sport Touring is $29,990. Civic Sport Touring w/ CVT is $31,290; Mazda 3 Sport (hatchback) GT with all the bells and whistles, including AWD, is $31,400.

So, at least in Canada, not much has changed pricing-wise and it's still pretty much in line with the competition.

EDIT: As a point of comparison the VW Golf is $22,500 to start, and tops out at $31,420 with an automatic and 147 hp 1.4 TSI; can't get the 1.8 anymore. A Golf GTI starts at $30,845 but comes with cloth seats, halogen headlights, manual seats, no 'safety' features like blindspot monitoring and adaptive cruise control... To get that stuff you have to step up a couple trim levels to a GTI 'Autobahn', which is $36,145; $37,545 with the DSG.

Where are you seeing Canadian pricing?

[BimmerM3]

Perhaps this is just a concession to American buyer preferences: they're not even going to bother offering manuals in the lower trims. I bet the take rate was quite low.

In Canada the pricing is pretty similar to what it was before, with the trims exactly as before: base GX, midlevel GS and top-of-the-line GT. GXs in both sedan and hatchback get the 2.0 L, the GS sedan gets the 2.0 L with the 2.5 as an option, and GS hatch and GTs get the 2.5 as standard equipment. The manual transmission is available in every trim except the sedan GT. When equipped with AWD they're automatic-only, no manual.

Poverty-spec GX sedan starts at $18,000, which is in line with the poverty-spec Civic DX @ $17,790 (even more poverty-spec Corolla CE starts at $16,790). GX hatch (2.0 L) is $21,300, but it's better equipped than the sedan. (Civic LX hatch is $22,090; Corolla hatch w/ manual is $20,980, CVT is a $1,000 option.) GS hatch (2.5 L) is $24,000 (Civic Sport is $25,790). GT hatch with manual is $28,400; Civic Sport Touring is $29,990. Civic Sport Touring w/ CVT is $31,290; Mazda 3 Sport (hatchback) GT with all the bells and whistles, including AWD, is $31,400.

So, at least in Canada, not much has changed pricing-wise and it's still pretty much in line with the competition.

EDIT: As a point of comparison the VW Golf is $22,500 to start, and tops out at $31,420 with an automatic and 147 hp 1.4 TSI; can't get the 1.8 anymore. A Golf GTI starts at $30,845 but comes with cloth seats, halogen headlights, manual seats, no 'safety' features like blindspot monitoring and adaptive cruise control... To get that stuff you have to step up a couple trim levels to a GTI 'Autobahn', which is $36,145; $37,545 with the DSG.

Are you looking at 2018 pricing? This is a screenshot of a brochure on Mazda Canada's website.



https://cdn.mazda.ca/common/cars/brochures/2019_mazda3_sport_specs_en.ts.1901171815350000.pdf?_ga=2.3620464.1358847905.1548288292-1248489051.1548288292

[2o6]

I don't understand why they'd cut the 2.0L entirely for the US. I'm pretty sure the take rate of a 2.0L manual was higher than the 2.5L as a whole....

[93JC]

Where are you seeing Canadian pricing?

Are you looking at 2018 pricing? This is a screenshot of a brochure on Mazda Canada's website.



https://cdn.mazda.ca/common/cars/brochures/2019_mazda3_sport_specs_en.ts.1901171815350000.pdf?_ga=2.3620464.1358847905.1548288292-1248489051.1548288292

That's the pricing for the 'Sport' (hatchback). This is for the sedan: https://cdn.mazda.ca/common/cars/brochures/2019_mazda3_sedan_specs_en.ts.1901171815550000.pdf

[2o6]

I wonder if they have supply issues with the 2.0L and it's too hard to make enough for the US

[BimmerM3]

That's the pricing for the 'Sport' (hatchback). This is for the sedan: https://cdn.mazda.ca/common/cars/brochures/2019_mazda3_sedan_specs_en.ts.1901171815550000.pdf

Ah, my bad. Thanks.