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

Started by cawimmer430, November 13, 2018, 05:16:48 PM

2o6

I've driven literally all of them except the latest one, and they've always been pretty fun to drive, but I don't think it's ever been second coming of Jesus that people make it out to be.

HurricaneSteve

#511
This might be the wrong thread for it but I bought one of the last remaining 2018 models with a manual over the weekend. I didn't check out the 2019 but I've heard there have been some teething issues and I wasn't interested in paying 28K for the manual.

Pros:

- Steering was better than expected. I still have the previous generation with the hydraulic steering which still feels better but I liked it better than both the Civic and Golf I test drove. Not as good as the Fiesta ST but good enough.
- Ride and interior are quite nice. No rattles and seats feel good and of high quality.
- Refinement is improved over the previous gen. Engine noise is pretty subdued.
- Handling is still excellent for a mainstream car.
- Shifter and clutch combo makes for easy driving in the city.
- 2.5 liter has pretty decent pull.
- Hill assist is nice on SF hills.

Cons:
- Road noise. Better than my 2010 but still noticeable especially on rougher patches on the highway. Not unbearably so but does take away from the otherwise premium feel a bit.
- Clutch engagement point is different from what I'm used to (towards the end of travel) which makes the car feel a bit sluggish off the line in 1st gear. Will likely just take some getting used to but definitely different from the Miata and even the 2.
- Shifter feel isn't as good as my other/previous cars. Much lighter but does make for easier city driving.
- Feels way bigger than the 2 and will also take sone getting used to. Will miss the ease of parking.

The goal is to hold onto the car for 5-10 years so after doing my research I felt like this was the way to go. I liked the Civic hatchback but had concerns about the long term reliability of the turbo plus it was more expensive. Given my shorter legs I couldn't get comfortable in the Golf and also had questions about its reliability but felt pretty good otherwise. And my wife hated the lack of comfort and space in the 2 so that eliminated the Fiesta ST so here I am with another 3.

12,000 RPM

Given your wants and needs, I think you made the right call. Congrats! 2.5 probably addresses most of the complaints I had about the 2.0 6AT rental I had a few years ago. Plus with it being at the end of its life they should have it all sorted.
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

Xer0

Sounds like going with a leftover 2018 was the right choice.  Motortrend just ranked the new 3 last behind the new Corolla and old Civic.  Considering space was at a premium the new 3 is just not a good choice:

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/honda/civic/2019/2019-honda-civic-2020-toyota-corolla-2019-mazda3-comparison-test/


12,000 RPM

What I've been saying for years. With the Golf moving to the lumpy wheezy 1.4T, the Civic is the king of the roost... if you can look at it

11th gen is due soon; hopefully they transplant the (relatively) gorgeous Insight's design over and smooth it out.
Protecctor of the Atmospheric Engine #TheyLiedToUs

HurricaneSteve

Thanks! Yeah I could see how the 2.0L might not feel impressive for spirited driving. Day to day it's fine IMHO but if you want to wring it out not so much. I've seen the 2.5L AT tested as low as 6.9 for 0-60. Manual version is slower but I didn't buy it for stoplight racing. And the end of life did factor into it as well--any bugs that were present at the beginning should have been worked out by now.

Quote from: 12,000 RPM on August 05, 2019, 01:11:16 PM
Given your wants and needs, I think you made the right call. Congrats! 2.5 probably addresses most of the complaints I had about the 2.0 6AT rental I had a few years ago. Plus with it being at the end of its life they should have it all sorted.

HurricaneSteve

#516
The article does seem a bit biased. They mentioned tire noise for both the Civic and Corolla but nothing for the 3's sound and ride which according to virtually every other publication, including CR, is very quiet and rides well. They also refer to the Corolla's suspension as "OK" and not as fun to drive as the Civic but don't definitively say if it's better than the 3's. The overall tone of the article made it seem like they wanted the Civic to win and Corolla to take second place (while downplaying their demerits) and give any praise towards the 3 as faintly as possible. When even European magazines like the new 3 and this by far is the most negative one I've seen of it, I have to question how fair of a comparison this was to begin with.

But to be fair I did not actually drive the new 3 so I'm just going off of what I've read.

Quote from: Xer0 on August 05, 2019, 01:16:55 PM
Sounds like going with a leftover 2018 was the right choice.  Motortrend just ranked the new 3 last behind the new Corolla and old Civic.  Considering space was at a premium the new 3 is just not a good choice:

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/honda/civic/2019/2019-honda-civic-2020-toyota-corolla-2019-mazda3-comparison-test/



HurricaneSteve

These aren't actually my car but it's from the same dealership and looks identical. Keeping the car garaged until I can get a clear bra put on. For a 2014 design it still looks pretty good IMHO.




FoMoJo

Great looking car.  I beginning to think that white is the best colour. 
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

HurricaneSteve

I agree. The more I see it the more I'm impressed with the design. When it first came out I was dead set on a darker color like the Deep Crystal Blue but it's close enough to black where leaving it outdoors most of the time would result in a lot of visible scratches. White looks pretty classy and under the radar.

Quote from: FoMoJo on August 06, 2019, 09:40:42 AM
Great looking car.  I beginning to think that white is the best colour. 

HurricaneSteve

The C&D comparo is out: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparison-test/a28659477/2019-mazda-3-vs-honda-civic-toyota-corolla-vw-golf-hyundai-elantra/

And the specs sheet: https://hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/files/2019-mazda3-civic-elantra-corolla-golf-scoring-complete-specs-1565370963.pdf

The best performing car (Elantra GT) finishes third and the most luxurious (3) takes second. The only car that seemed to stink it up was the Corolla but by C&D's scoring the top 4 cars aren't that far apart. Similar to the MT test, it seems like they had their favorite(s) and determined the winner as such.