Joe5.0

I'm diggin Mazda's new design theme. The Mazda 6, RX8, and even the MPV all look pretty damn good. They all do what they are supposed to do if they are Mazda's: handle excellent. I really like the 5 door wagon, which is something I don't think I've ever said.

blader

I was EXTREMELY impressed with the MazdaSpeed Protege, with the turbo .. coming from my CL and my friend coming from his Suburban with a supercharged 454 pushin 500hp, we were both still impressed with the speed of the protege. that turbo kicks in and it just hauls. For the price, especially. My friend doesnt really want to drive around his Suburban as a daily driver anymore because it goes to shows and he wants to keep it looking nice, plus the blown big block only gets like 7 or 8 Miles to the gallon. At 500-600 dollars a month in gas for the suburban, he can afford this car just on the gas he'll save. We worked the numbers with the guy .. it came to 18,000 with the $2000 factory rebate and 500$ college student rebate .. 18,000$ for an awesome turbo car with a factory warranty! I think Mazda really has something going with this car.

GunMetaL CLSPiG

NicE, i Love the HatcH

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

red x's

heyitsme

3 sedan is a reat looking entry leve car

DIO 87 Prelude

i like the sedan a lot better than the 5-door. Also the engines are going to be a 140 ish and 170 ish hp engine variation. The interior is a real gem. You can see pictures at www.mazdausa.com.

My friend got to sit in all the cars at the tokyo autoshow. Lucky bastard.

heyitsme

wow, that has some nice features, leather, xenons, navigation, electronic brake distribution available on a compact, thats how it should be, thumbs up to mazda. the tan and black interior looks like a vw.

Red Nj-s

niceee shoudl sell very well

heyitsme

Python2121

right next to the stick they are just reminding you thats its a POS











hehe j/k id rock the hatch but i dont think it would be my first choice, id probably go w/ the vw

charliemike

I don't know how the materials feel, but I can't believe that interior is in the Mazda 3 and not a BMW-class vehicle.

heyitsme

Replacing the will-be-sadly-missed Protege5 late November here in Canada, the all-new Mazda3 Sport is probably the most exciting compact vehicle to arrive at our shores this year. After a brief stint in a GT trim today at Shannonville Motorsport Park (October 29/Belleville/Ontario), I walked away very very impressed indeed. All my expectations of the car had been thoroughly matched.

Not only does the Mazda3 Sport has the good looks exteriorly and interiorly, it is also constructed with the best quality plastic I have ever come across at its price range. Plus, it's made in JAPAN (sorry to say that I will gladly fork out an extra $800 I have such a choice with other Japanese brand makes)!! Even strikingly are the interior highlights that Mazda has injected into a car of this segment, details like fibre-optic flashes across the orange bar left and right of the central dial on the centre console as well as the blue gradually changing into orange tint of the gauges.

The Sport GT tested here is equipped with a 4-speed automatic transmission, A/C and moonroof as options. Consequently, the as-tested price was raised from $21,385 to $24,185. Standard features in the GT include: ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, power windows, power door locks, remote keyless entry, steering wheel mounted audio controls, leather steering wheel, heated mirrors, rear spoiler and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Although the rectangular box design of the auto tranny looks boxy, it suits the standard 2.3-litre 4-cylinder engine rather well with smooth shifts and quick responses to demands of the throttle. Quasi-manual shifting is permitted by moving the lever to the left, however the downward movement to upshift and upward to downshift is rather unintuitive. Glad to tell you that it will not upshift on its own when revs are exhausted. First gear will take you to a limiter of 7100 rpm and around 64 km/h, second will take you to around 120. At 100 km/h, the tach registered 2800 rpm. Power is more than adequate and should be quite plentiful if matched with a manual transmission. The smooth linear sound may not matched the silky pitch of a Honda Civic SiR, it is still pleasant no matter how hard one floors the throttle.

Steering is very rewarding as far as front-wheel driving goes, the feedback from the nice leather 3-spoke steering wheel is direct and communicative. Handling around wet tight corners is exceptional and inspires confidence the next time around. Tires on my test car are Goodyear's Eagle RS-A.

Seats in the GT are very supportive upfront and has sporty stitching to match its purposeful looks. Rear legroom is nothing to write home about but is adequate for a car of compact dimensions. There's plenty of usable room behind the rear seats. Placement of the hatchback's opener is at bumper level and as such is rather low for my taste. Something like what Volkswagen did to its Golf should be the standard of all hatches.

The Mazda3 is one big contribution to the motor world from Mazda. Period.

========

i'm interested to see the new mazdaspeed 3, hopefully it will have the juice to at least push into mid14's with the ms handling.

Chaptorial

Thats too small for me.

pimpscls

looks nice considering class and price

jtothees

My friend owns the sedan and i must say i was impressed. Love the new look.

Python2121

im not sure how i feel about that price though. for what your getting for $24 aren't you better off with a wrx?

heyitsme

24k canadian, starts at around 16k in the us.

bkknight369

fuckers put a navi in the mazda 3 but not a mazda 6

1SICKLEX

Tails look just like the old RX 300/new Corolla. This car rocks. 21-24k is Mazda 6 territory.

Python2121

thank you, that makes much more sence

Junkster

So I was walking through Park Meadows mall here in Denver, and in the corner of my eye, by one of the rarely used entrances, was a Mazda. I thought "hmm, that six has a different mug, I wonder what package that option is" and walked over. That's when I noticed that it was the 3. It actually looks better than the six design and seems more tight and well-designed.

Now, I was a big fan of the Protoge line, and people who have driven it in the last few years would agree that, though underpowered, it was a fun car to drive. I wonder if anyone here has driven the 3 yet?

Anyone seen it? Driven it? bought it?

Junkster, who saw the sedan model and not the hatchback.

captainjack

Haven't driven but I just read a review of the hatch in C&D. They're raving about it.

My friend has the Protoge MP3 and it handles like a go-kart. Unfortunately it's as harsh too.

bowersan

I test drove it a week after it came out.

For the price, its amazing. The interior is very well made for that class. Looks really good, wish all the lights werent orange though. The exterior is great; front looks amazing, tons of colour options, foglights, sporty grill, etc. Too bad about the rear.... not the nicest, but definately acceptable IMO.
Drive is nice. Sufficient power (very much like my '99 Integra) Only got to drive automatic. Tiptronic is a fun addition...

I think its award for best sedan under $35,000 in Canada was well deserved. As the article said, by no means is it a TSX.. but for $7,000 less... it sets a benchmark of its own.

J.

Junkster

okay, just saw the interior lights on mazda.com...
That orange all around is too much. I wish they would use the blue or at least not so much orange everywhere.

The car looks pretty well built, with the hatch being my fave.
Seems like the US market always gets jipped with their lack of hatchbacks.

Junkster, who thinks the price is pretty nice for those.

TSXforme

I just drove a fully loaded 5-speed M3 sedan the other day. I thought the power was adequate for the size of the car. The car’s frame is very rigid and the suspension aided in planting the car solidly to the road. It’s just a matter of time before the tuners get a hold of this platform and turn it into a rocket.

Would I get one? Probably not. I still feel that the car is a little too boy racer for my needs.

gilboman

the 160hp one?

TSXforme

yup...the 160hp one.

Dan Martin

I've seen a lot of them in my area and I must say I really like them. It's a lot smaller than I thought it was. I like the hatchback design a little better than the sedan but both are really nice little machines. All you really need in a car.

zircon

both sedan and hatchback are nice, the hatch being nicer IMO. great price too. they are going to absolutely kill sales of the high end Civic (SI-R?) with this thing - better lookming, better equipped, 3000 cheaper in Canada for fully loaded one, and its made in Japan instead of England. I think its front end is a bit too boy-racer also, with the gaudy fogs. I would have said hasta la vista has they put fogs or rear spoiler on the TSX - it cheapens the car IMO. (to each his own).

MattG42C

A friend of my brother just bought a Mazda3 after his Civic SI was stolen and stripped of all it's "SI" parts. Apparently he likes it a lot.

With all the Ford bashing that goes on here (at least by a few people), I'm surprised no one has pointed out that the Mazda3 shares the same platform with the Ford Focus and the new Volvo S40.

-Matt.
future (March?): TSX 6MT w/ Nav
current: 99 Ford SVT Contour

jcg878

Man did I initially read that wrong. I was thinking - the power of an M3 'sedan' is just adequate??

I haven't driven a Mazda3 but I was impressed with the Protege's handling. Sharing a platform with the Focus is not a bad thing, IMO.

Junkster

Actually, it WILL share a platform with the Focus. The chassis is the basis for the new upcoming euro-Focus, which has no date for arrival in the US, though it debuts in Europe next year.

It shares a ton of components with many of the Ford's worldwide companies. Supposedly, the safety features of the car were handled by Volvo, with Mazda only giving it's trannie and engine along with it's own skin.


Junkster, who saw the 'M3' and thought "Adequate?!?!"

zircon

Matt: bashing of Ford and Focus pertains to the outrageously bad build quality. The car design etc. are very Euro-esque, and the hot versino can kick the TSX. If Ford could build quality, they wouldn't be in the situation that they find themselves in now. Their former president was a puffball more interested in headlines and fluff than in quality cars and trucks.

MattG42C

Well, I would argue that while Honda, Acura, and other brands are undoubtedly of better quality than most Ford products (hence the reason for me wanting a TSX), they are also more expensive... so bottom line is you get what you pay for.

Having said that, I have 113K on my Contour SVT and the only non-regular maintenance item I've had to do is a wheel bearing. The reason I'm getting a TSX is primarily for the increase in luxury items and the much better depreciation (see above point,) the performance is roughly equivalent to my car.

Dan Martin

The funny thing is that people think they are getting a deal when they buy a Ford or an American car because they aren't buying a "fancy import". But really when you compare the total cost of ownership for a Ford vs a TSX you'd be surprised. I just went on Ford's web site and priced out a loaded Focus SVT which came up to $29,565CDN. Now if you compare that to the cost of a new TSX at $35,750 you'd think you're going to be saving about $6K by going with the Ford. Next I went to the leasing page and the Ford came out to $678/mo for 36mo with $0 down. And how much was the TSX? $593.95/mo for 36mo again with $0 down.

So I would have to pay an additional $3043 to drive a car that is $6000 cheaper! Talk about depreciation! You'd have to be crazy to go with that kind of a deal. You could actually lease a 2004 TL with Navi for $672.43 and save $200 over the term of the lease!

Dan Martin

Here's some screenshots from the Ford and Acura sites:

Focus equipment:


Focus lease (gotta love that 12.25% APR!):


And the TL info:

zircon

Final cost of car = initial cost + maintenance - selling price of used car. For my 99 Accord 5 speed with 60K miles, I sold it for $15,250 Can. My buddy sold his '98 Grand Prix (with 100K miles) for $6000 Can. at the same time. The cars started out with the same initial price, and he was looking at a head gasket while I changed 2 light bulbs in 4.5 years.

GM, Chrysler and Ford are seeing what all that depreciation costs when their leased vehicles come back with 40-60K miles, and they get 50% less in resale than a similar Accord or Camry. That is brutal.

Hope you can get a TSX Matt- they are great cars. Your Contour also sounded like a very fine car, as that is a lot of miles you have on it. Cheers.

MattG42C

zircon, Thanks... Right now the TSX is the only one on my list and I plan on going into Bloomington Acura in February to order either an Arctic Blue or Carbon Gray 6MT w/ Nav. It's really just a matter of how long I can hold out and use the no-car-payment money for other debts.

I drove the Mazda6 at their Rev-it-up thing back in the summer and while the track conditions were bad (think breaking up, gravelly parking lot,) it didn't quite have the handling feel I was after, not to mention that the TSX has many more features for the money.

-Matt.

tgrundke

I've been stuck for a while on what to do - TSX or not to TSX? Unfortunately, I think the TSX is a bit out of my price range at the moment. The Mazda3 has been really intriguing me, but the interior is too 'flashy' for my likes.

Surprisingly, Volkswagen is releasing a new version of the Jetta GLI this winter/spring with 18" wheels, recaro seats, 6-speed transmission, 1.8T motor, sport valences and springs and all that good stuff. Tipping in at around $22,000 it looks to be a very competititve package.

ALFA

And that is what the TSX should go for. The TSX, contrary to what most people on this forum beleive, is about 4k overpriced. There is not a real cost reason from Acura/Honda stand point that they can justify such a large difference to a four cylinder Accord with leather (about 22K street price). The TSX may have a few more features, but the Accord is bigger. And I bet you the cost difference in the engine in minimal, maybe a couple hundred, if that.