2016 Mazda 3 ... Who has one?

[foghorn67]

I'm telling you, the clip that holds the bulb in on my 2006 was designed by satan himself. And there is just enough room to get two fingers in there to try and clip the new bulb back in place. If you miss a couple of times your hands are bloody and fingers become almost too sore to continue. Terrible design. I told myself I would check out the normal maintenance items before buying a new car, so I am trying to find out what is better/worse this time around.

I have to remove my car's front fascia and plastic debris pusher underneath the car to replace my headlight bulbs. About 27 fasteners and it's off. 90 minutes to replace headlight bulbs. Thank you, CAFE.

 

[ControlD]

Maybe every new car is difficult to do basic maintenance on. I haven't bought a new car since 2006 so maybe that is the norm as opposed to the exception.

I did test drive a Focus ST last night. Was pretty fun actually and is now on my contender's list. I was always a Ford guy growing up (my father worked for Ford) but I never had much luck with them. I could get a pretty sweet discount on a ST as well. The only real bummer is that it comes with summer tires. I am hoping to get to a Mazda dealership this weekend as well.

 

[MongGrel]

Still have a 2006 Mazda 3 hatch with the 2.3 and a 5 speed auto, the AC being somewhat weak was one of the only things I never cared for in the car at all myself, also.

 

[Topweasel]

Maybe every new car is difficult to do basic maintenance on. I haven't bought a new car since 2006 so maybe that is the norm as opposed to the exception.

I did test drive a Focus ST last night. Was pretty fun actually and is now on my contender's list. I was always a Ford guy growing up (my father worked for Ford) but I never had much luck with them. I could get a pretty sweet discount on a ST as well. The only real bummer is that it comes with summer tires. I am hoping to get to a Mazda dealership this weekend as well.

The ST3 version of the ST starting 15 has an optional All season tire. Since it was a last second transfer I didn't a chance to review everything about it and didn't even realize they were available. But in the end it saved me $1200 this winter (might still get snow tires for next winter) and they weren't bad.

 

[ControlD]

The ST3 version of the ST starting 15 has an optional All season tire. Since it was a last second transfer I didn't a chance to review everything about it and didn't even realize they were available. But in the end it saved me $1200 this winter (might still get snow tires for next winter) and they weren't bad.

One would think dealerships in Ohio might actually consider getting a few models in with the all-weather tires. Good to know it's an option.

How do you like the car?

 

[Topweasel]

One would think dealerships in Ohio might actually consider getting a few models in with the all-weather tires. Good to know it's an option.

How do you like the car?

Love it to death. It's pretty much the car I have wanted for the last 15 years, I just didn't know it. I have had full size, mid size, compacts, SUV's, I was looking at a CUV because of how crazy the winter was last year. But I got a lease pull ahead on my '13 Fusion Ti, and within a week it basically felt like the perfect glove.

The fit an finish is right there with my Titanium, 2 minor things stand out as cons. The Fusions accent lights can be changed by center display, this has a toggle button and colors and brightness are limited (1 brightness 8 colors), the passenger seat is a manual adjustment seat. Not really cons so much as to give you an idea when people go ST or RS but that's just an expensive econobox. It's so close to the highest featured Fusion that those are the only things that stood out. Oh and the Recaros are so wonderful. I am kept so firmly into place. When I first got it I thought it was going to be awkward like driving inside a baby seat. As soon as I got the seat set up right and put a couple hundred miles into it, it's a perfect glove.

Its a rougher ride, but stearing, breaking, balance, stability, and performance are so much better than the Fusion. In the end I think I was born for a hot hatch. I like FWD more than RWD (blasphemy), even in the Fusion I felt the car was too wide. I love it as a hatch, the trunk seems smaller than any I have had before, but the hatch makes it so much more flexible. As some one who like a mean car its seems to be the better balance between a break your wrists MS3 and the almost sterile R.

I really can't say anything bad about it.Well maybe that the 2015+ adds protruding snap on fascia that pops out a mm or two when the hood expands or contracts. But now I wonder if I'll ever want a car as much I want to drive this guy 24/7.

 

[ControlD]

Love it to death. It's pretty much the car I have wanted for the last 15 years, I just didn't know it. I have had full size, mid size, compacts, SUV's, I was looking at a CUV because of how crazy the winter was last year. But I got a lease pull ahead on my '13 Fusion Ti, and within a week it basically felt like the perfect glove.

Thanks for the information!

I keep coming back to this car as well. Being able to get employee pricing makes it even more attractive.

 

[SearchMaster]

I have a '13 ST and I love mine as well. And what Topweasel said about it being an econobox with some go-fast bits has a lot of truth. But I've not had any issues with mine - my biggest complaints are weak paint (common across "cheaper" cars with the newer EPA regulations from what I've read) and it's a bit smaller than I'd like.

The '16s have Sync 3 which is supposed to be a huge improvement over Sync 2, which could get a bit sluggish at times.

I am getting it out of a buddy's body shop this weekend (my 15yo son was driving it with my wife and shifted into first instead of reverse while backing out of a steep driveway and did some bumper damage). When he told me it was ready, he couldn't stop gushing about it and was absolutely flabbergasted that it is an <$30K car. Keep in mind he drives a LOT of cars due to his profession. He said he thinks it will be a classic but I told him that status is reserved for the RS

As for the tires, if you do buy the car I would encourage you to consider a separate set of winter wheels and tires over the all-seasons. You should be able to do it for well under $1000. The stock Eagle F1's are considered to be excellent performance tires but obviously poor in the winter, but when they wore out I replaced them with Pilot Super Sports which are on a whole different level. I haven't driven the All-Seasons but even the high performance all-seasons are not going to give you anywhere near the performance of the F1s, and that's what this car is all about.

 

[SearchMaster]

I really can't say anything bad about it.Well maybe that the 2015+ adds protruding snap on fascia that pops out a mm or two when the hood expands or contracts. But now I wonder if I'll ever want a car as much I want to drive this guy 24/7.

I don't know if you're on FocusST.org, but there's a thread dedicating to fix this issue. Apparently you can heat the plastic tabs and adjust them a tiny bit and it fixes that problem permanently.

http://www.focusst.org/forum/focus-st-discussions/41546-easy-fix-2015-grille-issue-pics.html

 

[ControlD]

Sounds like I need to stop by the Ford dealer on the way home from the Mazda dealer to give the ST another spin. One nice thing about the Focus is that I have a dealership about five minutes from home. I have to drive an hour to get to a Mazda dealer which is a bit of a bummer.

 

[ControlD]

I test drove a couple of Mazda 3's today. The first was a 2.0L Touring model with a six speed manual transmission. It was nice, but the gearing is very tame compared to my 2006 model. It just didn't have a lot of zip to it by comparison. The second was a 2.5L Grand Touring automatic, and that engine was much better. I wish I could have tried a 2.5L manual but nobody has those.

My overall impression is that the 2016 is nice, but not as impressive as I was expecting honestly. I can't really put my finger on why, it just sort of felt plain. I would say road noise is maybe a little better than my 2006, but not much. The A/C is OK also, but you can tell it is Japanese. I guess the only 2.5L manual model offered is the Grand Touring model also which is kind of a bummer.

I haven't written the car off, especially since I have had such good luck with my car but I need to look around a little more for sure.

 

[slugg]

I have a 2014 Mazda 3 2.0L 6 speed Grand Touring hatchback. If you don't think it's zippy, then you're not driving it right. It's much faster than my Mazda 2, and I melt faces at autocross with my Mazda 2; with zero modifications (as-is, showroom stock).

Considering it's a 2 liter economy car that is averaging 35 mpg in mixed driving conditions (I can get 42 if I don't have fun) and has a good amount of space and an interior approaching the threshold of "luxury", the thing is pretty quick and handles far better than anything else in its class. The gearing seems about right, too, with the added torque from the 2014+ SkyActive flavor of the motor.

Honestly, I wouldn't bother with a 2.5L, unless you really wanted an automatic. An automatic on the 2.0L would probably feel a little anemic.

 

[ControlD]

I'm not saying the car is slow, it just feels like the gearing is more conservative than in my 2006. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that I just wasn't used to the clutch and gearbox on the 2016 compared to mine. The clutch in the 2016 is much, much softer than what I am used to so that could be part of it. It's hard to really do a car justice on a short test drive in a busy city.

 

[legcramp]

My 2016 Mazda 6 is very peppy. Passing is very exhilarating especially in Sports Mode or Manual/Auto and feels much faster than my 98' Accord V6 that it replaced.

 

[ControlD]

My 2016 Mazda 6 is very peppy. Passing is very exhilarating especially in Sports Mode or Manual/Auto and feels much faster than my 98' Accord V6 that it replaced.

Can I ask which engine you have?

 

[legcramp]

Can I ask which engine you have?

The 6 comes standard with the 2.5L engine @ 185 HP. My Accord was a 3.0L @ 200HP albeit a lot heavier.

It is definitely fast enough for me for a family sedan and is noticeably quicker than my NA Miata

 

[sontakke]

The 6 comes standard with the 2.5L engine @ 185 HP. My Accord was a 3.0L @ 200HP albeit a lot heavier.

The 3.0 Accord had 200HP around year 2000. It was NOT as heavy as current Mazda 6 or current Accord.

 

[legcramp]

Google shows curb weight for my specific accord to be 3,241 lbs vs. 3,250 lbs or 3300 depending on the source. The 6 feels much lighter though especially handling through corners. I did have a V6 on my 98 accord though, it was the V6s that were plagued with failing auto transmissions.

 

[Aharami]

I wish Mazda would just introduce a Mazdaspeed 3 or 6. When the test drove the mazda 6 grand touring, it felt anemic compared to the competition. Even though I really liked the interior of the 6, I ended up with a Fusion Titanium. Now I need to replace my other car and would like a hot hatch. There is no sign of Subaru putting out a hatch version of the WRX, so my only options are a Focus ST or a GTI. Don't want to give those cheating scums at VW any of my money, so a (CPO) Focus ST is my only option. I rather like the Focus ST, but would like another option to weigh against.

 

[ControlD]

Yeah, I have been hoping for a Mazdaspeed 3 as well.

It's interesting you mentioned the Fusion, I am going to test drive a Fusion Hybrid this week. I know it isn't really in the same size class as a 3, but with incentives and A-plan pricing it is in the same price class.