Mazda 3 rental car - very impressed

[Throckmorton]

He's saying that because he drives a 1995 Neon he should be really impressed by the Mazda but isn't

 

[Arkaign]

He's saying that because he drives a 1995 Neon he should be really impressed by the Mazda but isn't

I know, but he's being silly 🙂 For those not in the know, his 'beater' '95 Neon is no ordinary run of the mill crap Neon, but a SRT-4 Turbo Neon. It's an utterly different car overall, other than sharing the same body panels and basic underpinnings. The suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, engine, transmission, seats, gauges, pedals, exhaust, etc are all wildly improved. It's like calling a '95 ZR1 an old beater Chevy.

 

[amdhunter]

Wait for the R3 version. Or are they already out?

 

[zerocool84]

I know, but he's being silly 🙂 For those not in the know, his 'beater' '95 Neon is no ordinary run of the mill crap Neon, but a SRT-4 Turbo Neon. It's an utterly different car overall, other than sharing the same body panels and basic underpinnings. The suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, engine, transmission, seats, gauges, pedals, exhaust, etc are all wildly improved. It's like calling a '95 ZR1 an old beater Chevy.

No lol I REALLY do DD a beater Neon. I only drive my SRT-4 on weekends now.

 

[Arkaign]

No lol I REALLY do DD a beater Neon. I only drive my SRT-4 on weekends now.

Ah, that's cool, that SRT-4 should be babied, I imagine most of them will end up being riced to their death, so it will be sweet to have a relatively minty example or two surviving.

Other than that, shens on : Beater Neon > Mazda3 2.3L 😛

 

[zerocool84]

Ah, that's cool, that SRT-4 should be babied, I imagine most of them will end up being riced to their death, so it will be sweet to have a relatively minty example or two surviving.

Other than that, shens on : Beater Neon > Mazda3 2.3L 😛

Well I never said the Neon was better. I only bought it for a couple hundred bucks but the Mazda 3 just didn't feel as good to me as everyone raves about. I guess I just expected more.

 

[BoberFett]

We just got a 2010 Mazda3 in January. Interestingly, I test drove a 330i last summer and wasn't impressed. For all the raving people do about BMWs, I didn't see the 15K difference the BMW and the Mazda. Sure, the BMW was nice and definitely had more power than the Mazda, but I guess expected more considering the way people slobber all over them.

 

[Arkaign]

We just got a 2010 Mazda3 in January. Interestingly, I test drove a 330i last summer and wasn't impressed. For all the raving people do about BMWs, I didn't see the 15K difference the BMW and the Mazda. Sure, the BMW was nice and definitely had more power than the Mazda, but I guess expected more considering the way people slobber all over them.

Yeah for most people, something like a Mazda3 definitely makes more sense. Which 330i gen did you test? They've dropped that model a while ago, and now only have : 328i/335i/M3, and I think they're trickling out the diesel 335s now.

Advantages of BMW : interior (subjective), noise levels (they are usually very quiet inside outside of tire roar with certain tires), FR layout and the ability to turn DSC/TC off (big smiles for those in the know).

Is it worth $15k? I don't think it is for probably 90% of the people that buy the BMW in the first place. Most of the buyers are probably badge whores who couldn't tell the difference between FWD/AWD/RWD to begin with, let alone the great balance of a good I6 motor.

 

[Arkaign]

Well I never said the Neon was better. I only bought it for a couple hundred bucks but the Mazda 3 just didn't feel as good to me as everyone raves about. I guess I just expected more.

Ah yeah, I see what you're saying. Indeed, the Mazda3 is not magically the equal of a 3-series, but it's still probably the nicest car in the segment all around (value/performance/reliability/looks/interior/resale) when you consider all the elements.

 

[MJinZ]

We just got a 2010 Mazda3 in January. Interestingly, I test drove a 330i last summer and wasn't impressed. For all the raving people do about BMWs, I didn't see the 15K difference the BMW and the Mazda. Sure, the BMW was nice and definitely had more power than the Mazda, but I guess expected more considering the way people slobber all over them.

Some people won't be able to tell the difference between a Corolla and a Ferrari. All that tells us is what kind of driver you really are.

 

[BoberFett]

Some people won't be able to tell the difference between a Corolla and a Ferrari. All that tells us is what kind of driver you really are.

Let me guess, you think you're a race car driver? 🙄

I ride a motorcycle, I'm probably more in tune with the road and vehicle performance than you are there, Mr. Fast & Spurious. As I said, the BMW was nicer and had more power, but it isn't twice the car that the Mazda is. The BMW just attract badge whores like yourself.

 

[Gibson486]

yes, the car is a cheap man's bmw.

 

[Gibson486]

We just got a 2010 Mazda3 in January. Interestingly, I test drove a 330i last summer and wasn't impressed. For all the raving people do about BMWs, I didn't see the 15K difference the BMW and the Mazda. Sure, the BMW was nice and definitely had more power than the Mazda, but I guess expected more considering the way people slobber all over them.

Yup, the Mazda3 is about 75-80% the car that the BMW is, but the BMW has a huge price increase. Essentially, it's the BMW without the luxury portion and less performance.

 

[bommy261]

love my mazdaspeed3 😀
hell we're an all mazda family, cx7 to haul the dogs around
and i'm picking up a mazdaspeed miata this week lol

i think they fit a niche market, where the cars have nowhere near
the resale value of a honda or toyota, but they are more sporty to drive,
at least to me.

mazdaspeed3 aint no mazda3. its a different animal. i want a mazdaspeed3 so bad......... don't like the new smily face grill tho, but other than that it is awesome

 

[ViviTheMage]

I had a mazda3 and mazda6 for a rental once, they were gutless, and handled like crap ... granted, my daily driver is a A4 B7 quattro...that mazda is like a boat. Some sway bars may tighten it up, but a focus I had for a rental once was better, stock, then a mazda3/6.

 

[KDKPSJ]

I really hope all you guys are talking about MS3, not normal Mazda 3. I felt normal Mazda 3 I rented was nowhere close to e90 325i w/ Sports Pkg I drove at that time. Come to think of it, I tend to believe it's nowhere close to G37x I am driving right now either, but it's been a year since I drove Mazda 3 and it was only for 5 days, so I might have lost a feel of it.

Anyway, I just can't believe Mazda 3 gets this much praise.. And yet, it lost to Kia Forte in comparison test (From Edmunds: Comparison Test: 2010 Kia Forte SX vs. 2010 Mazda 3 i Touring). Am I (or Edmunds) missing something?

 

[ViviTheMage]

I hope so too everydae ... MS3 is a huge step up from the base mada3/6's.

 

[Arkaign]

I really hope all you guys are talking about MS3, not normal Mazda 3. I felt normal Mazda 3 I rented was nowhere close to e90 325i w/ Sports Pkg I drove at that time. Come to think of it, I tend to believe it's nowhere close to G37x I am driving right now either, but it's been a year since I drove Mazda 3 and it was only for 5 days, so I might have lost a feel of it.

Anyway, I just can't believe Mazda 3 gets this much praise.. And yet, it lost to Kia Forte in comparison test (From Edmunds: Comparison Test: 2010 Kia Forte SX vs. 2010 Mazda 3 i Touring). Am I (or Edmunds) missing something?

Yes, everyone is missing something. The wheels/tires/power package is a lot different between the base 3i and the 3s, more different now for 2010 than before even. 2.0 vs. 2.5L (previously 2.3L), and you go from little 15" steelies (on the rental spec, see 'the truth about cars') and crap tires to 17"x7" alloys, and from a 5-speed to a 6-speed now, and that's not even going to the Speed3.

Obviously the FF 4-banger Mazda3 in any spec is NOT going to be the equal of an entry-lux FR 6-cylinder car from Infiniti/BMW/etc, it's a very solid car in the segment.

 

[Pulsar]

Let me guess, you think you're a race car driver? 🙄

I ride a motorcycle, I'm probably more in tune with the road and vehicle performance than you are there, Mr. Fast & Spurious. As I said, the BMW was nicer and had more power, but it isn't twice the car that the Mazda is. The BMW just attract badge whores like yourself.

Don't bother responding to mjinz. He specializes in thread crapping and rarely has much of value to add.

I recently drove a '10 focus, and was shocked at how far they had come. However, to be fair I haven't driven a '10 Mazda 3 yet so I'm no going to argue one is better than the other.

I DO know that the Kia Rondo I was given as a rental this week after my dd met a couple deer is worse than trying to drive a rollerskate and feels like a complete deathtrap though =).

 

[MJinZ]

Let me guess, you think you're a race car driver? 🙄

I ride a motorcycle, I'm probably more in tune with the road and vehicle performance than you are there, Mr. Fast & Spurious. As I said, the BMW was nicer and had more power, but it isn't twice the car that the Mazda is. The BMW just attract badge whores like yourself.

Actually, a BMW 3 series is exactly twice the car a Mazda 3 is. Probably twice as fast, twice as sticky, and hugely superior RWD driving dynamics, balanced chassis, weigh distribution etc.

Having driven 335is and 2.3 Mazda 3s, I'd say the enjoyability is probably doubled. It has nothing to do with the badge, because I've driven Pontiac G8s that have felt similarly about.

 

[Gibson486]

You have to look at the context of the praise.

1. Most of the praise comes from 2004/2005....when the car first came out. The "redesigned" model is mostly exterior. It's essentially the same car, different body. As you would expect, competition has somewhat caught up.

2. The car is an econobox. That is what it is. Before the 3, an econobox was boring and a pos. The best you could expect was a Toyota (boring) or a Honda (the bar a good econobox, but still boring)...and the Golf was really niche . When the 3 came out, it threw a more sporty vehicle in a market where sporty was not mentioned.

3. The car cost 16K. To get a BMW, you spend much much more. Mazda 3 is a sporty car in an econobox, so their will be trade offs. BMW is a luxurious sporty car, so minimal trade offs come at the expense of price. If you could afford a BMW, you would not even look at a Mazda 3 anyways.

 

[Lotheron]

Of all the comparisons that are said, remember the Mazdaspeed3 is still under $25K. One hell of a bargain and on my shortlist.

 

[MJinZ]

Of all the comparisons that are said, remember the Mazdaspeed3 is still under $25K. One hell of a bargain and on my shortlist.

Hyundai Genesis FTW...

 

[Lotheron]

Hyundai Genesis FTW...

Speaking from a long term reliability perspective, I would take the 2.3MZR over the Lambda. Not to mention I bet the Mazda will keep its value over the Genesis quite a bit better.

Edit: Spelling.

 

[MJinZ]

Speaking from a long term reliability persepctive, I would take the 2.3MZR over the Lambda. Not to mention I bet the Mazda will keep its value over the Genesis quite a bit better.

100K mile warranty? What?

I wouldn't trust a Mazda with a 10 stick pole. Or is it touch them with a 10 foot pole. Or whatever.