Thinking of a Mazda3 hatchback for the wife

[MiataNC]

I am a huge Mazda fan, and I used to own an '07 3 hatch...

Mileage was really bad compared to the the other cars in its class. I got @20 city and @25 on the highway with the 2.3L/auto Grand Touring. I am not a gentle driver, and I got slightly better mileage with a 2001 Honda Accord V6/auto to give you an idea. I think it has to do with how the car fuels at tip-in (when you first get on the gas). It is a quick little car, but you pay for it at the pump. I am sure people with lighter feet get better mileage.

The car itself is a lot of fun to drive. Mazda "tunes" all of their cars on the sporty side and they are well appointed.

If I had it to do over, I would have gotten either the MazdaSpeed 3 or the VW GTI.

Keep this in mind when looking at hatches...If you are using the rear seats they have less usable space (in my opinion) for storage than a typical sedan trunk.

Depending on what you are looking for in size consider the following....

Mazda CX-7
2011 Kia Sportage SX
Toyota Rav4 V6 (a real monster from all reports)

Since you are already looking at hatches, you may prefer the added utility of a CUV.

 

[alkemyst]

She loves the RAV4, but only the 1999 style...

The GTI would be an option if they made a 4 door GTI...the base model is pretty stripped looking last we looked.

I was really surprised with the newest Focus...I used to clown on those "Girl you lookin' fine in your new Ford Focus commercials" too 🙂

It's going to be up to her...The Mini Countryman would be nearly perfect for her, but about $15k more than we really want to spend on a car. Looking to stay around $400-450 for payments.

She's upgrading from a 2000 SL2 Saturn without even power locks/windows she bough cash when she came to America for a long term H1B.

 

[punjabiplaya]

You're misleading yourself. The Titanium hatch STARTS at 23.5k. Its only 28k if you add junk like rain sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, rear view camera, and automatic parallel parking.

And the speed3 is definitely NOT loaded for $24k, thats its base price. Its more like $27k "loaded" with the tech package

The 3 hatch starts at $20k, not $20k after options. I don't get how you're comparing a base 3 to a brand new focus with options out ot the optioned moonroof, but its not really a fair comparison

And keep in mind, the 3 is quite bad on gas for some reason. Like 22/29

I have no idea where the hell you got 27k from. My car doesn't have a tech package, but I paid ~$23k OTD w/ 100k warranty. If you want tech package and you can find a 2010, you'll probably pay around $23k OTD w/ standard warranty.

If it's mostly highway driving, she'll easily get 27-28 mpg even with a semi-heavy foot.

GTI will get you around 31ish mpg.

edit: there is a 4 door GTI

 

[Demo24]

What about a TDI? Comes in Golf or Jetta form (dont recommend the Jetta now). Good for commuting, comfortable, good on fuel, and reasonably entertaining to drive as well.

 

[ElFenix]

i think the titanium focus comes with a lot more kit than the mazda. it also comes with upgraded suspension bits. for example, on your last price list you still had auto-park in there which the mazda doesn't offer, and costs $1100.

 

[MiataNC]

edit: there is a 4 door GTI

^This

The GTI has a DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) auto. Which is basically a computer controlled manual with 2 clutches and no "man-pedal". It is F1 technology, and shifts in something like 8 tenths of a second. It is a ton of fun to drive, but I still prefer a real stick. Which is also an option on the GTI.

 

[sdifox]

^This

The GTI has a DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) auto. Which is basically a computer controlled manual with 2 clutches and no "man-pedal". It is F1 technology, and shifts in something like 8 tenths of a second. It is a ton of fun to drive, but I still prefer a real stick. Which is also an option on the GTI.

Fiesta also has that, albeit Ford's version of it. 2012 Focus has that too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_PowerShift_transmission

 

[yh125d]

Don't know dude, I just priced them both out....

Mazda3
True Market Value® Base Price $18,544
Moonroof, 6-CD & Bose Audio Package $1,200
Rear Aero Flares & Rear Center Under Skirt $440
Rear Bumper Guard $40
Cargo Net $32
In-Dash 6-Disc CD Changer $400
Compass & Auto-Dimming Mirror w/Homelink $220
Celestial Blue Mica
Dune
Front Air Dam $440
Destination Fee $795

Regional Adjustment $31
Color Adjustment $92
Total Price $22,234

Focus Hatch Titanium
True Market Value® Base Price $22,765
Titanium Handling Package $595
Parking Technology Package Discount ($405)
Charcoal Black
Cargo Area Protector $75
Parking Technology Package $1,100
SEL/Titanium Winter Package $470
Cargo Management Package $115
Power Moonroof $795
Stainless Steel Door-Sill Plates $95
Kona Blue Metallic
Rapid Spec 400A
Exterior Protection Package (Late Availability) $245
Destination Fee $725
Regional Adjustment $0
Color Adjustment $0
Total Price $26,575

dropped leather and the technology stuff...you lose a lot doing that. It was showing up around $27,000+ when my wife configured it the other day. Don't know what she added. edit: edmunds wasn't adding the options on correctly in my last post for the Focus.

You're comparing two inequal cars. A brand new model focus with a suspension upgrade, automatic parking, winter package and 40mpg to a less-new 3 without those options and under 30mpg. Of course the focus is going to be a little more, its a better car, but saying that an optioned focus is 28k while an "equivalent" 3 is $20k is ridiculous.

On a semi-related note: Why the heck are people willing to spend $800 for a moonroof?

 

[yh125d]

I have no idea where the hell you got 27k from. My car doesn't have a tech package, but I paid ~$23k OTD w/ 100k warranty. If you want tech package and you can find a 2010, you'll probably pay around $23k OTD w/ standard warranty.

mazdausa.com.

$23.7k base
$800 dest.
$2500 tech package (HIDs, auto headlights, rain sensing wipers, upgraded stereo, keyless entry/start)

 

[punjabiplaya]

if you think the price on the website is what you're paying for the car, you've been had

 

[yh125d]

if you think the price on the website is what you're paying for the car, you've been had

But you can't compare what you may have paid for a car at a dealer to what someone else is pricing out in an online build calc. Obviously deals can be had, but thats true for all cars. The best way I know to be fair is to compare with numbers from the website. Yeah, you may wind up buying for $2k less than what it says online, but it would be the same situation for the other car.

 

[theeedude]

Get the non-S hatch with manual. It's plenty fast and great handling.

 

[Arkaign]

Get the non-S hatch with manual. It's plenty fast and great handling.

I think that makes a lot of sense, it gets much better fuel economy than the 2.3L as well. The 2.5L in the '10+ is awesome, but those models do sell for a bit more change.

Op, what about Fiesta? It's not as small as you would think, and an awesome commuter car. SES Hatch w/6spd dual-clutch computer-controlled manual can be had for a very competitive price, and has loads of nice options, great build quality, and 30mpg city/40mpg highway with the auto 😀 About the same performance as the 2.0L Mazda3i or Honda Fit manual, but newer design. Oh yeah, and the current Sync system is just sweet. Onboard hdd, usb connections to upload music, touchscreen nav, voice control, good audio system, just good stuff.

Either way, some great cars out there in the compact and subcompact world right now, a far cry from the crap that dominated not long ago.

 

[enis083]

Insurance for the Speed3 isn't too bad. The mileage sucks though. I'm getting ~20 MPG in mixed driving. Don't forget you're not supposed to get the cheap gas for the Speed3.

 

[yh125d]

I think that makes a lot of sense, it gets much better fuel economy than the 2.3L as well. The 2.5L in the '10+ is awesome, but those models do sell for a bit more change.

22/28 good mileage not found

Op, what about Fiesta? It's not as small as you would think, and an awesome commuter car. SES Hatch w/6spd dual-clutch computer-controlled manual can be had for a very competitive price, and has loads of nice options, great build quality, and 30mpg city/40mpg highway with the auto 😀 About the same performance as the 2.0L Mazda3i or Honda Fit manual, but newer design. Oh yeah, and the current Sync system is just sweet. Onboard hdd, usb connections to upload music, touchscreen nav, voice control, good audio system, just good stuff.

Either way, some great cars out there in the compact and subcompact world right now, a far cry from the crap that dominated not long ago.

Very good idea.

 

[Arkaign]

22/28 good mileage not found

The 22/28 is the 2.3L model, which indeed does get pretty bad fuel economy for the class.

The 2.0L Mazda3i which I was responding to in that post gets 24/32 manual and 22/30 auto for the 09 and older, which is fairly decent for the largish compact that it is. For '10+ you get this :

25/33 2.0L manual
24/33 2.0L auto
22/29 2.5L manual
21/29 2.5L auto

Fwiw, with gas prices getting terrible and looking to stay that way, I'd really lean towards something like the Fiesta, it's just a very nice car with superior fuel economy and very nice features. As much as I'd love something like a Mustang GT or 370z, I'd really suffer at the gas pump with all the driving I have to do (~2,000-3,000mi/mo).

 

[yh125d]

Ok, 25/33 good mileage not found

Elantra: 29/40
Focus: 28/38

good mileage found

 

[Arkaign]

Ok, 25/33 good mileage not found

Elantra: 29/40
Focus: 28/38

good mileage found

lol truth. The new class of competitors is really bringing up the class. Fwiw I get about 30/40 in my 2.0L 5spd '08 Focus Coupe, but it's about 500lbs lighter than the Mazda3. Makes me wonder what I'd see in real world driving in the new Fiesta or new Focus.

25/33 is fairly decent though, far better than 22/28 when you consider the % that is, saving more than 10% on fuel costs of between $3 and $4/gallon is considerable. Even better if you can get even higher fuel economy with something like the new Elantra, Focus, Cruze, or Fiesta.

I'm so happy things are getting better. 10 years ago you had the old Focus motors Zetec and SPI, and they weren't that great, crap like the Cadavlier and then the Cobalt, Neon, the Koreans were still making questionable cars, just a totally different scene, and hard to look past the Civic and Corolla for a decent choice back then.

 

[yh125d]

lol truth. The new class of competitors is really bringing up the class. Fwiw I get about 30/40 in my 2.0L 5spd '08 Focus Coupe, but it's about 500lbs lighter than the Mazda3. Makes me wonder what I'd see in real world driving in the new Fiesta or new Focus.

25/33 is fairly decent though, far better than 22/28 when you consider the % that is, saving more than 10% on fuel costs of between $3 and $4/gallon is considerable. Even better if you can get even higher fuel economy with something like the new Elantra, Focus, Cruze, or Fiesta.

I'm so happy things are getting better. 10 years ago you had the old Focus motors Zetec and SPI, and they weren't that great, crap like the Cadavlier and then the Cobalt, Neon, the Koreans were still making questionable cars, just a totally different scene, and hard to look past the Civic and Corolla for a decent choice back then.

I like to think of it as being kickstarted by the fusion in 06, when americans decided to start making good cars again

 

[alkemyst]

I think that makes a lot of sense, it gets much better fuel economy than the 2.3L as well. The 2.5L in the '10+ is awesome, but those models do sell for a bit more change.

Op, what about Fiesta? It's not as small as you would think, and an awesome commuter car. SES Hatch w/6spd dual-clutch computer-controlled manual can be had for a very competitive price, and has loads of nice options, great build quality, and 30mpg city/40mpg highway with the auto 😀 About the same performance as the 2.0L Mazda3i or Honda Fit manual, but newer design. Oh yeah, and the current Sync system is just sweet. Onboard hdd, usb connections to upload music, touchscreen nav, voice control, good audio system, just good stuff.

Either way, some great cars out there in the compact and subcompact world right now, a far cry from the crap that dominated not long ago.

She is looking for more than just a commuter, but also wants a hatchback.

The Fiesta is a bit smaller than we want.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

She is looking for more than just a commuter, but also wants a hatchback.

The Fiesta is a bit smaller than we want.

Golf TDI?

I was going to vouch for the Fiesta but it is a bit small, though it has excellent freeway manners for such a small cheap car.

 

[vi edit]

Yep, they do have 4 door GTI's.

I don't have any wheel time behind the new 3 hatches, but I owned an 04 MZ3 hatch. It was an awesome car for the $. Best shifter/clutch I've used and everything about the drive of the car just felt right. More fun than a compact car should be 🙂

 

[alkemyst]

she needs four doors, edit: for 2011 they don't have four door gti's...she wants a new car.

 

[Spicedaddy]

she needs four doors, edit: for 2011 they don't have four door gti's...she wants a new car.

Don't know who said that, but VW does make 2011 4-door GTIs. There's a bunch on Autotrader.com, or just look at vw.com.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

she needs four doors, edit: for 2011 they don't have four door gti's...she wants a new car.

Dunno who fed you that one, the take rate on the 4 door is higher than the 2 door. VW would never do that.

I just saw a 2011 4 door on my dealers lot a few days ago, lol.