Topic: 2010 Mazda3

[locutusx]

I must have weird taste or something, but I don't mind the way it looks
Can't wait till my local dealer gets them in stock so I can try it out.
For people in GTA looking for a "deal" on one of these or any other Mazda, apparently there is a Mazda of Toronto salesperson who hangs out on the RFD forums and he seems to be giving pretty decent deals to the folks there...

[Angry Chicken]

Just drove a 2010 Sport GT w/ 6Spd MT, leather and sunroof.  Nice car.  It will take a while before its new look wins me over but at least its evolutionary rather than a complete remake of the outgoing Sport.

First Impressions
As for the way it drives; I'm still collecting my thoughts.  First impression was that it had nicely controlled movements and didn't seem as reticent to absorb little side-to-side pavement bobbles compared to my 2007 Sport GT 5Spd MT.  Maybe some more suspension travel, but definitely still has the nice edgy sharpness and eagerness of turn-in that I very much enjoy with my own 2007.  Doesn't seem to have lost its get-up-and-go....lots of low-end grunt, probably because of that new 2.5 litre.  First gear seems a bit lower, too.

It's a little bigger in side.  Definitely a lot of zoom-zoom happening in the dash area.  Nice, form-fitting Recaro-ish seats.  Don't know if this is just with the leather, but definitely more side bolstering and thigh support than my cloth buckets.

/Eric

[locutusx]

straight-line acceleration was noticeably better than your 2007 or just about the same?

[Angry Chicken]

straight-line acceleration was noticeably better than your 2007 or just about the same?

Hard to say.  I didn't thrash it because I had it on the highway only long enough to get it warmed up then I was on city streets again.  Also, it's not mine anyway!   

It did seem quite eager to launch, however.  I suspect it should be a bit quicker than my 2007 because of the lower 1st gear and the bigger, torquier engine plus it hasn't grown much in weight.

/Eric

[Jaeger]

I think this is a bigger screw up than the TL IMO....only because the Mazda3 is sooooo popular..

No way. Uh-uh.  NOTHING is a bigger screw-up than that.

Angrychicken - how did you find the shifter / clutch action?

Jaeger

[Angry Chicken]

I think this is a bigger screw up than the TL IMO....only because the Mazda3 is sooooo popular..

No way. Uh-uh.  NOTHING is a bigger screw-up than that.

Angrychicken - how did you find the shifter / clutch action?

Jaeger

I was lucky enough to drive it back-to-back with my 2007 and found the shift and clutch action to be almost identical.   That is to say that I found the clutch to be quite linear with a very easy to find point of engagement (about 1/3 of the way to the floor) and easy to modulate.  The shifter, I found to be a bit rubbery (certainly when compared to any Honda that I've owned) but accurate enough and relatively short throws.   I suspect it's a cable shifter by its feel.

/Eric

[Wolfe]

First Impressions
As for the way it drives; I'm still collecting my thoughts.  First impression was that it had nicely controlled movements and didn't seem as reticent to absorb little side-to-side pavement bobbles compared to my 2007 Sport GT 5Spd MT.  Maybe some more suspension travel, but definitely still has the nice edgy sharpness and eagerness of turn-in that I very much enjoy with my own 2007.  Doesn't seem to have lost its get-up-and-go....lots of low-end grunt, probably because of that new 2.5 litre.  First gear seems a bit lower, too.

It's a little bigger in side.  Definitely a lot of zoom-zoom happening in the dash area.  Nice, form-fitting Recaro-ish seats.  Don't know if this is just with the leather, but definitely more side bolstering and thigh support than my cloth buckets.

That is to say that I found the clutch to be quite linear with a very easy to find point of engagement (about 1/3 of the way to the floor) and easy to modulate.  The shifter, I found to be a bit rubbery (certainly when compared to any Honda that I've owned) but accurate enough and relatively short throws.   I suspect it's a cable shifter by its feel.

/Eric

With the transverse FWD layout it's virtually certain to have a cable linkage.


I test drove an 07 Mazda3 and found it very nice and refined. And granted, that was between scraping my 15 year old Nissan 240sx and buying my dozen year old miata but I found the Mazda3's ride to be isolating yet it was very willing to do whatever the driver says (an odd, yet increasingly common, dichotomy, part of a trend that I find rather disconcerting. ) The 3's shifter didn't have much feel of a real connection to the drivetrain but the gates were nice and precise.

Your comment re: suspension travel is interesting considering that Mazda made very similar suspension changes to the second generation Miata, an example of another Mazda redesign that kept the same basic platform as its predecessor.

Any other driving impressions?

(I'd love to have a Mazda3 as a winter beater. )


BTW how does the front licence plate look on the new mouth? I'm hoping that the front plate actually improves the looks of the 3's idiotic smile.

[Angry Chicken]

<some snippage>
With the transverse FWD layout it's virtually certain to have a cable linkage.


I test drove an 07 Mazda3 and found it very nice and refined. And granted, that was between scraping my 15 year old Nissan 240sx and buying my dozen year old miata but I found the Mazda3's ride to be isolating yet it was very willing to do whatever the driver says (an odd, yet increasingly common, dichotomy, part of a trend that I find rather disconcerting. ) The 3's shifter didn't have much feel of a real connection to the drivetrain but the gates were nice and precise.

Your comment re: suspension travel is interesting considering that Mazda made very similar suspension changes to the second generation Miata, an example of another Mazda redesign that kept the same basic platform as its predecessor.

Any other driving impressions?

(I'd love to have a Mazda3 as a winter beater. )


BTW how does the front licence plate look on the new mouth? I'm hoping that the front plate actually improves the looks of the 3's idiotic smile.

TBH, I only drove it for 20 minutes, so most of my driving impressions were of the variety of, "How does it compare with my '07?".  It feels very much the same but with some extra compliance (I think) and a bit more control on rough-ish, knobbly surfaces.  There's that dichotomy you mentioned, and that I very much agree with.

As for the license plate making the new smiling mouth front end look less goofy?  Can't tell you, since the bracket hadn't been affixed to the front yet and there was only a dealer plate on the back.  After all, I just went in to get a rear wiper blade (proprietary = $32 + tax, BTW, for a 12" blade!) and somehow found myself taking a test drive.  Weird how that happens.

/Eric

[JSCC]

The 2.5L enigine is definately a big step forward from the 2.3L.
The drive is more refined and sound insulation is obviously improved over the previous generation.

I prefer the interior design of the new generation, due to the driver oriented facing dash.
Materials are good and a lot of "luxury level" equipment that cannot be found in Civics or Corollas.

[Ice]

The 2.5L enigine is definately a big step forward from the 2.3L.
The drive is more refined and sound insulation is obviously improved over the previous generation.

I prefer the interior design of the new generation, due to the driver oriented facing dash.
Materials are good and a lot of "luxury level" equipment that cannot be found in Civics or Corollas.

The only thing I can think of is the auto rain sensing wipers.  Oh...and the HIDs.  Civics and Corollas have everything else that I can think of.  Although I think we can all thank Mazda to some degree for making Honda and Toyota put some top level features into small cars.

[VolksWatch]

The new Mazdas are looking fantastic! The new 3, the new 6 — gorgeous! Although I'm not big on the ass of the 3 Sport.

And Mazda's going to win over lots of consumers with its aggressive pricing and impressive list of standard and optional features.

You can load up a 3 or a 6 with some wonderful high-tech features and laugh at BMW and Mercedes owners (which includes yours truly) for all the money they got suckered out of and you saved!

Good job, Mazda! One of the only Japanese automakers still designing cars and not spaceships (Toyota Venza, Acura TL, Nissan Quest, Honda everything).

[JSCC]

The 2.5L enigine is definately a big step forward from the 2.3L.
The drive is more refined and sound insulation is obviously improved over the previous generation.

I prefer the interior design of the new generation, due to the driver oriented facing dash.
Materials are good and a lot of "luxury level" equipment that cannot be found in Civics or Corollas.

The only thing I can think of is the auto rain sensing wipers.  Oh...and the HIDs.  Civics and Corollas have everything else that I can think of.  Although I think we can all thank Mazda to some degree for making Honda and Toyota put some top level features into small cars.

More stuff, if you are willing to pay.
Leather seats, power seats with 3 memory settings, Active Front-headlights (AFS), 10 speaker bose, GPS Nav, start-stop button, wireless smart key, TC and DSC, bluetooth.

To think about it, a fully loaded Mazda3 has stuff you can't even get on the TSX, not even comparing the CSX.

[Ice]

The 2.5L enigine is definately a big step forward from the 2.3L.
The drive is more refined and sound insulation is obviously improved over the previous generation.

I prefer the interior design of the new generation, due to the driver oriented facing dash.
Materials are good and a lot of "luxury level" equipment that cannot be found in Civics or Corollas.

The only thing I can think of is the auto rain sensing wipers.  Oh...and the HIDs.  Civics and Corollas have everything else that I can think of.  Although I think we can all thank Mazda to some degree for making Honda and Toyota put some top level features into small cars.

More stuff, if you are willing to pay.
Leather seats, power seats with 3 memory settings, Active Front-headlights (AFS), 10 speaker bose, GPS Nav, start-stop button, wireless smart key, TC and DSC, bluetooth.

To think about it, a fully loaded Mazda3 has stuff you can't even get on the TSX, not even comparing the CSX.

Ooh...I take it those are on the 2010 model.  They didn't have those before.  True enough...some of that not even on the TSX and yet the Mazda has it.