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Sedans Honda Civic Honda Civic vs Mazda3
1333 messages, Last post on Jun 06, 2008 at 5:37 PM
You are in the Honda Civic Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: ecofun (Jun 26, 2007 1:11 pm) I know I didn't get a huge discount for this one because the dealer I went to wasn't the best dealer you want to buy a car if you want deep discounts. But, they were the only one who had a manual tranny at that time with the color that I want. Wayne Mazda had one but in red and black. I'm only looking for either the Sunlight Silver or the Aurora Blue Mica. I'm glad you chose the 3, you really won't regret your decision. I was worried about the A/C too when I bought my car, and I couldn't test it because I bought it in Feb this year, in the middle of winter. But we've been experiencicng in past 3 days, temperatures in the mid-90's with humidity in the NY Metro Area, and the A/C is superb! Used the A/C at fan speed level 3 (GT models have 7 fan speed levels) in the coldest setting. My eyeglasses will frost as soon as I get out of the car. That's how cold the A/C was! They've surely fixed the issue on past models. Fuel economy is fine. I'm getting 24 city/32 hwy (23 or less if driving mostly in NYC traffic) and it's not that far with my sister's 2006 Civic EX which she gets 25 city/34 hwy (24 or less if driving mostly in NYC traffic). Really close to 2008 EPA estimates. By the way, I just had an oil change with synthetic oil Friday morning. Performance is a lot better. Also putting in Premium Grade (93 octane) gas most of the time now. I've put in 87 for a while and noticed a different sound on the engine. Love the sound better in higher octane gas. So far, I'm really enjoying and loving the car. It's been performing well above my expectations for a premium econo-box.
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Replying to: zzoomp09 (Jun 29, 2007 11:01 pm) By the way I'm picking my car up in 2 hours and thinking of adding the rear bumper step plates. Do you find them to be more fashion than function or do you think they really do protect the bumper?
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Replying to: ecofun (Jun 30, 2007 6:33 am)
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Replying to: zzoomp09 (Jul 01, 2007 6:12 am) In a word...SMOOTH. This car just purrs. I can't believe how quiet the ride is in this 4-cyl. Throwing gears is like going through butter. The one thing I was surprised about when I was test driving the civic coupe ex was that the stick was a little notchy, tougher to find gears than some of the Accord sticks that I experienced. After 200 miles on the new GT 5 door, finding gears is effortless. If I have a "complaint", in the past I've always listened to the engine to get my cue when to shift. This engine is so quiet (although I'm wondering if I've been playing the Bose too loud), that I'm watching the tach more than ever (but I'm really not complaining). This car seems like a perfect blend of fun and economy which is exactly what I was hoping for. My only concern right now is dealing with the NH winter driving. From all accounts, it's sounds like I don't want to be on these Goodyear Eagles when the snow starts flying. In time, I will probably switch to a high performance all season tire. But I won't be ready by Dec when I'll probably have 10-12K miles on the car. I'd rather not sink $500 into a set of winter tires plus the cost of another set of wheels, not the mention the pain of changing tires twice a year. What I may try to do is rough it for this winter and have new all seasons for next. Among you snowbelt drivers, any thought which way to go?
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Replying to: ecofun (Jun 30, 2007 6:33 am) to mr zzoom: are you just posting your sisters epa sticker numbers? becasue the civic gets 36 mpg; the mazda 3 2.3 barely manages 29 on the highway; you must be driving VERY conserviately to get those numbers; thus negating any need to put in premium gas for its 'performance' benefits. 
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Replying to: eldaino (Jul 02, 2007 10:32 am) Overall MPG Civic ex sedan manual 31 Mazda3 5-door hatchback manual 28
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Replying to: ecofun (Jul 02, 2007 12:01 pm) |
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Replying to: eldaino (Jul 02, 2007 10:32 am) Keep in mind that the numbers I posted has a bit more percentage for both... Meaning if it's the city, more percentage driving in the city than the highway, I'm getting around 24, 23 if mostly in NYC traffic. If it's mostly highway, I'm getting around 32. You apply the same measurements with my post regarding my sister's Civic EX. The numbers I should have posted also are the MPG of a mix (let's say 40/60, 50/50, or 60/40 percetages) city/highway driving... My sister's Civic EX - 30.8 mpg My 3 GT 5dr - 29.9 mpg All in all, it really depends on how each and every one of us drives.  One more thing, when I was driving from Toronto to Montreal, I've only achieved 29.7mph as I was following this Mazda6 running at around 80 to 110mph. I was following that car for about 45 mins and my MPG went down 3mpg. Oh boy, this 3 GT 5dr just hits 110mph easily!!! |
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Replying to: ecofun (Jul 01, 2007 2:35 pm)  I was worried about the engine noise when I was buying this car too. My corolla was quiet and the RPM is at 3000 on 80mph. The 3 that I bought is purring at 3000RPMs on 65mph. But, it is really smooth and you'll notice how they've insulated the cabin from the engine noise, even when hitting 4500RPMs. 3000RPM's on my previous Corolla and the 3 are world's apart. The stick is superb! My friends from all over the Northeast when I've met them the past few months, LOVED this new baby of mine. The stick is just smooth and easy. You won't find it hard to shift the car. And you'll really have that shifting "problem" when you're listening to the BOSE we've got on our cars. I was running at 4th gear merging to the NJ Turnpike and continued to do so at around 70-72mph. I forgot to change gears as I used to have an automatic and I never really heard the engine that much to give the cue to change. Winter driving is bad at first. But once you get used to driving a stick in 10 inches of snow on the ground, the Goodyear Eagles are fine. I'm planning on changing the tires next winter season as I would probably have more than 20,000 miles on it. And from reviews I've read on tirerack.com, these Eagles are not good after a few wear and tear. From reviews on tirerack too, the best options for our GT's with the same dimensions are the Michelin Pilot Exalto A/S, Pilot Sport A/S, and the Avon Tech M550 A/S. |
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Replying to: zzoomp09 (Jul 03, 2007 4:57 am)
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