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Hatchbacks Mazda3 Mazda3 2.3 vs. '07 VW Rabbit
389 messages, Last post on Apr 17, 2009 at 12:40 PM
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Starting this as I think its a closer comparison than Edmund's 3 vs Civic, or vs a Fit or Accord as listed below. I'm hoping to find comparison road tests by car mags and hope to get Edmund's to do it, if they already haven't! Sedan and/or Sport 3...
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Replying to: dougjp (Jul 08, 2006 11:29 am)
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Replying to: jmnapp (Jul 10, 2006 6:24 am) Nor can VW compete with the Japanese in regards to reliability. It is clearly give and take. Having recently owned a VW (Jetta) and now owning a Mazda 3i Touring I do not completely agree with your assessment that the Mazda is cheap. The interior fit and finish, to me, is very good and the car handles very well and is a blast to drive. But the 3i Touring is also $1500-1700 dollars cheaper and also gets better MPG 28/35(city/highway) to 22/30 than the Rabbit. Now I have not driven the new Golf, umm, I mean Rabbit yet but based on my previous Jetta I would not doubt that the vehicle has slightly better fit and finish and is quieter. But you should really look through all the Jetta, Golf, and Passat problem boards also. In my case, I ended up having to pay (out of pocket) for rental cars for approximately 30 days while my VW was in the shop for various repairs over the period of 2.5 years. It simply was no longer reliable and left me stranded high and dry on numerous occasions. I liked the car overall, but became so frustrated with its reliability and VW's customer service (I tried having my car serviced at three different local dealers and all three were horribly run and very arrogant) that I sold it early from a three year lease. My advice to you is to wait at least a year to see what the reliability is on the Rabbit. Even though the Mazda 3 has strong resale value, you must be taking a hit on such a quick sale and it might be best to hold it awhile longer. For the money, I would also look closely at the Honda Civic and both Toyota and Hyundai are coming out with new a new Corolla and a new Elantra. Might get very interesting over the next year or so.
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| I have a mazda 3 five door touring, and recently drove the new Rabbit. The VW drive train was less responsive, the seats worse, and it was obvious they cut corners to keep the price down. The Mazda is more refined. | |
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In January I traded in my 2001 VW Golf (which I liked but got bored with) for 2006 Mazda 3 hatch, 5-speed. I LOVE the Mazda beyond words. It's solid, smooth, comfortable, remarkably roomy for a fairly small car, agile and quick. Of course, my Golf was the base model with the 2.0 engine, which has now been mercifully put to sleep, so the new Rabbit will be closer to the 3 in performance. VW has made a specialty of giving its cars more upscale-looking interiors than you'd expect for their size/price class, and are probably still a notch ahead of Mazda in that department, but my VW was also prone to annoying little problems -- pieces of interior trim coming unglued in hot weather, warning lights mysteriously coming on for no reason, stuff like that. While I haven't owned my current Mazda long enough to say much about reliability, it's trouble free so far, and 2 Mazdas I owned in the '80s -- both of which had about 80,000 miles when I traded them -- were absolutely trouble-free. I mean literally no repairs. Zero. Ultimately you'll have to drive both and see which suits you, but my Mazda 3 is easily my favorite car of any I've owned. |
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Replying to: jmnapp (Jul 10, 2006 6:24 am)
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Replying to: jaesee75edmund (Jul 23, 2006 6:43 pm) I now own a Mazda3, and love the car. I recently drove a VW Rabbit (4dr auto) and, while I liked the interior, there is no comparison between the Mazda3 and the VW when it comes to performance and handling. The VW's electronic power assisted steering feels numb compared to the 3's handling. Like you though, my biggest concern for folks cross shopping these vehicles would be VW's previous reliability issues with the Golf/Jetta (both cars share many of the same parts). I think that VW missed the boat by not offering the TDI engine in this car until 2008. If the Rabbit could achieve 40mpg highway, it would have stole sales away from the likes of Mazda, Toyota, and Honda. My advice to anyone shopping these two vehicles is to drive them back-to-back. There is simply no comparison with regards to the driving experience, the 3 blows the Rabbit away (unless you like numb steering and roll when cornering).... |
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I just priced out a Mazda3 S Touring 5-door with the moon roof/6CD package in 5-speed Vs. the VW Rabbit 4-door hatch with side impact airbags, sun roof and 17" alloys. Mazda $19,065 MSRP VW $20,329 MSRP That's quite a difference in price. Take it as you wish. |
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I test drove both cars and thought they were rather similar. Both handled well, and both were my two top choices. I ended up with the rabbit because I liked the look of the hatch better on the rabbit than the mazda, and I also liked the interior better. The rabbit was also available with the extra options that I wanted at the dealer. Unlike what many people have said, the people at my VW dealer were very nice and helpful with my questions and the purchase, so that did not factor into my decision. I've had the car for about a month now and have had no problems it, and am quite pleased with my decision.
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Replying to: clownfishfunk (Jul 24, 2006 3:12 pm) I did not have a problem with the VW sales team. I had a problem with the service department and customer service. I do like the fact that you drove the 3 and the Rabbit and picked the vehicle that was best for you. It would be a boring world if everyone drove nothing but Rabbits or nothing but 3s.. Choice is a good thing 
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