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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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Replying to: seminole_kev (May 29, 2007 4:37 pm) Plus, getting the two door only penalizes ease of entry, since the 2 and four door are exactly the same spec wise. (one just has longer doors.) |
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Replying to: socal2006 (May 29, 2007 4:10 pm) The Rabbit essentially feels like a nicer vehicle. We're doing zip car and, coincidentially, this weekend I had a 3 and a jetta. (I loved driving the 3 but the Jetta felt pretty soft) The consumer reports ratings have not been so much an issue as the stuff friends say about pieces falling off that shouldn't wear. On the interior space issue, they felt the same. One interesting thing is that the darker interior in the 3 proably makes it seem smaller. The cargo area size difference is considerable. All in all, I think we will end up with the 3 based on my great experience with a miata that had no problems at all. However, if I get a screaming deal on the Rabbiut, it may end up in the mix again.
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Replying to: wilkich84 (Jun 04, 2007 5:39 pm) The 3 was very responsive on the gas pedal, and the steering was responsive and a little bit stiff compared to the Rabbit. The Rabbit was about equal in responsiveness, and "vroomy" in 1st and 2nd gear. The steering was much smoother compared to the Mazda, which I preferred. I did not get to take the Rabbit on the freeway, so I didn't see how it handled at speeds above about 50 mph. As far as roominess goes, I am a musician and have lots of gigantic equipment that I've got to tote around so I plan on spending a lot of time with my backseats folded forward. I need about 52-56 inches of clearance to fit a keyboard lengthwise in a hard case. With seats folded down the Rabbit seemed a little bit bigger. I did not bring my measuring tape with me so my math could be wrong. I might have “perceived" that the rabbit was a bigger because of its lighter interior color as some of the other posts mentioned. A cool feature of the Rabbit is that its Logo is the handle to open the rear hatch. Very cool, and again subtle. One side note, I broke the center rear view mirror while on my test drive! Or maybe I just snapped it off, I wasn't sure and the salesperson didn't seem to be too worried. I was testing the flap that switches the mirror for when you are in front of high beams and it just rotated the mirror up towards the roof of the car, and when I tried to adjust it I accidentally snapped the thing off!  No comments about the stereo system since I test drove both cars with the radio off to listen to the engine noise. The Mazda3 seemed to not have as much rear window visibility and I noticed a slightly larger blind spot in the Mazda3 than in the Rabbit. This is saying a lot considering the second half of my test drive on the Rabbit, the salesperson had the center rear view mirror in his lap.  As far as the "fun" factor of the two cars goes, it is really a matter of preference. The Rabbit is more subtle and smooth while still packing some nice power in its 5 cylinder, while the Mazda3 hatchback makes no apologies for its sporty look and feel across the board. I really enjoyed both cars, but at the end of the day am leaning towards the Rabbit. I was really in to the VW GOLF more than a year ago, (long before my legitimate car search began!) and am hopelessly biased towards the new 4 door Rabbit. Just to be sure I plan on postponing making any decision on a new car for a while, and will look in to the flaws in both the Mazda3, the Rabbit, and any other car I plan on looking at before committing. It's too bad the TDI Rabbit isn't available in California, the increased MPG with the diesel engine would make this a much easier decision. Depending on where my car search takes me, I might try to smuggle one in from out of state. One Last Thing: I also got a chance to poke my head inside the new 2008 Scion XB, but was not able to test drive since they did not have an automatic on the lot, and I can't drive stick. There doesn't seem to be too much info about the 2008 XB online, (at least compared to the Mazda3 and Rabbit) although I haven't been looking too hard. All three models have similar gas mileage, and a sports shifting mode on their automatic models, and very very sharp interiors. So I plan on testing this car out and comparing it to the rabbit as well in this forum. -Abel |
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Replying to: eldaino (May 30, 2007 7:43 am) This gives VW several advantages as the car can be lighter to be a better handler or about the same weight while having better sound deadening or other luxury... etc. Thus, if one doesn't need the cargo room, the Rabbit can be a very smart choice indeed. |
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Replying to: socal2006 (Jun 08, 2007 1:05 pm)
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Replying to: shirotori (Jun 08, 2007 6:03 pm) 
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Replying to: socal2006 (Jun 08, 2007 1:05 pm) Still a great buy.
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Replying to: eldaino (Jun 11, 2007 7:04 am)
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Replying to: pianomanum (Jun 25, 2007 7:14 am) |
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Replying to: pianomanum (Jun 25, 2007 7:14 am) Thats odd, in a recent test between the two, the Mazda won in every performance catagory, fuel economy, handling, breaking,0-60 and 1/4 mile. You name it, the Rabbit got beat. The only reason the Rabbit won was because of the "Gotta have it" factor. Which is totally subjective. http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/11873/2007-toyota-corolla-le-vs-2006-honda-civic-lx-vs-2007-hyundai-elantra-se-vs-2007-mazda-3s-touring-vs-2007-volkswagen-rabbit-vs-2007-nissan-sentra-20s.html
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