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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: backy (Jul 30, 2007 1:40 pm) My wife and I have been dedicated VW fans. In fact at 170,000 miles - the '97 Jetta needed to be replaced. Naturally we went into the VW dealer all set to but another Jetta or Rabbit. But... during the various test-drives - my wife had become very discouraged. to quote her: "what did they do to this car? It's too big, to squishy, and flat out too boring!" She went so far as to compare it to her dad's 2006 Chevy Impala! We were kinda stuck. She doesn't like the Toyota, Nissan, and Honda products. BMW way out of our price range. We eventually found ourselves taking the 2007 Mazda 3 S for a test spin. As she put it: "it drives the way a Jetta is supposed to drive, FUN!" Done deal. The Mazda has great road feel which inspires confidence. And the fit and finish is superior to the new Vdubs. Great value too! Who would've guessed that Mazda would take over the mantra of "Drivers Wanted." |
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Replying to: zante64 (Jul 30, 2007 9:37 pm) 
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Replying to: zante64 (Jul 30, 2007 9:37 pm) on this site, much is a biased opinion. but saying that any japanese interior in the jetta/rabbit pricerange is better than a current jetta or rabbit IS wrong. honda makes a great interior, as does mazda. if anything their interiors are 'on par' or at least 'sportier' looking than a current vee dub. But to say that its superior? nope. sorry pal. just not true. a 97 jetta? i can see someone preferring the STYLING, as i have many buddies who do...but none of them rave about its superiority in driving over a newer jetta....actually, the mk3 generation was targeted for being the most dumbed down version of any sporiting vw.... your wife truly has a strange concept of what 'fun' is. EVERY auto manufacturers cars have increased in weight...you think that the mazda protege weighed as much as your 3 does now? i do agree that the jetta should have been what the 3 is now...but its still a great handler and its not worlds behind the 3. and the rabbit is EVEN BETTER, and only just behind the 3. don't worry, vw still has plenty of drivers. 
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Replying to: eldaino (Aug 01, 2007 10:03 am) |
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Replying to: eldaino (Aug 01, 2007 10:03 am) And yes of course, there is a huge subjective aspect to all this. Please keep in mind that we've been VW fans for a very long time. I grew up with them. (my earliest memories are sleeping in the small storage area behind the rear seats of our '66 bug as a kid) Also, We had never been fond of the various Japanese makes. (Mazda included). It was a very difficult decision to NOT continue with VW. I will also say that it's very difficult to ignore the "rumors" of reliability problems when during the test-drive of two different brand new VW models from two seperate dealers - both had the "check engine" light on during the test drives. My harshest words are borne in large part by my sad disappoinment with the direction of VW in the "affordable fun to drive" car segment. It seems that the "Drivers Wanted" by VW now are those drivers that want a car that handles like a pig being led to the slaughter - aimlessly going forward with no idea of what fate has waiting around the next corner.
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Replying to: zante64 (Aug 01, 2007 10:53 am)
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Replying to: bodble2 (Aug 01, 2007 4:00 pm) what i was trying to say was that its unfair to single out vw with this, especially since most car makers are guilty of it, (moving upmarket, gaining weight on smaller vehicles, compacts that cost 20k) not just vw. a pig to the slaughter? (boble this isn't to you)certainly you don't mean the handling, but the impending doom of bad reliability? if thats the case, you needn't fear, ESPECIALLY since the 97 jetta you owned was almost as famous as the mkIV generation for being problematic. Did you test drive a rabbit by the way? if you are reffering to the handling, there is simply no way that you could drive a mk3 jetta and think it handles better than the new mkV's. Unless ofcourse, if you were driving a gti vr6, but that only solves the problem of moving quickly, not handling. And for that, theres a new gli to handle that one. 
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First of all: I do apologize for disparaging those who choose to drive a new VW. The true target of my ire was VW itself. On a personal note to eldaino for future reference - it strikes a very condescending (and counterproductive) tone when you refer to a person as "pal" while also saying how wrong their opinion is. Secondly: Our '97 Jetta had virtually no problems until we hit 150,000. Only real issue prior was a rattling heat-shield. So we never paid any attention to reliability rumors until it came time to buy a new one. We first dismissed the Check Engine light issue as a fluke. Not liking the "feel" of the new models (and yes, drove a Rabbit & a Jetta) we started doing lots (and lots) of research, which is when I found so many complaints and concerns about the reliability of virtually all VW models for nearly a decade running. Finally - All cars may have gained some mass - but not all cars have been tuned to compensate for it equally. The current VW's seem to reflect a post Summer-of-Love philosophy of "just roll with it."  Doesn't it bother anyone else that VW has decided to move their "entry-level" cars upscale without a suitable replacement? And here's the bottom line - car choices can be hugely emotional - loyalty and all that comes into play. But how can anyone really be satisfied or even enthusiastic about a new offering which fails to surpass a competitor's offering that was first introduced several years prior? quote from post #322 i do agree that the jetta should have been what the 3 is now...but its still a great handler and its not worlds behind the 3. and the rabbit is EVEN BETTER, and only just behind the 3 |
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Replying to: zante64 (Aug 02, 2007 8:15 am) You bring up some good points Zante. Mazda has done well with its Mazda 3, and the two cars have always been considered direct competitors for the price, with the Mazda being slightly more expensive than the '07 Rabbit for similar features. The bottom of the rung 2 door Rabbit is a much better deal compared to entry level Mazda 3 Hatch, or Mazda 3 Sedan, or even a Honda Civic with so many standard features.All the Mazda 3 praise gets kind of murky sometimes having three different models, Sedan, Hatch, and Sport hatch all bearing the same name. America has always been about conspicuous consumption, especially in Southern California. We enjoy some of the most expensive Gas prices, and a really good number of the vehicles I see on the road are SUVs, or large Chrysler 300's, and Chargers, and a lot of H2's. But, Zante is right, very popular entry level cars always seem to grow, with smaller vehicles replacing them. Toyota Corollas are the same size of older Camrys. Look at the new Scion XB compared to the old Econo-Box. Nissan Altima's are huge! There's definitely much smaller entry level cars outside the United States. VW offers 2 smaller models than the Rabbit/Golf overseas. The Fox and the Polo. Mazda also has a Mazda2 but wont be released in the United States for a few years. If you search the net you can see the 07-08 model that shares a lot of design style with the Mazda 3 and looks much less European. (and a lot like a Yaris on steroids). Speaking of the Yaris, Toyota even has a vehicle smaller than the Yaris, The Aygo. It’s only a matter of time before more small efficient vehicles (with decent interiors) become more popular in the US once Gas prices continue to rise and all the hugenormous vehicles become less and less appealing even to the rich people. Purchasing any car can be a risk, and I admit taking a bold risk with my '07 VW Rabbit given VW's track record. There is not a ton of info on the 07 Rabbit yet since it's the 1st year the US has gotten the MKV VW's, but it is a car that's been available overseas for a few years before it's been released here, and hopefully there is something to be said for the majority of the vehicle being manufactured in Wolfsburg Germany. Wolfsburg Germany is the final assembly point now also, compared to Mexico in the past. Unfortunately, the reliability of this vehicle is still a big "IF." I’m not going to try an defend which vehicle is better: It all depends on what you’re looking for. I love my car, and my only regret is how many miles I'll be putting on it before I get rid of it--already driving over 2,000 miles in the first month. Anyone who doesn't do their research before buying a car deserves what they get. I did my research, and was willing to take the risk. If it doesn't work out, at least I made an informed decision, and won’t make the same mistake twice.
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Replying to: sharpedgeshurt (Aug 02, 2007 10:56 am) Gas prices continue to rise. But America has always been about conspicuous consumption, especially in Southern California. We enjoy some of the most expensive Gas prices ... Actually US prices are likely not high enough. Imagine if European (or even Canadian) prices were in place in the USA. How does $4.00 a US gallon sound? I'm not advocating higher prices, but they appear to be effective motivators for us. I did my research, and was willing to take the risk. If it doesn't work out, at least I made an informed decision, and wont make the same mistake twice. Agreed. We all need to do our homework and try to extract the facts out of the hype, trivia and mythology. |
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