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2012 Mazda3 - READ ONLY

437 messages,  Last post on Feb 08, 2013 at 5:30 PM

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What is this discussion about? Mazda MAZDA3, Mazda MAZDASPEED MAZDA3, Hatchback, Sedan

Messages Page 27 of 44

#259 of 437 Re: Subie & Mazda [aviboy97] by autonomous

Dec 23, 2011 (1:29 pm)

Replying to: aviboy97 (Dec 22, 2011 11:19 am)
March is when our brand catches fire. We will have a great inventory of Mazda3's, 85% SKYACTIV, and we will go back to selling high volume of those. The CX-5 should be a hit, but we will see. Our best selling months are March-August.
 
Very interesting.
 
Thank the gods for the Mazda3; along with the Miata it seems to be holding up the Mazda brand. Is the latest Mazda6 selling enough for you? My sense from the initial reviews is that Mazda right-sized it (i.e. made it larger to compete with the likes of the Accord and Camry) but that the formula is not quite complete (e.g. fuel economy is not great). The CX5 is going to be facing very still competition with the latest CRV and some Korean models.
 
All the best for the remainder of 2011 and more importantly for 2012!

#260 of 437 Re: Still waiting for the manual trans Skyactiv 3 [shipo] by ajfinoak

Dec 23, 2011 (2:35 pm)

Replying to: shipo (Dec 23, 2011 8:26 am)
I have test driven 2 different Skyactiv 3 hatchbacks with the auto and really want to like it. While it seems to upshift smoothly, it is geared to require you to really push the pedal down at least halfway to get some power and a downshift on hills (in San Fran) or on the freeway at over 60. Likely this was done to keep MPG up. However, one ends up with a jolt as revs jump up and the 4 cylinder starts to scream. Anyone else notice this? Full time with a manual not an option due to back problems.

#261 of 437 Re: Start Up Noise [ajfinoak] by qoolmama

Jan 05, 2012 (12:33 pm)

Replying to: ajfinoak (Dec 15, 2011 12:31 pm)
I just bought the 2012 Mazda3i. I love the car, style and yes - the smiley face. It makes me happy to see it. I did get really scared 4 days after the purchase when i cranked the car with outside temp being about 38 - 39 degrees. The engine vibrated and made this awful noise that made my daughter and myself really worried . As the engine warmed it did seem to lessen. Then as the day warmed the start up noise was non existent. I haven't been able to get it to duplicate the severity of that first episode, but it has done it on a more minor scale. Thanks for letting people like me know the reason.

#262 of 437 Re: Start Up Noise [qoolmama] by aviboy97

Jan 05, 2012 (2:18 pm)

Replying to: qoolmama (Jan 05, 2012 12:33 pm)
goolmama-
 
The noise is by design which is a result of adjusted ignition timing to help warm the engine up quicker. Nothing to be concerned about, but I guess you already figured that out!

#263 of 437 Got the car by woochifer

Jan 06, 2012 (4:17 pm)

I took delivery on the Mazda3i Touring this week after paring my choices down to the 3, Ford Focus, and VW Golf TDI.
 
Mazda3: All of them were excellent choices with their own respective advantages and disadvantages. What wound up deciding things for me was the Skyactiv drivetrain. Very linear power delivery on the engine with just enough passing power in reserve. It's much more refined than the other MZR engines I've driven, yet it's rated for up to 40 MPG.
 
But, the real revelation for me was the auto transmission -- probably the best one I've ever driven. Smooth upshifts, and in the manual mode, very responsive with the gear changes with good rev matching on the downshifts. Unlike other ATs I've driven over the years, this one felt very connected. Except during low speed crawls and auto downshifts during hard decelerations, I barely notice the AT working.
 
The interior was a tradeoff, with some good and some bad. And the handling was superlative for its class as always. Overall, I thought the 3 was the best balance between performance, features, and value.
 
Ford Focus: The Focus was equal to the Mazda3 as far as the handling goes. And the interior design was a step up on the 3. Where the Focus fell short by comparison was with the drivetrain. The engine felt rougher and seemed to run out of steam sooner. The MT was okay with a longer throw than I'm used to, while AT felt direct and responsive in normal driving but lurching at low speeds. But, for anyone who wants a wider range of options and more logical package combinations, the Focus is a great choice.
 
VW Golf TDI: Since one of my primary criteria was fuel mileage, the regular gas Golf was not one of my choices. The TDI has always intrigued me and the test drive was my first drive with a diesel in about 20 years. All in all, I was very impressed with how the TDI drove. The torque is abundant and I never felt short on power no matter how far I revved it. The handling felt slightly tighter than the 3 and Focus, though not quite as well dampened a ride. Among my choices, the Golf probably had the most luxurious interior.
 
In order to move up to the sunroof, I needed to also add the nav system (which I did not want). And in the end, it was the price that eliminated the Golf TDI from consideration. After hashing out the numbers with the dealer, the negotiated price on the Golf TDI came out to nearly $6k more than both the 3 and the Focus, with a monthly payment about $100 higher. Yes, it had more options than either of the others, but as configured with the equipment that I did want it went just outside of our budget.

#264 of 437 Re: Got the car [woochifer] by m6user

Jan 06, 2012 (6:22 pm)

Replying to: woochifer (Jan 06, 2012 4:17 pm)
Nice report! Look forward to hearing what kind of MPG you are getting. Please let us know how you like it after you get some miles under your belt.

#265 of 437 CX-5 official EPA ratings by aviboy97

Jan 09, 2012 (10:06 pm)

I know we don't have a CX-5 thread yet, however since the CX-5 has Mazda's SKYACTIV technology, it was just announced that the CX-5 will get up to 35mpg highway. Here is the breakdown...
 
2WD / 6-speed manual: 26 city / 35 highway / 29 combined
2WD / automatic: 26 city / 32 highway / 29 combined
AWD / automatic: 25 city / 31 highway / 28 combined
 
Pretty damn impressive. It's much better than the new CR-V (23/31/26 for 2WD and 22 / 30 / 25 for AWD), Hyundai Tuscon, Kia Sportage, Toyota RAV4, and Chevy Equinox. The only one left to see is the new Escape.

#266 of 437 Re: CX-5 official EPA ratings [aviboy97] by m6user

Jan 09, 2012 (10:37 pm)

Replying to: aviboy97 (Jan 09, 2012 10:06 pm)
Impressive MPGs but with about 30hp less than the others it should do better. I've read several reviews that mentioned that it handled great but is a little doggy. I realize there is a trade off...pep for mpg but I just hope that it's not too much.

#267 of 437 Re: CX-5 official EPA ratings [aviboy97] by bpizzuti

Jan 10, 2012 (6:44 am)

Replying to: aviboy97 (Jan 09, 2012 10:06 pm)
That's both unusual and surprising that the new Skyactiv automatic gets so much less highway than the 6 speed manual. I expected them to be closer.

#268 of 437 Re: CX-5 official EPA ratings [bpizzuti] by shipo

Jan 10, 2012 (7:04 am)

Replying to: bpizzuti (Jan 10, 2012 6:44 am)
I of course think the better mileage of the manual version was totally predictable.

Messages Page 27 of 44

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