2010 Mazda3 5-door (hatchback). Good or Bad?

[rajputwarrior]

golf gti. no doubt about it.

[Brian Veteran]

I used to sell Mazda's for Destination Mazda in Winnipeg and if you have the money go for the Mazdaspeed3... It's got the turbocharged motor, the non-loose feeling clutch and is a hell of a car. The GT isn't bad but I find the clutch throw super long, and it's not a sporty car... I mean, sportier than a civic, corolla or Cobalt anyday of the week, but then again that's the Mazda selling point.. Even the mazda mini van (Mazda5) is fun to drive... I'd say go for it, I never sold one that came back.

[JMann Veteran]

I remember reading a review on the Times paper website written by Jeremy Clarkon saying how bad the Mazda 3 is, made me laugh but you have to pay to view articles now so I cannot provide a link unfortunately. I'm a Volkswagen Golf MK6 owner, and couldn't of made a better decision when choosing what car I should purchase a few months back. (Y)

The GTI is even better, but insurance/petrol costs are my own personal downfall as to why I didn't go for the GTI. I'm only young though, so plenty of time to get one! :shiftyninja:

[MR_Candyman]

I remember reading a review on the Times paper website written by Jeremy Clarkon saying how bad the Mazda 3 is, made me laugh but you have to pay to view articles now so I cannot provide a link unfortunately. I'm a Volkswagen Golf MK6 owner, and couldn't of made a better decision when choosing what car I should purchase a few months back. (Y)

The GTI is even better, but insurance/petrol costs are my own personal downfall as to why I didn't go for the GTI. I'm only young though, so plenty of time to get one! :shiftyninja:

I think you might be surprised about insurance. My roommate bought a mkV rabbit (golf) brand new and owned it for 2 years then just a few weeks ago traded it in on a new mkVI GTI. His insurance went up $6...a YEAR. No idea what mileage he's getting so far, but I can pretty much guarantee it's going to be cheaper than the Mazda on fuel.

[TokyoKiller]

I don't understand how any of you could compare the VW GTI to the Mazda 3. They are very different in class, and the Mazda 3 does look good, you need to get the right colors and the right mods to make it look so.

First of all, look at the interior:

I don't know about you, but I spend most of my time inside the car when I drive, so the interior is very IMPORTANT to me.

With the right mods, the 3 can look amazing, you just need to have the eyes for it.

Then come to reliability, between all my friends and those that I know...VW's tend to have a lot of problems while Mazda's MZR engines are well known now for great reliability.

I don't recommend the Mazdaspeed 3, the turbo tends to blow and it just extra money for nothing unless you plan to track your car. If you get a Mazda 3, you should atleast get the 2.5 Liter engine BTW.

[JMann Veteran]

I think you might be surprised about insurance. My roommate bought a mkV rabbit (golf) brand new and owned it for 2 years then just a few weeks ago traded it in on a new mkVI GTI. His insurance went up $6...a YEAR. No idea what mileage he's getting so far, but I can pretty much guarantee it's going to be cheaper than the Mazda on fuel.

I did get some quotes, but as I am aged 22 and live in the UK the MKVI GTI was asking a bit too much of my bank balance. ;) The Golf GTI in terms of the MPG it does acheive is incredibly impressive, plus the CO2 rating of the car is down as well, clever engineers those German's. :p I've never been a big fan of the Mazda 3 though, I think it just tries to hard to look cool.

But only paying an extra $6 a year, he must have a massive grin on his face every time he gets in the car!

[MR_Candyman]

I did get some quotes, but as I am aged 22 and live in the UK the MKVI GTI was asking a bit too much of my bank balance. ;) The Golf GTI in terms of the MPG it does acheive is incredibly impressive, plus the CO2 rating of the car is down as well, clever engineers those German's. :p I've never been a big fan of the Mazda 3 though, I think it just tries to hard to look cool.

But only paying an extra $6 a year, he must have a massive grin on his face every time he gets in the car!

He's 21, but we live in Canada. He does have one accident against him though as well. He actually called the insurance company before he bought the car as a way of talking himself out of it. When they told him the difference he immediately traded in his rabbit for a gti.

[revvo]

I don't recommend the Mazdaspeed 3, the turbo tends to blow and it just extra money for nothing unless you plan to track your car. If you get a Mazda 3, you should atleast get the 2.5 Liter engine BTW.

the turbos tend to blow? Why? because the owners put regular fuel and don't know how to maintain turbochargers and they keep the driving at 7000rpm? The MSP3 is very reliable. You're talking about "extra money for nothing" when you're the one recommending mods to make the Mazda3 look good. Now, what would be considered as something? Improving the looks, or making it perform better with a much quicker engine?

[Argote]

Well, as others have said I don't think the Mazda 3 is quite in the same category as the Mini or GTI. Seeing your more recent posts though, if you can afford an A3 I'd go for that.

[TokyoKiller]

the turbos tend to blow? Why? because the owners put regular fuel and don't know how to maintain turbochargers and they keep the driving at 7000rpm? The MSP3 is very reliable. You're talking about "extra money for nothing" when you're the one recommending mods to make the Mazda3 look good. Now, what would be considered as something? Improving the looks, or making it perform better with a much quicker engine?

Umm no. I am speaking from the experience of friends who baby their cars llike no tomorrow. Some I know have had their turbo's and motors replaced by Mazda more than once.

The MZR DISI is a great engine, but it has its issues.

[MR_Candyman]

Umm no. I am speaking from the experience of friends who baby their cars llike no tomorrow. Some I know have had their turbo's and motors replaced by Mazda more than once.

The MZR DISI is a great engine, but it has its issues.

I'm still looking in to this turbo failure thing, but along the way I'm seeing that a transmission mount bolt is coming out (sometimes snapping) and dropping the engine

edit: It looks like he's right about the turbo failure. There's even a TSB about the turboes not draining their oil supply properly when idling. TSB

I've also seen reports of people in the 20-30k mile range having turbo failures. They should definitely be lasting longer than this. Then you encounter the issue of the crappy Mazda dealers. Why do all Mazda dealers suck so bad?

[TokyoKiller]

PS. I never mentioned this, but I own a 2007 Mazda 3 Sedan. Its probably one of the most enjoyable vehicles I've driven.

[rathefeare]

I've also seen reports of people in the 20-30k mile range having turbo failures. They should definitely be lasting longer than this. Then you encounter the issue of the crappy Mazda dealers. Why do all Mazda dealers suck so bad?

I will only stick up for Mazda dealerships here and not their newer cars as my dealings have been with their older models. Mazda runs several programs supporting both the grassroots racing communities and local car clubs in several areas that I have lived in. They offer free technical advice, discounts to club members and tech days at their dealerships. I have even had them scavenge parts for me at the track when I needed something to be able to compete on a Sunday. Now I am sure this is not out purely of the goodness of their hearts; they are surely hoping to sell more cars with this strategy. I have found them to be highly supportive to the car enthusiast, much more than any other make.

[emzino]

MK6 Golf GTI easy.

[kennisonxgs]

I would never recommend anyone a Mazda unless I hate the person. I had a 2008 model that would stall randomly. Mazda refused to acknowledge the problem and did not offer a fix. I had to sell it off after two years of fearful ownership at a 50% depreciation.

[nomis_nehc]

I don't get why people are hating on the new 3's design.

I can see the grin, but I think it's stylishly designed.

The VW on the other hand is fug to me. VW's has never been a looker for me. Except for their concept exotic super cars, which never sees the light of day anyway.

Mini... meh, a cute or chicky car to me.

[gnuman]

I originally looked at the 3 but I couldn't fit comfortably but that wasn't a bad thing as I got a Mazda 6 2010 back 6 months ago and I love it. I didn't get the v6 version being a 3.7L engine but I'm happy with it and it is much more responsive than my old Grand Am 2001 3.4L v6 when it comes to acceleration and power.

[MulletRobZ]

How could you compare the Mazda 3 to the VW GTI? First off, while the Mazda 3 may be a reliable car, it's absolutely hideous. I mean, wow. How could they have released such a monstrosity of a car to the public.

Apparently, the awkward front didn't stop the Mazda3 from overtaking the Honda Civic as Canada's best-selling car! :p

Anyway, back on topic. I've driven a friend's 2010 Mazda3 hatchback recently and had mixed impressions when compared to my 2008 Civic sedan. The fit and finish are superior on the Mazda3, but I still prefer the Civic's two-tier display. The Mazda3 definitely has a better automatic transmission, thanks to its manual shift mode which the Civic lacks. Still, the stick shift is the way to go for both the Civic and the Mazda3. Where the Mazda3 falls short, however, is fuel economy and the fun to drive factor. Even with the 2.5 engine, the Mazda3 feels too heavy. Probably because of the fact the Mazda3 weighs approx. 400 lbs/200 kg heavier than the Civic.

If I were you, I'd look into the Civic, but the 3's still a very good choice. As for the GTI and the Mini, I'm not familiar enough with these cars in order to provide a decent opinion.

[Quick Shot]

You should think outside the box and look into the 2010 Impreza hatch....They have a ton of different trims to fit your needs and they're mega reliable...not to mention the great resale value....I just sold my 02 WRX with 135K miles for a little over 8K...

[MR_Candyman]

You should think outside the box and look into the 2010 Impreza hatch....They have a ton of different trims to fit your needs and they're mega reliable...not to mention the great resale value....I just sold my 02 WRX with 135K miles for a little over 8K...

I agree with this statement, except the OP is looking at fuel economy as well, which the imprezza falls hugely short on (anything 4wd will of course)

[sw1tch..]

Golf GTI.

That is all.

+1 - Will never buy a Mazda again. Long story for another time but the engine in mine had to be re-built at around 30,000 KMs due to incorrect pistons being fitted at the factory. Their build quality is lacking, also the dealer mechanics are lazy buggers!

[TokyoKiller]

+1 - Will never buy a Mazda again. Long story for another time but the engine in mine had to be re-built at around 30,000 KMs due to incorrect pistons being fitted at the factory. Their build quality is lacking, also the dealer mechanics are lazy buggers!

Umm what car did you have?

[ATLien_0]

my parents got a 2010 Mazda3 sedan premium model, its such a fun little car to drive. I don't have anything bad to say about it. You could always get a mazda speed3 hatchback

[sw1tch..]

Umm what car did you have?

Mazda 2. My friends had a Mazda 3 which after 3 months the dashboard cracked with about a half inch crack the whole way down. When Mazda replaced the dash they messed up the CD player.. Another friend with a new RX8 had issues with various interior items falling off or cracking and breaking, he also had some steering related problems. Both friends were very careful with their cars.

Seriously I have had heard so many horror stories from people about their new Mazda's. I will never buy one again.

[TokyoKiller]

Mazda 2. My friends had a Mazda 3 which after 3 months the dashboard cracked with about a half inch crack the whole way down. When Mazda replaced the dash they messed up the CD player.. Another friend with a new RX8 had issues with various interior items falling off or cracking and breaking, he also had some steering related problems. Both friends were very careful with their cars.

Seriously I have had heard so many horror stories from people about their new Mazda's. I will never buy one again.

Weird. The Mazda3 is currently the best selling car in Canada, and they literally are everywhere. My mom has a 2007 GT Sedan with 140,000KM. No problems at all.