[asuh1991]

My gf is looking to buy a mazda 3 GT for her next car. Does anyone have any experiences with them and how do they drive?

Any input will be nice thank you!

[inTgr8r]

They drive nicely but are overpriced IMHO

[maddmatth]

Better than you might expect. Spent a day with a 2015 a few months back. Very nice and smooth drive, handling felt good. The auto trans is good, shifts nice and quickly.
Much better than the Ford Focus and Toyota Corrolas I drove around the time, also 2015's with ~2l engines. Ford was annoyingly twitchy when pulling of and braking, and the CVT trans in the Corolla puts me off, don't feel any more responsive than a modern auto, maybe a bit worse.

[shay2nak]

I have a '14 3i 6MT. I'm very happy with mine. Fun to drive, gets excellent gas mileage when babied and is peppy. 2.0L - 155hp. If you get on it though the MPG will drop greatly. I've averaged 40mpg on a TANK when I want to and when I drive it hard it will be half that. I don't have any issues with the car. It's been reliable. Only complaint is the shifter. Very notchy. Especially 1st to 2nd. If she gets the auto, no big deal then.

One other thing the handling is ok out of the box. It would help to lower the air pressure in the tires a little. Since new, I installed eibach springs and got Mazdaspeed3 wheels with Continental DW tires. Handles way better this way.

Love the design, too!

[F80Dreamer]

I bought a 2015 for my son and it is a great little car. Averaging over 30 mpg, very good handling for the class, and bulletproof so far. Interior is looking a little dated vs the new civic, etc... Highly recommended...

[FaRKle!]

I test drove a '16 Mazda 3 GT this summer and was impressed.

I have a '12 Skyactiv (2.0L, 155hp), which has been fine for daily driving, but can feel taxed with four people in the car. The 2.5L 184hp in the 3 GT feels just right, and the current iteration of it gets same fuel economy as my '12.

Compared to my '12, the latest generation has much less understeer, and I was only able to notice some on very hard cornering. Road noise is greatly improved in the current generation, and while not as quiet as BMW's, it's not bothersome to me.

I also test drove an F10 RWD with M-Sport suspension, F30 RWD with M-Sport suspension, and F36 RWD with Adaptive M Suspension (and 19" wheels) on the same back road as the Mazda 3 GT. The Mazda damped sharp bumps better than the 3 and 4 series, on par with the 5, but settled much quicker than the 5 (no bouncing). I really hated the harsh and jolting ride of the 4 series, and the Mazda was almost as good as the 3 series. Steering in the current generation Mazda 3 is electric, and not as communicative as my generation's, however, it's much better than BMW's. Driving wise, it was embarrassing for BMW IMO.

Reliability-wise, I haven't seen anything concerning with the Mazda 3. My GF has a '11 3 sedan (~65kmi), her sister has a '12 3 Hatchback Skyactiv, a friend of mine has a '14 3 hatchback, another friend has a '15 3 hatchback, and my '12 Hatchback Skyactiv has 89k mi. Nobody's had any issues with their vehicles, and we've been following the 7500mi service intervals. Oil changes (0w-20w synthetic), tire rotation, and car wash runs $90 at my dealer.

If I wasn't looking for a larger car that's a bit faster, I would've bought the current Mazda 3 GT.

[Red Bread]

I have a '16 GT manual five door. It was this or a Golf R or GTI and current VW resale scared me when I bought it.

It's not quick, let's just get that out of the way. But it's really well balanced, has great responses and lift throttle oversteers really well. Parts are cheap, mileage is good and it looks good to my eyes and makes fitting my 2 year old, bikes, dog and errands all really easy.

If BMW offered a manual, rwd 328i or especially a 335/340i Touring, I'd have gone with that. But manual wagons in the US are disturbingly rare.

[asuh1991]

Thanks guys!

I was wondering also how it fares against its competition? Mazda 3 vs... perhaps the elantra which is the other car being considered?

[Red Bread]

Read the latest Car & Driver. They make exactly that comparison and pick the Mazda to the 10 Best list again.

It's a good enough car that it's kept me from buying all sorts of other things even after my kid got out of the huge rear facing car seat. Focus RS, Golf R, 997.2, BRZ. They've all been considered, but I've been creative in finding excuses to keep the little Mazda.

I'd love to be back in another M car or something rwd, but I find the utility and smaller size and lighter weight of this car more appealing than my current choices. An ATS V wagon would be my total krytonite though.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by inTgr8r

They drive nicely but are overpriced IMHO

No, they're not. They can be had for well under invoice. Mazda's placed two stop-sales on the car since it was released, including late last year for a fuel pump recall. Mazda's still generating sales by cutting the price to make up for lost volume.

asuh1991 and @[Red Bread](contact 20958056) I helped a good friend of mine shop for a car earlier this year. The Elantra is a rung below it. It's main competition regarding price and other factors is the VW Golf, the Nissan Juke, the Kia Soul, the Honda Fit (less so the Civic, IMHO), the Chevy Cruze, and a few others. It is far and away the best car out of those. The only other car worth owning in its group is the Fit -- even the base Golf is a bit of a pig. Mazda interiors have always been a bit stark and dark, but they function well, and ergonomically they're in another league.

Beware, though, that the Mazda3 does NOT come with a CD player standard (part of the minimalism bent of ZoomZoom). If you want one of those, it's available as an option. Also, Mazda likes to use smaller-diameter wheels on its cars; the GT gets 16-inchers standard, IIRC. Otherwise, though, it's pretty well equipped. It's just a shame there won't be a Mazdaspeed version of it.

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by asuh1991

Thanks guys!

I was wondering also how it fares against its competition? Mazda 3 vs... perhaps the elantra which is the other car being considered?

Oh god, the Elantra drives like a wet noodle.

My parents have a '12 Elantra, which I borrowed for a couple weeks once. I also had an Elantra as a rental driving down from the Bay Area to Santa Barbara to get my 328d wagon and remembered why I didn't like driving that car.

The Elantra does have more passenger room, and thus probably works better if you're looking for an "appliance" vehicle, but if you care about driving dynamics, you'll find the Elantra's steering too sensitive/twitchy, and there's this strange turn in delay and mid-turn shift that make it difficult to hold a turn without correcting. It makes driving it a bit unpredictable.

[inTgr8r]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

No, they're not. They can be had for well under invoice. Mazda's placed two stop-sales on the car since it was released, including late last year for a fuel pump recall. Mazda's still generating sales by cutting the price to make up for lost volume.
.........

LOL, I need to slow down and read better.

Not sure why, but I was thinking MX-5
Those things can run well over $40K up here.

I agree the 3 is a really nice car at the price.
My daughter has one.

[blschaefer1]

I have set my three daughters up in Mazda 3's for many years. I honestly think I've been through six or seven of them. My oldest daughter was in a gnarly rollover accident and I credit the 3 with saving her life. Immediately replaced it with another when insurance considered it totaled. Never has one had an issue with any of them. Tires and oil changes. These these things are bulletproof.

And compared to others in the category, they actually have a soul and are fun to drive.

Can't speak highly enough about these things.

[bucketfoot]

I found one for my oldest daughter last year, and am trying to nudge the second one this way on her somewhat soon to be purchased new car.

Don't own any right now, but we've had multiple Mazdas over the years and have been very happy with them.

[jfo122]

I have a 2015 Mazda-3 GT with the 6-speed and love it as a daily driver. I honestly enjoy driving it on the street more than my M3. Only thing I've noticed is that the paint seems more prone to rock chips than BMW paint. Otherwise, it's been fantastic.