2 weeks on 3
I have now had my Mazda3 for 2 weeks, and my overall impression is outstanding. In many ways, it’s a better thought-out car than the Infiniti was. Some general observations:
- Not only is there a pass-through between the upper and lower compartments in the arm-rest, but the plug protecting them is reversible to allow just a small cable through.
- The felt mat in the upper compartment needs a bit of glue so it doesn’t shift around constantly when opening it to change iPod settings.
- Tire-pressure warning system. No car this cheap that I know of has such a beast. I would have killed for it on my leak-prone G35.
- Seats are very comfortable for me. I’ve done some 4+ hour trips now, and they’re just fine.
- Seat heaters heat up very quickly; faster than anything else I’ve been in.
- I adjust the automatic climate-control much more infrequently in the mazda3 than the G35.
- The reconfiguration of the hatch compartment is brilliant. Re-using the floor panels (they have a plastic sub-tray under them) as dividers is excellent.
- The clutch and transmission are much less tiring in bumper-to-bumper traffic than those in the G35.
- I don’t miss the other 120HP, strangely.
- Putting in 87 octane gas and getting 28mpg is better than 91 octane and getting 20mpg.
There’s just a few things that need to be dealt with in the coming weeks:
- Window tint, because with a black-leather interior, it’s gonna be hot in the summer.
- Removing most of the badging. Out comes the hair-dryer and dental floss. The only thing that needs to stay is the Mazda logo.
This entry was posted at 10:42 am on 27 November 2006 and is filed under Random. You can follow any responses to this entry through the post-specific RSS 2.0 feed.
Sounds as if the 3 is living up to your expectations. Thanks for the experience report. The 3 stays high on my list.
It is truly amazing how much equipment comes on less expensive cars, but it’s also amazing how little the build-quality differs between my mazda3 and the Infiniti I used to have. Yes, there’s some materials differences, but overall, there’s minimal difference in how the switchgear work, feel and it seems to be equally as well screwed together.
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Love this post. Less car!
While we’re sharing, I’m an expat living in the UK and my car of choice is a Renault Megane.
I get 60mpg from it’s 1.5 litre diesel. Mind you, at $9 a gallon I need it. Viva la diesel.
I was also extremely impressed by the bells and whistles that now come standard on cheaper cars.