On paper, there’s so much here to like here:
It’s the right size.
It has all-wheel drive.
Turbo power!
Analog gauges plus a traditional shifter.
Smart styling inside and out.
A usable trunk.
Knobs for HVAC and audio volume.
Fairly luxurious touch points.
A long, deep motorsports heritage.
Comfortable, supportive seats.
Communicative steering.
It’s not an SUV (#sorrynotsorry)
It’s like a modern, grown-up version of the Mazda3 and 323 GTX, two legends in our world.
But riddle me this: Why is this Mazda3 turbo just so bloody boring? There’s no snap, no urgency. It’s barely even fun to drive.
For $37,065, there are just too many other options these days. It’s a fine people-mover, but it’s lacks the spark of, say, a GTI, Elantra N or Civic Si.
I had this car for a day or two after it arrived, and I remember very little about those two days aside from driving around with my wife in her Ioniq 5, which is actually fun and interesting.
And it's a bummer, because this 3 has so many ingredients—on paper at least—which should add up to a cool car. But instead they turn it into middle school pizza. It has all the stuff that should combine for a cool, fun ride like a turbo, AWD, a nice wheelbase/length ratio for performance work, and make something that resembles pizza, but tastes more like cardboard.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
I had to check the thread title again, $37K for a Mazda 3? WTF??
JG Pasterjak said:
And it's a bummer, because this 3 has so many ingredients—on paper at least—which should add up to a cool car.
I recall driving a 2.5-liter turbo model a few years ago and felt the same way. It should be way fun to drive, but, somehow, it's not–not bad to drive, because it was pretty comfortable, but just not fun like you think it would be.
In reply to 06HHR (Forum Supporter) :
It makes any difference, the sedan actually starts at $24,170 for the most base model. The cheapest you can the turbo engine is $31,750.
I loved my 2008 Mazda3. It was fully loaded and had a stick. Because of the latter, I got nearly $10K off the sticker price.
To me, the new Mazda3 seems bigger on the outside but smaller on the inside. I'm not sure how they achieved that. It's got a more grown-up look, but with it did it lose some of the fun factor?
J.A. Ackley said:
It's got a more grown-up look, but with it did it lose some of the fun factor?
I look in the mirror and ask myself that question every day.
In reply to Colin Wood :
In my mind I keep associating Mazda 3 with an econobox but i'm coming to the realization that Mazda ain't that kind of car company anymore. We live in a world with $40K Civics and Corollas, why shouldn't this thing cost $37k? 
In reply to Colin Wood :
Colin, you’re still fun. :)
And I’ll have the Mazda3 in Orlando later this evening so look for me among the chaos that is I-4.
