Energetic Engine + Gadgets Galore = Benchmark!
Written: Feb 09 '05 (Updated Feb 18 '05)
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Pros: +
Cons: -
The Bottom Line: --
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| mycouponz's Full Review: 2005 Mazda Mazda3 Sport |
For some reason, Mazda has made the 3 Sport better equipped than the sedan trims. To illustrate, the GX & GS trims of the sedan in Canada, despite being priced between $17,000-$19,000 Canadian, do not even come with power mirrors, windows or locks. That might explain why I always see more of the 3 Sport on the roads than the Mazda 3. I have now driven the Mazda 3 Sport on two occasions : one on a recent test drive, and the other a few months ago when I was given the car for a few hours as a loaner.
One advantage the sport has over the regular 3 is the larger engine. The 2.3L is available with the sedan, but only with the highest/most expensive trim(the GT). With the Mazda 3 Sport, the 2.3L, 160 horsepower engine is standard. To get the feel of the difference between the 2 engines(the other one being a 2.0L, 148 horsepower), I recently drove them back to back - the 2.0L in a sedan, and the 2.3L in the sport. Both were manual transmission. I found the clutch to be very easy to work with, and changing gears wasn't a problem at all. This transmission/clutch is much easier than that of the Volvo S40, which I test drove last week. My salesperson told me that about 80% of the Mazda 3 Sedans and Sports they sell are automatic transmissions.
Anyways, I think that 2.3L is an excellent engine for a car this size. There's ample zoom-zoom for highway and city driving while still providing a good fuel economy. That being said, I really didn't feel much of a difference in terms of power until I revved the engine past 4,000 RPMs. Apparently the 3 Sport with the manual tranny gets about 9.2L/100KM in the city and 6.7L/100KM of highway driving. Not too bad considering the automatic 3 Sedan gets 9.1L and 6.4L respectively. I don't remember much from having driven the loaner, except that it was an automatic, and it felt a tiny bit more zippy than my 3. That, and it had a sunroof, so I had that luxury for a day.
This is what I would call an easy car to drive. It might be a touch longer than a Civic, but it's still easy to park. Rear visibility is slightly hindered by the small rear window, but this should be all the encouragement you need to shoulder-check and use your side mirrors. I test drove the car in stop and go conditions in the city for about 15 minutes before heading back to the dealership. As I've noted before, the Mazda 3s don't soak up bumps all that well. The smaller potholes are fine, and you might not feel them, but you'll certainly feel a little jolt when you come upon larger ones. The larger wheels on the 3 Sport do help out in this regard. The 2.3L engine felt torquey and responsive - it was a real shame I wasn't able to really string the engine out. Going 50-60KMPH just wasn't doing this engine justice, and from the tachometer, I could tell it was more than ready for me to put my foot down. Still, it's tame when it needs to be, and will give you more than enough power when demanded.
On the outside, the hatchback has a slightly more muscular appearance than the sedan. I've always had a thing for 5-doors, ever since I was a kid(when we used to have an Opel station wagon). Of course Opel has changed considerably since then. The only real differences between the 3 Sedan and the Hatchback are that the 3 Sport gets a rear windshield wiper, and has a slightly larger trunk capacity, as well as more interior volume. Mazda also has 16 inch wheels standard on the 3 Sport GS trim, and 17 inch wheels standard on the GT model. Sunroofs are optional on both trims, and are part of the sport/GFX package. Fog lights are standard on both Sport trims.
Inside, cloth seats are included on both trims. I didn't have any problems with the support of the cloth driver's seat, although it could have been more comfortable. I'm not someone who would pay $1,000 extra for leather, although that is an option with this model. Every Mazda 3 has an immobilizer standard, but only the GT models get an alarm. Also, none of the trims get heated seats, power seats or automatic climate control - none of those things are options either, unfortunately. Another advantage the hatch has over the sedan is that both Sport trims get electroluminscent gauges. I don't know what that means, except that when the dash lights up, you get 3 colours - orange, blue and one other 0 as opposed to the other trims which only get the orange-backlit gauges. While on the test-drive, the windows fogged up, but the front and rear defrost worked quickly, within a few seconds. As I've mentioned in my previous reviews, both the 3 Sport trims get automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers. 2 airbags are standard - I really wish they had side and/or side-curtain airbags available. Still, the car feels solid from the inside; not the type of solid feeling you'll get from a Hummer or a fully-loaded-with-airbags Volvo, but..
The doors are very light to open and close, and the door handles are not the conventional ones you might expect. I call them futuristic - you might just call them weird.
The car takes corners beautifully. Going round a sharp bend at 30KM is done with ease, as the car doesn't give any indication that you've done anything wrong. Step firmly on the brakes, and you'll get an instant response from the four-wheel disc brakes. They might not stop the car in record time, but they do so very confidently. This car handles bumps and potholes better than an RSX. You'll feel them, just not to the same extent.
In terms of its competition,I don't think any of the other manufacturers can match Mazda in terms of bang for the buck. The engine is the highlight of this car, but there's also other features to get you hooked. The car looks fantastic from the outside and the inside, handles beautifully and turns on a dime. It may not have the best fuel economy, but this car will make you want to drive more often. All in all, it's not a cheap car, and it doesn't feel cheap either. Sure, once you load it up with options -like the moonroof and leather packages, the price jumps significantly. And to start with, the base price isn't as low as can be either. But for the reasons I've stated above, I think this car is well worth spending extra for.
The Mazda 3 is best compared with the following :
Toyota Corolla
Honda Civic
Volkswagen Jetta/GTI/Golf
Honda Accord base(4-cylinder)
Nissan Sentra/Altima
This car has everything I've dreamed of. It's beautiful on the outside, futuristic on the inside and has a superb engine. The 3 Sport is full of gadgets,a smooth manual transmission or a responsive tiptronic automatic and decent-sized back seats. You'll have difficulty finding any other car with a glove box as large as the 3's. Overall, I love this car, and if I didn't already have a 3 sedan, I would consider the hatchback. I only have a few very minor complaints which prevent me from giving this car 5/5. They are that side-airbags aren't available in Canada, the rear visibility isn't great, and some of the parts in the interior feel a bit on the cheap side.
Recommended:
Yes
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mycouponz
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Member: Cozmo Kramer
Location: North of the equator
Reviews written: 125
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