Well, I got to drive a couple Mazda3's today. I work in television and got invited to a ride-and-drive put on by Mazda in Ann Arbor, MI. We had a little intro, discussed the options and key points, then took them out for an hour-and-a-half drive through some very twisty and scenic roads.
My first impression was that it is a very nice looking car. The fit and finish are great for a car in the $16k range. The textures of the interior are perfect. It doesn't look cheap, and everything is tight and rigid. I wish that we had them for a little at night so I could see the EL gauges in action. I assume they look just like the RX-8, though, since they were stollen from it. The seats are a nice cross between sporty and comfort with lumbar and height controls.
I drove a black 2.3L sedan with a 5-speed first. I own a MazdaSpeed and so the first thing that I noticed was that the shifter was in the right place! The car also has a telescoping/tilting steering wheel which was great. The clutch was a little light for my taste and took some getting used to, but is good for everyday driving.
The engine has good power, and I think that is will have amazing potential. There is plenty of room under the hood to fit a turbo-charger! It has a good amount of torque for city driving, and I lit up the 205/50/17's a few times. The transmission is unbelievably smoother than my MSP, and you can actually shift down into 1st while moving!
The suspension wasn't nearly as aggresive as my MSP's, but I didn't expect it to be. This car could be a road course champ with upgraded struts and springs. The chassis is super rigid, and I believe I heard them say that it is shared with the Volvo S40. I felt pretty comfortable taking the turns pretty fast.
Here is my mainproblem with the Mazda3:
When I started getting on it in the twisties, I needed to watch the tach because of how quite and smooth the engine and tranny are. The problem is that the tach is on the left side and I couldn't see it with my left hand on the wheel while I shifted with my right hand! I bet that the first thing that a lot of people will do is swap the IP with one from an RX-8 (I would).
Well that's my take on the Mazda3. A great car for the price, and I think that it will make a VERY strong base for tuners. If I were to buy one to play with, here are the first things that I'd do:
1. Move that tach somewhere useful!
2. Replace the clutch with a strong one and get some bigger pedals (the brake pedal is about 3.5" wide)
3. Coil-over suspension
Once you have that stuff taken car of, upgrade the exhaust, intake, and boost that b*tch. I think we'll see some nice cars not too long after the November release in CA.
EDIT: I drove both the 5-door auto and the sedan 5-speed. They felt almost exactly the same.
My first impression was that it is a very nice looking car. The fit and finish are great for a car in the $16k range. The textures of the interior are perfect. It doesn't look cheap, and everything is tight and rigid. I wish that we had them for a little at night so I could see the EL gauges in action. I assume they look just like the RX-8, though, since they were stollen from it. The seats are a nice cross between sporty and comfort with lumbar and height controls.
I drove a black 2.3L sedan with a 5-speed first. I own a MazdaSpeed and so the first thing that I noticed was that the shifter was in the right place! The car also has a telescoping/tilting steering wheel which was great. The clutch was a little light for my taste and took some getting used to, but is good for everyday driving.
The engine has good power, and I think that is will have amazing potential. There is plenty of room under the hood to fit a turbo-charger! It has a good amount of torque for city driving, and I lit up the 205/50/17's a few times. The transmission is unbelievably smoother than my MSP, and you can actually shift down into 1st while moving!
The suspension wasn't nearly as aggresive as my MSP's, but I didn't expect it to be. This car could be a road course champ with upgraded struts and springs. The chassis is super rigid, and I believe I heard them say that it is shared with the Volvo S40. I felt pretty comfortable taking the turns pretty fast.
Here is my mainproblem with the Mazda3:
When I started getting on it in the twisties, I needed to watch the tach because of how quite and smooth the engine and tranny are. The problem is that the tach is on the left side and I couldn't see it with my left hand on the wheel while I shifted with my right hand! I bet that the first thing that a lot of people will do is swap the IP with one from an RX-8 (I would).
Well that's my take on the Mazda3. A great car for the price, and I think that it will make a VERY strong base for tuners. If I were to buy one to play with, here are the first things that I'd do:
1. Move that tach somewhere useful!
2. Replace the clutch with a strong one and get some bigger pedals (the brake pedal is about 3.5" wide)
3. Coil-over suspension
Once you have that stuff taken car of, upgrade the exhaust, intake, and boost that b*tch. I think we'll see some nice cars not too long after the November release in CA.
EDIT: I drove both the 5-door auto and the sedan 5-speed. They felt almost exactly the same.
