I have seen the light

i just went to my dealership to check out the new mazda3 hatchbacks they got in and i must say, i am impressed. they had a silver, yellow, blue, dark blue/purple, and my favorite, white. seeing them in person has definately changed my opinion on the hatchbacks. the similarities to the vibe and matrix are evident, but there is just something about the styling of the 3 that separates it from the competition. i will now be saving up to get a white 5spd hatchback w/ a sunroof and maybe leather.

If I do it....

gonna be the Titanium / 5spd/ Moonroof pkg for me and retire that cold noise P5 once and for all. Although it has been overall a great car even with the problems I have had.

Go for it dude! You'll love it.

The P5 is a fun car, don't get me wrong. My girlfriend drives one (well, I mostly do the driving, but you get the idea). But when I get into my 3, it's a whole new world

Any noises, or problems with the car yet??? Just wondering, casue My mom might buy one

There are only three things I'm not to fond of:

1 - I find it takes a long time to heat up. Comparing to my old Civic and Dakota, the 3 takes substantially longer to warm up and defrost, etc. On that note, my girlfriend's P5 takes a bit of time too, so I don't know if it's just a Mazda thing.

2 - The cup holders are too close to the driver. They should've switched the handbrake and cup holders around.

3 - No light in the engine compartment.

As far as noise is concerned, I find it's very quite. Comparing to the 1.6L Civic I had and my gf's P5, it is much quiter.

My Pro5 is too new to get rid of just yet, I'm waiting for a Mazdaspeed (hopefully), but im sure i'll eventually be on the Mazda3 boat!

natedizzle said:

the similarities to the vibe and matrix are evident, but there is just something about the styling of the 3 that separates it from the competition.

Click to expand...

What separates it from the Vibe/Matrix is the same thing that sets the P5 apart - it's NOT 12 FEET TALL!!

Seriously - next time you pull alongside a Matrix or Vibe (hopefully at a red light), compare your window ledge to theirs. Compare your hoodline to theirs. Compare the seating positions.

The other cars are several inches taller in those aspects - and it's what makes the styling a little goofy, whereas the P5, and the 3 have a nice low, car-like stance, and a more aggressive look.

I am VERY pleased to see (in the side-by-side pics from another thread) that the 3 looks to be virtually the same dimensions as the P5. One of the things I like about my P5 is that it feels like a CAR, not a scaled-down minivan.

~HH