Hi all,
My wife and I are in need of a compact hatchback with an out the door price under 25k, and after test driving a Focus (with it's horrid transmission) and a Forte5 (with its dismal crash test ratings) we basically have few options other then the 3. Plus, I absolutely love the design both inside and out and have a soft spot for Mazda as I drove a old RX-7 when I was in college.
PROBLEM IS: We test drove the 3 several times & each time my wife complained about how harsh and stiff it rode. Maybe I was just having too much fun driving it to notice or just wrote it off as her love of complaining, but last night we test drove it again and, I have to admit, it was indeed very very harsh feeling. Even my current 00' Impreza 2.5rs (which is by no means a luxury cruiser) soaks up the road bumps better then the new 3.
We live in Buffalo and this winter has essentially destroyed all the roads, but the Mazda3 not only felt rough over broken or cracked road (which it did) but even on smooth pavement we could both feel a very slight rhythmic vibration, almost like driving over a light washboard surface, nearly constantly.
I understand that this car has a sportier tuned suspension then the Forte5, for example, but that car was worlds away in terms of ride feel, soft and dampened (if not a little floaty). As much as I fundamentally dislike the idea of driving a Kia, we were seriously considering it until we learned of its rolling death trap status in front crashes.
I feel like we are going crazy because as far as I can tell my wife and I are the only people who feel like the 3's ride is too harsh. Every professional review praises the ride comfort (the biggest criticism seems to be that it is just a bit less comfortable then a Corolla), for example Edmunds give it an "A" rating writing;
"One of the biggest improvements to the all-new Mazda 3 is the ride comfort. It isolates out most bumps without being soft and floaty. A great ride/handling compromise that should please most."
Are we crazy? As an owner, do you notice this? Like I said before, I've been driving around in a Subaru rally car as my daily driver for years, so it's not as though we are downgrading from a Buick or something. Does the car smooth out over time as the suspension breaks in?
Any feedback would be great.
My wife and I are in need of a compact hatchback with an out the door price under 25k, and after test driving a Focus (with it's horrid transmission) and a Forte5 (with its dismal crash test ratings) we basically have few options other then the 3. Plus, I absolutely love the design both inside and out and have a soft spot for Mazda as I drove a old RX-7 when I was in college.
PROBLEM IS: We test drove the 3 several times & each time my wife complained about how harsh and stiff it rode. Maybe I was just having too much fun driving it to notice or just wrote it off as her love of complaining, but last night we test drove it again and, I have to admit, it was indeed very very harsh feeling. Even my current 00' Impreza 2.5rs (which is by no means a luxury cruiser) soaks up the road bumps better then the new 3.
We live in Buffalo and this winter has essentially destroyed all the roads, but the Mazda3 not only felt rough over broken or cracked road (which it did) but even on smooth pavement we could both feel a very slight rhythmic vibration, almost like driving over a light washboard surface, nearly constantly.
I understand that this car has a sportier tuned suspension then the Forte5, for example, but that car was worlds away in terms of ride feel, soft and dampened (if not a little floaty). As much as I fundamentally dislike the idea of driving a Kia, we were seriously considering it until we learned of its rolling death trap status in front crashes.
I feel like we are going crazy because as far as I can tell my wife and I are the only people who feel like the 3's ride is too harsh. Every professional review praises the ride comfort (the biggest criticism seems to be that it is just a bit less comfortable then a Corolla), for example Edmunds give it an "A" rating writing;
"One of the biggest improvements to the all-new Mazda 3 is the ride comfort. It isolates out most bumps without being soft and floaty. A great ride/handling compromise that should please most."
Are we crazy? As an owner, do you notice this? Like I said before, I've been driving around in a Subaru rally car as my daily driver for years, so it's not as though we are downgrading from a Buick or something. Does the car smooth out over time as the suspension breaks in?
Any feedback would be great.
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