Mazda3 vs Chevy Cruze LTZ

Hi, I am new here and want to know your thoughts and experiences about the new 2014/2015 Mazda 3 2.5L S GT in comparison with my current Chevy Cruze LTZ 1.4 Turbocharged engine. Based on the below factors;

- Engine power
- Cabin noise
- Reliability
- Mazda reputation, social stereotypes
- Cost to own
- Value depreciation
- Maintenance and Mazda dealerships

My big concern is the powertrain. I drive mostly on highways. My Cruze is doing average with lag to pass cars sometimes on high gears or driving uphill in the mountains.

However, the Cruze surprisingly takes off so fast on low gears especially on red lights due to the 1.4 turbocharged engine I guess.

Heres a powertrain comparison I found it on Chevy website



Sorry for the long post, as this is going to be my first time to own a Mazda

Al

Without a doubt, the Mazda 3 with 2.5 is faster than your Cruze. You could get more power (I would think) if you installed a boost controller and increased boost by 6 psi or so, but almost guaranteed is the much improved reliability of the Mazda 3 vs the Chevy.

Here's my opinion of your other criteria:

-engine power: Mazda
- Cabin noise: Cruze
- Reliability: Mazda
- Mazda reputation, social stereotypes: Mazda3 is considered the "Underdog" in some parts of the US, but not in and around big cities that contain a very diverse population
- Cost to own: Depends on the length of time. I'd say after 3-5 years, the Mazda is less expensive to own, all other things being equal.
- Value depreciation: Mazda
- Maintenance and Mazda dealerships: Convenience of having many dealerships from which to choose: Cruze.

Thanks Man and much appreciated. Well, the torque numbers for the Cruze kinda scares me a bit

Do you think Mazda3 with 2.5 is really that noisy comparing to the cruze? My cruze is not that quiet in highways tho...

Thanks again

Road noise in Mazdas is a bigger issue than with most other cars in the class. It's not distressing, but it is noticeable. However, the trade-off for a somewhat noisier cabin is the fact that the 3 weighs substantially less than its compact counterparts.

Granted, I haven't driven the 2.5L Mazda 3 (I have a 2.0L iSport sedan), but I imagine the noise is much the same. The engine is fairly quiet, and sounds nice when you do hear it (I don't consider it to be buzzy at all). Considering you get similar fuel mileage in the 3, I'd much prefer the naturally-aspirated 2.5L SkyActiv engine over the minuscule engine in the Cruze. I know the Cruze has better low-end torque which makes it feel meatier, but I still think it needs a bigger engine to cut it in this class. That engine might be acceptable on the Sonic...but why have an engine that small in a relatively big car?

I'm certainly with concept in terms of reliability. As you may well know, GM has definitely not had a good reputation for build quality lately, considering the 80+ recalls it's issued in the past year alone. While I haven't looked at the numbers, I'm fairly sure this is going to significantly hurt the car's value over the first few years of its life. Then again, the brand faithful may push its fortunes in the other direction...but I digress.

I won't deny I have a deep-seated, almost pathological disdain for any GM product. Though my opinion has warmed a little bit now that the company is forced to change its policy of pulling the wool over customers' eyes while selling them sub-par products, GM is still, to my mind, tarnished with the bad reputation it earned for itself in the late '90s and early 2000s.

I'm 99% certain you'll enjoy the Mazda better. It looks better, it performs better, it's put together better, it stays the course better...I'm sorry, it's just better.

Thank you so much for your time and efforts you put in analyzing this very well. I totally agree about the Chevy part, plus as most dealerships here in Colorado are not that knowledgeable that's why I wanna leave them forever...

Well, the reason I didn't reply earlier, that am now driving the new Mazda haha. I have put 300 miles on it so far..

First impression, this car is really impressive and outstanding, never thought about how Mazda could introduce such premium feel on this small Mazda3...

The funny thing is I noticed there are couple recalls still open for it, so I have to take it to the dealer soon again

I can't wait to drive it more, and share with you my findings between the two cars...

Best,

I'm with you on the Colorado dealership part...I live in Fort Collins, so I can back that up with personal experience haha. Not to be nosy, but where in Colorado do you live?

As far as I'm aware, there aren't any open recalls on the 3...I just checked the MyMazda website, and there aren't any recalls open on mine.

Mr.8888 said:

Thanks Man and much appreciated. Well, the torque numbers for the Cruze kinda scares me a bit

Do you think Mazda3 with 2.5 is really that noisy comparing to the cruze? My cruze is not that quiet in highways tho...

Thanks again

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It's good to see you bought the Mazda. As I mentioned in another quote, Consumer Reports ranked Mazda as the second best out of 28 companies. (Lexus is #1) Plus, Mazda is the ONLY company, this year to have 2 of its models selected in Car & Driver's 10 best cars for 2015 award.
And as Grasshopper mentioned, the 3's engine is fairly quiet; it's road noise that is somewhat pronounced. To be honest, I must say that I haven't driven a Cruze. I based my noise comment on other Chevy vehicles that are very quite compared to competitive vehicles. I drove a Malibu rental car and it was very quiet. My commute is 15-20 minutes, so a little extra road noise is no big deal, especially when you consider how loud my MX5 is with a giant glass-pack muffler and MS intake. (The previous owner had the muffler installed.) Some day I will replace that glass pack with a Magnaflow. The neighbors will be happy.

Where Mazdas always shine is in driver involvement. Steering and handling of a Mazda is almost always the best in class, and that's definitely the case with the 3. The Cruze is not bad in this regard, but it's not in the same league as the 3 (and Ford Focus). The Cruze platform was 2 years old before it even came to the U.S. (it was sold elsewhere for two years before coming here). While the Mazda3 uses a sophisticated multi-link rear suspension and an aggressive front caster angle (the same as my RX-8) to achieve a more RWD steering response, the Cruze makes due with a torsion beam rear suspension. The Cruze is a slightly larger car with more interior room, at least in certain areas. I seem to remember reading that, like the Dodge Dart, the government actually classifies the Cruze as the next size up from the 3 and Focus. The Cruze and Dart are also about 300 pounds heavier than a similarly-equipped 3, if I remember correctly.

I had a 2012 cruze rental before, and while it does take off with ease, it feels out of breath quickly. I now have the 2014 sGT and while it doesn't feel as punchy off the line like the cruze, it still takes off with ease. The sGT has good torque down low and on highway it's a breeze passing other cars. The cruze does have a softer ride but overall noise I think it was almost the same on the highway, maybe slightly quieter. It isn't as fun to drive as the mz3 tho. One thing to do is change out the tires on the sGT and you'll get a much quieter highway ride. I've also added another layer of weather strip around all four doors so wind noise has decreased quite a bit on the highway. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the sGT

Thank you guys for your inputs, sorry for taking me a while to reply. Couldn't quote each reply seems the forum having issues with my Chrome browser so I used my phone. Well, I have spent some good time with my new M3. you can tell when you see me have driven it for a 1000 miles so far. I have to be honest here, the first couple days wasn't so pleasant. The road noise was pretty much disturbing me from listening to Beethoven on the M3 Bose speakers haha, I thought I have picky ears. Then it turned out the that noise from couple flat spots on my tires. So I have decided to replace them with the new Continental Control Contact sport A/S. What a big change. Now, I feel I'm driving another car. All in all, the car keeps surprising me and how good it handles and accelerate whenever I want. That Sport button was fun to drive the car with around the city in Denver. I'm still observing the difference comparing to my Cruze. Will put a full review may be in couple weeks or less. However, right now I'm tinting the windows and can't wait to see how it gonna look like after all.

The window tint looks pretty nice! My 3 is black, and I think it makes it look a bit sleeker:





Now I just need some new wheels

Looks good man. Love the black, but can't handle maintaining it every weekend like my old black mustang. About the wheels, may be I can sell you mine so I can get the black oem ones

I owned a white 89 MX GT Turbo for 17 years and yes, white hides dust and dirt very well. Fortunately, I cover my Deep blue 3 whenever I take it to work, and in the sun (which is probably 320 days a year), the blue color is stunning. I'll always have a spot in my heart for white and the MX6 GT but the 3 doesn't have to stay in the street; it is always gleaming.

Blue is classy if keep taking care of the paint regularly. I like the new Mazda3 gray color tho. It's in between the dark and white, with no worries about scratches or dirt, and looks elegant too...

Tried many colors in the past, white is my best favorite for practical cars, less headache, wash, dry and go. And will still look good haha

So sad I had couple tiny paint chips earlier this week, so have to touch them up then put a clear bra right after before it's too late. I hate highways and dirty trucks...

Kedis82ZE8 said:

I would definitely consider Continentals when I need to replace my tires. I had some Conti Extreme Contact DWS's on my former Maxima. Quiet, smooth ride and great traction. The best tire I have ever had in wet conditions.

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Yeah I can tell, when I went to discount tire I was directly asking for the best comfort ride and quiet tire. They said Continental is the best for 18" oem wheels. I was looking for Bridgestone too since I had good experience with them before I move to Colorado, too quiet and extremely comfort, but not good in wet or snow at all (perfect for dry and hot states) also they are expensive

I seriously hate Bridgestones...I haven't really had good experience with them, and the ones that come on 16's for the 3 are garbage. I'm definitely going to Continental, Michelin or Pirelli (whichever one I can afford when I finally decide to upgrade wheels and tires).

As far as the black goes...I admit it is pretty much impossible to keep this car clean. I wash it once a week, and that still isn't enough. I think I'm going to invest in some good wax to try and keep it nice and shiny as long as possible. I can't do that now that it's not winter anymore

u seriously put a 1.4T against a 2.5L. this is no comparison. The reason why u feel the cruze is faster at the beginning because the transmission on the 2.5L 3 has a higher gear ratio, and the LTZ have a shorter gear ratio for the 1st and 2nd. I had a 2.0 TiVCT GDI focus Titanium before. The first and second gear surely feel faster from still, even to my 2.5L 3. But after pass 40km/h, the horse power on the focus drop. but the 2.5L is still climbing. the focus is not bad, especially handling that is the best among its class, it can still catch up the 2.5L 3 if theres a lots of corners. But the cruze is nothing about quick, it is about comfort, a family car. Its performance can never on par to a 3 or the focus.