In my price range, I didn't really have many options that weren't what I consider "death traps". I was looking at the Mazda 3 primarily, but wanted to give the Chevy Cruze (and didn't want to get down into the Sonics, Volts, Fits, and so on) a chance as these were the two I could get that weren't smaller.
I ended up getting a base 2016 Mazda 3 in the blue crystal mica (the dark blue) with the black interior.
I've been able to get out on the road the last couple of days - mostly suburban to urban in-traffic stop and go as well as crawling traffic where I had to sit for a while.
I can't be happier.
There are of course nit-picks but I'd have them with any vehicle - nothing's ever perfect. And the nit-picks are really just minor annoyances - nothing that "spoils" the experience or makes me feel like I "settled" in any way shape or form.
After having adjusted the seat more (which I really didn't do during the test drive) I feel the cabin is a lot roomier - possibly more than the Cruze I tried. Yet I feel "cradled" more in this car (and one aspect of the Cruze felt "constraining"). Seat is way comfy, leg room is fine for me (I'm short), belts sit comfortably, and was able to adjust the tilt and telescope of the steering column to a point where I can drive comfortably with my hand on any position on the wheel, and can rest arms on the armrests and still reach buttons and knobs easily.
It is, as everyone says, actually "fun" to drive. It's a little dangerous though because it feels like I'm going much slower than I am and I'm already looking down to find 5 or 10+ mph than I'm feeling like. My son said the same thing riding with me.
I'm still learning the Infotainment system menus, but I've stored favorites, figured out that you can manually tune to HD2 and 3 stations using the dial if they weren't picked up in a search, got my bluetooth handsfree to work (coming from a 97 Civic, these are worth the price of admission alone!).
Questions:
1. How can I tell where the car was made? Are they all made in Japan?
2. USB ports versus the Cigarette Lighter port - it seemed like my phone did not charge very fast with the basic USB to Thunderbolt Crapple cable - I tried both USB ports in the dash. I moved it to the Cigarette Lighter port (for which I have an adapter for the Crapple cable to plug in) and it seemed to charge faster - granted I was stuck in traffic for a long time, but it did seem more effective. Is one better for charging than the other?
2.A. Leaving a charger cable with an LED light on it plugged in all the time - or no? Is it draining the battery - the Cig Lighter one I have has the LED on it. I assume the USB doesn't draw current unless something's plugged in, but not sure about the Cig one.
3. I don't have any Navigation features. I read in the manual (or Bible as we're calling it based on thickness) that the SD Card slot was for info for the Nav system. So mine is essentially useless?
4. 2 USB ports - can't they both be used simultaneously for music storage? One might be more than enough, but hey, unless I can find the old iPod, that would be my go to - plug 'em and leave 'em.
5. Tire pressure thingy - worth it? Is it actually useful, or more of an annoyance? Never had one before and not sure how accurate/effective the sensors are - do they give back false readings, etc.? Now that our local 7-11s have "exact air" air pumps, it'll be easier to keep them optimum (stock tires, will be no changes in the near future!). I know you have to set it first, but how's it work after that?
I discovered lots of cool little features I've never had in a car before by going through the manual - like the 3 flash lane change - but it is huge. Any tips/tricks/secrets (base model remember) that may not be obvious in the car or on reading the manual? I would have never guessed to long press anything in the infotainment system but read that and that's saved a lot of additional button pushes.
I ended up getting a base 2016 Mazda 3 in the blue crystal mica (the dark blue) with the black interior.
I've been able to get out on the road the last couple of days - mostly suburban to urban in-traffic stop and go as well as crawling traffic where I had to sit for a while.
I can't be happier.
There are of course nit-picks but I'd have them with any vehicle - nothing's ever perfect. And the nit-picks are really just minor annoyances - nothing that "spoils" the experience or makes me feel like I "settled" in any way shape or form.
After having adjusted the seat more (which I really didn't do during the test drive) I feel the cabin is a lot roomier - possibly more than the Cruze I tried. Yet I feel "cradled" more in this car (and one aspect of the Cruze felt "constraining"). Seat is way comfy, leg room is fine for me (I'm short), belts sit comfortably, and was able to adjust the tilt and telescope of the steering column to a point where I can drive comfortably with my hand on any position on the wheel, and can rest arms on the armrests and still reach buttons and knobs easily.
It is, as everyone says, actually "fun" to drive. It's a little dangerous though because it feels like I'm going much slower than I am and I'm already looking down to find 5 or 10+ mph than I'm feeling like. My son said the same thing riding with me.
I'm still learning the Infotainment system menus, but I've stored favorites, figured out that you can manually tune to HD2 and 3 stations using the dial if they weren't picked up in a search, got my bluetooth handsfree to work (coming from a 97 Civic, these are worth the price of admission alone!).
Questions:
1. How can I tell where the car was made? Are they all made in Japan?
2. USB ports versus the Cigarette Lighter port - it seemed like my phone did not charge very fast with the basic USB to Thunderbolt Crapple cable - I tried both USB ports in the dash. I moved it to the Cigarette Lighter port (for which I have an adapter for the Crapple cable to plug in) and it seemed to charge faster - granted I was stuck in traffic for a long time, but it did seem more effective. Is one better for charging than the other?
2.A. Leaving a charger cable with an LED light on it plugged in all the time - or no? Is it draining the battery - the Cig Lighter one I have has the LED on it. I assume the USB doesn't draw current unless something's plugged in, but not sure about the Cig one.
3. I don't have any Navigation features. I read in the manual (or Bible as we're calling it based on thickness) that the SD Card slot was for info for the Nav system. So mine is essentially useless?
4. 2 USB ports - can't they both be used simultaneously for music storage? One might be more than enough, but hey, unless I can find the old iPod, that would be my go to - plug 'em and leave 'em.
5. Tire pressure thingy - worth it? Is it actually useful, or more of an annoyance? Never had one before and not sure how accurate/effective the sensors are - do they give back false readings, etc.? Now that our local 7-11s have "exact air" air pumps, it'll be easier to keep them optimum (stock tires, will be no changes in the near future!). I know you have to set it first, but how's it work after that?
I discovered lots of cool little features I've never had in a car before by going through the manual - like the 3 flash lane change - but it is huge. Any tips/tricks/secrets (base model remember) that may not be obvious in the car or on reading the manual? I would have never guessed to long press anything in the infotainment system but read that and that's saved a lot of additional button pushes.
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