2010 Mazdaspeed 3: The Red Shoe

In person the front fascia isn't nearly as polarizing as the photos suggest.

Also, if the shoe fits, wear it. I am.

Question though, I've had my '10 Speed since August and only now am hitting 6,200 miles on it. 2,000 miles of that was a trip from Dallas to Chicago, then Jackson Michigan and back. Is there anything I should be doing for maintenance since I only drive a few miles back and forth to work each day? Also, does the tester exhibit a lot of suet (sp) from the exhaust on the back door? Mine needs a wash at least every few weeks to clean it up.

The Mazda looks like a high-top sneaker. The Z3 next to it looks like a low-cut loafer.

The 3's design never really bothered me. Does it have a smiley face? Sorta. Look like a shoe? I guess I can see that.

But those gripes might as well be seeing The Virgin Mary on a peice of breakfast toast. Does the perception have any effect on the quality and performance of the toast itself? No.

Its a very ugly car in photos and in person. Its great to drive though!

I just noticed you guys have no front plate on the Mazda. How are you not getting tickets left and right in the People's Republic of California?

I don't really get the shoe comment...

let the fashionista drive something else!

I don't think they look like shoes at all. Besides, who cares how they look it's all about the fun you have behind the wheel.

With that said the Pontiac Aztec could have driven like a BMW M5 and I still wouldn't buy it.

funny blog entry!
I always thought the BMW looked like a shoe but also thought they were cool too.
The BMW struck me (as a former CRX Si owner) as a grown-up "real sportscar" version of the CRX.
So, it kinda has that attraction for me... even though it looks like a shoe.

The 3 is, sorry, ugly. It's ugly in person and ugly in photos. The last gen looked attractive to my eyes.
The '10 looks like they stretched and widened the '09 but just doesn't look good. It's just a mess of shapes jumbled onto a shoe-shaped body.

I do like Mazda, just not as much as the last one. And I have to say, it's not boring. Boring is more criminal- so it wins over the Civic and Corolla.

I'd have an M Coupe if I didn't need a true four seater. The M may look a bit eccentric, but I'll take one any day over a 2010 MS3 fitted with its Pokemon parody front fascia.

I just wanted to point out that nobody has ever immediately noticed and commented on the big smiley face on the front of my black '10 Speed3. I always have to point it out, and tell them I got black so they wouldn't notice. You guys should post some pics of a black one.

And yes, I realize the "grill" is not black, but it's dark enough to blend in.

You could make the "shoe case" for a lot of hatchbacks if that's the case and even some SUVs (like the Nissan Murano or Rogue). I don't mind it at all. I think saying it looks like a shoe is just trying too hard to put it down. Try looking at the function of the shape instead, and it'll make more sense. It's mostly a matter of perception.

As for the front end, I actually like it, but that apparently makes me a part of the minority.

fsunole, lots of us drive without front plates here. Unless you live in a city where they ticket everyone they can (like San Francisco) or get a red light camera ticket, you can get away with it for years at a time. I've never gotten a front plate fix-it ticket. If I do, I'll put my front plate bracket on, get the ticket signed off, and remove the front plate bracket once more (I keep it in my Miata's

If you get pulled over for speeding and the officer is on the fence between citing you or not, a front plate fix-it ticket offers him an easy out. Maybe it keeps you from getting a speeding ticket.

I put my front plate on if I'm going to spend a day or two in San Francisco. Not only for the tickets, but because I'm likely to parallel park and the plate sort of acts as a buffer.

My wife and I have for years called the Infiniti FX35 "The Shoe".

Keeping the paper plates on as long as possible! Also, my 2010 Liquid Silver Metallic Nikes get me going in a hurry. ;) Most people don't notice the smile unless they look dead-on in the front. Which only happens because I like backing into spots.

Question: what does the male friend drive?

If the Speed3 is a shoe, it's the ugliest piece of footwear ever created.

@skyggge: Send us a pic of your black one and we'll post it. -- Donna
dderosa(at)edmunds.com

I think the Speed3 smile is a lot like the 370Z catfish - some people are going to notice it, others aren't; for some of the people who do notice, they won't be able to un-see it, and for some of those who don't notice, they'll never see it. For the drivers, it almost always doesn't matter because you'll never notice it when you're behind the wheel. And if you're one of those drivers who really can't stand it, there's always some method/way/mod to alter it.

The Mazada isn't very attractive, but have you ever seen the rear end of the Z3 coupe? From the sides and rear, the Z3 coupe is knocking on Aztec's door.

I can see the shoe analogy. My wife used to have a Hyundai Accent hatchback that was dubbed "The Pregnant Rollerskate w/pizza cutter wheels."

Anyone seen the BMW X6? That probably looks even more like a shoe than the speed3

Re."In person the front fascia isn't nearly as polarizing as the photos suggest."

You're right. In person it is much worse.

Neither looks like a shoe to me. The rear of the M3 coupe is indeed ugly, but drive that car...it's awesome.

The 3 looks better in person. I was in my buddy's car yesterday and a 3 passed us and he said "those new Mazda 3's are sweet". The smiley definitely seems exaggerated in pictures.

if the 3 is a red shoe I am Tom Hanks.

It's one ugly shoe to be sure. And there's too much competition in that space to overcome the ugly factor. I'll take a GTI, thanks.

I just bought one and nobody has said anything negative about this car...ever. Most people seem to really like the styling, and after you've seen it in person (You shouldn't ever criticize a car you've never actually seen) a few times, you forget about it and move on.

my neighbor has a black one and that front grill doesnt look bad...as skyggge said, you dont even notice it.

Corers-- They just arnt saying anything to your face. Behind your back, on the other hand. Consider it just collage age pranks, but all my friends and I have a game of yelling out "DUUUURRRRR" everytime we see one and slapping the person closest to us... Sort of like a version of slugbug. That kind of rep attaches to the driver as well. For a woman I suppose this car is okay, but if a guy is driving it they might as well just turn in their man-badge and slap on a dress. "Sporty" version or not.

i like shoes. :) heh heh (inside joke)