2012 Mazda 3: Fundamental Goodness

"There's a certain fundamental goodness about the way Mazdas drive that's appealing to me. Nearly all of them offer it."

And that's why we have three Mazdas in the driveway now, and a total of 14 throughout the years. We've strayed here and there to other makes, but we always come back. Zoom-zoom!

We have had three Mazdas in the last four years. '02 Protege, '03 Protege5, and '08 Mazdaspeed3 (sold to get the P5 to save money). Me and my wife love them. They have been easy and cheap to maintain, reliable, fun to drive, and great visibility.

My '10 3S GT Sedan is by far one of the best car purchases I have ever made, ~1.7 years later I am just as happy as the day I bought it. 27k miles and not a single problem to report. Easily achieve 28 MPG hwy rating even on my 60/40 hwy/city commute. An absolute hoot to throw around when the opportunity arises. EXCELLENT dealership service departments in my area (Jacksonville, FL) that are actually very reasonably priced.

I absolutely adore my Mazda.

SkyActiv is marketing that actually holds true. A HFE version of the Mazda3 would be insanity.

I own a 2006 Mazda 3s Hatchback with 216,000 miles of not so easy driving. I have always run Mobil 1 but only change the oil every 15k to 17k due to having nothing but success with doing that with my prior vehicles. I drive mostly highway, some dirt roads, and have had little problems over the last 6 years and 216,000 miles. I must say my car has looked better than what it does today and needs some minor maintenance but overall it has been the most cheap, fun, reliable automobile I have ever owned. I seriously beat the hell out of it and it just keeps going. Even with that many miles I avg 31.0 mpg. I'm thinking of getting a 2012 Mazda 3s Grand Touring, I just wished they offered it in a manual transmission.

@nseymour
"Even with that many miles I avg 31.0 mpg."

That's unusually high for a 3s hatchback. My mom's 2009 model has never gotten above 27 mpg on any tankful.

"I'm thinking of getting a 2012 Mazda 3s Grand Touring, I just wished they offered it in a manual"

The 3s Grand Touring with the 2.5L MZR drivetrain is available with a manual. It's the 3i Grand Touring with the Skyactiv drivetrain that does not come with a manual.

@tjpark01 if you get a black one, the smiley face isn't as noticeable :P

@ woochifer

I drive 90% Highway at 65 to 70 mph. I'm exact when I say it gets 31.0 mpg. Now understand that it has got as bad as 25.8 mpg when I'm being retarded. I also have a K&N Cold Air Intake and Borla Exhaust so maybe that helps some.

I understand the 2012 model does offer a 6 speed manual with the Grand Touring but I don't believe it has the SkyActive 2.0 but instead the 2.3l. I would imagine by the end of this writing my 06 Mazda 3 with 216k will never crank again!

Got a 2012 Mazda3i Touring and 2007 Mazda5 Grand Touring on our driveway. I always liked the Mazdas based on how they drive. Not always the best drivetrains, but generally very responsive and fun to throw around a turn. Our Mazda5 in particular was a pleasant surprise when we shopped for a family hauler. Not too big, not too small, just right. And its maneuverability in tight spaces and handling are a revelation compared to a minivan or CUV.

@ woochifer

I meant to say 2.5l not 2.3L. Just saying, I have drove both and I would say you would have to be certified to get the 2.5L over the SkyActive model, that's all.

man i want a mazda 2 with this engine and 6 speed manual that would be amazing. i think its funny that the mazda 3 gets more mpg then the mazda 2

bassrockerx

Bet you will be able to soon. Right now they are still rolling it out.

Hopefully when they do you will still get the 2 for $6K less then the current price of a SkyActive 3.

This fundamental goodness is also in our 2010 Mazda6 and 2010 CX-9. Despite their larger size and weight they still feel extremely responsive around corners and amazingly light on their feet (like a ballerina on tip toes). It's a hard feeling to describe, but once you experience it's are to settle for less. What the 6 and 9 may lack in the shear "tossability" of our previous 5 and 3 they make up for in a precision and effortlessness that makes them a real joy to drive everyday. You don't need to wrestle these cars, simply place your hand lightly but firmly on the wheel, flick the steering wheel in whatever direction you choose and allow the wonderful balance of the chassis to take every turn with confidence. Many other cars in this class feel either too rubbery or too isolated. Mazda gets it just right. Keep in mind though the type of rubber you roll does make a huge difference. Both my 9 and especially the 6 benefitted greatly after I swapped out the OEM shoes. The 6 in particular was transformed with respect to a more 'on rails" precision without sacrificing comfort with Yoko EnVigors.

When my sister finally wore out the RS-A rim protectors on her 2009 GT, I advised her to get the EnVigors. World of difference.

Love the way my Mazda3 drives. Yeah I hate the ratty 2.5 and the old school 5 At but this car seems to solve those two issues. Good for Mazda.

Two Mazdas in the last 10 years and both were near bulletproof and always engaging.

Look at all the Mazda faithful chiming in. Nice. I feel the same way about my CX-9. I was saddened to have to move up to such a large car but I've been so surprised at how well it drives. It's so well sorted and drives smaller than it is. There are others in it's class that might be better in one way or another but the CX-9 is the best driver of the bunch. It can even punch above it's weight. It may not have the luxury trimmings of the RX, MDX or XC90 but its a whole lot cheaper and drives better. Probably doesn't drive as nice as an X5 but then you're talking double the price.

mileage: good. Styling/interior design: not so good. The front end styling and the wheels you are stuck with if you want skyactiv really hurt this car's looks. If you want a hatch with this kind of mileage I guess your options are limited so you might as well get the 3.

I also have the yoko Envigors. THey must be the perfect all season tire for my Infiniti M35 sport

I just got much the same car as you guys, but with the Touring trim instead of Grand Touring, and I wholly agree with that sentiment. The balance, the steering feel, the engine, and the transmission all come together perfectly. I always smile when driving it; not even driving hard, but just driving it. 'Tuned' is a good word for the feel.
And I'm even a fan of the styling, so no regrets at all on the purchase.

Having owned 4 TDI and 5 or 6 pre-TDI diesel Volkswagens, I think it would be really tough to justify a TDI Jetta now that this car is on the market. Gas-engined vehicle fuel economy continues to rise, and it seems to me that the mileage on the TDI cars has slowly fallen over time. It's to the point now where the difference in fuel economy is so small, not really worth the hassle of owning a diesel. Knowing that the diesel VW's have higher non-fuel running costs than typical gassers (timing belt is pricey, oil changes relatively expensive, if DPF or HPFP goes south you are toast financially), I'd be curious to know if there is any added maintenance expense to a SkyActiv car. More frequent trans fluid changes? Expensive oil? Pricey timing belts?

Maybe I'm missing something here, but although the diesels I had got really good MPG, you paid a price in other areas, which offset some of the fuel cost savings. At any rate, unless some fly in the ointment appears with the SkyActiv 3, this car looks more and more like my next purchase, and the TDI VWs are becoming less and less attractive. As the maraschino cherry on top, Mazda service is of higher caliber and easier to find around these parts.

...oh, and by the way, Mazda--figure out a way to stuff a SkyActiv engine into a Mazda5. The reason we'll be trading ours is relatively poor MPG. Oh, wait...if we buy a 3, you don't care, we're still buying a Mazda. For many, though, I'll bet they'd give the 5 a closer look if it cracked the 30 MPG barrier.

I just bought a 2011 Mazda 3s Sport last Friday. I absolutely love the car. Coming from a 2000 Toyota Avalon, saying that the Mazda drives way better would be an understatement. The 3 begs to be driven and I really, really enjoy driving it, even for short errands. I got it for a great deal, as well. I am super eager to put many miles on the car over the next few years :)

Tim

I have a lot of knowledge about the sport-compact segment, owning a 2008 Civic Si, 2009 MazdaSpeed3, 2010 GTI, and currently a 2011 MazdaSpeed3 (Yes, I buy a new car every year), and both of the Mazdas have been my favorite so far. We're in talks with our local dealer of getting my wife a 2012 Mazda 3i GT hatch to replace her 2008.5 Mazda3 s GT, since her commute is now an hour-long freeway trip, and she really wants to 10+ more mpg, and an automatic.

In my opinion, the secret to Mazda's success is always in the steering feel of their cars. Light, quick, and yet surprisingly telepathic.

@bricknord
"I'd be curious to know if there is any added maintenance expense to a SkyActiv car. More frequent trans fluid changes? Expensive oil? Pricey timing belts?"

As far as I can tell, the transmission fluid change isn't even on the maintenance schedule and the owner's manual only shows the dipstick location for the 5-speed AT. The ATF specified for the Skyactiv transmission is different from the ATF used with the MZR drivetrain.

The motor oil specified is 0W20, which is a synthetic grade. I don't know how this affects the maintenance costs (the oil is more expensive, if you can find it), but it seems that this motor oil grade has rapidly become the norm with newer cars over the last couple of years. Otherwise, no timing belts, no valve adjustments.

"...oh, and by the way, Mazda--figure out a way to stuff a SkyActiv engine into a Mazda5. The reason we'll be trading ours is relatively poor MPG. Oh, wait...if we buy a 3, you don't care, we're still buying a Mazda. For many, though, I'll bet they'd give the 5 a closer look if it cracked the 30 MPG barrier."

I have a Mazda5, and I'm not so sure the Skyactiv drivetrain used on the Mazda3 would be a good match. The MZR drivetrain works well with the 5 because it has more torque in the lower RPMs. The Skyactiv drivetrain works great with the 3 because the powerband is more linear and the car's lighter weight doesn't need as much push at the low end. Of course, Mazda could also tweak with the transmission gearing and come up with something that better suits the heavier 5.

Given that the next gen Mazda6 will likely come out sooner than either the new 3 or 5, I would see what Mazda uses there. The 2.0L Skyactiv drivetrain might be underpowered for the 6 as well, so it should be interesting to see if Mazda tries turbocharging or adding displacement to a Skyactiv Mazda6. Whatever drivetrain goes into the base Mazda6 would likely also power a revised Mazda5, since the 5 and the 6 have more similar curb weights.