I generally replace or trade vehicles every 4-5 years therefore I'm a little overdue looking for one to replace my 2019 Corolla Hatchback. Small hatchbacks work well for my needs/wants which include functionality, smallish size, good mpg, decent ride, and fun to drive. I far prefer a manual transmission which are getting few and far between and Toyota no longer offers it on Corollas. Mazda still offers a 6-speed in just one trim, but it's the Premium trim which I think I'd prefer anyway as it includes leather, heated seats, 8-way driver, normally aspirated using 87 octane, and a few other things. I've not driven one yet but did sit in one last year and found the seats comfortable and overall interior to be very nice. All in all a noticeable upgrade compared to my Corolla.
The thing that concerns me is how it will ride on less than smooth roads. It has 18" low profile tires going against it as well as its torsion beam rear suspension. Any of you have one of these newer 3's?

I know, I really need to test drive one over a poor surfaced road and will get around to doing this but there are no Mazda dealers nearby. Maybe when I head to NOVA next week I'll have time to stop in one.

https://www.mazdausa.com/shopp...ild-and-price#/25M3H

I'm not a fan of low profile tires with the really roads we have here.

See if a lesser trim level allows for the option of higher profile tires.
That was the case when I bought my CX-3 in 2016. I went down a level from the top trim and was able to get rims & tires I liked better.

Alternatively, check out the CX-30. It's a little bigger and technically an SUV, but it's not much bigger than the 3.
That might also allow for an option of higher profile tires.

Thanks Bob and I'm not a fan either. The S Premium is the only version with the manual transmission and it includes the damn 18" wheels. I'm sure the CX30 doesn't have a 6-speed plus I don't really want an SUV.

As I've gotten older I have to admit to myself that it's easier to get out of a crossover than a sedan or hatchback.
I like Mazdas a lot, but when I drove a 3 HB I found it uncomfortably small. At that time (2018), I bought an Accord, and it's been great. If I were replacing it, I would look at the Mazda CX-50. I drove one as a loaner, and really liked its handling, more than a CX-5.

I test drove one before buying the VW GLI Autobahn for my son. It was a 2024 with 400 miles so 1 year newer and 6,400 fewer miles than GLI, but $1,500 more. Both 6 speed manuals.

I liked it a lot. It had the red interior which isn’t at all an obnoxious red. The seats were good, radio was good, it drove well, handled well, and didn’t feel at all underpowered for normal driving. I would have purchased it if the GLI deal had fallen through.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
Thanks Bob and I'm not a fan either. The S Premium is the only version with the manual transmission and it includes the damn 18" wheels. I'm sure the CX30 doesn't have a 6-speed plus I don't really want an SUV.

215 45 18 isn’t exactly low profile. I would say 35 series tires would be low profile. Those are on the CTR. My GR Corolla has 235/40/18’s on there and that’s enough meat, honestly. You could hop onto the Mazda 3 forum, as there has to be one, and find a thread where people are downsizing to 17’s. I’d go wider so probably 225/50/17. They make the DWS06+ in that size.

I did the configurator on Mazda’s site and damn, $32k for a S Premium FWD with the 6MT. At that price, I’d spend the extra money to get a turbo, 6MT, and AWD with front and rear Torsen LSD’s via GRC Core model in Supersonic Red.

quote:

I’d spend the extra money to get a turbo, 6MT, and AWD with front and rear Torsen LSD’s via GRC Core model in Supersonic Red.

Hot damn! I might have to change my mind! How much would all that add up to? $45 grand?

Looks like $38,730 but don't see how you get the Torsen LSD's front and rear. Custom?

$32k is list, but they are dealing on them. The 2024 with 400 miles was $27k.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:

quote:

I’d spend the extra money to get a turbo, 6MT, and AWD with front and rear Torsen LSD’s via GRC Core model in Supersonic Red.

Hot damn! I might have to change my mind! How much would all that add up to? $45 grand?

Looks like $38,730 but don't see how you get the Torsen LSD's front and rear. Custom?

The Torsens are standard now, on all of them. And it’s been out long enough now that people are getting $2k off sticker if you put in even mild work. I have a Circuit Edition so I had to pay MSRP which was a good deal as people were paying ADM to the tune of $10k-20k. Last time I checked the forum there were people bagging them for $36k + TTL.

I saw your post above. I’m 51 and still prefer a hatchback. It’s not any more difficult to ingress/egress my daily driver hatch or GRC than it is my truck. I loathe CUV’s. The hatch has such a better COG, weighs less, more agile and WAY better handling. More performance too if you get a performance version. Friends don’t let friends buy CUV’s
A compact truck via Maverick/Ranger, Ridgeline, GMC Twins, would be the better choice IMO. Then you’ve got a bed and functionality you can’t get in a silly CUV.

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:
I'm not a fan of low profile tires with the really roads we have here.

See if a lesser trim level allows for the option of higher profile tires.
That was the case when I bought my CX-3 in 2016. I went down a level from the top trim and was able to get rims & tires I liked better.

Alternatively, check out the CX-30. It's a little bigger and technically an SUV, but it's not much bigger than the 3.
That might also allow for an option of higher profile tires.

I went with the CX-30 and it really isn't much bigger...just more height to allow easier egress. I got the turbo AWD model and consider it more of a "Hot Hatch" than a real SUV...or even a CUV like the CX-50.

My tires aren't what I'd consider low profile at 215/55R18...but it did take a bit of mind reset on my part because I started driving when 70-series tires were considered "Performance" and 60-series were too wide or the wheel wells of the Camaro SS

I bought a 2023 Mazda 3 Premium hatchback in Dec 2022. It was for my daughter but I am driving it now while she is abroad for a year. It's now got just about 18000 miles. It's been a great little car. The Premium trim with the 6 speed manual transmission. It has a lot of features for the money and is a fun little car to drive, certainly not powerful but it gets out of its own way good enough. It has a head's up display, navigation, stop sign recognition, adaptive cruise, blind spot warning and adaptive headlights - they lead you around corners. It has decent leather and once you get used to the location of the knobs and buttons it's an enjoyable little car. It is fairly small, but I can fit in it comfortably, although I don't think I've ever had anybody in the back seats. I know my daughter did while she had it for the first year and a half. The hatchback is a handy feature.

The only thing I wasn't aware of when I bought it was the fact that the little 2.5 4 cylinder engine actually has cylinder deactivation. Not the end of the world, it's unobtrusive but for crying out loud how far do we have to go with such a small engine to squeeze out another tenth of a mpg?

Finding a small car with a manual transmission is pretty difficult. She drove the Subaru WRX and Impreza but we both thought that the Mazda 3 was the better vehicle with the most features even though it was a little more money. It handles very nicely and the ride isn't too bad over rougher roads. The tires are fairly low profile and she did have to replace a tire due to a leak that I suspect was because she hit a curb at some point.

Overall I think it's a great car and enjoy driving it. It gets good gas mileage (we keep a log but I'm on the road right now so when I get home I'll edit with some real world MPG numbers if you'd like) and has been reliable thus far. I give it a high recommendation.

When I bought it during Covid I was only able to get about 1000 under the sticker. I live in TN and bought it from a dealer in McLean, VA. It was the only one I could find with the manual in the color she wanted and they were willing to deal because it was the very end of December and they wanted the sale before the year end.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
As I've gotten older I have to admit to myself that it's easier to get out of a crossover than a sedan or hatchback.
I like Mazdas a lot, but when I drove a 3 HB I found it uncomfortably small. At that time (2018), I bought an Accord, and it's been great. If I were replacing it, I would look at the Mazda CX-50. I drove one as a loaner, and really liked its handling, more than a CX-5.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
I test drove one before buying the VW GLI Autobahn for my son. It was a 2024 with 400 miles so 1 year newer and 6,400 fewer miles than GLI, but $1,500 more. Both 6 speed manuals.

I liked it a lot. It had the red interior which isn’t at all an obnoxious red. The seats were good, radio was good, it drove well, handled well, and didn’t feel at all underpowered for normal driving. I would have purchased it if the GLI deal had fallen through.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:

215 45 18 isn’t exactly low profile. I would say 35 series tires would be low profile. Those are on the CTR. My GR Corolla has 235/40/18’s on there and that’s enough meat, honestly. You could hop onto the Mazda 3 forum, as there has to be one, and find a thread where people are downsizing to 17’s. I’d go wider so probably 225/50/17. They make the DWS06+ in that size.

I did the configurator on Mazda’s site and damn, $32k for a S Premium FWD with the 6MT. At that price, I’d spend the extra money to get a turbo, 6MT, and AWD with front and rear Torsen LSD’s via GRC Core model in Supersonic Red.

Thanks trapper that's reassuring to hear its ride compares well to the GLI.

Kinda low profile for me, hell I'd prefer 60 series! Not a lot of smooth roads around here in fact I live on a gravel one.
I know $32K is a lot of money, but it's much cheaper than a GR Corolla and the 3 gets better mpg using cheap 87 octane. Plus I really don't want AWD or a turbo.

quote:

Originally posted by 9mmepiphany:

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:
I'm not a fan of low profile tires with the really roads we have here.

See if a lesser trim level allows for the option of higher profile tires.
That was the case when I bought my CX-3 in 2016. I went down a level from the top trim and was able to get rims & tires I liked better.

Alternatively, check out the CX-30. It's a little bigger and technically an SUV, but it's not much bigger than the 3.
That might also allow for an option of higher profile tires.

I went with the CX-30 and it really isn't much bigger...just more height to allow easier egress. I got the turbo AWD model and consider it more of a "Hot Hatch" than a real SUV...or even a CUV like the CX-50.

My tires aren't what I'd consider low profile at 215/55R18...but it did take a bit of mind reset on my part because I started driving when 70-series tires were considered "Performance" and 60-series were too wide or the wheel wells of the Camaro SS

The *only* 3 with manual transmission is the S Premium and unfortunately it comes with those 18" wheels with low profile tires. I might be able to trade the wheel/tire set with someone who has a lower spec model, or possibly a dealer might swap them.

I’ve owned two first generation Mazda 3’s and two Miata’s. Still own one Miata, a 2002. I can’t attest to the new Mazda 3 but the Mazda’s I’ve owned have been rock solid dependable, fun to drive, and get good mileage.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:
spend the extra money to get a turbo, 6MT, and AWD with front and rear Torsen LSD’s via GRC Core model in Supersonic Red.

Wow, that sort of makes me think of Mazda's 323 GT / GTX from the late '80s.

(Slightly modified example)

I'm going to have to take a look at Mazda's web site now.

I can't speak to the new Mazda 3, but ours (2013 base model with the 2.0L and MT) has been an awesome little car with one exception...front ball joints. I've put 3 lower control arms on the driver side and one on the passenger side. They're not built for country roads.

Still, parts aren't too expensive and it's not too difficult of a job. I like the car...even at 6'5" I can fit in it reasonably comfortably, the MT makes it fun to drive, my wife enjoys it and it makes her happy (hugely important right there, lol), it gets great gas mileage without having to deal with a hybrid or plug-in setup, and apart from the ball joints I've basically just changed the oil and brakes. Ours has 171k on it right now, and I'm planning to keep it until the wheels fall off. When that happens, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

Lucnik and 92 thanks for sharing your experience. I'm going to give this car a close look, there are few options in this category.

I have not driven a Mazda3, but do own a 2020 Mazda6 with 225/45/R19. The ride isn't too harsh. I wouldn't go searching for pot holes, but I've hit the unseen one without any damage. The ride is much softer on my winter 17s (225/55/R17) using enekei ekm3 wheels. My winter setup is about 10 lbs. lighter per corner than OEM.
Our offsets probably aren't too different and you could sell your OEM wheels if you wanted to replace them.

I don't own one, so take this with a grain of salt...

I was looking at one of the last generation when the new body style came out. I was checking a lot of forums and reviews and a pretty common complaint from previous Gen owners was the new body style has horrible rear visibility. Big blind spots and not great in city traffic...

As I said, I don't own one. This is purely internet "wisdom." I still drive a regular cab truck, so I might view blindspots entirely different than a current hatchback driver.

Personally, I'd buy the sedan variant if you can get the manual in it. I think it's a better looking car as well.

Yeah the 18" tires are sure to give a harsher ride then the 16's on my current Corolla. Also I don't care for the wide C pillars and little rear windows.

The only 3 that comes with a manual is the HB S Premium.

Two other manual possibilities are a Civic Si and VW Jetta GLI. I'm not sure about the 1.5 turbo in the Honda, or a VW in general.

If you could get one for list or less, I'd get the Civic SI. The local Honda dealer said $40k out the door for an SI, not Type R. For that, I told them I'd get an Integra.

You can get the Integra with a manual if you get the A-Spec and the technology package. Low mileage used ones can e had for under $30k.