Couple questions for the mazda 3 owners on the board..
How are they for the over 6'/250lb range? Is the back seat 6' friendly?
Is there a noticeable difference between the 2.0 and the 2.5 engines as far as highway performance, around town pickup and economy?
Do they handle well/fun to drive?

Looking at a hatch, comparing to a Carolla.

I like my 2017 mazda 3 well enough. I went with the grand touring model with 2.5L engine and you can tell a difference but I still feel the engine is a little anemic. I’m a little biased though as my previous daily driver was a BMW 550i.

My biggest complaint with the Mazda is the cabin noise. It is loud. I think softer tires would help immensely with road noise bu pretty much any other car seems to be much quieter inside.

Performance and handling are ok, possibly better than a comparable Honda or Toyota but we aren’t talking sports car here.

Fuel economy is decent. In Atlanta traffic I average 28/30 mpg. On the highway I’ve seen around 36mpg at 75-80mph.

For the money I feel like it’s a pretty decent deal for the tech you get. The infotainment is decent, LED headlights are awesome, and hud is gimmicky but I kind of like it.

I have a '14 Mazda3 I'm completely pleased with. 70K+, no maintenance issues to speak of other than normal. Noise - I don't notice it, but I'm also used to trucks/ Jeeps, and my ears are almost 60 years old. I like the tech in it, but I got the high-end model.
I also got the bigger engine, as my previous economy car was a Hyundai Accent, and it "hunted" through the gears on hills. The Mazda3 doesn't (unless I have both kayaks on top....).

I'm 5' 9" and 225, no issues for me. I'm also never in the back seat. (I'm not a teenager any more....)

I have a ‘15 s GT Hatchback with the 2.5. We’ve put 30,000 miles on it and have averaged 32.67 MPG since new. Yes I keep track. Most miles are on the highway. It’s an OK ride but really, really noisy. Because of this, I don’t see it our future. The 2.5 engine is sufficient for the car and the transmission is smooth.

Seriously, what would it have cost Mazda to add some soundproofing to this car? This car is just too noisy.

The only thing I’ve done is normal oil changes, cabin air filter twice, tire rotation every 5k and added a K&N filter. Tires are about 30% at this point and wearing evenly.

We’ll probably upgrade to a quieter ride this summer when we get home from Florida. This is too bad since Mazda lost me over the lack of soundproofing and failure to implement Apple CarPlay.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mcrimm,

A good friend had a 2.5 coupe with 6 speed. It was fun to drive. Height wise you should be fine. With the 2.5 I never felt an issue accelerating or maintaining highway speeds.

We took that car of a few 4-hour and 8-hours. I drove it enough to really like it for that size car. I think it averaged around 30mpg.

I have a '16 Mazda3 hatchback with the 2.5 and 6-speed manual. I'm 6'2" and 240# , plenty of room up front, but just okay for me in back.

Both the 2.0 and 2.5 are a bit marginal with the auto box, both are great with Mazdas wonderful manual trans and clutch. These are great cars!

Recently drove a Mazda3, thinking I could get a good deal on a '16 in very good condition. Condition was good, but the car was rough and noisy compared with a new Accord which I ended up buying instead. 2018 Accord has a LOT of room in back seat, and lots of head room in front even with sun roof.

I have a 2007 Mazda 3 2.0. I'm planning on getting a 2018 2.5. I'm 6'1" and about 160. I couldn't tell you how it is sitting in the back for any length of time. There's definitely a difference in power between the two, though the 2.0 is no slouch for the size of the car. As for driveability, they're a lot of fun with a lot of features for essentially an economy car.

Just got the 2018 Mazda 3 Hatchback and I love it.

My father in law is around that size/weight and when he took a spin in it didn’t complain one bit. Can’t comment on the back seat though.

Our salesman was a really tall skinny Russian guy, looked to be about 6’5. He didn’t seem to have any trouble in the back seat. I even offered to move the seat up and he said he had plenty of room (good salesman )

Anyway, I needed a car with good mileage and room for baby and baby stuff in the back seat. It’s just fine for that.

I the tested the 2.0 and decided on the 2.5 for a little extra zip. I can honestly say that the “Sport Mode” switch actually does make it a bit more quicker, especially accelerating. Drops the gas economy slightly though, but you can feel the difference in performance compared to other cars I’ve driven that have sport modes.

I’m very happy with this fun little car.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Recently drove a Mazda3, thinking I could get a good deal on a '16 in very good condition. Condition was good, but the car was rough and noisy compared with a new Accord which I ended up buying instead. 2018 Accord has a LOT of room in back seat, and lots of head room in front even with sun roof.

The accord is a bigger car. The Mazda3 compares better to the Civic and the Accord is simular to the Mazda6.

quote:

Originally posted by grinder:
My biggest complaint with the Mazda is the cabin noise. It is loud. I think softer tires would help immensely with road noise bu pretty much any other car seems to be much quieter inside.

A friend of mine has three of them. Well, his wife and kids have three of them....

We talked about the noise in the newest one, and believe it's a tire issue. The new one has so few miles on it so far that it hasn't needed new tires yet. Factory tires are aimed for life and fuel economy more so than for quietness. We're convinced that the next set of tires will make the new 3 a good bit quieter.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by grinder:
My biggest complaint with the Mazda is the cabin noise. It is loud. I think softer tires would help immensely with road noise bu pretty much any other car seems to be much quieter inside.

We talked about the noise in the newest one, and believe it's a tire issue.... We're convinced that the next set of tires will make the new 3 a good bit quieter.

Yes, my 3 Hatchback is much quieter with Continental DWS rubber. FYI, the 4 door is quieter than the hatchback with the same tires.

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:

quote:

Originally posted by grinder:
My biggest complaint with the Mazda is the cabin noise. It is loud. I think softer tires would help immensely with road noise bu pretty much any other car seems to be much quieter inside.

We talked about the noise in the newest one, and believe it's a tire issue.... We're convinced that the next set of tires will make the new 3 a good bit quieter.

Yes, my 3 Hatchback is much quieter with Continental DWS rubber. FYI, the 4 door is quieter than the hatchback with the same tires.

Do you have the rear compartment cover? I notice a big difference in cabin noise when I don't have the cover in place in my hatchback.

Yep. My neighbor and I went car shopping together; she bought a '16 2.5 manual trans 4-door and I bought the same except a hatch. Both cars had the same brand tires. The hatchback seems to transmit more road noise than the 4-door with a trunk. When I put on the Contis after only 8,000 miles of the stock rubber the car became MUCH quieter.

Where are you? I’ve got a 2017 Touring 2.5 6 speed hatchback. The brown mica color, can’t remember the actual name. Sweet ride. But rumor is I want a Jeep.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
Where are you? I’ve got a 2017 Touring 2.5 6 speed hatchback. The brown mica color, can’t remember the actual name. Sweet ride. But rumor is I want a Jeep.

NW Montana, and today I almost have my wife convinced to give up her '16 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with a 6speed manual. It's called a Black Bear Edition, and has a 10K# winch on the front metal bumper. Other than that it's stock, with about 6,000 miles on it. White with a black hardtop that comes off, and black OEM wheels. The spare tire hangs off the back hatch. I don't know much about Jeeps, she bought it from the dealer new while I was on a business trip :-( Surprise :-(

quote:

Originally posted by aileron:

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
Where are you? I’ve got a 2017 Touring 2.5 6 speed hatchback. The brown mica color, can’t remember the actual name. Sweet ride. But rumor is I want a Jeep.

NW Montana, and today I almost have my wife convinced to give up her '16 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited with a 6speed manual. It's called a Black Bear Edition, and has a 10K# winch on the front metal bumper. Other than that it's stock, with about 6,000 miles on it. White with a black hardtop that comes off, and black OEM wheels. The spare tire hangs off the back hatch. I don't know much about Jeeps, she bought it from the dealer new while I was on a business trip :-( Surprise :-(

Ha! If I wasn't a couple of thousand miles away, I'd do a meet and swap.

I love my Mazda, don't get me wrong. I average 32-33 mpg in mixed use. Routinely get 35 on long trips. It's comfortable and rides good, except the leather or leatherette seats make my backside hot. I think I prefer cloth.

My 2.5 has zip, and is fun to drive on mountain roads (those are big hills to you Montana people ).

It's a sharp looking car. I haven't noticed excessive road noise, but I usually have a huge duffel bag in the back with the back tray in place. I've driven it over 27,000 miles and haven't had a single issue.

I'm only shedding it for a Jeep because I have finally come to terms with wanting a Jeep. And my wife is tired of me wishing out loud. I almost bought one instead of the Mazda last year, but the cheap-ass in me decided the fuel mileage was worth it.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
..., but the cheap-ass in me decided the fuel mileage was worth it.

Yeah, I want a lifted 1/2 ton on 33s. Unfortunately the $50k sticker before mods and 16mpg have convinced me to look at a "reasonable" vehicle. The little mazda seems like the closest thing I have found so far.

How are Mazdas in general long term? I got 11 years out of my last "new" vehicle as I don't enjoy the car buying process.
Are Mazdas still Japanese built or ...?

Looking for a deep crystal blue 5 door with a manual I guess. Tire noise won't be an issue. I plan to replace with a nice 5/6 spoked rim and decent rubber. Use stock for winter. I also plan to pass on the moon roof. Never been a fan and they just add weight and reduce chassis rigidity.

Bob, more noise with or without the rear cover?

More noise without it.