I love my Zoom-Zoom!

This review focuses on features found on the Canadian Mazda 3 sedan(GS in Canada,3i in USA).

The first time I saw a Mazda 3 was in the advertisement on TV. Personally,I found the zoom-zoom commercial annoying more than anything, especially that little kid that whispers the tagline right at the end. Still, the ad did what it was supposed to do - it piqued my interest in the 3.

Upon entering the dealership, the first thing I noticed about the car was its styling. Simply put, there are no other cars in this class that look this good. The car's lines are rounded, giving it a sporty, if not somewhat aggressive look. It's difficult to mistake this car for being any other. I think the 3 looks the best when viewed from the back and the side. The car's styling is superb. There is simply nothing else like it in this class for this amount of money. Nothing even approaches the looks of this car. I own the sedan,and prefer the sedan's looks to the 5-door hatchback, but I can still appreciate that the 5-door has its good points. Personally I think the Acura RSX is closest to the 3 as far as styling is concerned; the RSX costs several thousand dollars more though.

My salesman was quick to point out two features that distinguish the car. First, this trim and other 3s above it have automatic headlights. On one of the levers to the left of the steering wheel, you can select either automatic, on or off for the headlight setting. So,when it's set to auto, the car will detect how light or dark it is outside and turn on the headlights accordingly. Of course, when you turn off the car, the headlights will automatically turn off as well. Personally, this is one of my favourite features. In the car I had before this one, an old Civic, I always forgot to turn off the headlights, and thus I ended up with more dead batteries than I'd like to remember. Unfortunately my Civic didn't make a sound when you left the lights on as the newer Hondas do(at least the Accord). Few other cars have the option for automatic headlights - I believe some of the more expensive Lexus models have this as an option. I have no doubt that other more expensive cars have a far more advanced auto headlight system than Mazda, but really, if the car knows when to turn the headlights on and off, what more do you need?

Next, the salesperson told me about the rain-sensing wipers. Basically, there's another lever for the wipers which has several more settings to choose from, including intermittent, a single wipe and automatic. When set to automatic, you can choose how sensitive you'd like the sensor to be. The more sensitive the setting, the more the wipers will clean the windshield(given a steady amount of rain). Living in Vancouver I've found this feature really handy. Most of the time it works well, but on occasion I've found the sensor to be too disinterested,even when on the most sensitive setting. That said, it doesn't happen often that the sensor doesn't respond efficiently, and
it's nice to be able to set the windshield wipers to automatic and forget about them. Once again,I think some luxury cars also have the option for auto wipers, but I have never heard of them even being offered as an option for a car under $50,000.
This car is excellent value for money.

Obviously Mazda is all about making fun to drive cars, and this model is no exception. Although the 3 has about half the HP of the Nissan 350Z, there's more than enough power for everyday driving. In the sedan, the GX and GS trims get a 2L, 148 horse engine, and the GT sedan and hatchback models get a 2.3L 160. Yes,you'll definitely notice the difference between the two engines, but personally I valued fuel economy more than the slight boost in power. With the 2 Litre I never have any trouble merging, keeping up or passing other cars and trucks on the highway. Likewise, in the city the engine is peppy and it's easy to dart from lane to lane. When necessary, the car smoothly downshifts to 2nd or 3rd gear for some extra oomph. I've found that 4th gear is only really there for cruising - it's difficult to accelerate quickly in 4th. The 2L doesn't hit it's "sweet spot" until about 3,000 RPMs(or when accelerating,above 60KM/H), at which point it really starts to zoom. I average about 500 Kilometres per tank, with a majority of city driving. The estimates for this car under ideal conditions are 9.1L/100KM in the city and 6.4L/100KM in the highway(automatic transmission/2L). I think these numbers would have been improved had Mazda used a 5-speed automatic instead of the tiptronic 4-speed. Just as important as the engine are the brakes. My model didn't come with ABS, but I've found the brakes to be strong and responsive when needed. As with other cars I've driven I've found that the brake pedal gets progressively easier to push down as the car is slowing down. I don't know what that feature is called, but it's great!

The interior is very colorful, innovative and futuristic in design. Some professional reviewers have noted that some of the parts inside the car look and feel cheap; I'd agree that they're not top quality, but I wouldn't call them cheap. The dash and stereo controls are backlit with a orange color at night which I've found to be very easy on the eyes. The controls are well laid out and easy to get used to. My car also has stereo controls on the steering wheel which allow me to change the AM/FM preset station and CD track or adjust the volume. Finally there's also steering-wheel mounted cruise controls. Using only the buttons on the wheel,I can increase the previous cruise control speed, set it to cruise or cancel the cruise control feature. Another unique thing about this car is that it always displays the gear you're in on the dash. I've never driven any other cars with this feature...even though it's not always useful, I like that it's there. Unfortunately, the climate control system is not automatic. Still,it works quite well once the car warms up. Usually,this takes about 5 minutes of driving - the car doesn't warm up enough to heat or cool the inside when it's turned on and left in neutral. I've found the climate control to be adequate, and given some time to heat/cool the inside it works well enough. If interior comfort is your priority, you may want to think about spending money on a used car in this price range - for example a 2002 Acura 3.2 TL might be a good choice. I have the cloth seats, and I've found them to be adequate - nothing spectacular and nothing overly disappointing. I didn't try the leather, so it's difficult to compare. No matter how many DVDs, LCD screens or gameboys you put in this car, I strongly believe that only 2 normal adults will be comfortable in the car at one time. Fitting 5 people is definitely stretching it. For a short drive, 4 people could probably make do, but after awhile the lack of legroom may become an issue.


This car isn't without its' faults. I've had a few problems with it. First and most importantly, there was an airbag sensor problem with earlier models, for which a recall has been issued. Usually when I start up the car after not having used it for a few hours, there's a rough transition when the car shifts itself from first to second gear. It's a very noticeable jolt,and the dealership nearby has told me they don't yet know how to fix it - they're awaiting a fix from Mazda head office. This jolt goes away once the car warms up. Yet another problem is that the brakes tend to squeal when the car hasn't been used in several hours. Again, after 2 or 3 minutes, the squealing goes away. It's somewhat embarrassing to drive a brand-new car that has brakes that sound like they're on a beater! Last but not least, the windshield wipers have been notorious in my experience to squeal and leave streaks every once in awhile. I find this usually happens during light to moderate rainfall.


Overall, I LOVE THIS CAR. It fits my needs perfectly : it looks great, drives like a dream, feels spacious and cozy inside and gets a good fuel economy. If you're in the market to buy a car - any car - test drive a Mazda 3 first. Pretty soon,it'll be the benchmark.