I bought my Mazda because it had a good shape. I noticed that the front end was bigger that a lot of other cars we looked at, and I do not like the look of a car without a bit of a front end. The second thing I noticed was the interior. I loved the seat covers because they were soft and not made of faux leather. We had looked at the Dodge compact cars, and I absolutely hated the way the seats felt. I didn't even want to sit in that one! When I test drove my Mazda, I liked the way it handled, the way it took off fast, even though it only has four cylinders. I was worried about having enough power because I have always had a six cylinder car before this one. But the performance was very good, it has a lot of get up and go, from a stop to getting on the freeway, there is enough power. I also liked the way it can connect to the I phone, and you can talk on the phone with your hands free. It didn't come with the Sirius Radio, but the dealer put one in for me, and I like that feature. The main thing I miss is having a back up camera, the newer models from mine has this, and I have seen how it works. This little car has a very bad blind spot in the back, and I have a hard time backing up without the back up camera. The dealer said he would put one in for $800, but I think it is too much money, plus it would be placed in the rear view mirror, which I don't like. I also have seen the newer models have a side mirror warning of a car next to you. My car doesn't have this either, and I would really like the feature. I wish I would have waited one more year to buy my car so that I would have got all these new features. It also didn't come with any navigation, so I have my Garmin stuck to the front window, which does not look very good. I noticed on the new models, they come with navigation. The gas mileage is good, I like the dash board that tells me how much mileage I'm getting at any time. Its easy to park, and its quiet.
jameo
University, Florida
5.0
economy but fun
I like the fact that I can get such great gas mileage and still have fun driving my car. Its a stick shift so I can really do well on the road, and it provides me with the power when I need it. Its a very nice looking overall car and even though its a few years old, it still gets many looks.
Jules
Pennington, New Jersey
4.0
Fun to drive
Mazda seems design a lot of cars that drive with a "sporty" feel. The MAZDA3 is no different, and it makes it fun to drive. Acceleration and braking is fairly quick because it's a relatively light car, and the control feels a lot tighter compared to cars in the same class (Ford Focus). The exterior styling is sleek, with contours that give it a bit of a sexy profile. Some say the front styling gives off an unusual and unattractive smile, but I like that.
Mazda redesigned the 3 sedan and hatchback for 2019, giving the compact car class-leading styling, refinement and handling, plus upscale amenities, impressive safety features and available AWD. But there are some downsides to it too.