2018 Mazda 3 SkyActive 2.0

[wolf_06]

Gooday folks,

I started back shopping for a car, my cruze started costing me too much in parts.

Today I tried a Mazda 3 2018, GS trim with the 2.0 L, 6 speed auto.

How reliable is this engine transmission combo? How is the maintenance cost? And also, is it direct injection?

Thanks in advance for your inputs.

 

[GaryMX5]

While I cannot comment directly on the 2.0L motor, I can say that the Skyactiv 2.5 is reliable. I have a 16 CX5 and a 14 Mazda6 (both with six speed autos which are smooth shifting) and neither has ever had any problems or unscheduled service. The 2.0 skyactiv is just a smaller version of those and is more or less identical. The 2.5 is also available in the Mazda 3 and would be my first engine choice but admittedly it does cost a few bucks more. The 2.5 is direct injected and I haven't experienced any dilution problems resulting in increased oil level. They're pretty easy to service as well. You remove a little plastic cover on the bottom tray and you'll find the oil filter right next to the oil drain plug. All Mazda's are known to be great handling cars as there's a little bit of a Miata built into all of them. (I also had a Miata and can vouch for this)

 

[skyactiv]

If you notice, you'll see Mazda doesn't space the make and model name of it's number series of cars. Mazda6, not Mazda 6 as an example.
The one thing Mazda needs to do to improve the Mazda3 is add more sound deadening. Consumer Reports complains about the road noise. The car lets in too much road noise at high driving speeds.
Do yourself a favor and test drive it on an interstate first. Doing 80 km/h during a test drive is quieter than driving at 110 km/h

 

[charbaby]

I think that the current generation Mazda3 has gotten a bit quieter since its 2014 introduction but, still a bit too much road noise according to those who test them. That's too bad as they're a great driving car. The next gen is supposed to fix this. But, Mazda took away the rear independent suspension. Give a little, take a little away!

My advice to the OP is to take the car out on the highway and not just around town for a test drive. It's the short test drive that my suck you in and then(as I've read in many customer reviews), the hiwy noise is cause for concern after you have taken delivery.

I like the Mazda3 very much. We even had an '06 and the biggest complaint is its road noise. But this one didn't ride too bad!

This newest gen IMO, has an overall somewhat harsh ride over broken pavement, depending on trim level for(key word), "EVERYDAYNESS"! Especially as the car ages & for the long haul. Not bad in the South or South West U.S. but, in the Northern states & Canada(salt belt), broken pavement, can you live with this day in, day out, year after year(til the car is paid off)?

In this generation, look for the models coming out of Japan. They seem to be just that little bit better made IMO as I've driven them from Mexico as well. To me, there is a difference and when I drove them back-to-back, I didn't know where they came from until my wife did the CarFAX thingie and it show their assembly country.

I was remarking over how much nicer built this one particular Mazda3 felt that we were testing as compared to the other that we had driven. It was MFG'd in Japan as the other was from Mexico. And again, I didn't have this information prior!

 

[vwmaniaman]

We have a 2012 Mazda5 with the 2.5. We now have 105K on it and it drives great. Has plenty of power and mileage is always around 30mpg. We have taken several long trips with 4 adults and packed almost to the ceiling and it still has plenty of power and gets the same mileage. I guess people didn't catch on to its versatile style till it was too late. I would replace it with another new one if they were still available. My sister has a 2014 CX5 with the 2.0 motor. It isn't as smooth as the 2.5 but consistently gets between 32 and 34 mpg on the highway. It also has plenty of room and rides really nice.. In my opinion they are making some really nice and not boring cars.

 

[PWMDMD]

I beat the snot out of a 2014 Mazda3 with the 2.5L and 6-speed auto for 60K miles. I settled on the Mazda3 after I traded in a 2014 S5 when I changed jobs and was going to be commuting 240 miles per day for up to a year. The engine/transmission combo was flawless, fuel efficient and in my boredom of that commuteI I really beat the crap out of that thing. That 6-speed auto is one of the best I've ever driven. Smooth, always in the right gear and unlike many overly conservative autos today no problems getting it to downshift.

I will agree the road noise was horrible. You heard every imperfection in the pavement and the wind noise was deafening. I've heard they've addressed this issue now. Overall it was a great car - great handleing/steering, reliable, comfortable and for a 6'5" guy had a decent amount of room for it's class. Was it as fun or quiet as the Audi? No, but for â…“ the price I was very pleasantly surprised how much fun it was and quickly grew to love that car for everything it did well..

 

[charbaby]

I think the largest complaint with Mazda's is their road noise. More complaints from the PRESS than from customers but, it's there. I realize this is in part to their Skyactiv Tech. Lighter weight everywhere(engines, transmissions, suspensions, insulation).

Mazda's are a drivers car and they're not for everyone but, they really know how to dial in the driving dynamics. They also show very good reliability, customer satisfaction & resale value. Can't go wrong with that!

Even though they may not be for me particularly, I do recommend them to others(with a caveat) and still test drive them when looking to buy another vehicle. I don't want to miss anything.

 

[PWMDMD]

Originally Posted by Char Baby
I think the largest complaint with Mazda's is their road noise. More complaints from the PRESS than from customers but, it's there. I realize this is in part to their Skyactiv Tech. Lighter weight everywhere(engines, transmissions, suspensions, insulation).

Mazda's are a drivers car and they're not for everyone but, they really know how to dial in the driving dynamics. They also show very good reliability, customer satisfaction & resale value. Can't go wrong with that!

Even though they may not be for me particularly, I do recommend them to others(with a caveat) and still test drive them when looking to buy another vehicle. I don't want to miss anything.

I still have a 2014 Mazda5 because my wife loves it for its ease of driving and simplicity. That was pre-Skyactive and it too is deafening at high speeds. Luckily we only use it in town and then use the Pilot Touring for any highway trips. The Mazda5 has not held up as well as the Mazda3 did - it has 60K miles and runs great but currently has a check engine light on for a small pressure leak in fuel tank and it has about 8k rattles with both sliding doors sounding like they're loose over bumps. Yet, my wife refused to let me get rid of it...imperfections and all Mazda knows how to endear it's cars to their owners.

 

[PimTac]

The 2.0 is a very fuel efficient and well proven engine. The six speed automatic has also proven itself. My CX5 with the 2.5 and same transmission is very smooth and responsive.

The noise issue was fixed for the CX5 in 2017 but I don't know if that applies to the 3 as well. As others have mentioned, a test drive will give you more answers.

I would also look at the Mazda6 if you are looking at sedans. I do know they improved the noise insulation and interior of the 6. The 6 is made in Hiroshima Japan while the 3 is from Mexico mainly with some coming from Japan.

 

[NO2]

A great car but I'd prefer the MT Hatchback version, more fun and practical. I'd consider moving up one class size to mid-sized, like a Mazda6 they generally offer the same fuel economy and more features for very little price difference. The 6 rides like a luxury car. Camry, Accord, Legacy, Sonata, etc are also all good cars. One consideration is that sedans depreciate more rapidly than other vehicle classes, so you may get a better deal purchasing used.

 

[buster]

Originally Posted by PWMDMD
I beat the snot out of a 2014 Mazda3 with the 2.5L and 6-speed auto for 60K miles. I settled on the Mazda3 after I traded in a 2014 S5 when I changed jobs and was going to be commuting 240 miles per day for up to a year. The engine/transmission combo was flawless, fuel efficient and in my boredom of that commuteI I really beat the crap out of that thing. That 6-speed auto is one of the best I've ever driven. Smooth, always in the right gear and unlike many overly conservative autos today no problems getting it to downshift.

I will agree the road noise was horrible. You heard every imperfection in the pavement and the wind noise was deafening. I've heard they've addressed this issue now. Overall it was a great car - great handleing/steering, reliable, comfortable and for a 6'5" guy had a decent amount of room for it's class. Was it as fun or quiet as the Audi? No, but for â…“ the price I was very pleasantly surprised how much fun it was and quickly grew to love that car for everything it did well..



I agree about the auto, especially in sport mode. They are pretty reliable cars. Mine is built in Mexico and (knock on wood) the onlyl issue I've had is the OCV leaking, which I'm going to eventually have fixed (not by the dealer).

I think they are great cars. They also don't seem to suffer much from intake valve deposits. I've been impressed with Mazda the last few years.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted by buster
Originally Posted by PWMDMD
I beat the snot out of a 2014 Mazda3 with the 2.5L and 6-speed auto for 60K miles. I settled on the Mazda3 after I traded in a 2014 S5 when I changed jobs and was going to be commuting 240 miles per day for up to a year. The engine/transmission combo was flawless, fuel efficient and in my boredom of that commuteI I really beat the crap out of that thing. That 6-speed auto is one of the best I've ever driven. Smooth, always in the right gear and unlike many overly conservative autos today no problems getting it to downshift.

I will agree the road noise was horrible. You heard every imperfection in the pavement and the wind noise was deafening. I've heard they've addressed this issue now. Overall it was a great car - great handleing/steering, reliable, comfortable and for a 6'5" guy had a decent amount of room for it's class. Was it as fun or quiet as the Audi? No, but for â…“ the price I was very pleasantly surprised how much fun it was and quickly grew to love that car for everything it did well..



I agree about the auto, especially in sport mode. They are pretty reliable cars. Mine is built in Mexico and (knock on wood) the onlyl issue I've had is the OCV leaking, which I'm going to eventually have fixed (not by the dealer).

I think they are great cars. They also don't seem to suffer much from intake valve deposits. I've been impressed with Mazda the last few years.



Is that really built in Mixico or assembled in Mixico?

 

[SatinSilver]

Si senor, hecho en Mexico.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted by buster
Originally Posted by PWMDMD
I beat the snot out of a 2014 Mazda3 with the 2.5L and 6-speed auto for 60K miles. I settled on the Mazda3 after I traded in a 2014 S5 when I changed jobs and was going to be commuting 240 miles per day for up to a year. The engine/transmission combo was flawless, fuel efficient and in my boredom of that commuteI I really beat the crap out of that thing. That 6-speed auto is one of the best I've ever driven. Smooth, always in the right gear and unlike many overly conservative autos today no problems getting it to downshift.

I will agree the road noise was horrible. You heard every imperfection in the pavement and the wind noise was deafening. I've heard they've addressed this issue now. Overall it was a great car - great handleing/steering, reliable, comfortable and for a 6'5" guy had a decent amount of room for it's class. Was it as fun or quiet as the Audi? No, but for â…“ the price I was very pleasantly surprised how much fun it was and quickly grew to love that car for everything it did well..



I agree about the auto, especially in sport mode. They are pretty reliable cars. Mine is built in Mexico and (knock on wood) the onlyl issue I've had is the OCV leaking, which I'm going to eventually have fixed (not by the dealer).

I think they are great cars. They also don't seem to suffer much from intake valve deposits. I've been impressed with Mazda the last few years.



Is that really built in Mixico or assembled in Mixico?




Where is Mixico? Assembled is the term these days.

 

[charbaby]

I believe it's "final assembly". But, I can't answer for the total % of parts content.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted by Char Baby
I think the largest complaint with Mazda's is their road noise. More complaints from the PRESS than from customers but, it's there. I realize this is in part to their Skyactiv Tech. Lighter weight everywhere(engines, transmissions, suspensions, insulation).


Originally Posted by incognito_2u
Said by my Father many years ago...…."Buy Cheap, Buy Twice...…"
Words that I live by till this day!

 

[littlehulkster]

Originally Posted by PimTac
Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted by buster
Originally Posted by PWMDMD
I beat the snot out of a 2014 Mazda3 with the 2.5L and 6-speed auto for 60K miles. I settled on the Mazda3 after I traded in a 2014 S5 when I changed jobs and was going to be commuting 240 miles per day for up to a year. The engine/transmission combo was flawless, fuel efficient and in my boredom of that commuteI I really beat the crap out of that thing. That 6-speed auto is one of the best I've ever driven. Smooth, always in the right gear and unlike many overly conservative autos today no problems getting it to downshift.

I will agree the road noise was horrible. You heard every imperfection in the pavement and the wind noise was deafening. I've heard they've addressed this issue now. Overall it was a great car - great handleing/steering, reliable, comfortable and for a 6'5" guy had a decent amount of room for it's class. Was it as fun or quiet as the Audi? No, but for â…“ the price I was very pleasantly surprised how much fun it was and quickly grew to love that car for everything it did well..



I agree about the auto, especially in sport mode. They are pretty reliable cars. Mine is built in Mexico and (knock on wood) the onlyl issue I've had is the OCV leaking, which I'm going to eventually have fixed (not by the dealer).

I think they are great cars. They also don't seem to suffer much from intake valve deposits. I've been impressed with Mazda the last few years.



Is that really built in Mixico or assembled in Mixico?




Where is Mixico? Assembled is the term these days.


I've always thought those sorts of things were highly overblown anyway. The fact is, cars are built by machines. The machines perform exactly the same regardless of if they're in Mexico, China, the US or Japan.

German car fanboys used to be particularly bad about that sort of thing, blaming the design faults in their cars on the Mexican workers when in reality a Mexican hand probably never touches the car until it's already finished.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted by littlehulkster



I've always thought those sorts of things were highly overblown anyway. The fact is, cars are built by machines. The machines perform exactly the same regardless of if they're in Mexico, China, the US or Japan.

German car fanboys used to be particularly bad about that sort of thing, blaming the design faults in their cars on the Mexican workers when in reality a Mexican hand probably never touches the car until it's already finished.


The company I worked for outsource one of our labor intensive clean room environment to Mexico. They spent mult-millions of dollars on the facility and employed about 200. We had made the product in the US for about $90 they made it in this new plant for a little over thirty dollars. The problem was 4 out of 5 would not meet spec. They would not stop eating in the clean room was the problem even thought they had a huge modern lunch facility. They fired some people (management) and started over a month later they were back to square 1. They repeated this process 4 or 5 times. Every time it was the same they'd show up for a surprise inspection of the facility and everyone would be eating in the clean room. At fifteen months they wrote it off and brought in back to Washington State.

 

[PimTac]

It's really dependent on the system the manufacturer has in place. I know that Japanese automakers have key people from Japan at their plants around the world. Close monitoring is essential.

A prime example is the Toyota Tacoma frame fiasco. Steps were not followed by the outsource company. Nobody was watching. In that case Dana who was the company chosen to supply the frames was at fault.

 

[littlehulkster]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted by littlehulkster



I've always thought those sorts of things were highly overblown anyway. The fact is, cars are built by machines. The machines perform exactly the same regardless of if they're in Mexico, China, the US or Japan.

German car fanboys used to be particularly bad about that sort of thing, blaming the design faults in their cars on the Mexican workers when in reality a Mexican hand probably never touches the car until it's already finished.


The company I worked for outsource one of our labor intensive clean room environment to Mexico. They spent mult-millions of dollars on the facility and employed about 200. We had made the product in the US for about $90 they made it in this new plant for a little over thirty dollars. The problem was 4 out of 5 would not meet spec. They would not stop eating in the clean room was the problem even thought they had a huge modern lunch facility. They fired some people (management) and started over a month later they were back to square 1. They repeated this process 4 or 5 times. Every time it was the same they'd show up for a surprise inspection of the facility and everyone would be eating in the clean room. At fifteen months they wrote it off and brought in back to Washington State.


I have some very serious doubts that this actually happened. Were I to wager a guess, I'd say that it was a failing of management blamed on the workers in an attempt to cover their own [censored]. Mexicans aren't inherently stupid people, and Mexico is one of the world's largest exporters of aerospace parts, for example. A simple google search shows me that Mexico has loads of firms that specialize in cleanroom work. They can and do produce goods of equivalent quality to anyone else in the world. Furthermore, as I said, most of the work on cars is done by machines, and there is little to no input from human beings.

I find it much more difficult to believe that Mexican workers couldn't comprehend what a clean room was than I would an idiot boss trying to use racism to cover his own [censored].