Mazda3 2.5 Turbo

Ws6 said:

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It's 36K with every possible option, including forged BBS wheels--at least according to the youtube link above that shows actual price sheets from Mazda.

36K is right between the well-optioned GTI and a Golf R, which was ~43K.

There are no cars in this category remotely close to 2,500 lbs. That's a ridiculous benchmark for a hot-ish hatch. A FWD Civic SI is 2,900 lbs. It's not 1985.. cars just aren't that light these days, unless you're making 2 seat sports coupes.
 
buster said:
"The hatchback 2.5 Turbo starts at $31,845 and ranges up to $34,695 in its fully loaded Premium Plus trim level. "

That $40k one is not worth it. But for $31k - $35k, it's not bad.
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Or you could get a loaded wrx with a manual, 18hp more, and actual aftermarket support...
 
Ws6 said:
Or you could get a loaded wrx with a manual, 18hp more, and actual aftermarket support...
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I think it's a different customer. The interior on the Mazda is way nicer (I've driven both of them), and of course, there's no hatchback option. That's a bigger deal for some than no manual...

I drove an STI along with a Focus RS and Civic Type R before buying my R, and frankly I thought it was the worst of the bunch. Even if it came in hatchback form, I'd have passed. Interior seemed dated, turbo lag seemed terrible and the overall package just didn't appeal.
 
Jack Watts said:
I think it's a different customer. The interior on the Mazda is way nicer (I've driven both of them), and of course, there's no hatchback option. That's a bigger deal for some than no manual...

I drove an STI along with a Focus RS and Civic Type R before buying my R, and frankly I thought it was the worst of the bunch. Even if it came in hatchback form, I'd have passed. Interior seemed dated, turbo lag seemed terrible and the overall package just didn't appeal.
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I agree with you, but I just dont see what world the mazda 3 turbo appeals in
Jack Watts said:
I think it's a different customer. The interior on the Mazda is way nicer (I've driven both of them), and of course, there's no hatchback option. That's a bigger deal for some than no manual...

I drove an STI along with a Focus RS and Civic Type R before buying my R, and frankly I thought it was the worst of the bunch. Even if it came in hatchback form, I'd have passed. Interior seemed dated, turbo lag seemed terrible and the overall package just didn't appeal.
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The 2019 sti has great chassis dynamics, but yeah, the lag was appalling. They do have a better stereo than mazda, and the interior isnt horrible, but it doesnt look as refined as the Mazda. It still felt quality to me though. I'd not buy any car in this class, personally, but if forced at gunpoint, it would be an STi. At least it handles great and from a freeway roll isnt laggy, rofl!

The civic type R is just both way too high strung and boy racer to me. At least the Sti can be had without the wing. The Focus? It's a Ford 4 cylinder vehicle. That's a hard no from me.
 
Al said:
Not really fair they didn't compare it to the Subaru WRX STI with a 2.5 HP engine.
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Yea, they should have the top trims of all 3 models. It'll make for a much better comparison, especially going against the Golf R.
 
Give me a GTI or Golf R if the price is close.

I like our Mazda 6 sedan with 2.5 turbo, but it's not in the same league as the GTI that it replaced. The seats are more comfortable, but that's it. The GTI was made to be a sporty car that wants to be driven. The Mazda not so much. It's sportier than an Accord or Camry, but that's not a high bar. It's a comfortable cruiser.
 
They priced it too high. Once your into the 30k range just buy the CX5 2.5 turbo for slightly more and have the crazy resale of a top CUV.
 
buster said:
Are GTI's reliable though? Everyone I know that has had a VW has had a ton of non stop issues. I would never want to deal with that.
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They are a lot of maintenance from what I hear, and noone keeps them long-term (over 100K miles) unless it's an old-school bug, or one of the diesel models, and then they wrestle with in-car issues and electronics and so forth.
 
I put 50,000 trouble free miles on a 2017 GTI, but it was totaled in a wreck. No trips to the dealer except for one free oil change and the 40k DSG service.

I agree that 50k miles isn’t much, but we would still be driving it if not for the wreck.

On the other hand, at 35k miles the Mazda has been to the dealer three times for infotainment glitches and software upgrades - in car issues and electronics.
 
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drtyler said:
I put 50,000 trouble free miles on a 2017 GTI, but it was totaled in a wreck. No trips to the dealer except for one free oil change and the 40k DSG service.

I agree that 50k miles isn’t much, but we would still be driving it if not for the wreck.

On the other hand, at 35k miles the Mazda has been to the dealer three times for infotainment glitches and software upgrades - in car issues and electronics.
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Mazda has a weak point with their infotainment by far, 100%. I have not had to do anything with my transmissions though...what's that mess. Lol! Over a few hundred thousand, those dsg services add up, so I opted for a car that's super gentle on the fluid. No services needed.

I spoke to vw dealer about an a3. They pointed out multiple parts that need replacing by 120k, plus the trans services. Definitely high maintenance and breaks often vs. the Mazda. Drove the a3 (2016, premium), and my girlfriend 86ed it, and i concurred. Build quality not there, at least in 16. Sound system was legit though.
 
Ws6 said:
Mazda has a weak point with their infotainment by far, 100%. I have not had to do anything with my transmissions though...what's that mess. Lol! Over a few hundred thousand, those dsg services add up, so I opted for a car that's super gentle on the fluid. No services needed.

I spoke to vw dealer about an a3. They pointed out multiple parts that need replacing by 120k, plus the trans services. Definitely high maintenance and breaks often vs. the Mazda. Drove the a3 (2016, premium), and my girlfriend 86ed it, and i concurred. Build quality not there, at least in 16. Sound system was legit though.
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I don't disagree about the DSG service cost adding up over time, but at $350 it wasn't unreasonable. I actually liked the fact that VW wanted the transmission serviced every 40k miles as I think it may help longevity. We generally keep cars until their bitter end, so I'm all for reasonable maintenance.

I'm not 100% convinced in the no-service interval for the Mazda transmission. By the way, the FZ fluid from Mazda is about as criminally priced as the VW DSG fluid. I plan on a drain and fill around 40k miles, at the same time that the spark plugs have to be replaced. Luckily NGK recently introduced the 2.5 turbo plug for purchase as NGK rather than Mazda dealer only, so the cost per plug is around $15 instead of $25 from the dealer.

We looked at A3 and A4 as well this last time. I like the styling and smaller size of the A3, but A4 is a much better car. I think Audi, MB, and BMW tend to cheap out a little too much on their smaller cars. Except for the M2, nothing cheap about that one.
 
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