I had a racing beat cat back on my Miata. Made it sound mean without being obnoxious. You can still get a 6 speed manual with the 3 but it has to be the hatchback in Premium trim.I can understand that, no self-respecting car enthusiast would want anything but a manual with a car like a Mazda 3.
The Racing Beat bolt-on exhaust is dyno tuned, adds modest gains (too small to feel but they show up on paper), only slightly louder than stock. Build quality is better than the OEM exhaust. It's the quietest aftermarket exhaust I've ever heard, no drone, silences high frequencies and sounds nice and bassy when you give it full beans. Think of it as an aftermarket exhaust for adults. They also make high quality springs with rates about +20% stiffer than stock.
PS: the stiffer rear swaybar reduces understeer and gives a more precise responsive feel to the steering. But it didn't mesh well with the soft stock suspension, causing some bump steer. Then I installed the stiffer springs and shocks, which matches perfectly and fixed that problem. It handles about as well as any FWD car can now, vastly improved from stock. But it's not track stiff, more like road/GT firm, perfectly fine on the street as a daily driver.
New Mazda3.....first impressions
- Thread starter GaryMX5
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My 1990 Mazda Protege w/1.8 manual was a fantastic car. Replaced it w/a 1992 Maxima auto for the wife to drive as well. Fast forward to today, own a 1999 Protege LX auto for the last 23 yrs. My favorite car. I'll replace the whining transmission one day and I'll drive another 20yrs. if I live that long. For $25K+ new for a Mazda 3 sedan is something to highly consider.
Did you try one with the manual? I guess in Colorado, AWD can be a nice thing to have and the automatics work pretty well in recent Mazda's.
Rod developed some amazing cars. I saw him and John Buffum rally here in Colorado. Rod had his 4wd 1st gen RX7 (sounded like a chain saw at high revs) and Buffum had one of the first Audi Quattro S2's in the US. Always fun to see those two go at it. Rod built up a Mazda 3 AWD rally car shortly after that. He then built Reece (his son) a nasty Toyota Celica AWD rally car. I competed in a rally with Reece but he had a national seed and I was a regional seed and backlooper. I and my boys got to go to their shop in california and even got to sit in Rod's Toyota Pikes peak hill climb car. Over 1000HP from a 4 banger in the 90's!
Unfortunately no. The Mazda auto is amazing. Some people give them a bad rap because they're "only" a 6 speed. The Mazda auto rarely is looking/searching for a gear like 8-10 speeds. You're almost always in the right gear. They use a different torque convertor and clutch pack design than most autos.
My 2012 Mazda 3 with the six-speed manual was the most fun car I ever owned.
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Interesting you say awd with a twist beam rear suspension. My 06 Mazda 3 was a multi link rear and Scion ia had the twist beam both handled respectively well and tossable. The Scion ia would lift the inside rear wheel tossing around mountain passes.
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Probably closer to the 300 mark the Supra and 3000 gt vr4 were up around 320
I bought a new Mazdaspeed 3 in July of 2007. It had several issues early on (all but one -an EGR valve-were covered by the warranty). I ended up adding a Mazdaspeed CAI, Koni FSD struts/shocks, a JBR rear anti-roll bar (set to 50% stiffer than stock, an E-Focus motor mount, and a Hypertech tune. When I sold it in January of 2016 at 158,000 miles UOAs showed the motor to be in excellent shape while the exterior and interior showed almost no wear. I'd buy a Mazda again in a heartbeat if they still made Mazdaspeed editions, but apparently the suits at Mazda considered the Mazdaspeeds "immature" and kicked them to the curb. Me, I believe growing old is inevitable- but growing up is optional; I'll take a manic hooligan any day over a "mature" alternative.
As always, YMMV.
As always, YMMV.
When I looked at them last, the manual transmission versions were only available in the base model. I just had a look at their website and it's not apparent which models, if any, have manual transmissions.
Mazda makes fun cars but doesn't seem to realize that some people who enjoy fun cars would prefer a manual transmission.
Mazda makes fun cars but doesn't seem to realize that some people who enjoy fun cars would prefer a manual transmission.
That's good to know but I hope I never have to do it!The ATF drain / refill is very easy on these transmission.
2025 Mazda3 Hatchback (aka 5 door) Premium trim
Patman
Staff member
I would love to have a new Mazda3 Turbo! I can’t get over the fact that it makes 320 lb-ft of torque! That’s more than the old Fox body 5.0s used to make! It’s too bad that Mazda doesn’t offer it with a manual and it’s too bad they got rid of the Mazdaspeed division. This car with a manual and a better suspension would have made a great modern Mazdaspeed3!
Hatchbacks are nice enough (I've had 2) but I was really thinking about the sedan.
Just for looks? I guess in theory the sedan should be a bit stiffer chassis, and maybe a touch quieter? I like the wagon/hatch for the versatility, and for highway speed turns I kind of like the more even weight distribution of a wagon, and you can kind of feel the outside rear tire loading up a bit more.
Mazda 3 has cylinder deactivation, which kills the deal.
Sedans often look better than their hatchback counterparts (and that's definitely the case with the Mazda3) and hatchbacks are more versatile than sedans. Sedans are often a bit longer though and with a pass-through or fold down seat I can haul a few boards - which I do from time to time with my Accord and used to do with my BMW. Sedans are a bit quieter and maybe safer too - with all that stuff in the trunk behind a barrier.
All in all I prefer the Mazda3 sedan, but the VW hatchback.
All in all I prefer the Mazda3 sedan, but the VW hatchback.
Yes, IMO the mazda3 hatch has some odd stuff going at the back with the huge C pillar, and TBH I don't really like any of the Mazda's pointlessly long hood styling for transverse engines? Looks like they could/should have an in-line 6 and be rwd! And also the pointlessly short rear overhang, just to lose cargo space?
Not that the styling is a deal breaker, I just like having the 35 cuft behind the rear seats for a couple bikes, too many pairs of skis, plus gear, and a kid or two, and get 35mpg, so only the CX-5 meets my checklist.