I tested out a 2010 Mazda3 Grand Touring
- Thread starter Rockin03mp5
- Start date
I don't think there's any hard evidence that one works better than the other. It's your car and your money you will need to decide for your self. I always take it easy for the first 1k miles. I try to vary my RPM's and try to keep the revs no higher than 4K. But others will tell you to drive it like you stole it. Who knows. Supposedly the engines are broken in at the factory before they are installed in your car. But since I'm the one making the payments on my car I'll play it safe.
This is one of many mysteries in life that God will revealed to you when you die.
Unfortunately you can't share it with those who stayed behind. (crazy)
This is one of many mysteries in life that God will revealed to you when you die.
Unfortunately you can't share it with those who stayed behind. (crazy)
This website made me believe that running a motor hard is the proper way to break it in.
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
in short running it hard supposedly helps the piston rings seat more firmly against the cylinder wall thus creating more power and more even ring wear. Take it for what its worth tho I guess.
http://www.mototuneusa.com/break_in_secrets.htm
in short running it hard supposedly helps the piston rings seat more firmly against the cylinder wall thus creating more power and more even ring wear. Take it for what its worth tho I guess.
I've seen that website before. I wish I had the money to buy 2 cars and try each method out. But if braking in the car harder is going to affect the reliability of the car I'm sure you will only see it at higher mileage only.
Also testing 2 cars like that would be almost impossible and would never be 100% accurate. There's no control over individually manufactured engine components or the assembly process which can also lead to some engine components failing sooner over time.
If I'd lease my car I would probably try it. But I'm older (old school) so maybe not. My conscious will probably keep telling me it's wrong. (uhm)
I've owned several brand new cars over the years of varying types. I always break them in hard. I drive them the way I'm going to drive them right of the start.
The end result is that my cars are always faster and always get better gas mileage than other people with the same car. This has been proven to many times over. Your right, it is your car, so do whats makes you sleep better at night, but I'll be the guy driving the faster car and getting the better mileage.
As far as reliability, I never have any problems with my cars, especially the Mazda's. Granted I don't keep most of my cars longer than 3-4 years so I can't tell how they were with 200k on them, but I don't plan on owning any cars with that kind of mileage, I get board to quickly and need to change things up.
The end result is that my cars are always faster and always get better gas mileage than other people with the same car. This has been proven to many times over. Your right, it is your car, so do whats makes you sleep better at night, but I'll be the guy driving the faster car and getting the better mileage.
As far as reliability, I never have any problems with my cars, especially the Mazda's. Granted I don't keep most of my cars longer than 3-4 years so I can't tell how they were with 200k on them, but I don't plan on owning any cars with that kind of mileage, I get board to quickly and need to change things up.
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Drove a GT automatic the other day. Not a fan of the styling. Thought the engine was less refined than the 2.3, but certainly more refined than the 2.0 in the P5 (where the engine is my least favorite part of the car). Ride much smoother and quieter than a P5. But not nearly as fun, IMO, especially not with the automatic compared to a manual P5.
A few people keep saying this about the engine and I'm baffled by it. I owned a 2006 Mazda 3 GT for 2 years, I find the new 2.5L to be smoother, quieter, as well as more powerful.
Rockin03mp5
Member
- :
- '13 Mazda3 / '13 Edge / Your Mom
i thought the 2.5 was a great engine, but i dont know about the 2.3 much, except for my 5. But that is still different.
Bingo 3-4 year only. Maybe the engines exploded at the 80k mile mark,
but maybe they didn't.I tend to keep my car a long time. My 02 WRX Wagon had 130k miles on it when I traded it for my current G35Xs. I hate making car payment. I'm older and have other bills that are more important than car payments.
maskedSONY
Member
I got to sit in a 2010 3s sedan and was thoroughly impressed with the interior quality. There's some cost cutting in the doors, but its not much. The dashboard is a considerable improvement from the outgoing 3. I liked the materials, the revision of the gauge cluster to a more traditional look, and the way the nav and info screens are integrated into the dashboard. Over on other forums, many others have commented about how this looks alot better than some other automaker's designs. Some have gone so far to say it's a superior design compared to some BMWs.
I, for one, am glad to see the 3's exterior re-designed. I was a big big fan of the 3's looks after the re-fresh, but I will say that it did start to look rather stodgy. The side profile looks more interesting and the overall presence of the car has improved. In person I think the front end works just fine - and honestly I like that Mazda is taking ideas from its concept cars and daring the public to buy them. I mean, go walk over to the Acura dealership and check out their new corporate grille and tell me THAT looks better.
Some nitpicks:
- I felt the seats where a slight downgrade. The side bolsters were excellent, but I have a funny feeling that the seat cushions are a tad thinner. I currently own a 2001 ES and I LOVE the seats in the car despite the fact that their side cushions aren't really substantial. I can sit in the car for hours and not get tired, just like Recaro seats.
- The stereo and nav controls are a bit complicated, much to my chagrin - I agree with the earlier photoshop suggestions on the interior. However, they feel excellent and are positioned in just the right spot. But the climate controls seem to be in a funny spot and had a bit of wiggle to them. I'd wish Mazda would spend a few more cents to tighten them up. It could just be a sample defect.
- WHY the hell does Mazda continue to have the alternator directly above the transaxle without any special shielding at all? This was done in the Protege, the first gen 3 and now this one. It's irritating to know that a really bad puddle can just take out the alternator if you have bad luck at night or in a storm. Mazda needs to go look at how Honda locates their alternators in the Accords/CRVs. They are towards the front of the engine, almost directly behind the passenger side headlight and completely sheilded by the lower plastic coverings and the hood above.
- For those of us who have had engine mount troubles in the past, go check out the passenger side mount in the new 3. It's bleeping huge - and I hope it does a good job in insulating the car from the 2.5L engine's vibrations. (well hopefully it's better than the FS-ZE!)
I will not buy the car until I find out from other owners about two key areas: the paint quality and the air-conditioning system. Both of these were problems on the previous 3, and I want to see if Mazda did their homework or not. If not I will probably end up in a Honda.
I, for one, am glad to see the 3's exterior re-designed. I was a big big fan of the 3's looks after the re-fresh, but I will say that it did start to look rather stodgy. The side profile looks more interesting and the overall presence of the car has improved. In person I think the front end works just fine - and honestly I like that Mazda is taking ideas from its concept cars and daring the public to buy them. I mean, go walk over to the Acura dealership and check out their new corporate grille and tell me THAT looks better.
Some nitpicks:
- I felt the seats where a slight downgrade. The side bolsters were excellent, but I have a funny feeling that the seat cushions are a tad thinner. I currently own a 2001 ES and I LOVE the seats in the car despite the fact that their side cushions aren't really substantial. I can sit in the car for hours and not get tired, just like Recaro seats.
- The stereo and nav controls are a bit complicated, much to my chagrin - I agree with the earlier photoshop suggestions on the interior. However, they feel excellent and are positioned in just the right spot. But the climate controls seem to be in a funny spot and had a bit of wiggle to them. I'd wish Mazda would spend a few more cents to tighten them up. It could just be a sample defect.
- WHY the hell does Mazda continue to have the alternator directly above the transaxle without any special shielding at all? This was done in the Protege, the first gen 3 and now this one. It's irritating to know that a really bad puddle can just take out the alternator if you have bad luck at night or in a storm. Mazda needs to go look at how Honda locates their alternators in the Accords/CRVs. They are towards the front of the engine, almost directly behind the passenger side headlight and completely sheilded by the lower plastic coverings and the hood above.
- For those of us who have had engine mount troubles in the past, go check out the passenger side mount in the new 3. It's bleeping huge - and I hope it does a good job in insulating the car from the 2.5L engine's vibrations. (well hopefully it's better than the FS-ZE!)
I will not buy the car until I find out from other owners about two key areas: the paint quality and the air-conditioning system. Both of these were problems on the previous 3, and I want to see if Mazda did their homework or not. If not I will probably end up in a Honda.
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- 2010 Mazda CX-9 GT Dolphin Gray
AC has never been a problem for me
I've had an 04 Mz3 and a 08 MS3 and I've never felt either AC was inadequate and we get some pretty humid hot winters in the NE. I will say that some people don't realize they need to set the system to recirc and allow the car to cool before pulling in outside air. SOme cars do this automatically.
I think the AC complaints are more about user error than any design flaw.
I will say that the AC on my 95 and 2001 Protege was very ineffective on even moderately (~80 degree) days, while the 3's have kept up with ~100 degree days with moderate to high humidity.
The alternator thing is a good point, though depending on how Mazda designed the undercarriage. The car may naturally push the water away from the sensitive points unless the car was seriously submerged. For instance I drove a Toyota RAV4 that appeared to push the water from the underbody in a way that bypassed the sensitive bits of the engine compartment. And that SUV sits a littel higher off the ground.
I've had an 04 Mz3 and a 08 MS3 and I've never felt either AC was inadequate and we get some pretty humid hot winters in the NE. I will say that some people don't realize they need to set the system to recirc and allow the car to cool before pulling in outside air. SOme cars do this automatically.
I think the AC complaints are more about user error than any design flaw.
I will say that the AC on my 95 and 2001 Protege was very ineffective on even moderately (~80 degree) days, while the 3's have kept up with ~100 degree days with moderate to high humidity.
The alternator thing is a good point, though depending on how Mazda designed the undercarriage. The car may naturally push the water away from the sensitive points unless the car was seriously submerged. For instance I drove a Toyota RAV4 that appeared to push the water from the underbody in a way that bypassed the sensitive bits of the engine compartment. And that SUV sits a littel higher off the ground.
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Guys, all valid points, however, over all the car is awesome. The A/C sure is much different than the other years. Look at the compressor it is a litte larger. The engine mounts are completely redesigned and are larger. There have been so many improvements that I really like. Much better carpet to name a few.
Next year, I bet.
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Yeah, that's my hope!
Rockin03mp5
Member
- :
- '13 Mazda3 / '13 Edge / Your Mom
Mazda likes to add and delete colors every year.
And good point about the alternator. It is in a stupid spot on my p5, and I'm surprised it is there on the 3, let alone the new 3. With all of the electronics, and cheap wiring on all cars nowadays, I expect the battery to last 4 years, then the alternator 5. That is about what happened with my p5. It was probably the most expensive replacement, cause i wasnt going to do that one myself.
And good point about the alternator. It is in a stupid spot on my p5, and I'm surprised it is there on the 3, let alone the new 3. With all of the electronics, and cheap wiring on all cars nowadays, I expect the battery to last 4 years, then the alternator 5. That is about what happened with my p5. It was probably the most expensive replacement, cause i wasnt going to do that one myself.
maskedSONY
Member
I guess we need time to elapse before anybody can comment on paint quality.
I've seen a couple of them on the road and they get me salivating. I'm curious if real world EPA estimates can be improved upon with the 2.5L model. Our CRV is rated at 27MPG but I can pull 30MPG at 70MPH with no problems. And that's with a 2.4L engine.
I've seen a couple of them on the road and they get me salivating. I'm curious if real world EPA estimates can be improved upon with the 2.5L model. Our CRV is rated at 27MPG but I can pull 30MPG at 70MPH with no problems. And that's with a 2.4L engine.
