Mazda3 detnews review??

[marknmichigan]

In the review in the Detroit news, the mazda 3 interior is said to have some blinking LED lights? can anyone confirm this? I am thinking that would be VERY distracting while driving.. here is the clip..

"Red is a primary trim color on the interior. Red LED lights flash sequentially along a strip in the center console when the stereo is on. "

link to the article
http://www.detnews.com/2003/autosconsumer/0311/10/g01-316459.htm


let me know what the truth is..

Mark

 

[Matthew]

wow thats pretty silly if true. i would feel like i was in an airplane about to crash with center aisle lights coming on.

 

[marknmichigan]

figured it out..

Found a review about the Mazda 3, if you look closely at the dash you'll see the cd player slot and below that a rotary knob with buttons. In between that area is a red line, there are LED's in there that blink when you turn up the volume or make an audio adjustment. I guess Mazda wants you to know the volume is going up? If I do get this car i will be finding the fuse for that feature!! annoying!! what do the rest of you think?

here's the link to the story
http://www.canadianautoreview.com/mazda3_sport_gt.htm

 

[eting_pro5]

i don't think they "blink" but as you turn the volume higher more light up temporarily...kinda like in some cars where the volume meter won't show up til you change it, only this is lights...if they blink, they'll be annoying, if they sequentially light up, i could deal with it

 

[shaundarbie]

That's exactly right, eting_pro5. I test drove one last night. It's a little weird, but I guess you could get used to it.

 

[marknmichigan]

led lights

So you were able to drive the US-spec mazda 3? So as you turned up the volume there was one, then two, then three LED's that lit up? Did they go out once you stopped adjusting the volume?

also a few questions of your test drive.. was there any drive-by-wire on this car? any lag from when you hit the gas pedal to when the car reacted?

when you said the clutch was a "little lite" did you mean it's mushy?

were the clutch and brake pedal to close together?

and tell me honestly.. was the audio system any good?

one more question were the heating/cooling control manual or automatic? thanks.. appreciate the answers..

 

[shaundarbie]

I'll answer the best I can...I was more interested in the car's performance than cosmetics, but I totally understand your interest!

Keep in mind that most of my evaluation will be as compared to my 2.0L 626...

As for the volume lights, yes, they light up one, two, three, (and then four? don't remember...), then they go off after a second. However, there is also a digital number representing the volume level on the display (much like the 6 stereo) that goes up and down as you turn the knob. In other words, the lights are not necessary, just kinda cool to look at.

There was maybe a *slight* lag in the throttle, but it was more prominent in the V6 6 I drove afterward, so it wasn't too bad in the 3.

As for the clutch pedal, it seemed like it was too easy to push to the floor. It came back easily, and engaged much earlier than my 626. In fact, when I drove my 626 home, I was riding the clutch for awhile because I got used to the clutch in the 3!

I thought the pedals were at an ok distance, and I have pretty big feet (size 12).

I thought the audio system was pretty good, though I only played the radio and not a CD. However, I'm not a big stereo guy, I just like a clean, smooth sound. This one is definately subjective...

As for the heating/cooling control...sorry, I don't remember. I think they were manual, but I'm not sure...

Hope that helped...

 

[marknmichigan]

thanks

Hey shaundarbie..

thanks for the info! Yeah i have larger feet as well as I am 6'6 tall.. I do fit fine in the current protege so i am thinking the 3 will be just as good in size.. so i had to ask about the clutch pedals..

Yeah never thought, but you are right those were cosmetic issues.. okay here's one that's mechanical..

how was the power in the car? was the shifter long or short throws? how was the shifter feel?

and two other ones I have to know

any large amounts of body roll? and how were the brakes? (feel, stopping power)?

thanks for all the answers.. it does help a lot for me!

 

[shaundarbie]

Cosmetic issues ARE important if you're considering buying one!

The power of the 2.3L was very impressive. It's the 2.3L from the Mazda6, with 160hp. However, Car&Driver article I read said the 3 gets 170hp...hmm...but yeah, it was pretty quick! Heck, I accidently chirped shifting into second and I was only at like 4,500rpm! And it looks like there's room for upgrades...lots of room behind the engine for a turbo (intake manifold is in front, unlike our FS motors). My only worry is that the intake manifold is plastic. That wasn't too impressive...

Transmission was excellent. It has short throws and is smooth and accurate. That was one of my favorite parts.

Body roll wasn't bad, but I didn't do any heavy cornering. A strut brace would probably help stiffen things up like the MP5. Brakes felt good, the one I drove had 4 wheel disc. Again, I didn't slam the brakes or anything...the poor car only had 9 miles on it when I got behind the wheel!

 

[marknmichigan]

plastic

It sounds like a nice car, but a plastic intake? hmm.. my civic that i have currently is aluminum, and I agree that I am also disappointed the 3 has plastic.. Wonder if an aftermarket maker would produce an aluminum one? Maybe I am old school yet plastic on the air filter is acceptable, but the intake? hmmm..

sounds like a nice car other than that one drawback..

hey I attached a picture of the 2.0L engine couldn't find the 2.3 engine.. you can clearly see the intake as plastic..

 

[shaundarbie]

I just looked at the torque curves you posted on another thread. Torque peaks at 4,500rpm, thus explaining the chirping tires!

 

[Big_Red_1]

What's wrong with a plastic intake manifold? The LS1 (F-body/Corvette) has used them all along and the are great. Much less heat soak than aluminum.

 

[shaundarbie]

Well, I worked at a GMC/Pontiac dealer, and I couldn't count how many of those plastic manifolds I was always throwing in the dumpster...I don't have anything against them, it just seems that a semi-major engine component like that should be more sturdy. And nothing personal, but LS-1s aren't exactly known for longevity or reliability, though they are kick-butt engines. Of course there are always exceptions...

 

[marknmichigan]

thanks..

Shaundarbie..

yeah i posted over at cartalk also and they had mixed feelings of the "plastic intake".. one guy had a promotional coffee cup made out of that material and 6 months later, it exploded.. couldn't put up with hot coffee.. little hotter in an engine bay, i think... I looked up what it is on the LS1 engine.. It's made by dupont called Nylon 66.. Mixture of nylon and fiberglass.. probably the same material here.. does the mazda 6 have this type of intake material??

So you throw these things out all the time at the dealer??? Thanks for putting that out there.. How long do they last?? No wonder you were concerned when you found out it was the same material on the mazda3! so does it really come down to not that it's high technology, but rather good ol' cheap cost cutting!!? and about your post of the 4,500 yeah chirping tires is fun, my old CRX Si (what a fun car), could chip it all the way into 3rd! too bad a big bronco ended that fun!! Head on.. but I lived in one piece.. Better the car took the hit, than me.. but I wish they'd bring more of those "pocket rockets" back..

 

[Big_Red_1]

You guys seem to be sweating the small stuff. I'm not bashing Mazda or looking to start anything...in fact I'm maybe planning on getting a Mazda3s this spring. I'm sure the engineers have done their homework and if using a synthetic intake manifold would cause failure it WOULD NOT be used. I have not heard of any LS1/LS6 engines that have blown their intake manifold. It is not a problem.
First of all it is cheaper to cast and machine aluminum than plastic.
Second, it is much lighter in weight than aluminum
Third, plastic has much less heat capacity and therefore you will have less heat soak.

Sure, aluminum may be stronger for load carrying, but as far as I know, the only thing the intake does is direct air....not many forces there. The thermal expansion coefficients obviously will be different and the gasketing will maybe need to be altered to compensate for that, but for functionallity plastic is much better. You know if the intake was made of carbon fiber people would be praising it to high heaven.

I've never researched what the LS1 intake material is, but if is it glass filled nylon....that is some tough s***. I've used similar materials quite a bit where I work....although the trade name we use is Nylatron. I really don't buy the coffee mug story and calling :bs: there. It probably exploded after he put and M-80 under it or jumped on it lol.

And as for throwing out intake manifolds at the dealers....if it was that big of a problem there would be a recall for them to be fixed. I've never heard of any.

Why don't you guys wait until a problem appears instead of going and looking for things before the cars even hit the streets. I'd put money on it that there will be no problem with the intake manifold that has to do with the material it is made of.

 

[shaundarbie]

Ouch, defensive. So don't listen to us, drive your 3 away, and be happy! It's just a concern I had, that's all.