My Mazda3 hasn't been all that much worse in the winter than my other cars. It takes a couple mpg off, but that's what I've experienced with other cars I've owned in the past. Might be a little worse. I think my 2005 Mazda3s might have been, too, but not by a huge amount.
And as far as...
I have no doubt that Ohlins are worth every penny. They're at the top of my list of suspension upgrade choices for my RX-8 when the time comes. I think the real question is this: Is it worth spending that much money on dampers and springs for a Mazda3? It isn't for me.
I had KONI Sports...
I think in around-town driving the mid-range torque of the 2.5L Mazda3 trumps the RX-8, but I can feel that at high RPM the RX-8 is faster than the Mazda3 in all situations. 0-60mph times for the RX-8 in "good" magazines for the Series II were around 6.3s (I think that was C&D's time), but you...
Car and Driver did the instrumented tests that resulted in the 7.2s time 0-60mph; however, they commented in that article that the reason the lateral acceleration was so mediocre was that the track was dusty and slippery. Perhaps their 0-60mph run was on the same slippery track, because they...
I'm going in for my first oil change and infotainment update next Wednesday (22nd). Hopefully it fixes all the mess of bugs I have. It refuses to even connect to my iPod Classic now. It worked fine for quite a while when the car was new, then it got buggier, kicking me out sometimes, and then...
That is one complaint I have about the car: lack of good storage areas. I don't use the bottle holders in the doors much and I would rather have a "map pocket" type of slot for holding assorted stuff as most cars have. I also don't like that there's no decent change holder. Neither are huge...
The longer front end is one of the sexiest features of the car, IMO! Many of the car mag reviewers have also commented on it. I love the shooting brake style of the hatchback.
I love the almond leather interior, but I started seeing stains on the driver's side seat almost immediately. In the spring I'll be busting out the leather cleaner and conditioner. I hope it works well. I've only had black leather in my cars in the past.
Those are impressive numbers! Significantly better than those Car & Driver recorded. They stated that the pavement was slippery when they did their instrumented testing of the 2.5L 3s GT, though.
You're missing the point: There IS a likely benefit from using higher octane gasoline in newer cars. Most of them WILL advance timing and make more power. It was quite noticeable in my 2012 Focus. I drive 35,000 miles a year in my daily driver. Even with that amount of driving, the price...
Yes, but there's also this:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/go/news/new-technology/premium-fuel-futures?click=main_sr
That autoguide article even states this:
In the past it was thought running premium fuel when only regular was called for could cause damage. “Most every engine, every...
^^What mazdadude said. Most recent model year cars will automatically advance spark timing to make more power on higher octane gas, but the question is, how much, and is there a maximum timing advance, and if so, how many degrees is that maximum? I've gone back and forth between 87 octane and...
I've had the rear cross traffic alert system go off a couple of times. I love it. It's very useful when you're parked between two large vehicles, which is almost always around here, and can't see much beyond straight behind you.
I'll be saving my tin, if for no other reason than it has a picture of my car on it! I would think that some people may not have theirs yet, since some people got theirs a couple of weeks before I got mine.
I love the interior of my 2014. It may be my favorite aspect of the car. I had a 2005 Mazda3s GT. I liked the interior of both the first-gen and second-gen, but in my opinion, there is no comparison to the new interior. It was actually BMW interiors that Mazda claim to have targeted in...
Anyone else get theirs? Mine arrived today. I'm still geeked about it. This is the coolest thing I've ever received from a car manufacturer or dealer after buying a car. Mazda is the coolest car company!
I suspect most of us have Mazda3s built before 10/2013, too. I would *like* to think that if it were a significant safety thing, there would be a recall. I suspect the IIHS has to have that disclaimer because there was a small change and they have not tested the earlier builds.