wellesleymazda
Member
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- a lot of Mazdas
Hi guys, it's been 2 months since I began to drive our 2010 Mazda3 sedan 2.5L 6-speed. I just hit 3,500 miles and below is my first long-term report, in a nutshell, I love driving this blue zoom-zoom machine! It's so much fun on the road and I am enjoying every grocery run!
Average Fuel Consumption: 26.8 mpg
This number is achieved under 40% local + 60% highway driving; tire @ 37 psi (recommended tire pressure is 33 psi) with an empty trunk. I drive pretty aggressively at 50% of the traffic light stop and on highway I usually drive 70-80 mph so if you conservatively you should be able to get to about 27+ . I am also averaging 400+ miles per tank on a mixed highway/city driving, when the trip computer tells you it's 0 miles to empty you can go at least 60 miles on highway and 50 miles in city driving. (I have tried this 7+ times and when I filled at the gas station I still have about 1 gallon left in the tank! )
100% hwy driving I averaged 29 mpg with one passenger, 440 miles/tank.
I am fine with the gas consumption, it's not too bad but not as good as VW's 2.0T motor... for a small car like this (I think Mazda6 i gets about the same mileage)
Handling and Driving Experience:
After the initial break-in period and I changed oil, I felt the car has better mpg and better throttle response. The Mazda3 has excellent steering feedback and power in 3rdgear; wish it has more power off the line (if you turn off the DSC then you will be able to get more direct power). Tight turning radius, excellent chassis, blind spot is there due to exterior design.
The 6-speed manual transmission is precise and smooth, better than last generation Mazda3 but not as good as Mazdaspeed's transmission, 70 miles @ 6th gear the rpm is 3k, merging into highway is an easy task but you do have to rev up rpm to between 3k-4k to get power, torque range is narrow, not as wide as German cars. Love the 3rd gear.
Car handles good in snow if you have snow driving experience; highway driving the car is not as solid as German cars, has some vertical bumps, also it's a bit noisy on high speed so you cannot enjoy your stereo to the full extent.
Overall the Mazda3 is a blast to drive, very nimble and swift, absolutely the champ in this category.
Comfort and Versatilify:
After 3,500 miles the interior is holding up very well, high-quality plastic and seats didn't show any sign of wear and tear, far better than the Toyotas, Hondas and Kias I've driven. Bose sound system is average at best, and I don't like the moon roof option because I am 6'1 and I need more roof height. There is not enough lumber support for the cloth sport seats which could make long travel fatiguing. But generally during my weekly 250-mile round trip to Connecticut I am able to drive non-stoppable.
The back seat is cramped, but I am able to fit a chair from IKEA into the back seat. Trunk size is good for two person's hiking and camping gear but NO more. If you hike a lot and carry a lot of people I would recommend buying the Mazda3 hatchback or the excellent, excellent Mazda5.
Exterior:
I get tons of compliments when I am shopping, the cars looks awesome under the sun! I love it!
Cheers,
Alex
Average Fuel Consumption: 26.8 mpg
This number is achieved under 40% local + 60% highway driving; tire @ 37 psi (recommended tire pressure is 33 psi) with an empty trunk. I drive pretty aggressively at 50% of the traffic light stop and on highway I usually drive 70-80 mph so if you conservatively you should be able to get to about 27+ . I am also averaging 400+ miles per tank on a mixed highway/city driving, when the trip computer tells you it's 0 miles to empty you can go at least 60 miles on highway and 50 miles in city driving. (I have tried this 7+ times and when I filled at the gas station I still have about 1 gallon left in the tank! )
100% hwy driving I averaged 29 mpg with one passenger, 440 miles/tank.
I am fine with the gas consumption, it's not too bad but not as good as VW's 2.0T motor... for a small car like this (I think Mazda6 i gets about the same mileage)
Handling and Driving Experience:
After the initial break-in period and I changed oil, I felt the car has better mpg and better throttle response. The Mazda3 has excellent steering feedback and power in 3rdgear; wish it has more power off the line (if you turn off the DSC then you will be able to get more direct power). Tight turning radius, excellent chassis, blind spot is there due to exterior design.
The 6-speed manual transmission is precise and smooth, better than last generation Mazda3 but not as good as Mazdaspeed's transmission, 70 miles @ 6th gear the rpm is 3k, merging into highway is an easy task but you do have to rev up rpm to between 3k-4k to get power, torque range is narrow, not as wide as German cars. Love the 3rd gear.
Car handles good in snow if you have snow driving experience; highway driving the car is not as solid as German cars, has some vertical bumps, also it's a bit noisy on high speed so you cannot enjoy your stereo to the full extent.
Overall the Mazda3 is a blast to drive, very nimble and swift, absolutely the champ in this category.
Comfort and Versatilify:
After 3,500 miles the interior is holding up very well, high-quality plastic and seats didn't show any sign of wear and tear, far better than the Toyotas, Hondas and Kias I've driven. Bose sound system is average at best, and I don't like the moon roof option because I am 6'1 and I need more roof height. There is not enough lumber support for the cloth sport seats which could make long travel fatiguing. But generally during my weekly 250-mile round trip to Connecticut I am able to drive non-stoppable.
The back seat is cramped, but I am able to fit a chair from IKEA into the back seat. Trunk size is good for two person's hiking and camping gear but NO more. If you hike a lot and carry a lot of people I would recommend buying the Mazda3 hatchback or the excellent, excellent Mazda5.
Exterior:
I get tons of compliments when I am shopping, the cars looks awesome under the sun! I love it!
Cheers,
Alex
