2015 Mazda3 Inspection questions

[ms2000]

The first time I test drove a used 2015 Mazda 3.
1) Am I correct that the seat is a bit lower compared to the Dash?
Meaning front visibility needed for parking for a newly licensed driver might be a bit difficult?

2) Auto tranny does not have dipstick?

3) The carpets, especially trunk, looked hairy instead of flat and smooth. Is this wear and tear.

4) What MPG do you guys get?

 

[buddywh]

You should be able to adjust seat height: power seats are easy but manual seats also have an adjustment lever to the side you can pump to raise/lower. If that's not enough you'll have to use a seat wedge to sit even higher. Even at full height I feel my '21 driving position is low but at least I can see the full hood line to gauge the corners better when parking; my wife has to use a seat wedge. Just one more thing they do that hurts utility in the name of fashion.

It does have a dipstick but it's not easy to get to. It's a short stick underneath the air filter box which has to be removed to access. Mazda, like most other manufacturers, have declared the transmission a "sealed for life" component that doesn't require periodic servicing, so the difficult to access dipstick isn't a problem to them. Many other mfr's don't provide any sort of dipstick; you have to pull a fill plug from underneath with the transmission at a specific operating temperature to gauge level.

Carpets were probably aggressively cleaned during detailing to prep for resale which raises the nap like that.

In my '21 Mz3 (4th gen, 2.5l na engine) I get 35-37mpg with steady highway driving, 75-80mph. Around town and mixed but mostly in town I get 26-28 mpg.