I am looking to get rid of my protege5 and get my first ever new car (i'm kinda freakin out cause its a big decision) I want a hatch, and i want equal to or more storage than my p5, equal to or better handling, and improved gas mileage. Has anyone driven the Focus and GS-sky and can offer some advice? Are there any cars I am forgetting to compare?
Ford Focus vs Mazda3 GS Skyactiv
- Thread starter projectmx
- Start date
I've driven both.
Focus
Pros:
Cons:
Mazda 3
Pros:
Cons:
In the end, I encourage you to test drive both. Try the Elantra GT too, although their real world fuel economy is also not as good and it handles more like a Corolla than a 3 or Focus.
Focus
Pros:
- Great driver's car, nice seats, driver oriented dash.
- Silky smooth 5 speed transmission and clutch that's one of the best if you're going with the manual
- Handles great
- A DCT that feels like a manual transmission if you're going with the auto including the feeling of lurching when you're crawling slowly in traffic, I love it but I know a lot of traditional automatic drivers don't.
- Feels like a premium car.
Cons:
- Not as fuel efficient as the Skyactiv. Fuelly average for 2012 7.5L/100km, up to 8.2L/100km in 2013 due to their new 2.0 EcoBoost.
- It's small.
- Suspension feels a tad bit unrefined.
- Dashboard has a lot of buttons including a dialpad if you go for Bluetooth sans MyFordTouch.
- Premium car feel, premium car price, it gets very expensive when you start to load it up.
Mazda 3
Pros:
- Also a great driver's car, also with great seats and driver oriented dash. Not as futuristic as the Focus, just simple yet elegant.
- Handles great yet the ride feels comfortable and refined.
- Great real world fuel economy thanks to the 6 speed manual or automatic and low coefficient of drag. 7.3 L/100km on Fuelly, and consider that about 45% of 3s sold have the slightly less fuel efficient old 2.0 or even less fuel efficient 2.5.
- Adequate rear leg space, way better than Focus and Corolla, though not as good as Jetta and Elantra. At 6'-1", I can sit behind myself with an inch to spare.
Cons:
- 6 speed manual is slightly imprecise, but only with the 2nd to 3rd shift pattern.
- Skyactiv (in Canada) doesn't get as many features as the GT models, but the price is decent.
- The engine sounds slightly raspy.
In the end, I encourage you to test drive both. Try the Elantra GT too, although their real world fuel economy is also not as good and it handles more like a Corolla than a 3 or Focus.
thanks, i must admit the price here in canada surprises me, the gs-sky which really does not have many options is over 26 grand and to add a nice touch screen and fog lights it is over 29 grand
the focus with sport/black pack and my ford touch screen and a set of winter rims and tires runs 2 grand less
i agree the handling in the focus isn't quite as nice as the 3 but i bet if down the road i put on stiffer springs and struts it and maybe strut bars it will make a difference. The fuel consumption is only 1 mpg different in the city and 2 mpg on the highway so not really a blow your mind change which makes this a harder decision. I do want to drive them both on the same day in the same conditions so that I can really see how different they feel. This is such a hard decision. I honestly have been nervous about looking into toyata since they have had so many issues the last few years
the focus with sport/black pack and my ford touch screen and a set of winter rims and tires runs 2 grand less
i agree the handling in the focus isn't quite as nice as the 3 but i bet if down the road i put on stiffer springs and struts it and maybe strut bars it will make a difference. The fuel consumption is only 1 mpg different in the city and 2 mpg on the highway so not really a blow your mind change which makes this a harder decision. I do want to drive them both on the same day in the same conditions so that I can really see how different they feel. This is such a hard decision. I honestly have been nervous about looking into toyata since they have had so many issues the last few years
Hyundai has to pay 900,000 car owners because they mislead them about epa fuel ratings and the elantra is on of the models. I can tell that the 40 mpg for the mazda 3 is a low ball figure. I easily have gotten 45 mpg's on the highway numerous times. I have gotten 32 mpg's over several mountains and sitting in a two hour motor cad at cades cove, if that is any help on real world mpg's from the 3.
yeah i really wasn't sure how i felt about the elantra..... i've been doing a little research and the sky does average slightly higher mpg than the focus but not a huge difference. Although a few people are getting much higher than most people. I wish i could pick one up state side then this would be a no brainer but the price of the focus and the options that come with it is making it harder for me to pick the 3 even though I want to.
so i just drove a mazda3 gs-sky with a moonroof and 6speed manual. first thing i noticed was the suspension looks identicle to the ford focus (so is there really a difference between the two cars handling?) the interior is ok nothing real flashy but does have the basics. But for a couple grand less i get exactly the same with the focus and a set of winter tires and rims. I wish the mazda dealer would drop the price a little
Canadian-ES-GT
Member
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- Protege
Talk to your Mazda dealer about the focus's price and try to negotiate. Also, depending on how long you'll keep the car, Mazda is a lot better in terms of reliability. Just look at consumer reports test they recently released. If I recall well, Mazda was 4th (behind Toyota, Lexus, and Scion) and Ford was before last.
i think my biggest problem is for 25,000 with the 2013 focus i get an upgraded appearance package, an upgraded suspension (which actually feels pretty nice), a touchscreen soundsystem with usb, set of winter tires / rims and fog lights. i've been reading a lot of good reviews about it. For about 26,500 in the 2012 mazda3 gs-sky i get nothing mentioned above but i do get a moonroof (which i really could care less about). They have a nice touchscreen stereo they can add for an extra $2,100!!! This is just not the mazda i remember. I am going to try to do more research but the 2013 seems to be getting good reviews. I am going to talk to the mazda dealer more in hopes of a better deal.
Rockin03mp5
Member
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- '13 Mazda3 / '13 Edge / Your Mom
gees
ive ordered my 2013 skyactive hatch and it is only 20,000 here. not to mention destination is only 795 here verses almost 2000 over there.
im pretty sure the US and Canadian dollars are pretty much equal, so that really sucks for you guys up north. (well... technically windsor is south of where i am
)
for 25K here you can get a focus st, or a speed3 with some cash left over.
ive ordered my 2013 skyactive hatch and it is only 20,000 here. not to mention destination is only 795 here verses almost 2000 over there.
im pretty sure the US and Canadian dollars are pretty much equal, so that really sucks for you guys up north. (well... technically windsor is south of where i am
)for 25K here you can get a focus st, or a speed3 with some cash left over.
Take the consumer reports review for what is worth, but what they claim is that a lot of customers of the focus complained about Ford MyTouch system and the dual-clutch transmission problems. I have heard some people say that after the factory re-flash that it fixed the dual-clutch problems, but I have also read several reviews of the dual clutch's after the re-flash and some say the problems still persist. Basically that is the problems people had with the Focus. It's kind of a joke to be doing reliability ratings on 2012 models when most of the vehichles being reviewed aren't even a year old. Par for the course, CR props up toyota and honda, but what about all the recalls that have just been issued by Honda and Toyota. I know that the re-calls weren't part of this review, but if the review had been a overall reliability rating that factored them in, like CR did in April, than Toyota and Honda wouldn't have been at the top, and ford may have been rated higher.
i know that is what confused me about it. i would never consider a toyota/lexus/scion because of all the issues recently. I don't understand how they can determin longevity of a vehicle from such a short time. I didn't notice any issues with the manual trans only the auto. My budy has a focus with the ford touch and honestly its pretty sweet. I wish mazda had something like it. The focus interior is highly improved over the past and to be honest i thought was nicer than the 3. It is just hard to have faith in Fords longevity $25,000 to $26,000 is a lot to trust with.
If it is worth anything, most of the car reviewers say the 3 handles better than the focus. The setup on the suspensions are different, but a lot of it comes down to the fact that Ford purposely tuned their suspension to be on the softer side to appeal to more people. Mazda tunes their 3's on the edge of being more harsh, it is a more sports aggressive tuning. I have read by a lot of people that the focus se model is pretty much on par with the 3's. You probably couldn't go wrong with either, but I am biased toward Mazda. The complaints about the MyTouch is that while it is sweet, it is to complicated to interact with and drive at the same time. I don't know, I haven't been in a Ford long enough to mess with the MyTouch. To me, I like the lay out of the controls and simplicity of them better on the 3 than the clustered mess that is in the focus. Really it is all a matter of opinion. Half the reviews I read preferred the 3's interior, while the other half preferred the focus. If it was me i would go with the 3 because you know that it will be reliable, the 3 is Mazda's bread and butter, and mods on it, if you chose, are abundant.
Rockin03mp5
Member
- :
- '13 Mazda3 / '13 Edge / Your Mom
bastard
i remembered that.
i'm just outside detroit.
where 96 and 275 meet.
i actually think the focus interior is way too complicated. i loved my protege's interior, and the 3 is nice and simplistic as well. the stereos dont matter to me, and were a downfall to the focus actually. i plan on ripping out the stereo and upgrading to a dvd pioneer unit. there is really no options for the focus if you want to replace your stereo.
never mind the fact that the 3 has more than 2 inches more rear leg room than the focus. that really matters for me with 2 car seats now, and one still rear facing.
i found out today that the actual price of the 2012 mazda 3 gs-sky hatch manual trans with fogs, an aftermarket head unit (clarion nx602), and winter tires/rims is around $28,500 - $29,000 and tomorrow i'm going to ford to see their price but it is supposed to be $25,000 for the 2013 focus hatch se with se plus pack, sport/black pack upgrades to sport suspension, fogs, blacked out headlights, better spoiler, 17" upgraded rims, winter tires/rims, my ford touch screen with sirius radio
I am considering trying to find a used 2012 mazda 3 gs-sky but haven't had much luck so far I just have trouble justifying $29,000 no mater how much i love mazda. It just seems like too little car for way too much. Even 25 grand seems high but thats a way better price. This is killing me!
I am considering trying to find a used 2012 mazda 3 gs-sky but haven't had much luck so far I just have trouble justifying $29,000 no mater how much i love mazda. It just seems like too little car for way too much. Even 25 grand seems high but thats a way better price. This is killing me!
Rockin03mp5
Member
- :
- '13 Mazda3 / '13 Edge / Your Mom
is there any haggle room in canada?
cause im getting mine for probably 20K out the door after taxes and everything.
it is a 2013 manual touring skyactiv hatch. granted, no winter wheels and tires, but my stockers will be that. i will get summer wheels and tires later.
cause im getting mine for probably 20K out the door after taxes and everything.
it is a 2013 manual touring skyactiv hatch. granted, no winter wheels and tires, but my stockers will be that. i will get summer wheels and tires later.
Are you adding taxes, PDI, etc. to both?
Mazda 3 Skyactiv has standard heated seats. $350 extra with Focus.
Focus is more expensive when I priced it...
