So, I had a 2005 Mazda3s sedan in Winning Blue that I absolutely loved. I've never been more attached to a car than I was to that one. Several years after the engine died and I sold it, I still miss it.
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/mazda3.html
When that one blew up, I knew about the upcoming new Focus, and was very excited about it. The second gen Mazda3 did nothing for me, and you couldn't get one with near-40mpg highway gas mileage (my place of work is 85 miles from home) and a ton of kit like you could with the 2012 Focus. I pre-ordered my 2012 Focus Titanium hatchback with the Titanium Handling Package in October of 2010. The dealer sold me a used 2007 Focus SE at their cost as a loaner until my new car arrived.
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/2007focus.html
I took delivery of the new Focus the day before my birthday, May 25, 2011.
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/2012focus-totaled.html
That one was totaled when a 17-year old driver made a left turn in front of me as I was going through an intersection. I sure wish this new Mazda3 had been available then! I nearly bought a VW GTI, but didn't want to take the gas mileage hit, and it would have had less kit than my Focus for more money. So I bought another identical Focus, except in black.
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/2012focus.html
I've had a love-hate relationship with that car (just like the first one). The car has great potential, but was tarnished by piss-poor shift logic in the dual-clutch transmission and seriously buggy and slow MyFordTouch system. A couple of months ago I was ready to go to the Mazda dealer and ditch it for a 2014 Mazda3, even if it meant a big financial hit. Then Ford released the latest version of MFT which has completely fixed every bug and crash. I've had no bad behavior since, other than it's still a bit sluggish. In addition, I got the latest update to the ECU/PCM, and now the transmission shifts much better (still not perfect, but much better).
I still can't get the 2014 Mazda3 out of my head. I test drove one last week. I love the almond leather interior of the 2.5L GT. I've been a HUGE Mazda fan since I bought that 2005 Mazda3. I liked the steering better than my Focus, but the suspension is too soft. I can fix that later. I also own a 2009 RX-8:
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/rx-8.html.
I've never felt quite at home going back to a Focus. I had a heavily modified 2001 ZX3:
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/focus.html.
The Mazda3 has more front leg room by a good margin. I'm 6'3" and have some sciatic nerve issues in my left leg, so leg room is a big deal to me. I've spent a lot of time researching the pros and cons of switching to a 2014 Mazda3s GT, not the least of the cons being the financial hit. If I do it, it will be after February when my RX-8 is paid off.
Anyway, if you're still with me (I wouldn't be by now), my main concern at this point with the Mazda3 is the infotainment system. I've been through a couple years of constant updates with MFT to get it to behave, and it's just about perfect now. SYNC works marvelously well for me. I read in one of the 2014 Mazda3 manuals that you cannot leave things connected to the USB port when you shut off the car, and I also read that if you're using a USB flash drive, the car will forget where you left off every time you shut it off. This is a BIG deal to me. I listen to playlists and audiobooks all the time during my commute. MyFordTouch/SYNC always remembers where I left off (now that that particular bug was fixed). Having to be careful to disconnect my flash drives, or change sources, before shutting off the car would be a huge PITA. Having the car forget where I left off every time I get in would suck beyond belief. I could probably go back to using my old 80GB iPod Classic. That might eliminate the issue of the car forgetting where it left off, since the iPod would be controlling that.
I really want to get back into a Mazda3 with the new car being so fantastic, but these USB issues might just be a show-stopper for me. Thoughts?
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/mazda3.html
When that one blew up, I knew about the upcoming new Focus, and was very excited about it. The second gen Mazda3 did nothing for me, and you couldn't get one with near-40mpg highway gas mileage (my place of work is 85 miles from home) and a ton of kit like you could with the 2012 Focus. I pre-ordered my 2012 Focus Titanium hatchback with the Titanium Handling Package in October of 2010. The dealer sold me a used 2007 Focus SE at their cost as a loaner until my new car arrived.
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/2007focus.html
I took delivery of the new Focus the day before my birthday, May 25, 2011.
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/2012focus-totaled.html
That one was totaled when a 17-year old driver made a left turn in front of me as I was going through an intersection. I sure wish this new Mazda3 had been available then! I nearly bought a VW GTI, but didn't want to take the gas mileage hit, and it would have had less kit than my Focus for more money. So I bought another identical Focus, except in black.
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/2012focus.html
I've had a love-hate relationship with that car (just like the first one). The car has great potential, but was tarnished by piss-poor shift logic in the dual-clutch transmission and seriously buggy and slow MyFordTouch system. A couple of months ago I was ready to go to the Mazda dealer and ditch it for a 2014 Mazda3, even if it meant a big financial hit. Then Ford released the latest version of MFT which has completely fixed every bug and crash. I've had no bad behavior since, other than it's still a bit sluggish. In addition, I got the latest update to the ECU/PCM, and now the transmission shifts much better (still not perfect, but much better).
I still can't get the 2014 Mazda3 out of my head. I test drove one last week. I love the almond leather interior of the 2.5L GT. I've been a HUGE Mazda fan since I bought that 2005 Mazda3. I liked the steering better than my Focus, but the suspension is too soft. I can fix that later. I also own a 2009 RX-8:
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/rx-8.html.
I've never felt quite at home going back to a Focus. I had a heavily modified 2001 ZX3:
http://www.mattharrell.net/personal/focus.html.
The Mazda3 has more front leg room by a good margin. I'm 6'3" and have some sciatic nerve issues in my left leg, so leg room is a big deal to me. I've spent a lot of time researching the pros and cons of switching to a 2014 Mazda3s GT, not the least of the cons being the financial hit. If I do it, it will be after February when my RX-8 is paid off.
Anyway, if you're still with me (I wouldn't be by now), my main concern at this point with the Mazda3 is the infotainment system. I've been through a couple years of constant updates with MFT to get it to behave, and it's just about perfect now. SYNC works marvelously well for me. I read in one of the 2014 Mazda3 manuals that you cannot leave things connected to the USB port when you shut off the car, and I also read that if you're using a USB flash drive, the car will forget where you left off every time you shut it off. This is a BIG deal to me. I listen to playlists and audiobooks all the time during my commute. MyFordTouch/SYNC always remembers where I left off (now that that particular bug was fixed). Having to be careful to disconnect my flash drives, or change sources, before shutting off the car would be a huge PITA. Having the car forget where I left off every time I get in would suck beyond belief. I could probably go back to using my old 80GB iPod Classic. That might eliminate the issue of the car forgetting where it left off, since the iPod would be controlling that.
I really want to get back into a Mazda3 with the new car being so fantastic, but these USB issues might just be a show-stopper for me. Thoughts?