Third month impressions on my 2019 Mazda3

Right now my car is at the dealership for the locking failure and I had a pleasure to drive Mazda 6 from 2017 as a loaner.
I noticed very substantial differences in driving. I like Mazda3 much more.
But there are two things that are better on Mazda6 - the seat is better and the way it handles at higher speeds on a freeway.
But those are the only benefits, every other thing simply sucks on Mazda 6.

I mean it takes another car to fully appreciate what they created, Mazda 3 is really close to perfection.
I love it.

If it didn't have those minor annoying things like that auto braking and the parking set to ON, then - by far - it would be superior to most cars on the road.
I mean I have no doubt that it is almost as good as the new Lexus IS300 and it beats the older model IS250 by a big margin.
I know because I drove that one a lot.

I really really like my Mazda3.
The music, the handling, the acceleration, all the features of the preferred version. It is a fine car.

If I were Mazda - I would try to improve the seat, turn off the auto parking function, disable the collision avoidance system and maybe work on the rear suspension a little.
But that's it. Everything else is just perfect.
 
Thanks for the update. I find the hatch looks better in person and even better when on the road and driving around. I wish Mazda would come out with a 2.5 Sky X engine for this car. Such an car really needs a better engine.
 
I think the 2.5 is an excellent engine. Would I buy a smaller, turbo-charged version with better fuel mileage and sportier seats and a quieter interior (compared to my 2014)? Yes, but not when my 2014 3 has only 23,000 miles on it, as it does now.

Here's a thought - Come out with a sound insulation kit for 2014-2018 models. I'd buy one in a second.
 
I wish Mazda would come out with a 2.5 Sky X engine for this car. Such an car really needs a better engine.

I personally think it would be a mistake to put a 2.5 Sky X in this body.
The reason is suspension. This car is already too powerful for the suspension to handle the speed.
At 70Mph the car wants to exit the road in curves. It is simply not designed to handle speed and that power.
It would start spinning. While I don't have a clue of the specs of the Sky X - I have to assume it would have much more torque and power.
But adding even 50 Hp to Mazda3 makes it a dangerous car.

And I mean it after driving it for over 1200 miles already and it scares me at times.
At 95 Mph is is really a gamble. One little uneven spot on a road and you go flying sideways.
This car is not meant for this.
 
I can't say I agree with it being difficult to drive at speed. Coming from a Honda Fit this thing is rock solid on even the truly awful roads in Southern California. Never thought I would miss NE Ohio and Buffalo roads, but honestly nothing is worse than SoCal.

Auto parking brake can be disabled. Directions are in the owners manual. It's a little annoying, but you only have to do it one time. I don't know if auto-brake can be turned off, but I haven't had issues with it.

Also the Sky-X will have less HP, but much better fuel economy as far as I know.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a27750433/mazda-skyactiv-x-engine-europe-mpg/
 
Handling at high speeds is sure footed and when put in a curve it puts a 😃 on my face, I find the engine a perfect fit for the car and the suspension could handle more but I didn't buy it or want it for that.
 
Drove a 3 as a loaner, coming from a 16.5 CX5 this thing felt solid for its size but the visibility was poor and it was not confidence inducing on corners. A/C is so much better than my 16.5 - overall with Cylinder Deactivation / and other small issues, 3 no go for me. My loaner had 300 miles on it but the key cover came off.
 
If handling is your priority, consider the Porsche Macan. It is certainly a step up from your CX5.:)
 
I can't say I agree with it being difficult to drive at speed. Coming from a Honda Fit this thing is rock solid on even the truly awful roads in Southern California. Never thought I would miss NE Ohio and Buffalo roads, but honestly nothing is worse than SoCal.

Auto parking brake can be disabled. Directions are in the owners manual. It's a little annoying, but you only have to do it one time. I don't know if auto-brake can be turned off, but I haven't had issues with it.

Also the Sky-X will have less HP, but much better fuel economy as far as I know.

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a27750433/mazda-skyactiv-x-engine-europe-mpg/



I don't know about lower class cars, but I switched from full size sedans and my impression of Mazda3 suspension is unfavorable a little.
But I don't complain about that too much, because there are pros as well. I will give you an example.
Say Lexus ES350 from 2015 which I owned and I put maybe 7000 miles on it before getting rid of it.
I bought that one new and got rid of it because of unrelated electronic issues it had - that dealer was unable to fix.
That car had much better handling at speed over 60 MPH, but for speeds below that - the Mazda3 feels firmer.
I didn't like the softness of Lexus. It felt too soft for me. But these cars can't be compared really. They are totally different suspensions and totally different class.
Before Mazda3 I would never even think of comparing it to a Lexus.
The reason I started doing that is because Mazda changed and it is so much better than it used to be.

Even with the weak high speed performance I like Mazda3, because I put 70% of miles locally on just surface streets of SoCal.
But if I did freeway more - I would not buy it. I think there is something wrong with this suspension as Mazda6 is much better without being much heavier.
So there must be a reason for it. They did something wrong. Something is not right about how this car handles the curves on freeways.

As for the Parking brake - you are wrong. Manual has it wrong.
While technically it is correct about the disabling methods - as it lists two - in practice they don't work.
Because what they don't say in manual - is that the ignition cycle re-enables the auto parking brake function.
So what is the purpose of disabling it if you can have it disabled only for the duration of your driving trip?

It is the same with the dreadful Collision Avoidance brake support system.
You can technically turn that off, but it comes back with ignition cycle as well.

Only the Lane assist can be successfully turned off. That's it.
 
If handling is your priority, consider the Porsche Macan. It is certainly a step up from your CX5.:)


I admire your sense of humor.
What you probably did not think of - is that 2019 Mazda3 has a very good acceleration rate over 70 MPH.
Mazda3 is a very unique car - it does not have that much power from zero to 50MPH, but once you get over 60 and have it in sport mode - this thing really flies.

I was at first very surprised by this - and even wasn't sure at first, but after driving it for 3 months - I can say that this car is not worse than the full size sedans with V6 and HP in range of 250HP. I had a pleasure of driving my friends 2019 Nissan Maxima 3.5 and while it was very fast - it didn't feel better between 60 and 90MPH.
And that thing has like 300HP. So to me it is very relative. Unsure why. Mass maybe? Trans-axle ratios? Don't know. But Mazda3 rocks.
 
Even with the weak high speed performance I like Mazda3, because I put 70% of miles locally on just surface streets of SoCal.
But if I did freeway more - I would not buy it. I think there is something wrong with this suspension as Mazda6 is much better without being much heavier.
So there must be a reason for it. They did something wrong. Something is not right about how this car handles the curves on freeways.

The 2019+ Mazda3 uses a torsion beam for the rear suspension, new for 2019 models. Your 2017 Mazda6 loaner has multi-link rear suspension. I believe the 2015 ES350 also has multi-link rear suspension, and that, coupled with the weight and suspension tuning of the ES, likely accounts for the difference you're experiencing at higher speeds.

https://www.autoguide.com/auto-news...da3-have-a-torsion-beam-rear-suspension-.html
 
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I admire your sense of humor.
What you probably did not think of - is that 2019 Mazda3 has a very good acceleration rate over 70 MPH.
Mazda3 is a very unique car - it does not have that much power from zero to 50MPH, but once you get over 60 and have it in sport mode - this thing really flies.

I was at first very surprised by this - and even wasn't sure at first, but after driving it for 3 months - I can say that this car is not worse than the full size sedans with V6 and HP in range of 250HP. I had a pleasure of driving my friends 2019 Nissan Maxima 3.5 and while it was very fast - it didn't feel better between 60 and 90MPH.
And that thing has like 300HP. So to me it is very relative. Unsure why. Mass maybe? Trans-axle ratios? Don't know. But Mazda3 rocks.

I agree that the 2.5 (which is the same engine my 3 has) has plenty of power. However, after driving a rented McLaren 570S (0-60 MPH in 2.7 seconds), my 3 seems to be a bit slower. :)
 
I admire your sense of humor.
What you probably did not think of - is that 2019 Mazda3 has a very good acceleration rate over 70 MPH.
Mazda3 is a very unique car - it does not have that much power from zero to 50MPH, but once you get over 60 and have it in sport mode - this thing really flies.

I was at first very surprised by this - and even wasn't sure at first, but after driving it for 3 months - I can say that this car is not worse than the full size sedans with V6 and HP in range of 250HP. I had a pleasure of driving my friends 2019 Nissan Maxima 3.5 and while it was very fast - it didn't feel better between 60 and 90MPH.
And that thing has like 300HP. So to me it is very relative. Unsure why. Mass maybe? Trans-axle ratios? Don't know. But Mazda3 rocks.


Yeah, I find your post a little strange and at odds which each other. The car wants to fly off the roads and is unstable at speeds over 70 mph but has fantastic acceleration above 70 mph?
 
Yeah, I find your post a little strange and at odds which each other. The car wants to fly off the roads and is unstable at speeds over 70 mph but has fantastic acceleration above 70 mph?

Oh, this is pretty easy to explain. I drive quite aggressively.
 
The 2019+ Mazda3 uses a torsion beam for the rear suspension, new for 2019 models. Your 2017 Mazda6 loaner has multi-link rear suspension. I believe the 2015 ES350 also has multi-link rear suspension, and that, coupled with the weight and suspension tuning of the ES, likely accounts for the difference you're experiencing at higher speeds.

https://www.autoguide.com/auto-news...da3-have-a-torsion-beam-rear-suspension-.html


I asked my dealer about it - and the tech told me the same thing.
I even had them check the alignment - because I wasn't sure why the car behaved like that.
So yes - they made it such that is scary to drive at times.

I personally feel the difference and I do not feel confident when speeding on a freeway.
It also feels a little over-steering - when driven on a longer curve on a freeway - like on an overpass or just a fwy change.
I am used to doing 70MPH on the connector between 110 and 405 here in SoCal and when I did that with this new Mazda3 I almost landed in the ditch.
The rear started sliding and I almost freaked out. So I am not doing that any more. Now I go 65 in that curve to be able to consistently survive it.
 
I find this torsion beam setup is very stable, even too neutral while cornering. There is no way what you're saying is normal. I've taken corners at and above 70mph and its very stable.
 
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