Compact Car Comparison: two thousand fifteen Mazda3
For our latest comparison test of compact cars, our long-term Mazda3 — a two thousand fifteen Mazda3 i 4-door Grand Touring sedan — was called into service. This was the only car in the test that had a manual transmission, but that Skyactiv 6-speed gearbox joined coerces with the Skyactiv Two.0-liter 4-cylinder engine to garner more than a lion’s share of the praise in this test as not only the sports car of choice, but also a better-than-average highway cruiser and an easy-to-park city dweller.
For our latest comparison test of compact cars, our long-term Mazda3 — a two thousand fifteen Mazda3 i 4-door Grand Touring sedan — was called into service. This was the only car in the test that had a manual transmission, but that Skyactiv 6-speed gearbox joined compels with the Skyactiv Two.0-liter 4-cylinder engine to garner more than a lion’s share of the praise in this test as not only the sports car of choice, but also a better-than-average highway cruiser and an easy-to-park city dweller.
Skyactiv, by the way, is the official name for Mazda’s latest initiative to improve their motoring family’s fuel economy and spectacle via clever and exact engineering. The Skyactiv benefits in our two thousand fifteen Mazda3’s Two.0-liter were evident in both fuel economy (29 mpg in the city and a whopping forty one mpg on the highway, according to the EPA) as well as in the one hundred fifty horsepower and one hundred fifty five lb-ft of torque that the engine produces.
2015 Mazda Mazda3 at a Glance
Beginning at $23,565, our Mazda3 needed nothing in terms of options, but the cargo mat and attractive door-sill scuff plates added two touches of class, and as we discovered with our long-term Mazda6 sedan last year, the extra $300 we spent for our Mazda3’s Soul Crimson optional exterior paint adds "nomable" to the words we could use to describe the Mazda’s appealing form.
Like all of the latest Mazda sedans, the Mazda3 wraps around you in a sporty, not restricting, way. Its design is modern, efficient and attractive, with a elementary instrument-panel layout and easy-to-use controls. Our Grand Touring i Mazda3 gets the 9-speaker Bose upgrade audio system, and the praiseworthy Mazda Connect infotainment system and 7-inch instruction screen is standard on all Mazda3s but the base model. The synthetic leatherette-trimmed seats feel close enough to the real thing to earn a thumbs up from every convenient occupant, albeit some wished for greater ventilation. Only the rear seats were found to be wanting in any way — we wished for a bit more gam/knee room. But to the credit of the Mazda’s cargo capacities, the split rear seatback folded plane, and when the 2nd-row seatbacks were folded down to expand the cargo area, the pass-thru from the trunk to the area behind the front seats was the widest and most usable of any sedan in our group.
As a driver’s car, the two thousand fifteen Mazda3 will make you proud with its capability to untangle knotted roads and give you real-time reports on what its sporty suspension and responsive steering are doing. It was certainly not the quietest car in our comparison test, but the road noise getting into the cabin never came close to fraying any of our nerves — petite cars just tend to be more vocal. One last thing about driving the Mazda3 needs to be pointed out: You can opt for the 6-speed automatic transmission (you won’t find a continuously variable transmission here) and you’ll even improve you city fuel economy a bit, but Mazda’s 6-speed manual gearbox is a treat to drive, with even clutch take-up, dream-matched gearing and Hill Launch Assist, which prevents the car from rolling rearwards for a few seconds when you release the brake pedal, making it lighter to concentrate on re-engaging the clutch and pulling cleanly away from an uphill stop sign or traffic light.
Here’s how the two thousand fifteen Mazda Mazda3 stacks up against the competition:
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Dodge Dart
As much as the Mazda3 is for driving, that’s how much the Dodge Dart is for stringing up out in. The Dart’s comfy seats, interior styling and infotainment system received high marks from our editors. That means that your passengers will very likely love the Dart a lot more than you as the driver will. That is, of course, unless those passengers are tall occupants outposted into the marginal 2nd-row seats. In exactly the opposite manner in which the Mazda3 felt connected to the road, the Dart feels made to isolate the people inwards — especially the driver — from the outside world.
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Ford Concentrate
What astonished us most about the Ford Concentrate SE in our test was how well it was set up for the price. Our Concentrate sedan began well under $20,000, and even with the added price of a 6-speed automatic transmission, a $1,000 appearance package, and a $500 power-seat package, the car still landed under $22,000 out the door and was the least expensive car in our test (compared to the Mazda3’s $24,000 price tag). Like the Dart, it suggested miserly legroom in the 2nd row, but, like the Mazda3, it drove well in all situations and the cabin stayed quiet on the highway.
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Honda Civic
If the Mazda3 needed a competitor to challenge its popularity in this test, the Honda Civic sedan packed that role. True, the Mazda can drive circles around the Honda, but there’s no denying the quality of the package that the Civic offers to buyers. Honda’s reputation for quality, reliability and resale value are evident across the Civic. And while it’s no sports sedan, the Civic will joyfully convey long-legged adults cozily in the rear seats (a benefit that’s still hard to get in this class), and Honda’s continuously variable automatic transmission is arguably the best in the business.
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Subaru Impreza
Our comparison test’s outlier was the Subaru Impreza. Not only was it the only all-wheel-drive player in the game, but it was also a 5-door hatchback. The roomy Subaru offers better 2nd-row accommodations than the Mazda3, as well as a cavern’s worth of cargo space. Subaru is also doing a lot of astounding work with its interior materials. And while you can’t get all-wheel drive in the Mazda, you can get a hatchback version that, while not fairly as roomy as the Impreza, is still gifted with flashy good looks and good drivability.
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Toyota Corolla
The popularity of the Toyota Corolla rests primarily in the notion that you can drive it forever liking reliability that’s as strong as Apple stock, and after forever’s over, you can sell your Corolla for a remarkably good price. All true. And it’s also true that the two thousand fifteen Corolla offers more rear-seat legroom than the Mazda3 as well as a fairly compliant suspension. However, the lack of attention to the Corolla’s transmission options — which include a substantially unimpressive continuously variable automatic and a 4-speed automatic (Four speeds? That’s so last century.) — are opening compact-car buyers up to some of the alternatives out there, including the Mazda3.
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Volkswagen Jetta
Even tho’ a Volkswagen Jetta may not cost as much as you might think to buy, it’s still true that German cars still cost fairly a lot to maintain. It is also true, however, that German cars tend to feel more substantial than any others and that they tend to love high speeds and twisty roads (and they always look excellent in silver). This is all true of the VW Jetta sedan we tested, which was quieter and roomier than the Mazda3, and just as ready to go mountain climbing. It’s also available with a diesel engine. It’s long-term resale value, however, is a weakness compared to the Mazda’s.
Compact Car Comparison: two thousand fifteen Mazda3 – Kelley Blue Book
Compact Car Comparison: two thousand fifteen Mazda3
For our latest comparison test of compact cars, our long-term Mazda3 — a two thousand fifteen Mazda3 i 4-door Grand Touring sedan — was called into service. This was the only car in the test that had a manual transmission, but that Skyactiv 6-speed gearbox joined coerces with the Skyactiv Two.0-liter 4-cylinder engine to garner more than a lion’s share of the praise in this test as not only the sports car of choice, but also a better-than-average highway cruiser and an easy-to-park city dweller.
For our latest comparison test of compact cars, our long-term Mazda3 — a two thousand fifteen Mazda3 i 4-door Grand Touring sedan — was called into service. This was the only car in the test that had a manual transmission, but that Skyactiv 6-speed gearbox joined compels with the Skyactiv Two.0-liter 4-cylinder engine to garner more than a lion’s share of the praise in this test as not only the sports car of choice, but also a better-than-average highway cruiser and an easy-to-park city dweller.
Skyactiv, by the way, is the official name for Mazda’s latest initiative to improve their motoring family’s fuel economy and spectacle via wise and exact engineering. The Skyactiv benefits in our two thousand fifteen Mazda3’s Two.0-liter were evident in both fuel economy (29 mpg in the city and a whopping forty one mpg on the highway, according to the EPA) as well as in the one hundred fifty horsepower and one hundred fifty five lb-ft of torque that the engine produces.
2015 Mazda Mazda3 at a Glance
Commencing at $23,565, our Mazda3 needed nothing in terms of options, but the cargo mat and attractive door-sill scuff plates added two touches of class, and as we discovered with our long-term Mazda6 sedan last year, the extra $300 we spent for our Mazda3’s Soul Crimson optional exterior paint adds "nomable" to the words we could use to describe the Mazda’s appealing form.
Like all of the latest Mazda sedans, the Mazda3 wraps around you in a sporty, not limiting, way. Its design is modern, efficient and attractive, with a ordinary instrument-panel layout and easy-to-use controls. Our Grand Touring i Mazda3 gets the 9-speaker Bose upgrade audio system, and the praiseworthy Mazda Connect infotainment system and 7-inch instruction screen is standard on all Mazda3s but the base model. The synthetic leatherette-trimmed seats feel close enough to the real thing to earn a thumbs up from every comfy occupant, albeit some wished for greater ventilation. Only the rear seats were found to be wanting in any way — we wished for a bit more gam/knee room. But to the credit of the Mazda’s cargo capacities, the split rear seatback folded vapid, and when the 2nd-row seatbacks were folded down to expand the cargo area, the pass-thru from the trunk to the area behind the front seats was the widest and most usable of any sedan in our group.
As a driver’s car, the two thousand fifteen Mazda3 will make you proud with its capability to untangle knotted roads and give you real-time reports on what its sporty suspension and responsive steering are doing. It was certainly not the quietest car in our comparison test, but the road noise getting into the cabin never came close to fraying any of our nerves — puny cars just tend to be more vocal. One last thing about driving the Mazda3 needs to be pointed out: You can opt for the 6-speed automatic transmission (you won’t find a continuously variable transmission here) and you’ll even improve you city fuel economy a bit, but Mazda’s 6-speed manual gearbox is a treat to drive, with even clutch take-up, dream-matched gearing and Hill Launch Assist, which prevents the car from rolling rearwards for a few seconds when you release the brake pedal, making it lighter to concentrate on re-engaging the clutch and pulling cleanly away from an uphill stop sign or traffic light.
Here’s how the two thousand fifteen Mazda Mazda3 stacks up against the competition:
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Dodge Dart
As much as the Mazda3 is for driving, that’s how much the Dodge Dart is for stringing up out in. The Dart’s comfy seats, interior styling and infotainment system received high marks from our editors. That means that your passengers will very likely love the Dart a lot more than you as the driver will. That is, of course, unless those passengers are tall occupants outposted into the marginal 2nd-row seats. In exactly the opposite manner in which the Mazda3 felt connected to the road, the Dart feels made to isolate the people inwards — especially the driver — from the outside world.
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Ford Concentrate
What astonished us most about the Ford Concentrate SE in our test was how well it was set up for the price. Our Concentrate sedan commenced well under $20,000, and even with the added price of a 6-speed automatic transmission, a $1,000 appearance package, and a $500 power-seat package, the car still landed under $22,000 out the door and was the least expensive car in our test (compared to the Mazda3’s $24,000 price tag). Like the Dart, it suggested miserly legroom in the 2nd row, but, like the Mazda3, it drove well in all situations and the cabin stayed quiet on the highway.
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Honda Civic
If the Mazda3 needed a competitor to challenge its popularity in this test, the Honda Civic sedan packed that role. True, the Mazda can drive circles around the Honda, but there’s no denying the quality of the package that the Civic offers to buyers. Honda’s reputation for quality, reliability and resale value are evident across the Civic. And while it’s no sports sedan, the Civic will gladfully convey long-legged adults conveniently in the rear seats (a benefit that’s still hard to get in this class), and Honda’s continuously variable automatic transmission is arguably the best in the business.
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Subaru Impreza
Our comparison test’s outlier was the Subaru Impreza. Not only was it the only all-wheel-drive player in the game, but it was also a 5-door hatchback. The roomy Subaru offers better 2nd-row accommodations than the Mazda3, as well as a cavern’s worth of cargo space. Subaru is also doing a lot of exceptional work with its interior materials. And while you can’t get all-wheel drive in the Mazda, you can get a hatchback version that, while not fairly as roomy as the Impreza, is still gifted with flashy good looks and good drivability.
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Toyota Corolla
The popularity of the Toyota Corolla rests primarily in the notion that you can drive it forever liking reliability that’s as strong as Apple stock, and after forever’s over, you can sell your Corolla for a remarkably good price. All true. And it’s also true that the two thousand fifteen Corolla offers more rear-seat legroom than the Mazda3 as well as a fairly compliant suspension. However, the lack of attention to the Corolla’s transmission options — which include a substantially unimpressive continuously variable automatic and a 4-speed automatic (Four speeds? That’s so last century.) — are opening compact-car buyers up to some of the alternatives out there, including the Mazda3.
Mazda Mazda3 vs. Volkswagen Jetta
Even however a Volkswagen Jetta may not cost as much as you might think to buy, it’s still true that German cars still cost fairly a lot to maintain. It is also true, however, that German cars tend to feel more substantial than any others and that they tend to love high speeds and twisty roads (and they always look good in silver). This is all true of the VW Jetta sedan we tested, which was quieter and roomier than the Mazda3, and just as ready to go mountain climbing. It’s also available with a diesel engine. It’s long-term resale value, however, is a weakness compared to the Mazda’s.