2024 Mazda3 AWD vs Subaru Impreza / Muddy Waters 

"there's enough soft touch materials to impress the imaginary women in my life." I felt that.

Love the styling on the Mazda3 Hatch. More street presence than any practical car under $40k. Especially in that glorious Mazda red.

I'm glad you reviewed the Mazda 3 sedan. Most You tube videos show the hatchback.

A few years ago, I had a Subaru Impreza with a manual trans, and now I own a Mazda 3 2.5 GS FWD. IMO, the Mazda 3 is better for the following reasons: - More power - Better real-world fuel economy - Much better steering feel on center - Nicer interior - Better ergonomics - Better infotainment and interface - More reliable - Better transmission. The clutch on the Subaru was horrible. The only thing that the Impreza had over the Mazda is a more refined suspension. Unless you live down a fire-route in Alaska, look at a Civic or Mazda 3.

Can't imagine a scenario when I would choose the CVT Impreza over the Maxda 3.

Go with the Impreza if you need the ability to move more stuff/people and want better safety/visibility. Also if you want more for the same $. Go with the Mazda if you want style, speed, and refinement. You will get a better ride as a driver on the daily.

I've had the Subaru RS for a few months and I'm very happy with it. As far as the infotainment screen, I would prefer a couple more physical buttons for the a/c controls, but I've gotten used to it. But at least it doesn't stick up on top of the dash like you see in hondas and toyotas. Drives great and looks great, definitely a subby fan, but the Mazda seems like a good car too.

Love the Mazda 3 HB Carbon edition. Absolutely stunning.

Very well produced video very Clear and concise.

These two along with a corolla hatch are my 3 choices to get after my 2013 Impreza Sport Lim. Impreza would be best for my camping and quite quiet and smooth driving, but it's cvt is hilarious when stepping on it and the huge tablet infotainment seems like a liability for distracted driving, along with worst mpg because it's full awd only. Cloth seating is also harder to clean. Corolla has a physical first gear in combo with it's cvt and not awd only, so it has better 0-60 and has great mpg, along with a decent physical/touch combo in it's infotainment. Probably the easiest to clean out of the 3. Downsides is it quite cramped toward the rear seating/cargo and it's a louder ride. Mazda is a "true" auto that gets a turbo on higher trims, decently more speedy. Physical only infotainment isn't an issue considering my 2013 imp is just a physical radio. Best highway driving. Downside is thin paint and more expensive/luxurious, wouldn't want to take it camping. So torn, but I have time to decide since I'm still saving some more before I buy.

This is exactly the comparison I was looking for.

I looked at the Mazda 3 hatchback, (the sedan doesn't work for me as my Telescope and other astronomy gear won't fit in it) but the visibility on that car is just atrocious. I get the idea of going too near-luxury for higher margins; I just don't find it particularly interesting - I kind of like the "honesty" of the Subaru. Also it just hurts to pay north of 30k for a torsion beam suspension in 2023. At least in my use case, a wagon that can do some light offroading to get to observing/fishing sites is all I need. Weirdly cross shopping the Integra, Impreza RS and the Prius.

I test drove a MAzda 3 and an Impreza RS. Found the driver's footspace to be too tight in the Mazda and the chrome trim of the steering wheel was distracting.

Both cars desperately need hybrid versions. A Mazda 3 hybrid with around 200 HP and 50 mpg would be an absolute no brainer

Excellent Review/Comparison!

Both are great daily drivers!

i hope the manual Impreza comes back now that it's compatible with eyesight, but I'm doubtful

Mazda always makes nice premium feeling cars and SUVs. At the price points being talked about here both cars could easily be passed up for the entry level CX-5...which would absolutely be my choice. And lets be honest here...nobody really likes a CVT.

Are there any japanese options if we want: awd, hatchbach, naturally aspirated, projecter headlamps, manual trans?

2:12 this is why i bought the Impreza RS

The Impreza RS would be my third pick after the Mazda3 and Honda Civic. Hoping to see a Mazda3 vs Civic comparison 🤞

The moral of the story is, that those cars were designed for a two different demogrhaphics of people. Subaru impreza was more designed for a 25-30 year old family man that has kids and wants to get out outside once in a while, while mazda 3 for designed for adults in there 25-30s that are still trying to figure out life lol.

I wasn’t expecting such a polarized response in the comments. I test drove both recently and came away with the opinion that they were both very good. The Mazda feels better and I preferred the drivetrain. The Subaru has better sight lines and I fit in it. Much as I liked the Mazda, the roof line was way too low and there’s very little leg room in the rear. As someone who is 6’3” and frequently drives with passengers, that was a dealbreaker. I’d not enjoy being hunched over in the rear seat for more than a few minutes. The other factor that helped the Subaru is they had a model available within a months wait. Some of the others were quoting 5 to 16 month wait times. The local Toyota dealer openly told me they weren’t taking orders anymore. People seem to be holding used inventory hoping someone will pay MSRP for a year old with 20,000 km. Hopefully things go back to normal soon.

I've driven both these cars from my local dealers. I love the mazda exterior, interior and low end torque but you feel every bump, transmission can't pick a gear as its always hunting, CD is not good long term amd lastly, I i felt claustrophobic in the tight interior. The Subie is a jack if all trades, master of none and gets the job done for 90% of buyers.

I definitely appreciate all your tests. Great stuff! Right now I'm mulling over the idea of a Subaru Impreza RS, but based on price I'm also looking at a VW GTI DSG, as they can be had for similar money. I know the GTI would destroy the RS in terms of performance, but then there's the AWD of the Subie, likely lower maintenance costs (no expensive DSG services)...it's a tough decision. I don't know if VW and Subie consider themselves competitors, but based on price and general market segment they definitely are. I need to brave the dealerships and start doing some test driving.

"nicotine addiction" lol

Great Review!!!

There's no comparison. Mazda 3 is way better than the Impreza both on the exterior and interior.

If impreza had leather seats it would look way better

Hungry for some granola and some Zoom-Zoom... calls... Zoom calls. Its a workday right now.

I have the brand new RS... and it's slow as s***. Race car level insurance too. You only get this one if you like the way the impreza looks. If you save an extra 1 to 2 thousand you can probably finance a WRX instead.

While the CVT in my wife's Forester XT does accelerate very smoothly, and I invite people to actually try it out before dumping on it... for me, Subaru is either go manual transmission or bust if the other only choice is CVT.

Great comparison: love the styling of the Mazda/ but i need pragmatic & $$ saving usefulness. Subaru is the one for me 👍🏻

If you need 4 wheel drive and don't want a higher end model Mazda, every cx-30 has it.

superior AWD... yeaaaah but if you don't have snow, who cares.

Two cars I am considering buying, this year. The Mazda3 might be a 'No', I don't trust that cylinder deactivation.

I hear repeatedly about people lamenting the loss of the manual transmission. Truthfully only full on car enthusiasts give a single F about manuals. 99% of folks want some kind of automatic, and they are right to. Its not 1960, automatics are not unreliable and inefficient now.

I Love the Red interior, but Mazda needs to add more red on the interior so it flows better. Right now it looks like everything was Gloomy Grey and they threw in Red seats.

can we just agree that the Mazda is borderline stunning whereas the Subaru looks like a pile of chewing gum underneath a desk?

2:30 - "Imaginary women in my life" ...hah, how many?

I drove a mazda 3 and it was really lacking. The visibility out of the windshield was horrible and its awd system was not up to oar with subaru. The impreza rs awd is hands down better. The impreza is just a economical car so its not fast or anything special but i felt for the price it had more to offer at a better price point. The lighting is hands down better on subaru with the SRH. Also i do like the look of the hatch. Impreza>mazda 3

The Mazda is so much nicer, it’s not even fair

Subaru has really lost their way, I will never own a CVT.

Mazda 0% APR, enough said.

Personally I think Mazda really needs more exciting colors for the Mazda 3 instead of the three different shades of beige and sand that they've introduced as new colors. The Mazda 3 would look SO good in a bright blue color like the Impreza's Oasis Blue. The Mazda 3 is supposed to target young people but the color choice is quite geriatric.

Visually, the Subaru has a TON more character.

👍🏻🤐

I enjoyed the moment he says the 2.5L is slow with a 0-60 of 8.2 seconds, and then glosses over the Mazda time, which is slower. People still just can't handle the monotone engine note of a CVT acceleration run, even if it's faster and more efficient. I think that's silly. interestingly enough, he also complained about the Mazda 6-speed transmission, as often not being in the correct ratio... something the Subaru CVT solves. (And it's faster). Anyway... if you can't tell, I'm just annoyed by the fact that people hate on CVTs because of the audible experience, and not their actual performance results.

Man does that Subaru's acceleration sound like sh1t!! I wanted a Subby real bad. I don't want the WRX, and I want manual........So no Subby it is.

That CVT drone is 😂. Mazda 3 hands down. Not sure if people are aware they make something called 'winter tires' that would be cheaper than awd cost up front and long-term maintenance and for the Subie diehards save you from the CVT drone😅

An RS without a manual transmission...hmm... yeah, that's not an RS. Sorry, not sorry. #savethemanuals

Barf - nothing sounds worse than a CVT full throttle acceleration. I’d rather listen to your grandpa eat an overripe peach. Mazda for me.

The new WRX is ugly as can be. The rear end especially. Mazda wins on looks for sure.

Mazda beats Subaru in reliability and power. It also has a real automatic and has a better interior. Subaru fanboys keep whining about the Impreza having more room, which is true, but if space is so important then you probably shouldn't be looking at a compact car to begin with.

Subaru all the way.

This is barely even a comparison. The Mazda is far, FAR superior to the Subaru in every single aspect other than the all-wheel drive system. Mazda for me, hands down. There's no comparison.

The Subaru’s symmetrical AWD system is superior, but the CVT is a Horrible transmission

Subaru Legacy is better value for money than both.