Mazda 3 clears. Gives you more for the money & is the superior daily driver. Having a traditional automatic transmission over a CVT is always a bonus as well. The only reason one would choose the Corolla is if you really want that hyrbid option. That & if you liked to be waived at since people will think you're an an uber/taxi . That will happen here in NYC anyways. With that said, I went with the Mazda 3 AWD hatchback. It's just too good of a car & looks damn good on the road.
Im a beginner driver my brother has a corolla and I got a mazda3 sedan. Corolla felt slower but easier to drive while mazda3 felt quicker and somewhat harder. Main key difference I got is that corolla has WAY BETTER cruise control compared to mazda3. Corolla would keep ur car in the center while mazda would steer ur car if you go past the lane. Corolla has also better lane recognition. Braking also felt easier in corolla but im thats probably becuase im still new. The infotainment system of mazda3 is surprisingly better to use when driving it took me less than a week to get somehat used to. Not having touchscreen for carplay is a downer.
Bought a 2018 Mazda 3 with only 1000 miles on it in Sep 2018. Not sure why they sold it to me for so cheap but I got it for $18,000 out the door. 6 years later and the wife loves it and no issues with it at all.
They wanted to get rid of the 2018s to make room for the 2019 refresh. I had an opportunity to get a brand new touring sedan w/manual for 18.5k in Aug 2018. Really suprised at the asking price. After cross shopping, I ended up with a Ford Focus ST1 instead for 1k more.
If you have a moment to look up the history on CarFax, or AutoCheck, you’ll figure out WHY the price was so reasonable. Occasionally many dealers will sell a new or used car at COST (or even less, sometimes). The reasons are many and rather convoluted, of course, but it’s usually because they have a financial incentive to do so. Weird, right? (Automotive professional since 1999)
My 2020 mazda3 is th3 perfect economy car. Its gorgeous, has every safety feature despite being a base model, adequate powertrain and engine, incredible handling... Perfect for a single dude like me.
The Mazda 3 is simply the best car to drive, best looking, and most powerful. Why would you bother with anything else. It’s ridiculously good, every other hatch feels like you’re driving a bubble. The cabin of the 3 feels like you’re sitting in a car costing twice as much. Recently drove a gti and while it was quick, all unusually power daily, it still has this very basic boring bubble on the road feel. The Subaru interior is simply revolting. Too many lines, the screen is too big and gaudy looking. The Corolla looks ok, but it’s for your grandparents and the Mazda is every bit as reliable.
Mazda's have so much going for them with beautiful interiors & exteriors. Unfortunately they just can't seem to master space efficiency. If you don't mind cramped quarters, the Mazda is a winner.
Bought a manual transmission mazda3 8 months ago and have now driven it through every Ohio season. I have been loving it and love it more every day. the shifter / gearbox is SO smooth, it gets better MPG then the NA FWD auto version (about 30 city and 40 highway at 65mph here), and so many great premium features like the heads-up display, sun roof, blind spot monitoring, radar cruise control, safety features, the Bose speakers, heated seats, the stunning dark red leather, etc. and I bought it for $26k after taxes with 30k or 35k miles on it. I have VERY few complaints about this car and the only Issue I had was the OEM battery died shortly after getting it (the OEM batteries are known to not be great, replaced mine with a different one). It's great daily commuting and long drives, when you want to have fun it has a fun amount of torque past 2k rpms so you can rev it out for the torque if you want it and take off from lights pretty fast without meaning to, and if you want a more chill drive just keep the rpms below 2.5k and you get AMAZING MPG numbers (have had it go to 45 or 50 in the city sometimes if I drive REALLY conservatively, get up to speed not too slow or fast then keep the rpms low and just coast around, very smooth and relaxing and pretty flexible in how you want to drive but that's part of the benefit of a manual 😅). The interior cabin space with the dark red leather is beautiful and the experience as a driver with the Bose speakers blasting is just wonderful. Love this car.
Need manual, get Mazda. Need a real automatic, get a Mazda. Need the lowest priced awd, get impreza. Need reliability above all, get Corolla or impreza.
Just look it up on consumer reports. I’ve had a 2016 Mazda for 8 years and 150k miles and no car issues except infotainment system is dead. Just bought a 2024 Mazda 3. It’s a no contest you get a way cooler and better car in every aspect with the Mazda.
I went with the 2025 Legacy for just under $25k. Kind of the Impreza but standard with the 2.5L engine. Just got the base trim level. Less screen, more buttons. It’s the AWD that determined it for us. It has decent power at about 185hp. Smooth, quiet ride. As roomy as a Camry. Got it as our family car. So we didn’t need something very sporty. Just safe, reliable and comfortable. If I want to go fast, I’ve got a BMW 1 series for that! lol
Seems like no one here understands that eCVT transmissions on Corollas are not like traditional CTVs. There is simply no belt, no clutch, no more alternator, or starter or changing gears. So it's way more reliable than a normal car because all of the most common parts that usually break are replaced by electric motors combined with a set of planetary gears. No other hybrid system is close to theirs.
Agreed, even several car reviewers I’ve spoken too don’t seem to know why the E-cvt is special. I believe the new honda setup is kind of similar to it though!
Love my 2023 Toyota Corolla LE Hybrid AWD and after driving it for over a year now I can say there are no drawbacks to owning this car ..... And if you take the time to understand how to drive a hybrid to get the most MPG it is amazing.
Great videos. Just found this channel but very good production value and personality. I have nearly zero interest in these cars but you make learning about them interesting.
The soul red metallic paint on the Mazda 3 is beautiful, but it is also extremely thin and fragile, meaning it will chip very easily. Buyer beware if you like to take long trips on the freeway!
Don't want CVT. Don't want tiny engine with turbo. Don't want cheap plastic. Don't want road noise. Don't want boring handling. Don't want huge fugly computer screen. I want something that excels in quality and is fun to drive. Only one choice really, the Mazda.
Not even a close comparison - Mazda3 easily. Wish that I would have figured that out sooner though. My 2020 TNGA Toyota Corolla SE Sedan (built late 2019 in Japan) was the most problematic & defect-laden vehicle that I ever owned over 40 years & 10 new Toyota/Honda vehicles during that time. Driving a 2022 Mazda now (my first Mazda) & no problems to report thus far over 2 years later.
I had a 2020 SE too and it was rock solid when I had it. Mine was assembled in the Mississippi plant no rattling or defects that I could notice. I guess Japan built cars aren’t always free of mishaps like what most people tout. I now have a Camry hybrid assembled at the Kentucky plant which also super solid.
@@ammarisrar2005 Nope, sorry. Only kept the vehicle for 2 years & 10K miles & it had 4 oil/filter changes during that time (every 6 months, so every 2500 miles). Try again troll. It simply came with a lot of defects/problems (starter, transmission, electrical system & paint quality issues).
I have a 2020 Impreza base , absolutely zero issues in 4 years of ownership, love the mpg, reliability and safety of full time AWD. Also the active safety features of eye sight which saved me once during a moment of foolish inattentive driving . My family has owned Subaru for years and think for the NW , they are near perfect
My father a got into a car accident a few months ago totaling out his 2018 Toyota Corolla. Don't worry my father is okay but with that happening we had to look for new car. We were again going to get another Corolla spect similar to his old one however the price really turned us off. The 2018 Corolla was an LE model but with the premium package. Basically it gave you a sunroof, alloy wheels, and fog lights but had the same interior as a regular LE. A 2024 equivalent with destination and taxes would have been closer to $29,000. We got the 2018 brand new for closer to $23,000. Of course a Corolla Hybrid spect out same way and with AWD was even more money. On top of all that, at that particular moment in time (October 2023) many Toyota dealerships were still doing dumb markups. Though the Mazda 3 was on our list, we were concerned about its cylinder deactivation. In the end we ended up going with 2024 Impreza. In fact it is literally the exact one at 1:01 in this video. Yes, it is a base model with no sunroof or fog lights but it does have the alloy wheels. The big ticket is the Symmetrical AWD which is standard. No other AWD system beats Subaru. Not Toyota, Honda, or Nissan and yet you have to pay extra for these systems. Don't get me wrong I love Toyota and Honda too however in todays market Subaru and Mazda offer way more the price.
@@smok3sho587 im glad north america doesnt have that I-stop feature 😅 Ive heard it had some issues in the 2019 and 2020 model years but im sure it got ironed out now.
I’m team Subaru. A compact car with four doors should fit 5 passenger without rubbing up against the headliner or front seat back. If your backseats are an afterthought, get a Subaru BRZ.
Great Video Tyler. Hopefully you can speak with Toyota reps about offering a Mild Hatchback; Similar to a Ciivic Si or Civic Sport.. They really dropped the ball on offering a Manual Transmission option for the Corolla Hatchback…
My compliments. I think you're growing on the job. You're forcing the jokes less and doubling down on your strength of informed opinions about the cars. Nice useful comparo here.
I like the Corolla hatchback and the Mazda 3 hatchback. But the Mazda 3 hb has less room in the back and I need to have some room when car camping. Looks I like both, just wish the Corolla had a bit more power at least more torque. But is very light. Mazda 3 hb has a crazy blind spot with those pillars and smaller windows. I’m not a fan. Tough decision to make.
HOLD UP--Corolla Hybrid is only 2850 lbs?? That means the Hybrid system weighs less than the regular gas powertrain? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm (THIS IS NOT CORRECT, IN SPITE OF WHAT THE SPECS SHEET SAY!)
It’s what Toyota said! If I had a scale, id verify that. It does have a more dimple 1.8L and the Toyota hybrid system is pretty light so maybe that explains some of it.
Very nice and fair evaluation of the competition here. When shopping for my car late last year, I took a look at all 3 and you've hit most of the takeaways that I observed. In a nutshell, Mazda for the driver, Toyota for the gas/reliability, Subaru for the space and bang for your buck. My personal opinion: Mazda 3's far too small in the back and visibility is too far compromised, Corolla is a big "meh" which may not be a bad thing in this price segment, and Impreza offers that jack of all trades balance. In the end, I ended up going Outback XT as Mazda's 2-seater setup was out of the question for me and both the Corolla and Impreza felt too slow even with their top engines. One thing most people miss is slow engine also means loud engine because you end up spending more time harder on the throttle. With the 260hp and 277lb ft in the Outback XT, I'm usually only 30% on the throttle and even highway merging necessitates only 40%.
Ive been in and owned cars with cheaper interiors than a cobalt🤕but there’s no sense in comparing new cars to vehicles that were discontinued 15 years ago! “Cheap” is relative, so if I say that about a new car, it just means it feels cheaper than the norm for the pricepoint/class🥸
Where I live you would be paying $37k for a base model Corolla, $45k for a base Impreza and $42k for a base 3. The Subaru has easily the lowest sale figures.
Thanks for another great review. Im happy with my 21 Impreza sport hatchback in manual but what i really want is,......an WRX wagon/Levoreg in "Manual Transmission"..... .😢
Maybe the Corolla SE is different but when I plant my foot on the floor it uses fixed ratios rather than go lawnmower. The only time it does lawnmower is at low load when the engine isn’t noisy enough for it to be annoying.
Yeah, because the CVT is tuned in a sporty fashion whereas the LE is tuned for max fuel efficiency and comfort, plus you get the paddles in the SE to go thru the ratios
@@ammarisrar2005 I think the ‘23 SE dropped the paddles, I know my ‘24 doesn’t have them. I can’t say that I miss them, the transmission responds quickly enough that I never feel like I have to force a lower ratio to get the acceleration I need.
I’ve had the 24 Corolla LE base model (without the convenience package) since January and it’s a wonderful car. It’s a bit sluggish in traffic but it’s great on the highway. The CVT can take some getting used to, it’s hard to find the right amount acceleration every time you hit the gas. The car can almost drive itself with the dynamic cruise control. I plan on keeping this thing for many many years.
I still got the risky one out of the bunch, a Kia Forte GT with 201 hsp and ventilated seats. It’s a 2020 but I got it for 23k and it’s perfect, love it so much.
I hope you don't keep your cars longer than warranty, because I swear as soon as it's out everything breaks down on a Kia or Hyundai (mine had the following break within 10 years: wiper motor, rear wiper motor, washer fluid pump, power steering, driver's door latch, hood latch, AC, CD player, Exhaust, Suspension, and much more)
For me, I’m looking for my first car so Hyundai and Kia are very iffy in my book, I’d rather go with the Corolla, but I’m glad it’s treating you well, and let’s hope that the Kia boys don’t get their greasy hands on your car 😅
I just bought the Mazda 3 Grand Touring MildHybrid 2024 edition and I love it. Drive experience is incredible and you feel like you are driving a luxury car. The interior is amazing.
The Corolla should probably get the job done with lower running costs but the Impreza would be more family friendly! You could make the Mazda work too if you’re not super tall but it’s less-than-ideal for family work.
@@Diego-oy6enMy Forester and our rental Crosstrek's rear doors open to 70-75 degrees, which is amazing for getting kids (and elderly) in and out of the rear bench. 👍
If your 2 Year old is still in a rear facing car seat, the only way it will work is if your spouse/passenger seat is moved up a bit. younmay have to pay alittle more for Corolla-Cross, Subary Crosstrek, Civic lx hatchback(hard to find), Chevy Trax (iffy 3 banger, time will tell.
@@NoodlesExtraMSG I have heard Imprezza and Crosstrek are same in dimensions..my 2 year old son sits in front facing car seat behind front passenger seat. Dealers running good discount on Imprezza and I am getting base variant for 25k OTD which is well in my budget . Corolla is coming 26kOTD. Want vehicle with good resale value plus low maintenance cost but not sure which vehicle will fit all my requirement
Same here and it's a real shame. The back seat is useless on the hatchback especially. Same issue with CX-30 but less so. The sloping roofline, giant side skirt and huge C pillars are a real killer. Tried the CX-50 and that was much better...but we're in a different segment then.
I was planning on adding it in (even wrote it into the video) but I was short on time that day and I couldn’t make four cars work so it was the first to go as I thought these three cars would be more likely to be cross-shopped!
@@RealistickThe Honda and Toyota are cross shopped with the Impreza (another one you didn’t include), the Mazda is cross shopped with the Jetta. Having said that, you are still one of the best channels at delivering content in an (seemingly) unscripted and straightforward way.
I don’t understand why Volkswagen didn’t make it on here to be honest a lot of the features that you have to pay extra for with these cars already come standard with it
The Mazda 3 is the clear choice thanks to the 2.5L engine and 6 speed auto even at the base level. Even the base interior is also premium level. However, the Mazda 3 really needs fun colors like that gorgeous Oasis Blue, all Mazda has right now is old people geriatric colors like 5 different shades of sand and silver. Even the Corolla Hatchback had Blue Flame Pearl in the first few years. The Mazda 3 also really needs a competent hybrid option, not sure why Mazda hasn't made a CX-30 in Alabama yet using the Corolla Cross hybrid system, plus the CX-50 uses the CX-30 platform
@@smok3sho587 Mazda has already fit a RAV4 hybrid system into the CX-50, which uses the CX-30/Mazda 3 platform. They could easily now fit the Corolla Cross hybrid system into the CX-30 at least
You can get a really good deal on the RS impreza. My local dealer is selling a nearly fully optioned Impreza rs for 2.5k under msrp right now. The only thing holding me back is mpg.
None of them are "missing climate vents" for the back seats. They are located under the front seats just like they have been on most cars for decades. Also the Harmon Kardon option in the impreza blows away the bose system.
I meant to say climate console vents, virtually every car has the under seat ones. If you only have air blowing on your feet, it takes much longer to cool down than if you have console vents. The HK distorts high notes pretty bad in my opinion.
@@Realistick People get weird about vents in cars. Its such a small space that it literally takes a matter of minutes to get the entire interior to your temp of choice. You dont see people sitting on top of their air vents at home, or requesting a table in a restaurant under the heat duct. If the inside is 70 degrees its 70 degrees. I dont see why it matters where the air comes from. To each their own I suppose. That is a "feature" that I pay no attention to at any price point personally.
@@boost331 It makes a big difference when the car has been cooking. If you bake in the back for 5 minutes as the air circulates, you’ll work up a sweat. I know this because my mom complains about it with her Crosstrek😂 Maybe you don’t care, but a lot of people with families or dogs do so I’ll take the extra 2 seconds to mention it since a lot of spec sheets won’t!
@@boost331Personally, I don’t mind lacking the rear vent, but I do miss it somewhat because the XJ Cherokee had one when I was sitting in the back seat as a kid. It’s a nice feature.
