I drove my neighbor to the store tonight in my Mazda. About 5 minutes into the drive he goes “hang on this is a Mazda?!”. The interior of these cars is starting to shock people.
It is top notch! Continuous improvement year over year by Mazda. For last major 3 redesign in 2019 Mazda engineers made at least 49 different refinements alone. Drive a Mazda from just 3 years ago and you’ll literally see/hear a ton of noticeable improvements. From the way the switches turn and click to the higher end interior materials to NVH ....
Love that Mazda just throws turbos, all wheel drive, and an actual automatic in their cars. If I was in the market for any cars in their class, it would be a Mazda.
Watching RR has turned me into a car guy! I am now checking wheel size, fake & real vent, design lines and even exhaust sounds. You do an entertaining job Joe!
Mazdas weakest link is their cars have the least interior space and small gas tanks. Gorgeous cars though, that red snaps my neck on the road EVERY time
50 litre tank is the same size as the VW golf, larger than the civic. Kia has the same size, the focus had the same size tank. So no, it’s not small as it is the same size for other compact fwd cars. But for the AWD it loses 2 litres.
@@kevinW826 Across the line Mazdas have small tanks. Had a CX5 for a bit. I drove about 280 miles all highway and already had low fuel light on. Should have 16 gallon tanks around the 450-500 mile range
@@Striker50_ I have a 2015 Mazda3. I get 500-600 kms on a tank. Last year I spent $1300 Canadian on gas. My fiancée spent about the same or a little bit more on gas for her CX5.
I’ve never minded the smaller interior. I think people know that going in and loving the agile feel of the car. Toyota decreased the interior size of both the Rav-4 and the Corolla. So Mazda isn’t alone in this so much.
At the end of the day, it's about preference. No right or wrong answer. Some people prefer a sophisticated design than performance. Whereas people like us, we prefer performance. No right or wrong for that. I also drive a performance car myself but I do drive with responsibility.
The seats in the 2020 3 are more comfortable than those in the CX5! We find ourselves leaving the CX5 in the garage and taking the 3 more and more on day trips..... on the interstate the 3 rides extremely quiet and smooth even at over triple digit MPH speeds.
Great review! The car is likely running on 87 octane rather than 93. The power tapers off quickly above 5000 rpm which is why the ecu short shifts. If you run it on 93, the ecu will hold second gear until 6000 rpm.
Nobody driving a mazda is gonna put premium 93 on it....the Mazda already has pretty bad fuel economy for a compact sedan vs everyone else even the Audi A3. Most of the people buying mazda aint racing it either, it just a city daily
@@sp3cialed1 lol. Premium 91 where I live is $1.94 per liter canadian. How much does urs cost per litre? I put in 91 for my new 2021, half a tank is 60$. Gas prices are just a tad stupid right now.
I was born and lived 23 years in Miami. I miss the beaches and the ability to remain tan all year long. Seeing the real change of seasons in Tennessee is great though. What I keep trying to tell myself anyway.
I think Mazda did the right thing with this car. It is for grown ups who don't need to prove anything but who want more (refined) power and AWD. I think more women will gravitate to this car more than the previous Mazda 3. That soul red paint is AWESOME. Some buyers might want more than just an 8" screen but ...... you can't have it all at this price in a compact unit. The WRX is satisfyingly good but it is crude. Like a boy toy.
Some things I noticed in your review that I noticed driving the car. The shifter is more responsive then the paddles for use in manual mode. Also the screen in reverse shows a 360 view of your surroundings that does use most of the screen display. Overall I'm loving my AWD Turbo, using premium or mid-grade has a slight additional amount of power to the turbo than standard.
Goodluck, I actually sold Hondas in Miami in 93 for about a year. Bought my first new car, a just introduced 1993 Civic Coupe EXO (the O added 2 tweeter speakers and a passenger side airbag) during that time. Got that "employee," deal. Good luck.
I sold cars for 7 years. It’s fun. You have some freedom and meet lots of interesting people. You will hear lots of excuses from people who are afraid to buy a car or talk to a salesmen. They say oh we are just kicking tires. Or they will drive in and see something they like and yell, “what’s your bottom dollar on that “corvette?” You have to try to talk them out of the car and to actually drive it and build value and then quote them the retail price and work down a little from there. As long as you sell lots of cars you will be loved by the managers. The hours tend to be long as you move forward with your career. You’ll become a professional at overcoming people’s objections. You can make good money if you are good at talking to strangers. You do end up asking them to spend $20-$60,000 on a car. Just shake their hand and look them in the eye and know everything you can about the cars you sell. And don’t lie. Lying ends up coming out in the end.
Just test road the exact one. Had a 3 hatchback. Loved the way it road! Smooth. Quiet. Nice power, stereo, and finishes! Love this one even better. Always wanted the extra power!
Nice car, personally I’d take this over the wrx. The wrx cvt and interior are big issues for me, this is a great daily driver with near luxury fit and finish. Nice work Lori!
Joe, I was an original owner of a BMW e46 M3 in 2006. Back then, as far as I was aware of, car manufacturers put rev limiters on their cars. BMW was no exception. It was frustrating to drive and rev it to redline because at 5,500 rpm, fuel would be cut off to the engine stunting the acceleration. The only time I was able to rev it high to redline was when the car was moving at consistently moderate speed then step more on the gas pedal, shift up (or down) to speed up. I think this is what Mazda's done, and had installed rev limiters on its cars. I must say, though, the E46 M3 was one POWERFUL car! It was a 6-speed manual with 155mph top speed with the limiter. I almost traded it in for a 2007 Audi RS4 B7 but that's another story.
I own a 2021 Mazda3 turbo and if you want to rev it out without it up shifting early, you have to put it in sport mode and turn off traction control at the same time
The chrome accents are actually blacked out if you get either the appearance package or the premium plus trim. Well... they do for the hatchback anyway. I'm not sure if they do the same for the sedan. I just traded in my 2017 WRX for a Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus Hatchback a little over a week ago, and I'm loving it.
The manual that they have, I believe can't handle the power, and in the non turbo cars the automatic out performs the manual in acceleration and mpg, the manual might be more fun for some people, for most the auto is better.
It’s a great value for a 3 and beautiful car. My bro and his wife, and my dad love Mazdas. They have to be great if they want to compete with the big boys from Japan.
Mazda has been the handling champs within their class. I’m not talking numbers, I’m talking feel. One trick they used to use or maybe still use is that the rear suspension bushings were allowed to flex somewhat to allow a small amount of rear wheel steering due to the deflection. Independent rear suspension, bushings that allowed flexing , great shock and spring control, true auto or manual, made for some of the safest vehicles within their class
Yeah, i don't know why Mazda is going with this unusual tire dimension on the 18 inches. 215/45 R18 limits you to fewer tire manufacturers and it is also more expensive vs a 225/45 R18
The Mazda 3 Turbo AWD- sedan or hatchback- is almost in a class by itself, especially at its cost. Very possibly my next car cuz it's got everything one needs in a car.
It’s better in some ways and not in others. When I hear WRX I think rally car whereas Mazda I think fun compact car with nice interior. Thanks for sharing it Joe. Nice review as always! 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸
WRX. Those are for the young kids with flexible bodys. It's one of the harshest riding cars out there. Course, it's built off a rally car, so it makes sense. Mazda, there going the elegance route now. But, also showing they can still put a little zip, in the drive along the way! Thanks for the vid.
I get, there's no perfection in any car but, even though the back seat passengers are going to suffer due. To the lack of cooling and charging ports, they have the back windows to roll down but you've been mentioning, perfection never exist in any car, even if they're worth thousands of dollars more, they are cool.
That's a tip from me to your viewers. If your phone is dead, and you're lacking charge points in the back seat then, my advice is, wait until you get home.
Hey, Joe, just an observation: I am so impressed by the humility you show by replying to so many viewer comments. Thank you! You're definitely one of the very few car reviewers to do that. I also love that you acknowledge the person behind the camera, whether it's Lori or someone else. Just awesome!
Great work as usual from Joe and the gang. Your reviews are like a car review as well as a lunch suggestion video at the same time. Love that about you.
One thing that needs to be said is that when you floor the gas pedal in manual it automatically changes gears. There when taking off try to not foor it. Maybe the revs will be higher
Awesome review. And that is actually my choice. I like that vehicle a lot.. AWD is excellent.. Tire spec easy to upgrade on 18 inch wheels you can easy replace them to 235.. Or even 245 👍🏽👍🏽
Best colors are soul red on Mazda, still night blue on Honda and wolf grey on Kia . Mixed bag: infotainment systems are dated (definitely lacking in Mazdas), but nice materials in the Mazda cabins . Another great review by Raiti!
I prefer the WRX, not to mention that for that price you can find a used WRX STI... wish Mazda would’ve bump up the power a bit more and made it look a bit sporty..
The WRX has a well established aftermarket community. I wonder how well the Mazda would perform with bolt ons and a tune.... maybe even a bigger turbo? 🤔
Got myself the 2021 mazda 3 100th edition and the interior is day and night compared to the GT. The red seat/floor mat and the clean white soft material make this car way more luxury! Only complain i have is the fuel tank 48L is not enough, should be a 60L at least and the heads up display when the sun is at a certain angle you have a bright shinny reflection on the windshield which is annoying... (Wondering if that can be fixed?) Also you can add a little rear spoiler like i did and it does give a better look. Otherwise i prefer it over a Audi A4-5 or BMW 3. Quality/price for 2021 nothing beat it!
They had the spoiler on the 3rd gen. Though I think they should inverse the speedometer with the tachometer when you change to manual shifting mode to make the tachometer dominant and since they are using a full digital gauge they should take advantage of it. Btw if you put it in SPORT mode probably it will use all the RPM range since I think the engine still thinks that it is in normal mode if you don’t put it in SPORT mode.
@@cgmehta8264 Accord, or non SI Civic. Get something sportier/ faster once you get a bit older. You don't understand this now but you'll thank me later when you mature 👍 speeding tickets/ accidents/ being targeted by police when you're younger will make your life harder
I’ve actually been trying to pick between the Mazda 3 turbo and the Wrx. I think the Mazda 3 turbo hatch is a better pick just for the look and interior comfort. Thanks for the info it helped with the pick.
@@mezzb I’m sure once they update it at the end of this year the new WRX would be pretty nice I kinda like the look but for you it might get a lil uglier it’s for sure gonna get more power tho
The Mazda 3 doesn't rev well on the normal mode, but once you turn on sport mode, it goes bonkers. I have a 2021 Naturally Aspirated sedan, and to have fun, I turn on sport mode and it just revs so much more. Turn off traction control and it comes pretty close to the turbo In terms of 0-60. I have the highest trim sedan with 186 Horsepower I'll take a video soon once the snow clears in toronto
If it came in manual it would be perfect. But the turbo without the manual does not allow it to be classed the same as the WRX in my opinion. Nice video. It’s such a beautiful car.
It doesn't have a limited slip differential and no independent rear suspension. The WRX is still the better buy if you want performance but the Mazda is a great value.
As someone who drives a base WRX (2020), this really appeals to me. The WRX is a riot to drive but is abysmal in the interior quality department. Unfortunately this no longer comes in a manual so I'm 100% out. The search for the perfect sport sedan continues.
Hey Raiti! FYI - Next time you want to go "On Throttle!" with the Mazda's, I am pretty sure you need to take off the traction control to get max RPM. Give it another go and it would be great to get your feedback.
My only "zonk" on the 3 Turbo is the smallish gas tank and limited range after a full fill up. I only know one person that got one in a hatch and although he had 3/4 tank the car only said 175 miles until fill up, also noticed other posts with the same issue. I was really considering one.
6MT vs no manual transmission option makes this over before it begun. I've been waiting for a new Mazdaspeed3 for ever and it feels like it's just never coming. Sure I wish the WRX had that interior, but I'd prefer the 6MT given the choice. That's why I have a 2015 S4 6MT, best of both worlds!
