And the thing is, this is a low spec Corolla. Mid to high spec ones look a LOT better with a lot better and softer maretials, digital dials, different headlights and much more attractive wheels.
I own the 2019 Corolla Hatchback XSE CVT, Midnight black metallic with Saddle Tan Mixed Fabric and Leather interior. I’m REALLY enjoying it! Fun to drive.. Constantly getting compliments; people say it looks a lot like a Lexus. Handles very well, and good power. This CVT is really very good. Best of both worlds (automatic & manual).
As an ex- corolla driver who upgraded to a 2015 Mazda 3 I have not been disappointed. However would reconsider the latest Corolla. Look forward to seeing how Mazda will rise to the challenge!
Jaymate Hi Jay, have you purchased a next gen Mazda 3? I sat in one today and it’s was nice . Those big C pillars do enclose the back of the car sitting in the back I felt a little claustrophobic.
Have you test driven other new cars recently? I have, and the Mazda 3 isn't ahead when compared to newer models from other main manufacturers. It was great when new, but now it's merely average.
I'm still driving first gen Mazda 3, 2004, and it is a great car for reliability and still quite fun, but euro brands have got some great models at the moment, I would buy Alfa Romeo, Skoda, VW or Renault over these boring buzzboxes anyday if I was in the market to spend 20-30k.
@@bigchief2331 - I know what you mean. I'm from the UK and have run a Mazda3 1.6 petrol maunal (late 2005 build) from new - not quick, but perfeectly decent enough and still a great handling car. I test drove the gen-3 Mazda3 2.0 manual (updated version) and the CX-3 2.0 Auto 18 months ago and I found the 3 to be not that much quicker than my car. Nice inside and comfortable, if a bit low compared to mine in terms of the seating position. The CX-3 was better, but in the UK, its IMHO 10% overpriced and the 3 can be found in similar spec levels for less after deals or via brokers. At least Down Under you get spare wheels/tyres as standard - in the UK, we have mostly to 'ask' for them as optional extras nowadays. The 3's space saver also reduces the boot size at fitting it apparently raises the boot floor. Nice touch on the other two to have full sized spares, something I'm looking for in my next car (or at least a space saver - the Mazda3's costs a whopping £395 in the UK [ouch - I could buy a whole set of tyres and a full sized alloy wheel for that much]). In the end, I decided to keep running my 12yo Mazda3 until something significantly better and value for money comes along that also meets my minimum criteria for reliability and customer service - something that the VAG cars (IMHO) don't do. Maybe the gen-4 Mazda3 and its new HCCI/SCCI engine will be the answer.
So the Corolla is now king. We'll wait and see when the new Mazda 3 is released. We have had the same Mazda for 43 years and she's still going strong.We bought a Corolla too about the same time and it, along with it's sewing machine like 1166cc engine went to heaven many, many years ago.
It's good to see real reviews for Australian roads, and not just commenting on the sportiness and power of the most expensive models :) Especially when it comes to ride comfort and noise - many reviews seem to gloss over this in favour of sports handling etc.
I had the same thought as you before I bought the used 2010 toyota rav4 with less than 100,000 km on it last April. since then I spent over C$650 to repair the leaking problem in the rear differential and expected to spend over C$1000 to replace the rear driveshaft which has a bad/ stiff Universal Joint which happens to be unserviceable/ replaceable. Before this rav4, I had a 2007 mazda 3 with over 200,000km on it for over 2 years. no major issue and did not spend over $500 in total for repair/ replace broken parts. I think I should go with mazda next time.
I have the i30 active with no safety pack for 6month an I'm very happy with it. So much features and space. I think looks best from the trio. The mazda interior presentation is still probably the best. Thanks for the review do more like this. (ppl buy around this spec 70% than fully load) Cheers
I got the 2018 Mazda 3 touring hatch, and I feel that it is highly refined in the ride, acceleration, technology, gas mileage... pretty much wherever you look Mazda has done a great job providing what American suburban consumers need (apparently not as much for the Aussies, I'm sorry to hear). I can get three car seats, with one being an infant reverse seat, in the back row (it's a really tight pack) and still have enough leg room for 5'11" driver and 5'9" passenger to be comfortable. What this car offers for the mid $16k range (talking real cost not "MSRP") is on par with vehicles that cost 10k more. Most of the features on the vehicle feel as if they have been optimized, whereas many of the other vehicles have new technology that still seems like it is in "beta" testing. Mazda seems to have a knack for knowing what to prioritize when you can't offer everything at this price point.
I hope you guys will re-do this test when the new Mazda3 is released next year. I’m a Mazda3 owner (SP25GT) but fully accept that it’s now getting a bit long in the tooth. Roll on Skyactiv X.
I absolutely loved the way the 2019 Mazda 3 drove when I had a rental. And it is quite comfortable too. You completely lost me when you said the Mazda's infotainment navigation knob was "handy". It's easily the most frustratingly annoying thing about what could have been the perfect vehicle. It is a horrible system, and basically a deal breaker for me, especially compared to what I'd consider is the best infotainment system in the market right now: Hyundai's. Now if they didn't make it look like a tablet for kids super glued to the dash...
It will be introduced this December at the Los Angeles car event. It should be available for purchase early 2019. I can’t wait for it to be out too, i think I’m going to buy it!
In the USA, I picked up my Toyota Corolla SE Hatchback a week back. Quiet ride , 1st gear auto to CVT, suspension confident. Love it. For two people. Sleek on the highway.
Great video and well done Matt. However when it comes to real world, it's a little bit unfair to put Mazda 3 Maxx against the new Corolla.If you wish to shop around and have good negotiation skills its not hard to get a new Mazda 3 sp 25(with a bigger engine)or a Mazda 3 touring (with leather seats) for under $26k drive away while the base model auto Corolla is more than 27k drive away because it is new so you can hardly get any discounts.
The American version of the Toyota does have standard leather steering wheel and Apple CarPlay. It’s kinda weird they don’t all have it in all countries
Not if you go for higher spec Toyotas. Then the Corolla is a lot more plush. With soft doors and much better seats. Also with a digital speedometer (if you like that sort of thing, of course) Too bad they went for one of the lowest specs in this video.
The thing is, if your car is reliable, you don't need to worry about an extended warranty. Some manufacturers offer it but not all of them stand behind it. I have been in situations where I brought it to the dealership and they came up with excuses to say they don't honor it.
If they showed the fully loaded versions such as the i30 sport turbo it may be a different story, the i30/ gt sport turbo has one of the nicest interiors out of anything I test drive ended up with the Hyundai elantra gt sport turbo and love it
I have the Mz3THB 2.5L 6 spd manual. It's a lot of fun. And gives performance more like the new turbo small engines without the heat and complexity of a turbo. I'm averaging 31-32 mpg with very sticky summer tires. I'd estimate my 0-60 time at about 7 sec. And it's governed at 132 mph. Skip the 2.0L. Get the 2.5L if it's available in your market. The extra cost is well worth it.
I was going to buy i30 but now changed my mind after my Hyundai Santa Fe Highlander had issues with differential, required replacement in 4 years, luckily in warranty otherwise I was up for huge bill, on top of that customer care doesn't care.
I think i30 I have currently Hyundai with a 5 year unlimited klms warranty and I’m up to 145k and no recalls at all the the warranty won me over when and I’d choose Hyundai over the new corolla and aged Mazda 3 now Plus has slightly more features like apple car play and digital radio as standard which wins my votes
Thank you for the video. Can you please compare the maintenance costs as well? also how much money you gonna lose if you sell the car after for example 2 years.
Just because the Mazda 3 has a 1.6 litre doesn't make it any less than what it really is because the ones with the 2.0 and 2.5 are way better in handling and way more fun and easy to drive than the others, out of all of them I will take the Mazda in heartbeat any day
I haven't test driven a N30 yet but I did Veloster and 2019 Corolla Hatchback was the best, it drove like a dream and acceleration was pretty good. The CVT in the Corolla is really well designed but I loved its manual transmission. Shifting gears was sooooo smooth.. After adjusting the front seat to my height (174cm), the rear seat still had adequate space but as mentioned in the video, the door opening is pretty small so getting in and out won't much fun for a bigger person. Also the cargo space looked pretty tight but with the rear seats down, it will accommodate my needs just fine. Most reviewers do not talk about visibility during test rides, of all the cars I have test-driven, VW Golf/GTI and Corolla had the best, imo.
IIIRattleHeadIII Anyone that is a gear head knows that driving is an emotional experience. So yes, the emotion and fun you experience while driving matters. CVTs are boring no matter how well they “simulate” the gearing of a traditional transmission. So yes, feelings while driving do matter.
8.4 l/100km for Mazda? How are you driving this thing?! I am having straight under 6s, and cross into 6.5 area only if I drive anything more than 30% city. I can imagine your numbers only in like 80% city drive.
+DaxXx988 and over 9L/100km for the Corolla. How in the world is that possible?! I own an Toyota Auris (Corolla for the USA) Hybrid 2014 and am getting averages of around 5L/100km...Usually between 4.5 and 5L / 100km. I just don't understand how they got the consumption over 9L/100km. Whenever you get stuck in trafic with an Hybrid, your fuel consumption will hit legendary values like 0-1L/100km...so I do not understand them!
If you're really onto city drive, you're way better off going electric. However I'm not totally for EVs for some reasons. Internal combustion engines have range (unless if you can get a Tesla) and convenience. Personally I prefer ICs because you can have thrills with engine noise, quicker fuel up times which is very useful on long journeys or if you need to drive the car.... 24/7. Having said that, running electric cars are a lot cheaper so if you really going to do lots of city comutes, then EVs are ones to go for unless your city doesn't have enough charging points! Both EVs and ICs have ups and downs. You'll need to do some homework and decide which ones is best for you. Hybrids also have ups and downs. The biggest plus side of hybrids is that you can convenience of ICs while you can also better efficiency. As far as I know, hybrids don't have the range "conventional" ICs due to having batteries taking some space meaning the fuel tank or cargo space will have to be smaller. As I've said, you'll need to do some homework on whether if an EV, IC or Hybrid is suitable for you. If you can afford to buy 2 cars then you can definitely buy a small EV for city comutes and a medium (or large) IC for highway, long haul journeys. As for stringent city comutes an electric car is the solution but don't get caught having to charge the car when you have meetings, appointments and such.
Just inherited a Hyundai 2018 Active X and I know cars as I have 3 HSV V8s this car surprised me with it's handling pace and obviously Fuel economy.Boot space is a real winner compared with Mazda and Toyota.Warranty 5 Years with Unlimited Ks.
Surprised about the review on toyota interior. When I test drove it, it felt cheap and plastic. Also corolla looks boring just like their Yaris camry Prado and kludger. And their pricing is a trap, everything can be had as an option for extra. Serving is cheaper but you need to do it twice a year so end up being more.
I have a 2016 Mazda3 iSport I live in the USA so our vehicles might be different but my car is really good taking corners has pretty good acceleration and it has daytime running lights
Toyota Corolla Hatchback is definitely the best of three. It has a proven record of durability and reliability. A single Corolla is being sold in 15 seconds throughout the Earth. My only issue is there’s no aftermarket support. TRD (Toyota Racing Development) used make all kinds of aftermarket parts.
I've daily driven my Mazda3 since I bought it new in 2016. Its definitely been the cheapest car to maintain that I've ever owned. My next car will definitely be another new Mazda.
Sad to see the humble hatches losing their manual transmissions. I used my 2010 mazda 3 sport to learn how to drive stick, and wouldn't dare trade it in for any of the newer Gen 3's. It's under 90k km's and still has that zoom zoom feeling when you launch it ;) The new Imprezas should have also made the cut in this test though.
I own a Porsche Cayman 981 GTS and a Hyundai Elantra GT Sport (1.6 l Turbo - 201 horse power - 195 lbs torque) with multi link suspension. I think the Hyundai Elantra GT Sport is just the better package than the I30. With this configuration the Mazda and the Toyota cannot compete. It is 90% of the Golf GTI for 35% less money. Clearly the best value hatch.......
After driving both the Corolla and the i30 extensively for more than a year, I would 10 out of 10 times take the i30 just because of the practicality. With the Corolla it's always "Can't fit this, have to get a bigger car" or "I hit my head on the door frame" or "Why did my phone not connect". Problems I have not had with the i30. Although the Corolla delivers on ride quality the steering is just way to light and you have no sense of the road in my own opinion, but we are all different and it depends on your size and strength of course. As for power, both feel roughly the same but the i30 is definitely smoother in terms of throttle control, making it way more comfortable for everyone in the car and less "jerky". You also don't "Slide" out of the seats while cornering in the i30 which you did in the Corolla, however, I don't expect anyone to drive it on a racetrack. From now on, for me at least, it will only be the i30 in my driveway. Hope this helps anyone who's in the market.
I own a Mazda 3 2016. 2.2 sport nav... Great car... No running issues.. Info system slightly letting down as it goes to default and loses player memory without warning. Paint finish poor and chips and scuffs really easy. I have the Mazda red.
@@t8polestarcyan22 what kind of world you need 8 speed on commuter car? See actual review from buyer who buy 7 o 8 speed trans car, like new tundra, mercedes, actually they shifting so much when it doesnt need shift and its very annoying
The Corolla is a huge letdown due to its impractical lack of rear seat headroom and boots pace. They need to sack their design team and start again. Such a pity because they get the rest of it so right.
Thanks, good basic review. Please repeat when the new Mazda 3 comes along ... it will definitely be the prettiest and hopefully much improved. Might I suggest that in future reviews you consider driver visibility. The main design flaw in my 2014 Mazda 3 sport is the reduced driving visibility (side view) with the low roof. Share a comment on this.
Was thinking about buying the Mazda, but you've changed my mind. The Toyota, with all the positive things you've mentioned, plus Toyota known reliability won me over. I'm doing a test drive tomorrow before buying to get a better deal, but I'm 100% sure I'm buying it. Thanks.
I'm stuck in between making a final decision of the corolla hatchback or the hyundai kona as my next daily driver. they are obviously different class of cars, but i can only choose one
Boot space is really important. The corolla is really a half of class size down. I would go the Hyundai or sister Kia Cerato with the longer warranties too.
I'd say it would be fine. I prefer a well sorted cvt with this direct 1st gear or if it's a hybrid over non linear shifts-in-the-middle-of-a-corner automatics
Victor Wu that might be the case with some cars but absolutely not with my Subaru Legacy/Liberty 3.6 litre; in three years it has never jerked. Nor with the 2.5 Iitre I test drove. You are tarring all cars with the same brush.
Victor Wu Thinking more about your comment I realized responses to pedal pressure gel with my experience of DSG-fitted test cars I tried some time back. They may have improved but I was somewhat put off by the experience and so my preference runs to normal automatics or CVTs.
toyota has the shortest warranty, but historically the best reliability and resale for there is that....though Hyundai may change that in the next 3 years I believe the safest bet is the toyota hatch as well. Also biggest thing NOT mentioned in this review.....the toyota hatch has the best fuel injection system for minimizing carbon deposits and increasing engine reliability. I say this as an owner of a Kia Turbo DI engine.
+Roughie king It's not about being lazy. Here in Europe, getting the automatic always adds 1-2k EURO on top of it's base price. Automatics are very comfortable if you have daily work-trafic and often get stuck in trafic jams. It's a no-nonse thing as it is very easy. Most people in Europe by far still drive an manual because they are cheaper to buy though!!
I'm sorry but any base Mazda doesn't get running lights. The I sport here in America (above the EV base) even gets a leather steering wheel, running and interior lights, And alloy wheels for 2015. I have the 2014 I GT hatch first model year, and even mine is better in features than this base 2018 model. You guys seem to be testing them at the lowest trim level. Even the Corolla has a higher trim than portrayed.
@@Driver6M but who really buys a base model anymore for money saving unless they have a decent amount of equipment for 22k when used cars go for 10k or less...