2014 Mazda MAZDA3 S Long-Term Road Test

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2014 Mazda MAZDA3 S Long-Term Road Test

I just gave our long-term 2014 Mazda 3 S hatchback its first hauling assignment, and all I can say is, I don't know why anyone would ever buy a sedan.

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stovt001_

My mom just consolidated from a 2008 Mazda 3 and a Mazda Tribute down to a 2013 Mazda 3. I tried to convince her to go for the hatchback to replace the utility she had with the Tribute but she went sedan instead. I'll never understand the appeal of the sedan body style.

ajac03

@stovt001, I totally agree. I have a regular 4 door camry, and my brother has an rsx. Despite being a very small hatchback, you'd be amazed how much you can fit in with the hatchback design. I'll definitely be opting for a hatchback when I look for a n

bc1960

I'm favorably impressed with the cargo space in the new Mazda3 5-door compared to my 2007 Mazda6 5-door. With the seats up it's down by 2 cubic feet, less than 10%; with the seats lowered, it's down by 11 cubic feet or 20%, which is almost entirely due to the load floor being approximately 1 ft shorter--the width between the wheel wells differs by only an inch or so. Considering that it weighs 400 lb less with the base engine but has peak power and torque almost identical to my car I expect it to perform better even without the larger engine, and I haven't any complaints about load-carrying with the larger, heavier car.

trarmstrong86

Seems smaller than the previous gen.

bc1960

It's not. Volume is larger with seats up or down and the width between the wheels is larger.

robs249_

I really try liking most current hatch designs but for some reason (to me) they don't look as nice as the sedan counterpart. When the first gen Mazda6 hatch came out, I fell in LOVE with that design. I loved the sleek looks and the way the hatch and glass opened together for the extra utility. But when I look at the current (and previous) 3 hatches, compared with the CX5, the CX5 just looks more proportional...