Which Style Should You Buy? - 2014 Mazda Mazda3 S Long-Term Road Test

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Which Style Should You Buy? - 2014 Mazda Mazda3 S Long-Term Road Test

How to choose which trim level to buy in the 2014 Mazda 3.

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s197gt

i got to have xenons. i'm done buying cars with halogens. so...

i'm also trying to be done with buying new cars. mazda has a pretty decent cpo program. i'd wait around for a low mileage cpo grand touring.

adamb1

My limit on small car price is low $20's. At $27k you are at the same sale price at which I bought my loaded Ford Fusion Titanium. Obviously I didn't pay MSRP for the Ford and wouldn't for a Mazda either. But, upper $20's is too much for me for a small car.

bc1960

2015 has brought some useful changes which do probably alter the sweet spots from 2014. Mazda Connect with the LCD screen is now standard on everything except the i SV sedan, although the rear camera is not included on i Sports. Fog lamps are now standard on i Tourings and Grand Tourings. A moonroof is standard on the s Touring, where it was previously not available at all. The effective price of adding nav where it isn't standard has been cut in half (the SD card is a dealer accessory), although still too high considering how crappy the system is compared to a Garmin or Tom Tom that costs half as a much. If I were buying today I would give stronger consideration to the s Touring than an optioned-up i Touring; the big factor against it for me is that unlike the cloth, unlike the leather, and unlike the vinyl on the identical seats in the Mazda6 i Touring, the Mazda3 vinyl is only available in black, and after 7 years I've developed a distinct loathing of all-black interiors. Deep Crystal Blue Mica exteriors in particular favor the two-tone black and sand or almond combination.

miata52

The big question with buying a 2015 Mazda 3 is the new plant in Mexico. All 2014's were built in Japan, but Mazda is phasing in their new plant in Mexico for the '15's. Some 3's are still being built in Japan, some in Mexico. I think by the end of the model year they will have moved all production to south of the border. Honda is doing the same with the newly redesigned 2015 Fit...they're all being built in Mexico for the first time.

Not sure how I'd feel buying a car built in a new plant, new workers, in a third world country. Maybe after a couple of years of them demonstrating the same build quality.

gba47

I currently own a 2010 s Sport hatch with manual trans. When I bought that car, I was strapped for cash and it was all I could afford. I have found the hatch to be immensely useful and i really do love it. My financial situation has improved considerably and I will buying an s Grand Touring hatch with Tech Package before the end of the year. I may even spring for the Soul Red paint.

quadricycle

@miata52, see this comment:

adamb1 said:

My limit on small car price is low $20's.

No matter what many of us say, cost is a huge determinant for car purchases. We continuously demand the lowest price, so of course manufacturing (and mostly assembly in this case) is going to outsource to cheaper areas of the world. It is like the whole "Made in China" phenomenon; we say that we like to support local businesses, but most of us vote for cheaper-is-better with our dollars.

mlin32

I have said this many times: numbers speak louder than letters or verbal comments. I'm tired of car manufacturers not offering the same level of features on their compact sedans as they do in other markets, and they always give the same excuse: "There's no market demand for feature ______" in NA.

I will pay for quality and features, and that means voting with my chequebook. That meant I ordered my sGT with the Tech Package, and then bought summer tires on top of that. And although it is not as well-engineered as a German car, it is the least compromised/watered-down hatchback available in North America from a content and build standpoint.

Heck, the Canadians have it figured out. The Mazda 3 is repeatedly the 4th best selling car there every month. I saw more there in a day than I have since the current model rolled out.

bc1960

It's been understood since at least the 1940s that size alone has little impact on the cost of manufacturing an automobile, yet most Americans expect they should cost less, which is why the Big 3 delayed entering the market. Nash made a success of Rambler by giving it premium features not available on similarly priced larger Fords, Chevys, and Plymouths. Hudson, Kaiser, and Willys experienced some success as long as postwar pent-up demand lasted, then their overinvestment in "compact" models helped lead to their respective departures as independent auto manufacturers; Kaiser liquidated, Hudson merged with Nash, and Willys abandoned autos for trucks. Selling small cars for lower prices involves one or more conditions, including: reduced profit margins, less/cheaper content, sharing components with other models, or manufacturing in mass quantities. Mazda does accept somewhat lower margins and now shares components across its lineup, but it doesn't have the sales volume or manufacturing capacity to lower unit costs like the big guys, nor the deep pockets to put up to $3500 in incentives on its cars like Ford, GM, and some others routinely do. They offer stripped down base models, but also offer features on upper-level models that are uncommon with mass-market brands. They must price their cars closer to their actual cost, and fortunately in the case of the Mazda3, and probably now the CX-5, their capacity matches fairly closely to the number of customers who recognize the value and are willing to pay for it with minimal additional incentives (it remains to be seen if the Mazda6 will finally be able to sell without large incentives; at least their reduced capacity is now closer to demand). If one needs a larger car, then by all means buy one, but I prefer not to buy a larger car than I need just because it costs the same; I've done it once, and although I have and continue to like it, in retrospect I would have been happier overall with the smaller car even if it hadn't also had some extra features--so that's what I bought this time.

legacygt

I drive a 2009 CX-9 and it seems that the value sweet spot for Mazdas continues to be at the Touring trim level. The jump to Grand Touring always seems to be a lesser value proposition. Of course with the CX-9 the real steal is probably down the ladder with the Sport trim. You lose a lot of the goodies, leather seats, etc. but you're getting virtually the same car as the Grand Touring but at almost $15K less vs. a fully optioned GT. With the Mazda3 they do transition to the 2.5 engine as you move up in price and, by all accounts, that's an upgrade worth going for.

farvy

I have to have the Xenons. I've had them on my past two cars & they are too spectacular to pass up. I do a lot of driving in the dark Michigan mornings & they work great. The five door S Grand Touring rang me up to $28,000. At that price, I might have to jump to the Mazda6.

zimtheinvader

I love most everything about the 3 but the size is its best feature. I don't want something the size of the 6. The only thing appealing about jumping up in size for me is generally the cars are a bit smoother and quieter. But beyond possibly thinking I'd impress the neighbors with a larger car there isn't any other reason for it for me.

If I remember correctly Mazda was the first company to offer leather in their 'starts well under $20,000' small car. The Mazda3 from 2 generations ago. Then the big boys caught on and started offering more premium features. As BC1960 pointed out it really doesn't cost them that much less to make the small car but I for one really do like getting premium features in a smaller car.

adamb1 said:

... At $27k you are at the same sale price at which I bought my loaded Ford Fusion Titanium. Obviously I didn't pay MSRP....

The take-away tip there is don't pay MSRP for a car, wait and watch for specials. Our local Mazda dealer would routinely list the 3s for $2,500 off MSRP and even go noticeably higher than that from time to time

s197gt said:

i'm also trying to be done with buying new cars. mazda has a pretty decent cpo program. i'd wait around for a low mileage cpo grand touring.

That is where the smart shopper goes. The only other good option is to stumble on last years left over on a holiday weekend when they are $6,000 to $8,000 off but beyond finding one of those buy a solid used one and let someone else absorb the initial depreciation. Buying a new car is fun but man it hurts if you actually figure out the drop in value over each of the first few years.

bonzjr

I did buy one. I got the '15 s GT hatch -- with the 6-speed manual. Wants: Xenons, Bose, moonroof, big motor, manual. It was the only way to get all of that. The lower end models are well equipped though. The car isn't as pricey as everyone makes it out to be when you compare the feature content with other cars in the segment especially when you consider how much better it is to drive than just about all of them.

caramelo91

I tell you what, Mazda is very smart. They know people want the Xenons. The 2014 s Touring was definitely the sweet spot as that one included the Xenon headlights but for 2015 they took it off of the s Touring and made it exclusive to the s Grand Touring trim to force you to trade up.

Now at first I was upset about this move as I was definitely looking at the s Touring as my preferred option, and now I would be forced to buy up 1 extra trim level. But after further research, for that extra 1,200 bucks, not only do you get the Xenon headlights but you also get the adaptive front lighting system with them, auto leveling, auto on/off, auto dimming rear-view mirror with home link, rain sensing windshield wipers, and real leather seats instead of leatherette. Not bad for $1,200.

But yeah, the 2015 s Touring is not the sweet spot that it used to be. The 2014 s Touring was perfect. I guess I could always just wait for a 2014 to come off a lease and get a CPO 2014 s Touring sedan in Soul Red Metallic.

riswami1

A previous post stated that all 2014 Mazda3s were built in Japan. That is incorrect. I have a 2014 I Grand Touring and it was assembled in Mexico. The engine and trans are made in Japan and the car has approximately 50% content of Mexico manufactured parts. I have approximately 5,400 miles on my 3 and there has not been a single issue. Yes I probably would have been more comfortable with a Japan car; however I don't think it will be an issue. If you read about the plant and how Mazda brought it on line you'll see what I am talking about.

I also have a 2007 Mazda6, Value Edition with the 4 banger. That car was assembled in the USA (Flat Rock I believe). The car has 111k and has been flawless; still have the original brakes!

For the record we have put fuel in our 3 15 times. 8 tanks have been greater than 40 MPG and 7 have been below 40 MPG.

olopes

I realize that Edmunds can only talk MSRP, but I took delivery of a Mazda 3 S GT (MT) last week for $25, 091 (minus another $500 for owner loyalty). The TMV in my area (where there are LOTS of 3s) is $25,700. I frankly could have probably gone lower, but when their opening offer hit where I was willing to start my negotiation, I just went with it. I was out the door at a hair under $24,600.

My point is this: you can get this car for a lot less that $27k.