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Comments
You've opened up the circle and have examined it, does this sound plausible?
Preston: Where is it? Just out of curiosity. Not that I have time now, but it'll be cool to see new cars arriving in the future.
Dinu
I'm really not sure about that circle. I'm going to ask some European Mazda6 folks. Which leads to another point, all indications are that the regular N. American-spec Mazda3 doesn't have this hole but the sporty bumpers do. The reason is that the sporty bumpers are common worldwide whereas the regular bumpers are not (perhaps only euro-spec regular bumpers have the hole). But if this hole does turn out to be for the block heater, then it'll be useless for N. American-spec (cause our 2.3l block heater will probably be the same as from the Mazda6 and it comes from inside the hood). Anyways, I'm really not sure on this and will ask around.
Dinu:
CN's Toronto autoport is located just north of Hwy7 between Jane & Keele. The exact intersection is Creditstone Rd. & Hwy. 7, Creditstone goes along the compound.
Unfortunately, I'm not in that part of town today so not going to head over. It's near my route back from work but it's dark when I leave work. I'm just going to see a dealer sometime this week.
Dinu
Preston: good question. Let's me know, if you can't find the answer, I'll be glad to stop at the dealer and take a look at the user manual (can't really trust the salesman).
Ok so we all want more power (who doesn't) and if that's the case the GT/s trims will do just fine
Dinu
If it's less buzzy than the current one (and it should be), the car overall seems to be a better package than the PRO, and the PRO is still #1 for kicks per clicks [kicks per kilometers for our metrically-challenged friends ] even after 5 years on the market. That being said the 3 should still be #1 (even if Honda introduces a new Civic which will be more docile anyway).
Dinu
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/brunoluong/vwp?.dir=/Mazda3&- - - - - .dnm=Mazda3_Hatchback_Poster.jpg&.view=t
We also thinking about making next a poster for the sedan, but I haven't found yet a good picture to start with. Suggestions are welcome.
Bruno
Not sure this new board is repetitive, but here is a link:
mazdafun "Mazda3 Sedan vs. Mazda3 Hatchback" Nov 16, 2003 8:14pm!make=Mazda&model=3&ed_makeindex=.ef2272b
Wow, that looks great, thanks guys.
The circular plug on the front bumper:
A German Mazda6 owner got back to me with this:
"That's where you can screw in a removable hook to tow your car."
Still don't totally understand what that means. My interpretation is that this would be used for cases where your car is well off the road or something so this would hook to a tow truck on the road which would pull you back. Could be a snow thing too.
http://www.mazdausa.com/MusaWeb/mazda3/gallery.jsp?car=4&id=1
to tow your car away if you don't park correctly. ;-)
Thanks Preston. The explanation coincides with my dealer's! I wonder how this little fragile thread can hold the hook??? Amazing.
MazdaUSA doesn't show either any decent picture taking the back of the sedan, even for the i-trim.
"'It's been 30 years since I was serious about buying an American car. I look at them, but they look so much like what GM and Ford built 30 years ago...'
Huh? Most 1974 cars were huge boats, laden with chrome, vinyl tops, and opera windows. Which car from today "looks so much like" one of those? A 2004 Taurus hardly looks like a Torino. Nor does a 2004 Malibu look anything like the huge '74. Not to mention that no current Chrysler product resembles anything from before 1993."
The '04 Malibu may look more like the '78 & not the '74 Malibu, but sure looks like the '74 Checkers taxi cab.
The Taurus did not exist back in '74, so it can't look like the Torino, which, by the way, wasn't bad looking at all, especially w/ the narrower grill. The German Taunus did exit back in '74, & it was beautiful almost like the '74 Cortina.
"Why do some people think of the Jetta as a "mid-size" car when it clearly is a compact?"
Where did you hear that? Was it from the rental companies that offers you a full-size, then gives you a Camry? I remember the 1st Camry('83) we had was already very roomy w/ more stretch-out leg room than our Chevy Caprice! While the '85 Jetta had the same exterior length as that Camry &, of course, a larger trunk.
Today's Jetta is made cramped on purpose, as the roomier version is reserved for the "peasant's" Jetta/Passat under the Skoda badge as Octavia/Superb. Even China's VW Passat has an extended wheelbase as long as Skoda Superb's, although still w/ the Passat's exterior styling.
Ever wonder why the Lexus version of the Camry - the ES - is always more cramped than the Camry & even purposely offering insufficient rear headroom? They think Lexus buyers are wealthy enough to step up to the even more expensive larger Lexus if they really want the Camry-like room.
'cause when the Infiniti equivalent of the FWD Maxima - the I - kept the same styling, people didn't "appreciate" it & found it cheap.
So Toyota might as well make the Lexus version of the Camry worse.
Even Mazda did that on the "Amati" Millenia. In the Mazda show room in '95, the salesman told me that the Protege became so roomy even more than the Infiniti Q45. I told him, "You're right! The Protege is also roomier than the Millenia." & even the '95 929.
Bad photography is hidden with blurring to simulate zoom-zooming. Not what prospective buyers want to see. I have never seen good photos in Mazda's Gallery.
Mazda should hire the photographers who do CAR magazine, or at least the ones who make photos for Road&Track. R&T has taken a big step up in high-quality images, especially interiors.
fowler3
The worst photos of any Mazda site for the 3 and this (Canada) is one of their top markets for this car.
Dinu
I personally don't care which one I get because pretty much either of the engines/trims will be faster than my Civic. Boy it'll be nice to be able to climb hills again.
What I am curious about is if the 6i MT will be faster than the 3s MT.
Here's the info from the curb weight chart from the MUSA site PDF file:
Curb weight (lbs.)
i MT sedan 2,696 (PZEV = 2,718)
i AT sedan 2,738 (PZEV = 2,760)
s MT sedan 2,762
s AT sedan 2,807
s MT hatch 2,826
s AT hatch 2,857
That's right. Not only the sedan is lighter, it also has smaller air resistance coefficient (Cx). European spec sedan is quicker than the hatch counter part of 0-0.2 second in 0-62mph (depending on version), faster in max speed about +3km/h, and has a slightly lower fuel consumption. However, according to someone who just take the testdrive of both versions, the handling of the 5-door is better. That's not a surprise either.
What I am curious about is if the 6i MT will be faster than the 3s MT.
what make you think the 6i would be faster? I rather think the contrary.
Well, the 6i is about 300 lbs heavier than the 3s. Unless the gearing is different, the 3s should be faster. If the gearing on the 3s is anything like my Protégé ES 2.0L though, the 6i might be faster than the 3s to 60mph because the 3s would need to shift to 3rd in order to reach 60mph.
Shorter means: for the car same speed the engine will rev at higher RPM. That means the torques at the drive wheels are greater, which in turn give quicker acceleration but fuel mileage will be worse.
I don't know about the shift points, for that one needs to know how the Activematic is programmed.
Have you driven an auto equipped car yet (or would you not be caught dead in an automatic car ), and if you have, is the trans responsive?
I have never seen one in person myself. I guess if I buy one, we'll always have one here for customers to look at!
You mean Mazda3 AT? No. But I have heard positive comments about the very same Activematic box on Protegé and Mazda6.
"If the gearing on the 3s is anything like my Protégé ES 2.0L though, the 6i might be faster than the 3s to 60mph because the 3s would need to shift to 3rd in order to reach 60mph."
Don't forget it's 205/65 riding on the 15". That means the 2nd gear is likely to reach 60 mph?
I don't know. My Protege didn't get to 60 mph in 2nd gear and that hurts the 0-60 time. If the Mazda3s doesn't get to 60 in 2nd gear, I'll bet the Mazda6i is quicker or equal 0-60.
Car and Driver has the Mazda6i manual 0-60 at 7.9 seconds BTW.
That ivory, can't be called beige, trim looks like it will get dirty fast. Think I would look for some sporty seat covers or have them made.
And to think that I didn't like the 2001 Civic because it had a black steering wheel. So what does Mazda do with their cars? Black everything! I have a little dog, she's black and white, rides in the back seat. On beige seats the black hair shows; on black seats the white hair will show. Can't win.
fowler3
I'll check out some dealers over the next few days.
Apparently, all Toronto dealers should have at least one this week.
But I did confirm 2 things:
- US-spec Mazda3's do NOT have rain-sensing wipers
- the Mazda3 sedan's keyless does NOT have a trunk opener (big bummer for me personally)
- US-spec Mazda3's do NOT have rain-sensing wipers
- the Mazda3 sedan's keyless does NOT have a trunk opener (big bummer for me personally)"
The rain-sensing wipers is a nice feature, but how hard is it to flip a lever every once in a while, or set the imtermittent setting?
Now the trunk button on the keyless entry fob IS a feature that is very useful, and should be a standard feature, especially given Mazda has equipped all Mazda3's with steering wheel audio controls. Even my mom's old 97 escort had a trunk button on the keyless fob!! But it is a small negative on an otherwise excellent package.
What about the hatchback?
The problem with the Mazda3 intermittent setting is that it's fixed (i.e. only 1 delay speed). My parents' 626 is like this and IMHO it's even a safety issue. Fortunately (for me anyways), Canada's getting the rain-sensing intermittent wipers (though it could still be programmed stupidly, hopefully I'll find out this week).
mazda6s:
lmp180psu's right, the hatch unlocks with the other doors (the second press of the button to be more specific).
Incidently, doing the math I get 63.8MPH at redline in 2nd.
Then I guess we can expect the manual Mazda3s to be quicker than 7.9 seconds 0-60. I wonder what 300 lbs is worth?
Dinu
Wonder why the US-spec Mazda3 doesn't offer traction control, even as an option? I have it on my Hyundai Elantra and it really comes in handy when driving up snow-covered hills.
Fixed intermittent wipers? Where's the variable control setting? I had fixed intermittent wipers on an old Acura Integra and hated them...could never find the "right" speed.
No trip computer? Other countries get it, we don't. Why not? The Elantra has one and I find it to be a most useful gadget.
Don't you just hate the decontenting of vehicles based on where they are sold? I say offer the options and let the consumer decide what they want. Kudos to Mazda for at least offering a NAV system on the 3.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/pw/04economycars.htm
Dinu:
Is that 7:30am or pm? Let us know anyways. I may go to there tomorrow night since they're the closest dealer to my house. But I'm definitely going to check out various dealers over the next few days.
Dinu
Check Markham Mazda. Apparently they have a GS sedan and Brampton Mazda has a GT sedan.
Dinu