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2012 Mazda3

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Was I imaging things? The one in the showroom seemed to have smaller bolsters. Are they in fact the same seats?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    edited June 2012
    Looking at MazdaUSA.com...

    No, they're different:

    i Touring: Cloth-trimmed seats with 60/40 split fold-down rear seatback

    S Touring: Cloth-trimmed sport seats with 60/40 split fold-down rear seatback

    The bolsters are more pronounced, and it seemed a littler firmer.
  • kmh3kmh3 Member Posts: 35
    I can confirm the AC is a bit weak, but not intolerably so in 95 degree weather. I was thinking this might be a good thing since it would hopefully mean decent mpg while running the air. But alas this is not the case.

    I can also confirm the AC is a mpg killer, I saw an 8-10 mpg drop from running the AC on the highway - dropped to around 32 mpg. My civic hybrid AC was also weak, but the mpg hit was half of this one.

    Oh well, at last I found something not perfect on this car. Lucky I don't live where it is hot.
  • farkle0079farkle0079 Member Posts: 9
    My AC isn't an mpg killer at all. I regularly run mine when needed and don't see any significant drop in mpg from it (I log all my fill-ups).
  • igozoomzoomigozoomzoom Member Posts: 801
    "I can confirm the AC is a bit weak, but not intolerably so in 95 degree weather."

    This has been one of the few complaints about the Mazda3 going back to 2004. For several years, you could only get BLACK interior. Even now, a significant majority of 3's still have BLACK interior. I am convinced that the black interior is part of the cooling issue!

    I have a 2006 MZ3 5-door with Black/Red cloth and a co-worker has a 2006 MZ3 i 4-door with Beige cloth. Her A/C cools the interior significantly quicker than mine does!
    2015.5 Volvo S60 T6 Drive-E Platinum, 2012 Mazda CX-9 GT
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I was considering the white exterior for that reason - you can get the lighter interior.

    Not too many exterior colors to choose from, though. White, Black and Silver, that's it, IIRC.
  • zzzoom6zzzoom6 Member Posts: 425
    Hi everyone,
    My wife and I are beginning our search for a compact or subcompact hatchback and we have heard good things about the Mazda 3 with the skyactiv engine. We have heard that older models don't like snow so much, but don't know about the current model. And since we are from the soggy NW, if you have some experience with rain, your impressions would be welcome on this also.

    Thanks much!
  • autonomousautonomous Member Posts: 1,769
    We have heard that older models don't like snow so much, but don't know about the current model.

    Curious. Where have you heard that?

    I haven't had any problems with my 2011 Mazda3 here in Canada in either rain or snow. As with any other vehicle, one should equip it with snow tires for winter driving.

    It is a FWD, so if you're looking for AWD you should consider a Subaru or the like. Personally, I have never felt the need to go to that way as AWD vehicles tend to be heavier and pricier.

    p.s. the Mazda3 is renowned for its handling (see for example Consumer Reports). Also, now that DSC (Dynamic Stability Control) is mandatory the Mazda3 handles even tricky driving situations better.
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    Anybody read anything about the 2013 Mazda3 Skyactiv Grant Touring having auto climate control? They screwed up with the 2012 model. Lot of people like this feature.
  • zzzoom6zzzoom6 Member Posts: 425
    It was a friend of ours, but I'm not sure I would put a lot of weight in what she says. So would you say the Mazda 3 is as good as other front wheel drive cars? I know my Mazda6 2005 didn't like snow all that much - the back end stepped out on me this winter. Thank goodness we only get snow that sticks every few years...

    Anyways, if anyone else has an opinion on this, I'd love to hear it!

    Thanks
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    Just read on cars.com that the 2013 model will include the following items, as standard equipment on the skyactiv Touring and Grand Touring models.

    From cars.com
    "A passive entry keyless system, push-button start and automatic climate control are now standard on the i Touring and i Grand Touring trims (formerly the options were unavailable)."
  • woochiferwoochifer Member Posts: 32
    edited June 2012
    "We have heard that older models don't like snow so much, but don't know about the current model."

    I would think that the performance in winter weather would also be greatly influenced by the tires. And if you're living in a cold weather area, you likely already switch out to winter tires during the snow months. The OEM Bridgestone Turanza EL400s that come with the Mazda3i are not very good in general. Supposedly, Mazda picked them because of their low rolling resistance (i.e., high fuel economy). The chassis itself is very well balanced, but I can definitely find the tires' limit during hard cornering and when driving in the rain. Thankfully, the Turanzas' tread life also sucks, so I will be looking to replace my OEM set when the tread wears down some more.

    As far as other winter complaints, I have seen a lot of write-ups on rust problems with older Mazda3s. In my experience, Mazda's paint is definitely on the soft side, and it chips rather easily. I live in a warm weather area with zero road salt, so aside from rock chips, I don't deal with rust on a regular basis.

    Also keep in mind that Mazda uses a unique three-layer wet paint process, which they started using about a decade ago. With most other car paint systems, each coat is baked first before the next coat is applied. Mazda's process applies the base and clear coats while the primer coat is still wet, and only bakes after applying the top clearcoat. Mazda touts this as environmentally friendly (which it is, because paint baking consumes a lot of energy and the process cuts VOC emissions), while it also saves time and money. Mazda revised this process a few years ago switching to water-based paints, and Ford and GM now also use a wet layering paint process. I'm not sure if any of this correlates to Mazda's reported rust issues, but something to keep in mind.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Who needs push-button start?!? A USB input would be more welcome! Also the Skyactiv powertrains in the Mazda3i Sport.
  • bpizzutibpizzuti Member Posts: 2,743
    Those are coming too.
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    They have the USB too and the skyactiv engine is now in the entry model. I only mentioned a couple of items because a lot of people were so concerned about the auto climate control. You can read all the details at...

    http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2012/06/2013-mazda3-whats-changed.html#more
  • woochiferwoochifer Member Posts: 32
    Wonder how this will affect the sales distributions for the 3i Touring and Grand Touring models. Right now, the Touring model costs ~$1,900 more than the 3i Sport, while adding the Skyactiv drivetrain, alloy wheels, cruise control, multi-information display, 6-speaker audio, Bluetooth, steering wheel controls, and leather trimmed steering wheel and gear knob. Not a bad deal for a more efficient and powerful drivetrain, and lots of extra equipment. And right now, more than 70% go for the Skyactiv version, so Mazda has succeeded at upselling consumers to the higher trim level.

    In 2013, the Touring model will add keyless entry, push button start, and automatic climate control, while the Sport model adds Skyactiv drivetrain and multi-information display. The Touring model no longer features a better drivetrain, so how many buyers will now pay extra to get the extra equipment (the 5-door starts at the Touring trim level)?
  • bpizzutibpizzuti Member Posts: 2,743
    They'll probably pay extra just to move up to the 5-door.
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Member Posts: 3,159
    edited June 2012
    The Touring model no longer features a better drivetrain, so how many buyers will now pay extra to get the extra equipment (the 5-door starts at the Touring trim level)?

    __

    I believe a lot will. Remember, Bluetooth is not available on the Sport, neither is alloy wheels, cruise control and the availability of the Bose Audio and moon roof package.

    Before the Skyactiv drive trains were available, there were a lot of takers of the Touring model over the Sport. I expect that trend to continue.

    For those who wanted a 6-speed manual, you would be pleased to hear that you can get one in the i GT trim now. I also believe there will be a touch screen navigation system. Probably a TomTom based unit like in the CX-5.

    The 2.5L will be limited to the "s GT" only. No more s Touring trim.
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    Heard anything about the placement of the new Navi and will it be a 5" screen like the CX-5?
  • bpizzutibpizzuti Member Posts: 2,743
    There's no room in the Mazda3 for a reasonably sized, reasonably positioned touchscreen navi. And my Android cellphone is 4.8 inches. So tell me, what's the point of a 5 inch navi? :shades:
  • aviboy97aviboy97 Member Posts: 3,159
    Don't have any details on that, but I would presume it would be where the current audio interface is perhaps? That is the only logical place, IMO
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    edited June 2012
    It's bigger than an Android cellphone. :shades:

    Besides, many people don't have smart phones with Navi and 5" is about the size of larger portable units. I have a 4.3 portable that does a pretty good job.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    edited June 2012
    Just Velcro it to the dash somewhere.

    OEM Navi should be 7-8" or bigger. Any smaller and you may as well use a smart phone.

    Cooley from CNET did just that:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA_VEaC_-dk
  • bmclaughlin1bmclaughlin1 Member Posts: 19
    Is there any word on when the 2013 Mazda 3 will hit dealer lots?
  • kmh3kmh3 Member Posts: 35
    edited July 2012
    Thought I would post some details about the tranny in case some one is curious:

    General stuff:
    - you can switch from manual to auto mode while moving by pushing the
    lever left or right. You can also jump in and out of neutral while moving.
    - when in manual mode the "D" LED on the dash changes to a number (1-6).
    - shifting is smooth, and quiet, barely noticable in most cases, the tranny stays
    out of the way and doesn't call attention to itself.

    For manual mode:
    - if you are at zero throttle (decellerating or coasting) it will downshift one gear
    immediately on entering manual mode, assuming you are entering manual mode to get
    some engine weight. If you are cruising or accellerating it will remain in the gear you are in.
    FYI, one gear doesn't get much weight, you generally need to go down one more.
    - The manual mode is really a suggestion, and not a hard thing:
    - if you try to upshift while not going fast enough for the gear, it will refuse.
    - if you are in say 6th and slow down, it will still downshift for you, all the way to 1st.
    Put another way, it won't let you "lug" the engine.
    - if you are in say 6th and mash on the gas real hard, it will still downshift for you,
    but you have to press the pedal harder than in automatic mode.
    - It is pretty good about letting you get to redline however, both for up and downshifting
    so it does what you want as far as I am concerned, while protecting you from bad shifts.
    - the engine and the tranny together are so low friction that there is not much engine
    "weight" to be had from downshifting, but it was enough for the mountainous roads
    I tried in tahoe.

    For auto mode:
    - it does what you would expect, which is try to keep the engine
    in the tallest gear possible for max mpg.
    - It doesn't gear hunt at all, I find it selects the right gear very well.
    It is especially good at maintaining a gear you are in if you have the gas pedal
    down a bit, like for long hill climbs and such. I have seen it hold a gear two gears below
    where it ended up after the hill climb was finished with no hunting whatsoever.
    - If you like spirited driving you may find it upshifts a bit agressively,
    if you press on the gas pedal though it downshifts as needed to provide power.

    Having drivng it on some twisty mountanous backroads where I was the only car,
    I found I used manual mode primarily for downshifting to get some engine weight.
    When I wanted immediate power, the auto mode could find the right gear to get it
    near redline faster than I could.

    Basically the tranny earned my trust, it does the right thing, and I can use manual
    mode for a bit of fun, but you pretty much have to use manual for long downhills.
  • ksrpksrp Member Posts: 11
    Would the host of this forum be able to provide MF and Residual Values for 10k/year, 36 month lease of a Mazda3 sedan as well as a hatchback, Touring model in both cases?

    Thanks
  • bonzjrbonzjr Member Posts: 44
    "For those who wanted a 6-speed manual, you would be pleased to hear that you can get one in the i GT trim now."

    aviboy97 -- thanks for this nugget! I'm glad I held out. Much more likely I'll pony up for a 2013 model now. I was disappointed at being restricted to an optionless Touring for 2012 when I sought one out to replace my '02 Protégé (and Mazda was very guarded every time I contacted them re: future stick shift availability).

    One quick question: do you know if one will be able to also pop for the "Tech Pack" if the manual is chosen? I'd like it for the Xenons and alarm. Or will Mazda just figure "look, we're at least now giving you a sunroof, Bose and heated leather seats so take it or leave it." A fair point they'd be making, but it wouldn't hurt to have the remaining few goodies. Thanks for all of your info.
  • tate125tate125 Member Posts: 1
    I don't know if you still check this account, but have you figured out the low washer fluid issue? I have the same car (and also live in TX), and my wiper issues started popping up. First, the indicating light didn't come on for low fluid. Then, after refilling it barely trickles out rather than spraying out. I had to get a windshield replaced, so I'm wondering if they messed something up.

    But, I saw your post so I figured I'd ask if you resolved your issues. Please let me know.
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