Mazda 3 vs Toyota Corolla Hatch

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Krishant007

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#1311502 25-May-2015 18:27

Fabian: Just remember if your buying new from Mazda and probably any other dealer they can drop the car out to your house and leave it with you for a day so you can see if it works within your life.

Don't be afraid to take it for long test drives, you won't get the feel of it by driving around the block.

P.s we bought a 2012 Mazda 3 in the weekend. Pretty happy with it but it does have it niggles and missing a few things that i thought a 2012 car should have e.g. turn my lights off automatically when i turn the car off or even have the radio metadata text come up on the stereo. It's a GLX and not a SP25 but it should have those things.

Oh I would like to hear more about what you think about the Mazda as I am very close to purchasing this one (just negotiating with the dealer). Do you mind me asking what are the stats - mileage, hatchback sedan and maybe purchase price (you can PM me as well).

Any other things you wish the car had that it doesnt - or any other complaints/comments?

CHeers

mattwnz

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#1311505 25-May-2015 18:31

Fabian: Just remember if your buying new from Mazda and probably any other dealer they can drop the car out to your house and leave it with you for a day so you can see if it works within your life.

Don't be afraid to take it for long test drives, you won't get the feel of it by driving around the block.

P.s we bought a 2012 Mazda 3 in the weekend. Pretty happy with it but it does have it niggles and missing a few things that i thought a 2012 car should have e.g. turn my lights off automatically when i turn the car off or even have the radio metadata text come up on the stereo. It's a GLX and not a SP25 but it should have those things.

The mazda 3 in 2012 was quite an old model, as the all new 2014 model came out a year later. The new mazdas radio does have the meta text, I don't think it is really missing anything. Although it does have a few little things missing which my toyota has. My 2007 toyota does also automatically turn off the headlights when you turn the engine off. With the 2015 mazda, unless you get a model with auto headlights, it won't turn of the headlights automatically, it will beep to tell you the lights have been left on. I think that is a thing with mazdas, as my old mazda ute did the same thing. I am not sure what mazda 3 models come with auto lights, but the SP25 definitely does, and it is a very handy feature. Just a pity there are no daylight running LEDs, unless you go to the fully loaded limited model.

lxsw20

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#1311524 25-May-2015 19:21

I had a 2009 3 MPS, which had pretty much all the gizmos you could get on the NZ model. Overseas had the option of GPS & Heated front seats too.

Mine had auto headlights (turning HID), auto wipers, keyless entry/start, 10 speaker bose sound system, part leather seats, dual zone climate air, memory electric drivers seat. Flatmate has the same shape in poverty spec and it isn't half as nice, even forgetting the lack of 2.3 Turbo...

alasta

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#1311572 25-May-2015 20:20

mattwnz: With the 2015 mazda, unless you get a model with auto headlights, it won't turn of the headlights automatically, it will beep to tell you the lights have been left on. I think that is a thing with mazdas, as my old mazda ute did the same thing.

Have you checked the handbook? My cheap Kia turns the lights off 20 minutes after you shut down the engine, or five minutes after you get out, or when you press the lock button on the remote, whichever occurs first. It's not obvious that this feature exists unless you know about it.

jonathan18

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#1311873 26-May-2015 10:47

I know I come late to this thread, but my 2c's worth is to point out that there are significant differences in fuel economy that have to be considered, especially when comparing different generations of these cars.

I've been looking into this for my father, who's also keen on a 3, but in reality he may not be able to justify the cost of the latest model (a similar point made by others posting here who are also looking at the 3). In this case, I'd probably not recommend he gets the previous generation 3, but goes for something like the current model Jazz (if he's ok going smaller - he's 83 so possibly time he downsized) or the Corolla - primarily driven by the dire fuel economy on the previous 3.

These are the figures off the rightcare.govt.nz website:

Mazda 3 (2 litre):
current model: 5.8
previous model: 8.4

Mazda 3 (2.5 litre):
current model: 6.1
previous model: 8.6

Toyota Corolla (1.8 litre):
current model: 6.6
previous model: 7.5

The current Corolla in mid-spec form can be bought for around $20k and upwards, and has significantly better fuel consumption compared to the previous generation 3 (6.6 versus 8.4) - this would be enough to steer me away from the previous 3 (apart from the looks - I just can't abide that gaping mouth). I'm not sure if it would push me personally to the Corolla (a little boring and uninvolved for me), but it's probably ideal for many people like my father...

MikeAqua

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#1311884 26-May-2015 11:01

I've been looking at cars in this size range. To me the Mazda beats the Toyota hands down.

I've done several Auckland to BPI trips in hired corollas, so have gotten a good mix of urban motorway and highway driving.

The Toyota handles nicely but accelerates poorly at urban speeds. At highway speeds it accelerates well, but it's handling is terrible. On the motorway it's a nice drive.
It has one of the better CVT transmissions but it's still a CVT with the associated lag in acceleration. The Toyota lacks any aesthetic style, it's functional.

The Mazda is nicely balanced and just sits on the road beautifully, the engine (even the 2.0) is responsive, the transmission is also responsive and it's smooth. It seems more comfortable to me. It has some style.

Mike

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Boeingflyer

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#1311885 26-May-2015 11:02

Krishant007:
Fabian: Just remember if your buying new from Mazda and probably any other dealer they can drop the car out to your house and leave it with you for a day so you can see if it works within your life.

Don't be afraid to take it for long test drives, you won't get the feel of it by driving around the block.

P.s we bought a 2012 Mazda 3 in the weekend. Pretty happy with it but it does have it niggles and missing a few things that i thought a 2012 car should have e.g. turn my lights off automatically when i turn the car off or even have the radio metadata text come up on the stereo. It's a GLX and not a SP25 but it should have those things.

Oh I would like to hear more about what you think about the Mazda as I am very close to purchasing this one (just negotiating with the dealer). Do you mind me asking what are the stats - mileage, hatchback sedan and maybe purchase price (you can PM me as well).

Any other things you wish the car had that it doesnt - or any other complaints/comments?

CHeers

Cons:
-The area for the back seat passengers is not as big as i would like, i think they have taken the space from there and used it in the boot which is quite big and the dash which feels like your driving a bigger car than you are.
-you seem to be closed in a bit and viewing is not as good as other cars, probably a hatch thing as well
- the front pax - the dash angles in towards the centre and does cut off some leg room
- no reverse sensors or camera
- might me the tyres i have on (bridgestone) but a little louder than i thought it would be
- back doors are small
- steel rims (i mean come on, just put alloys on all new cars)

pros
- nice to drive
- cruise control and other buttons on the steering wheel
- zippy
- nice lighting- i think the GSX and SP25 has some really cool leg LEDs etc
- heaps of safety features
- huge boot
- good looking car

More cons than pros but still a great little car, every car is going to have pros and cons.

Remeber that a Mazda 3 is NZ New and a Mazda Alexa is a Jap import. I always buy Nz New cars, hate jap imports because of the time wasted with smoke smelling, no service history and salt damaged cars.

our car has 110,000km with one owner with complete service history for $15,250. the old rule of 'if a car is over 100k, then its useless' is outdated, most cars last way pass 200k if you look after it.

Hatchback

Krishant007

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#1312693 27-May-2015 13:16

Fabian:
Krishant007:
Fabian: Just remember if your buying new from Mazda and probably any other dealer they can drop the car out to your house and leave it with you for a day so you can see if it works within your life.

Don't be afraid to take it for long test drives, you won't get the feel of it by driving around the block.

P.s we bought a 2012 Mazda 3 in the weekend. Pretty happy with it but it does have it niggles and missing a few things that i thought a 2012 car should have e.g. turn my lights off automatically when i turn the car off or even have the radio metadata text come up on the stereo. It's a GLX and not a SP25 but it should have those things.

Oh I would like to hear more about what you think about the Mazda as I am very close to purchasing this one (just negotiating with the dealer). Do you mind me asking what are the stats - mileage, hatchback sedan and maybe purchase price (you can PM me as well).

Any other things you wish the car had that it doesnt - or any other complaints/comments?

CHeers

Cons:
-The area for the back seat passengers is not as big as i would like, i think they have taken the space from there and used it in the boot which is quite big and the dash which feels like your driving a bigger car than you are.
-you seem to be closed in a bit and viewing is not as good as other cars, probably a hatch thing as well
- the front pax - the dash angles in towards the centre and does cut off some leg room
- no reverse sensors or camera
- might me the tyres i have on (bridgestone) but a little louder than i thought it would be
- back doors are small
- steel rims (i mean come on, just put alloys on all new cars)

pros
- nice to drive
- cruise control and other buttons on the steering wheel
- zippy
- nice lighting- i think the GSX and SP25 has some really cool leg LEDs etc
- heaps of safety features
- huge boot
- good looking car

More cons than pros but still a great little car, every car is going to have pros and cons.

Remeber that a Mazda 3 is NZ New and a Mazda Alexa is a Jap import. I always buy Nz New cars, hate jap imports because of the time wasted with smoke smelling, no service history and salt damaged cars.

our car has 110,000km with one owner with complete service history for $15,250. the old rule of 'if a car is over 100k, then its useless' is outdated, most cars last way pass 200k if you look after it.

Hatchback

Thanks a lot for the information and your thoughts on the car. I had similar experience in terms of space and size in the car as well. I had talked to one of the salesperson and he mentioned that the car doesnt have as much space considering its size. I compared it to a honda civic and the civic definitely had more room in it.

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