Looks, drivability, fuel economy, tilt/telescope wheel, seat adjustments, storage space, tire quality, steering wheel stereo and cruise controls.

Poor carpet quality, poor upholstery quality, lack of trunk release on fob, Cruise Main light, too shiny stick shift knob (especially with the sun roof open), poor carpet quality, excessive brake dust build-up on rear wheels, paint that easily chips, WEAK A/C!!!!

My 3 is the first new car I have ever owned. I bought it to replace my 1997 Mercury Villager Van, as my kids now have their own cars. I kept the van to do large work, since the 3 is pretty small by comparason.
I love the way the 3 looks, rides and drives. I feel like I am really driving...sun roof open, stereo blasting, shifting the gears and cornering without much body lean. Since I mostly drive for mileage, I get 33-37 mpg in mixed city/hwy.

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1982 Mazda GLC, 1993 Protoge', 1993 Ford Escort

Get up and GOOOO! Air conditional it Good better than what some people say their is in these forums.Gas, style , and GAS!!!

umm.... not a darn thing.

Car is very cool. First of all it is nicer than 99% of cars out on the road that I get to see everyday.(This wounderful vehicle also turns head hahah)

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ford taurus, jeep cherokee, mitsubishi eclipse... nope not good.

Looks. This car looks fantastic. The leather is nice. Controls are convenient. 6 disc changer is nice. The chrome on black looks good. The auto-pressure tire sensors work well. The Xenon Fusion headlights are great. No problems with the moonroof. Navagation system is ok.

Navagation system is quickly outdated. I find myself very often watching the vehicle on the display riding off the map. The cost to get an updated DVD (when available) is extreme (400-600 bucks) The rear brakes wore out after 35k miles. The front are doing great. Rear brakes first? Go figure. This car is babied but take a look at the next few things. The carpet is coming up by the passenger dash area. The door panel is coming unraveled. THE A/C SUCKS! I drive a 2001 Ford Focus and the A/C is so much that I have to turn it off even when the temperature read 102 on the mirror. The a/c is the Mazda has a tough time in 80 degree weather.

I have had my Mazda 3 since late 2003. I purchased it while it was still on the truck! We had to roll it off just so I could look at it. I love this car, but it does have a couple issues as I will note in strengths and weaknesses. I would still recommend it to someone. My car is completely loaded with every option available so this review should be for everything that Mazda has to offer.

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2001 Ford Focus ZTS

Price
Safety Features
Handling
Sporty Looks for a 4 door
Comfort to Drive
Fun exterior colors (copper red mica)
Interior Space

Gas Mileage

This car is very fun to drive, and so far i'm really impressed with the handling and features that were included with such an econmical price tag. My other car is a 350z so I'm spoiled as far as speed and handling, but the mazda3 holds it's own, and is a very nice daily commuter car with lots of utility. Already I've had 3 strangers come up to me in a few days and comment on how they like the look of the car. I traded in my 2006 Honda Accord, and BOY to I like this car better! I'd definitely recommend it, and the dealership I went to.

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2006 Honda Accord

The pro’s first. The car has good get-up and go when using the sportronic shifting. It also gets fairly good gas mileage (but of coarse I’m comparing it to a dodge that use to drink gas like water). The exterior appearance is superb with its stylish smooth curves and eye catching head and tail lights. Excellent customer service when I visited Sutherlin Mazda to have my tires rotated.

The con’s. The air conditioner is way under powered. Most of the time I keep it cranked up all the way. I’ve actually learned to deal with the heat since I have to turn down the A/C when I’m talking on the phone or listening to the radio.
Another problem I have experienced is the digital clock looses an average of 2 minutes per day. Therefore I don’t rely on the dash clock most of the time. On occasion I will set the clock 40 minutes ahead so it will be caught up in the future weeks.
I also have to complain about the carpet in the Mazda 3. It is very cheaply manufactured carpet. After about 3 months the clip that holds the driver’s side carpet mat was pulled out of the carpet molding… now the mat slides everywhere.

I bought a 2006 5-door in November 2005 and have been impressed with it so far. I must say that the pros out weigh the cons.

Overall I am happy with my purchase of the Mazda3. I feel I made a great decision on my purchase.

handling, style, interior is alright, rims

not enough horsepower, get up, torque, govenored at 115 mph,

great car, paid too much,

Handling!! Gas mileage. Interior finish. Exterior finish. Dependability!

A/C is weak though, doesnt stay ice cold, kinda goes in an out

This car is the 47th car that I have owned. I have been a car finatic my entire life, and I was switching from a Ford Probe GT, which I bought for its handling. I wanted something newer and roomier, but I didn't want to lose the sporty character of the Probe. I first fell in love with the body of the 3. Then after driving one, I knew I found my next car. I usually prefer driving manual transmissions, but the 4 speed auto with manual shifting is so fun to drive! This car handles amazing! I test drove many, most sporty coupes, this one handles much better. I love the interior, very high quality and just a gorgeous layout. The stereo is the most attractive of any new car on the road. I have the 3i, which I prefer for its better gas mileage. For a base car, this is extremely nice and well equipped.

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Hyundai Tiburon. Mazda 6. Ford Probe. Ford Focus ZX3

Visual character, outstanding driving experience, 5-speed transmission, interior ergonomics, fit and finish, value for $

The instrument lighting tends to need adjustment when switching from day to night driving; mileage isn't all that great under aggressive driving (more of a nit - to be expected)

I've had my MZ3 hatchback for two months now, so I felt it was time to post my review.

I stepped out of a modded (suspension, exhaust, chip) 2 door VW GTI with the strong VR6 motor to get into something with four doors (have a baby now) but still hatch practicality.

At first I was looking at used cars but then I decided to test drive a 3 after really liking it's look and reading very positive press.

The test drive was a shocker. The stock MZ3 handled better than my modified GTI, and was quick enough under acceleration (MZ3 S has 2.3L 160bhp motor)to keep my very entertained. I have the 5-speed, so don't know how the manumatic is. What I can say is that this is the slickest shifting 5-speed I've ever come across. Better than Acura. That's saying something.

So I wound up buying a new, Titanium Grey color S model hatchback (all hatchbacks are S models) and have been a very happy camper ever since. I can't tell you how much easier it is getting my son in and out of the back seat now, and back seat room is spacious enough to accomodate two full size adults very comfortably.

Definitely a driver's car with tons of practicality. Stock stereo is excellent, though no aux input. I wound up getting an AudioLink device, which enables me to plug my iPod directly into the back of the stereo - even enables me to control the iPod with the stereo controls on the great leather wrapped steering wheel.

I understand that prior year MZ3s had weak AC, but my '06 is just fine and I live in blisteringly hot Central Texas (Austin).

You just can't buy a better car for the money, IMHO. Fantastic driving experience, top notch build quality, excellent interior ergonomics

Easy use of stereo, drives nice, great features like the 6disc CD changer.

Weak AC and the clutch is a little hard to push in all the way.

I have owned a Honda Prelude, two VW Jettas and a Honda Civic. When my Jetta started acting up I knew it was time for a new car. I wanted another Civic but the Honda dealer didn't have one I wanted, then they showed me my Mazda 3. I fell in love with the look. I was upset because I really wanted a sunroof and this car didn't have one. But then I really thought, I never even open my sunroof, and with the black leather interior and the charcole colored car, I'm glad it didn't have the sunroof because it's hot enough already. I love the car!

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Honda Civic, VW Jetta

Style,handling,milage

AC seems to be week

I purchased my Mads3 just over 1 year ago and I must say this is the best economy car I have owned.After a year it is still fun to drive.

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Ford Focus,toyota corolla,honda civic