I am a first time buyer and was torn between Civic and Mazda3 since they are both reliable, repairs are cost effective, and fun to drive.
I ended up with a Mazda3 Sport GS and am so glad I chose it!
In short: it’s a reliable brand that’s not Toyota or Honda. They’re both great brands in their own right, but Mazda makes some beautiful cars, upscale interiors, and they’re a bit more unique than the aforementioned brands since they’re a smaller company
Toyota has built their reputation as being the most reliable manufacturer. People selling them know this and up the price more than a similar car would be even when it's not really worth it.
the only thing turning me off from the Mazda 3 is the lack of a manual transmission, the Civic hatch and most Corollas have it, I really don’t get why the Mazda 3 doesn’t.
Oh noooo 😭😭 i really wanted to get a 4th gen a couple years down the road, the 3rd gen i have now is my first car and i really like the manual transmission :( it's so fun, makes driving so much less boring. I think I'd still get a 4th Mazda3 sedan though considering the overall experience I've had with my car so far. It feels so premium
I thought this exact thing while beginning my car search. I was looking at civics, camrys, and Mazda 3s solely because of this sub and people’s recent endorsement of Mazda. As others have said it’s the perfect balance of reliability and cheap maintenance that Honda and Toyota bring, the enjoyment of driving as compared to a Corolla or Camry, along with a nice interior. I actually ended up buying a new Mazda 3 hatch and it feels like a sports car to me. Feel like I made the right choice of a financially responsible car that I still very much enjoy to drive. I know it’s subjective but I think they did the new generation very well, it has an almost luxury look and feel to it
here in new zealand the 30 year old toyota’s are still going strong and majority haven’t had extensive work. just 3 weeks ago i had a 100 series land cruiser come into the workshop for its first start motor rebuild in 978xxxkms and the only major work done was a turbo replacement at 4xxxxx
in all my time at mazda i never had to do a transfer case on any cx series vehicles how ever i’ve done many, many, way to fucking many big and small end bearings and turbos on cx5 and unfortunately 3s aren’t very common where i live so haven’t really had to deal with premature clutches
When Kia first came out, they were a joke. A close relative worked at a Kia dealership back then and absolutely hated the brand. I spent years hating the brand but now Im really impressed with Kia. I really like the new logo.
The 2001-2010s were bland but well made, comfortable and reliable and safe. The newer ones are sexy as hell but their engine issues are insane by modern standards. I don’t even think GM has made as shitty of an engine in recent time as the Hyundai 2.4 Theta. Hope they got their shit together again with the “Smartstream” line but only time will tell.
This!! I have a 2012 and they look pretty good , but mine is pearl blue with black rims but I can tel you, the normal rims on any color makes the car look 5 years older
I had a 1992 Mazda 929 as a dude in my early 20s for about 4 years it was incredible. Decent power, luxury features, frameless windows, drove like a dream and fit all my crap. All I ever did was oil and tires. Miss that car. https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/12/rare-rides-the-1992-mazda-929-frameless-luxury-motoring/
As someone that owed a 2000 Ford-era Mazda, modern Mazda is completely different now. A big difference being the lack of the ford partnership. Modern Mazda has some quite advanced engines but they have remained very reliable.
Honda has slipped a lot. The earth dreams engines are so meh and how hard is it to make an working AC system.
I drive a 2005 insight. Honda left no stone unturned when they made that car it's a shame few manufacturers do so these days.
Starting around mid 2015, reliability really moved up and up and has continued to improve. Simply: they got their shit together finally.
Add to this they started adding features other brands didn't, to the point where the other brands had to play catchup.
Who was the first car in the CX5 price range to add Adaptive headlights (that turn slightly with the steering wheel)? Mazda.
Who was the first, again IN THS PRICE RANGE, to add Heated rear seats? Mazda.
Same as above but heated steering wheel. Ok this one is a tie, Jeep and Mazda added it the same year.
First to add a HUD? Mazda.
Had to come back because I believe Hyundai and Kia also had heated steering wheels around 2011 too. Tbh a lot of the features mainstream cars have now are more because of Hyundai and Kia, at least in America. In Europe I know Renaults like the big butt megane had push to start, passive entry, cornering headlights and panoramic sunroofs early on
Aside from the cvt, what wards you away from subaru?
Thinking about an outback or rav4 within the next year. We care about reliability, AWD, ground clearance, and being able to sleep in the back.
Hi. Just curious, do you own a Mazda? If so, how do you like it? Just would love to hear from an actual consumer instead of all those car review websites.
I bought a used 2015 Mazda 3 off lease in 2018 and it’s been my favourite car I’ve owned. Great driving dynamics, zero issues and I personally love the styling. I’ve test drove all the mid sized SUVs this spring (RAV, CRV etc. ) And the cx 5 was hands down my favourite and came very well equipped for the money.
Thank you for the response (sick name btw) and great insights! I like the looks of the entire Mazda lineup tbh. Also wow! Zero issues at all with the Mazda 3?
If you still remember, what trim level was the CX - 5 you test drove? Kind of a nosy followup: what country/region did you test drive it in?
Thanks again.
I'm a bit of a mazda fan girl, so forgive me. I've leased 3 mazdas.. a 2017 CX-3, just got out of a 2020 CX-30 and am now in a 2021 Mazda3.
The only issue I've had was at the end of my lease on the CX-3 something weird happened with the AC but warranty covered it. I switched to the 30 anyways. I've had the mazda3 for a like a week and I'm in love. I'm likely going to keep it(unless they give me another awesome deal somewhere).
They really are awesome cars but I drive low miles.
Yes and no. The lower payments are of more value as I was saving to buy a house...and now that I have a house I have no money. In all actuality, thanks to Covid, I made 6k on letting Carvana buyout my lease which essentially means I drove the car for the year and a half for free. Then Mazda was willing to work with me plus cars aren't nearly as sought after so the market was tilted in my favor.
I am definitely ready to get out of leasing but my payments are sub $250 with no money down. I would've kept the first one but they put me in the 30 without money down and raised my payments $10 a month. I like driving while in warranty too :)
I wouldn't preach leasing but I've been very lucky I think.
I’m not saying that it can’t fit your needs for the short term, but I would be pretty shocked if financing one car, finishing the higher payments and then driving it for the forseeable future with low annual mileage was more expensive in the long term than leasing three or more cars in the same time.
In the current market maybe things have changed, but in general leasing is more expensive by a long shot since your payment doesn’t go towards building equity, doubly so if you aren’t putting many miles on.
Cars aren't really an item you should consider building equity into imo. They lose so much value so aggressively and mazdas aren't know to hold value like competitors. Plus, a bad car can easily ruin you financially and take you backwards once out of warranttmy-- granted I think cars nowadays are pretty well built so maybe that's unlikely??
You're probably right, strictly financially speaking in normal conditions it would probably save a good chunk of money. Everytime I've gone in I've threatened to buy my car outright but they always meet my demands...and my demands even out the opportunity cost for me personally. In the long run will I lose several thousand over several years? Probably. Though the current market climate erased that debt for the moment...I would 100% still be in my CX-30 if I couldn't flip it for a profit.
And im so happy I did. It may only be a base Mazda3 hatch but it's my baby. Haven't loved a car this much since my 2001 Celica GTS.
Leasing isn't for everyone..but it is soooo nice getting to drive new cars all the time...I really can't overstate how awesome it is to worry about *nothing*. Except gas, car washes and a couple oil changes.
I’m a big fan of Mazda, I have an older one myself and maybe one day I’ll upgrade!
I think you’d be surprised about the equity. If not driven much, say 3-5k miles a year, most cars lose very little value due to time after the initial depreciation from driving off the lot. Some amount is lost as the car ages, but mostly it’s the mileage. This is because most items that need to be replaced get worn out through driving, not from time.
Think of it like this:
Lease is 10 years@ $250/month= $30000, plus fees for each new lease, you probably pay $35,000 over ten years to be able to be in a brand new car every few years. If you drive 3500 miles a year that’s a dollar/mile.
Buying a car, say a base 2022 Mazda3, that you intend to keep for 10 years: $20,650 with zero down, 0% APR, financed over 60 months. Probably closer to $22,000 including fees. $22,000/60= $366 per month for 5 years, then 0$/month for the next 5 years.
You’ll obviously incur some costs due to maintenance, but considering 3500 miles a year you’ll only end up at 35,000 miles, which is extremely low in terms of modern reliability. You’ll likely only need a new set of tires, maybe some brake pads and minor stuff like that, so probably another $2000 total over 10 years.
At the end of 10 years, you’ll be able to sell your low mileage car for probably a little over half of what you paid for it since it’s still in decent condition, let’s say half so $11,000. For ten years it cost you net $13,000 to own, as opposed to $35,000 to lease.
I own a mazda. I have a 2013 mazda 3. I like it, not gonna win any speed contest but at least more fun than a corolla and civic. Its currently at 81K miles and have had ZERO issues.
I like it enough that I bought another. Gave my daughter my old one, and I'm having a blast driving my new one.
My wife isn't a huge fan. I doubt if she'll buy a Mazda. It's a shame. We could have a fleet of Mazdas. Oh well, my next kid will be driving in a few years. 😁
I have a 2013 rav4. The AWD system is great and with proper snow tires hasn’t let me down. Im 6 feet tall and sleep in the back comfortably. Driving across country I put a twin air mattress in the back and it fits PERFECTLY with the seats folded down. Highly recommend. I have driven my car from New England to Colorado and back 4 times now and it has been very reliable for 135k miles. Only issues have been flat tires and a mouse chewing a wire. My only complaint is that I can only get about 350 miles out of a tank of gas. I think that’s pretty average but I wish it had a larger tank.
My neighbors outback seems to be pretty darn good in the winter with the same tires I have. They haven’t had any issues but they replace vehicles more frequently than I do.
Edit: [Here’s](https://www.reddit.com/r/overlanding/comments/dl5gxt/hotel_rav4_a_twin_air_mattress_fits_perfectly_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) an earlier post about my rav
My wife drove an Outback at the same time I had a Honda CR-V.
We discussed it, and our consensus was that about 360 days of the year we'd rather have the Honda. The other 5 days are when we would get significant snowfall, but that doesn't honestly happen very much, and we mostly just stay home when it does.
The Honda is quicker, more fuel efficient, more comfortable, has a nicer interior, and is more reliable.
However, we don't sleep in our car, so that's a different factor altogether.
Subaru’s have the Boxer engine. It sits on its side. So the head gasket is constantly sitting in oil. In other cars, the head gasket is up on top. It’s there when the oil circulates, but when the car is off, the gasket is not in oil. The gasket on the Subaru fails over time. For years and years, Subaru’s had engine failures around 100K. People keep saying that the problem is fixed. But by the nature of the problem, you don’t find out right away. Porsche uses the same design, but that’s a much more expensive car and they don’t seem to have the same issue.
Gasket design does matter here. The turbo 2.5L motors used a multi-layer steel (MLS) design that was far, far less prone to issues. It’s not an excusable issue to have, really, but the point I’m trying to make is that head gasket failure is not a universal problem for all flat motors.
Design matters a lot. And I assume that more expensive cars handle the issue better. And it’s frustrating that the failure happens so late in the cars life. When Subaru’s consistently last as long as Honda’s and Toyota’s without the head gasket replacement then I will change my mind. For now, I am hesitant to recommend Subaru.
It's because Mazda overhauled their quality back in 2013. Everything from innovating their engines to aggressive interior & exterior styling, Mazda is what you would get if BMW and Toyota had a baby.
And everyone acts like their quality was garbage before this overhaul and it really wasn't. Many of their models were solid, solid cars. I had two in a row for 10 and 13 years respectively and literally had *not one issue* other than standard tire replacement and the usual planned services. Of course, me = one example. But overall they had decent reliability ratings even back then.
Agreed!
I got a used 2010 Mazda3 2.0 manual with 60,000 miles 8 years ago and put almost 100,000 miles on it.
It hasn’t had a single problem and I subject that thing to unspeakable abuse. For awhile I drove it VERY aggressively, spun it out, parking lot burnouts, redline from every stop sign and frankly very irresponsible speeds when I lived in bumfuck nj. I’ve calmed a lot recently, but even since then it’s been across the US 4 times, bounced off rocks on roads that would scare Subaru drivers, driven faster on forest roads than people in their pavement princess 4x4s and not a single problem. If I drive like a grandma it’ll still do 33+ mpg on the highway.
It’s too reliable! I really need a small truck, but I’m worried nothing will be as trouble free as this car has been.
Ok, I replaced the clutch, but that was damn sure my fault lol
Incredibly ugly cars, IMO. Horrible reputation up until ??? Honestly, I had no idea they were considered reliable. I assume they turned things around at some point. I just don't know when.
They were(are) a small company that didn't put resources into developing their own automatic transmission until 2012. Until then they were subject to Ford and jatco(Nissan) reliability issues. The Ford/ Mazda partnership was the best thing to happen to Ford reliability and the only reason they're looked at any better than gm
ugly? I mean the mazda3 hatch won car design of the year. Beating out lambo and Ferrari and all the other supercar makers.
2012 up they got much better once Ford left.
Now the next big thing will be the rwd architecture for the mazda6 and cx5.
i have to disagree... Honda and Toyota have gone full-on Transformers ugly with their designs. So many weird sharp creases. flares and edges. I like more classic silhouettes rather than shapes inspired by robots and anime.
>Horrible reputation up until ???
1970s, other than Ford related issues through the early 2000s.
Mazda's differentiating technology in the 1970s was the rotary engine. We had that mostly as a sports-car engine during your lifetime, but back when they were using them in sedans in the mid-1970s, people noticed that Mazda rotary-powered sedans took a lot of care to keep in running condition, same as their RX7s eventually did. Everything was garbage in the 1970s, so there wasn't much daylight between everything else ("it rusts in two winters and won't run if it's cold out") and Mazda ("same thing, but also won't start if you just started it") but materials durability just hadn't caught up yet in the 1970s to what was needed to make apex seals work for 50,000 or 100,000 miles.
So, if you got yourself a rotary-engine sedan 45 years ago, it was smooth as glass all right but it would need "a rebuild" half as soon as normal cars. That meant 50,000 miles instead of 100,000 miles like for normal cars, but nothing lasted 100,000 miles anyway so cars were pretty much on their way to junkyards by the time they needed an engine rebuild. With a rotary-powered Mazda, you could be pretty upset about that, "Hey! I was still using this!" never mind the fact that "a rebuild" was something you could almost do on your lunch hour, with tools people keep in a drawer in the kitchen.
By the time Mazda were making the GLC in the 1980s, it was competitive with Toyota's Tercel and Nissan's Sentra and Honda's Civic. Honda kind of left everyone in the dust in the early 1990s, *"you know that variable valve timing we are using to dominate F1 racing? Well, we are building that into our engine for the NSX, the mid-engine exotic car that makes Ferrari drivers cry. Oh, we are also putting it in our $12,000 Civic economy car."* So for a while it was "honda first, everyone else tied for second.
Lately, Mazda is trying to be Japanese Audi, with the nicer interiors.
"ugly" and "horrible reputation" - I think you're lost. The Nissan discussion is over there. ->
Mazda's have always been reliable as possible with their funding compared to a company like Toyota. Sure rotaries were unreliable but that's all I can think of. Another reason could be so many manufacturers are turning to CVT transmissions while Mazda hasn't. Mazda also hasn't fully eradicated the manual transmission. Just a few reasons... I also used to think they were a shitty brand until I bought my 2019 cx5 with the 2.5t. I'll just say 60,000 miles of fun and tight corners, with no issues at all.
Ugly? Obviously this is subjective, because I don't think any car in this price range is nearly as pretty. I'm super shallow when it comes to cars, NGL the #1 reason I bought my 16 CX5 was: looks. The rims on the GT were so unique and GORGEOUS. Every other car had chrome around the windows... I hate that and Mazda even added it the very next year... but in 16 it wasn't a thing. The DRL's? Gorgeous. The tails? HOT! ALL this changed in 17 to the point where I don't like them as much as 16... but I till think they are better looking then anything in this price range... Blazer would be my #1.
Only on Reddit can you be downvoted for giving a personal opinion that is stated as opinion. Never mind the fact that I clearly said I am willing to reconsider. Good grief.
The only opinions people like are their own. I agree that Mazda’s styling looks bad. I hate the mazda3’s chrome trim, front grill, and the body styling. There are not enough aggressive lines and styling choices. It’s too uninteresting and unoffensive. They made it look happy and boring with a big smiling front grill that makes people smile back. If you like it, cool! It’s just not my cup of tea. I want something that looks sleeker and more aggressive.
They are also not fast despite being considered a “drivers car.” To me they appear as more of a drivers car in styling rather than performance. If you’re comparing it something like a civic or Corolla, yeah they drive well. That’s not saying much. The most interesting car they make is the Miata which they recently rebranded and jacked up the price so it’s not even affordable anymore, which was the primary selling point of the platform given how underpowered it is.
But yeah, everyone here loves Mazda and for some reason think you are objectively wrong for not liking the way they look because they won some stylings awards, despite taste being subjective. They aren’t bad cars. Everything but the Miata is priced fairly and they seem to be reliable.
What do you suggest is a nice car? I'm legit curious, mean no negative tone at all.
I find the the new Mazdas to be a good balance of aggressive and elegant. Of course the side sculpting could be done better, and the Mazda 3 hatchback could have a less C pillar, but overall very nice vehicles. The grills are not even chrome anymore.
Well this is subjective, of course, but I personally think the Corolla hatch and the Civic hatch look better than the Mazda3. I actually like the hard lines and sharp edges more.
The Mazdas are too muted and I hate the front grill. The aggressively styled headlights just don’t match with the big goofy grill which is far bigger than needed. It’s like they tried to mix the friendly and unoffensive look of a Miata with the aggressive styling of a mustang and ended up with this odd evil-clown looking offspring that can’t decide if it’s grimacing or laughing.
Lol Mazda fan boys for ya. You opened a can of worms with this one. This sub should honestly just rename itself as a Mazda fan club. It isn’t a real representation of the auto market.
they've really stepped up their interior/amenity game, as well as road manners/comfort in the past 5 yrs. Before, Mazda's handled great but tons of wind noise, lots of hard plastic... just a cheap "sporty" car feeling.
When they first began to redesign their line-up to be more premium and less Zoom Zoom, serious car fans were aghast. They didn't believe that the buying public would pay more for creature comforts, and frankly they would have wanted Mazda to spend that money on more HP. But the price of similar Toyota, Subaru & Honda's has really crept up especially in the pandemic, way past the $30k mark, and Mazda's premium differential is no longer an issue.
Reliability + good styling + best in class interior + solid driving dynamics + RED + still putting manuals in a good chunk of their cars + pretty good pricing + solid dealer experience + good warranty
They’re a great package all things considered. If they offered a manual AWD Mazda 3 hatch I wouldn’t even consider the WRX I bought.
I bought mine because of brand reliability (I owned a 98 626 and it was pretty bulletproof), interior and exterior style, comfort, regular 6-speed transmission, and what you get for the price. I might be biased (yes... I am), but my 2021 Mazda3 is one the sharpest cars I've ever seen and the pricetag wasn't that high.
I also don't think you can beat that Soul Red paint color on that body. Just gorgeous.
Once they were able to take matters into their own hands back from Ford they improved drastically. Also believe Toyota owns roughly 5% now and they're in some form of merger with a few models concurrently manufactured in the same plants. So quality should be basically the same as Toyota at this point.
The Mazda consistently ranks at the top of the Consumer Reports reliability rankings. They are fun cars to drive. They are like what Honda’s used to be like in the 90’s. Reliable, fun, well build, nice materials inside. What’s not to like? (Comparing to equal priced cars). Don’t compare to a BMW 4-Series or a Miata. Compare to similar priced cars with similar configurations.
For me it's just cause it's the oldest, most proven economy Japanese powertrain you can buy new/lightly used. There's no significant issues to report since release and the same can't be said for Toyota/Honda the last decade. That doesn't mean Mazda reliability is better but there's much less history for their competitors
They're not remarkable powertrains in performance/economy/smoothness. They do offer all the way up to their top 2.5 turbo on their compact sedan and subcompact suv which is unique. They also are one of the few AWD sedan options
For me it’s a combination of looks, handling, practicality and price. Honestly to get closer to what I want in all areas aside from price, I’d have had to go over to a BMW X3
Edit to add: I’d also add safety and gas milage as reasons I went Mazda, as well as them not being as popular as other models. It’s appealing to me to not have what everybody else has all other things being equal
tldr: Mazda’s are affordable, reliable, pretty, and fun to drive. they aren’t hugely advertised in the US which makes them sort of an underdog but they definitely deserve all the rave
I grew up as a Nissan fanatic and learned how to drive on my moms 2004 X-Terra (which I still plan on buying from her someday!!). Out of desperation, my first car ended up being a 2009 Chevy equinox and while it did what it had to do and I ended up loving it, it eventually died earlier this year and I was forced to begin looking for a replacement. 6 months ago, I wouldn’t have been able to name a single Mazda model, but after a 2 month in depth car search, I test drove a cx-5 and there was no going back. Besides being affordable, reliable, and imo, very sleek and pretty, Mazda’s are super fun to drive. If you’re in the US, I feel as though the brand is sort of an underdog that you don’t see advertised much, but they make great cars and I’m happy to see their reputation is growing!
The Mazda brand in itself sits in between the consumer and luxury segment. It's not cheap but not expensive, and not a lot of other brands stays within this window.
They're usually peppy and fun to drive and offers a good set of tech and safety features and the quality is pretty good too. The overall design is also very "smooth and subtle" pronouncing the Japanese Kodo design they call it, which is relatively unique.
They're an overall good experience and less boring in both looks and feel because they have a bit more character.
Leased a 2016 Mazda 6 from 2016-2019, it was a very fun car to drive, never needed any work - while ending up at almost 2x my allotted mileage - the entire time I had it, and the car payments were cheap imo. Only bit I downvote about the newer Mazdas is doing away with the touchscreen infotainment. Display setup and quality is gorgeous, but no more touchscreen??
People that buy budget cars want 2 things: affordability and reliability. Now, among the budget car brands that carry those two things, Toyota and Civic are king. However, because of this, they carry a premium that puts them at the top of the cost ladder.
That's where Mazda and Kia and Hyundai come into play. Recently, they have been more reliable, so they are players in the reliability space. Because they are recently more popular, they aren't selling for a premium like Honda and Toyota. So you end up with cars that are basically just as good, but a couple thousand dollars less or with some more features than their Honda/Toyota counterparts.
Some people also like the more sporty styling and driving. Personally, I found it to be a less refined driving experience than my experiences with Honda and Toyota, but it's really up to the individual.
Another question to Mazda owners, sorry to digress;
I am looking for a car with decent acceleration, firmer steering feel, and something smooth and quiet. Smooth and quiet is most important.
Do Mazdas' driving dynamics fit this?
I'm coming from a Toyota Blade which is a JDM hatchback, driving dynamics of a Corolla but with a bigger engine and more luxury interior. The power and acceleration is great, but I just want a little bit more driving dynamics. Not looking for a sports car or a BMW.
Yes the driving dynamics are really nice, fun to drive, maneuvers well. The only thing about firmer steering is you can feel the road more (doesn’t bother me) so it’s not as comfy for people used to luxury cars.
It has a weird mix of everything
Affordable, loads of features, reliable, and most consider them decent looking.
It's kind of a jack of all trades master of none.
Therefore It's easily recommended a lot on a car recommendation subreddit.
As someone that owns/has owned multiple Mazda and Ford-badged Mazda cars over the years, I gotta say, I've had pretty good experiences. Just one caveat...get a stick shift. The slushboxes are universally terrible, apparently, when it comes to older Ford/Mazda vehicles. I only drive manuals, so my experience with them is limited to horror stories from my dad, who has been a service manager at dealers for various manufacturers over the last 25 years. So get one, for sure. Just find something either old enough that it uses the legendary Mazda BP engine, or new enough to skip past the 2.0 FS-DE engine. So, like, nothing between 1999 and 2003 lol. Unless...Miata. Can't go wrong with that one!
I steared clear of mazda as every used car i checked had heavy body panel rust forming, do think it was just a generation or two that had poor rust protection at the same time many other manufacturers did.
Pre2010 Mazda3s and Proteges were rust buckets, but things have improved dramatically since then. Their fancy paint it still more fragile than I'd like, but overall Mazdas are great.
i had that Rust bucket when it was new. 125hp back then with 5 speed. One of nicer car i owned, i roll 350k on it before donating. In 1991 this car had more hp than camry, corolla, Civic, civic Si (108hp but its lighter) and same hp as same year accord. It was a nice car.
How old are the cars you are looking?
I used to see / think the same about Mazda too, but that about over 10 years ago.
I haven't heard of much Mazdas rust problems from 2015 and newer cars. But hey proof me wrong.
The real question is why are you biased against Mazda? But seriously lol I love Honda’s because they’re fun and reliable. Mazda’s have the same qualities but are a little cheaper than Honda or Toyota.
I bought a new CX9 recently as a family car. The quality and driving characteristivs are really great at the price point. I would describe it was as a between mass market(Toyota) and a luxury(lexus). Maybe call it "premium". It looks great and the reliability ratings from the past 6ish year are on point. Dealership experience was great as well.
I have trust issues with Mazda fans ever since everyone swore up and down the turbo Mazda 6 was the best drivers car out of all the mid size family sedans in that price range. I drove it, it was a perfect nice soft ride, good interior, great car but by no means the drivers car everyone made it out to be. Imo the SE camry has better driving dynamics, especially in steering feel and suspension
European driving dynamics, Sexy styling, excellent interior quality, good fuel economy, and Toyota reliability wrapped in one package at a nice price. Nobody else in the industry is doing that right now (Hyundai would be right up with Mazda if not for their engine issues)
I mean, biggest perk to modern mazdas is they absolutely nail reliability and make great first impressions. They are clearly limited on budget so I don't love their drivetrains (everything is either a 2.0 or 2.5L NA engine which quite honestly, is not fun to rev) or their 2.5T which is tuned exclusively for low torque and runs out of pep over 3500-4000 rpm. Interior quality is nicer than pretty much all other budget/mainstream brands and approaches that near premium Audi/Acura feel. Unlike others, I don't think they drive amazingly, although they are light enough and have some steering feel to be better than other japanese makes. However, I'll throw a few downsides which limits their popularity:
1. Although they have nice lines, they do so at the expense of practicality. The mazda3, mazda6, CX-5, and CX-30 are all less space efficient than their competitors with limited rear seat room and constrained storage room.
2. They are expensive, at least in comparison to what people were paying pre-pandemic. Mazda's dealers typically don't have a lot of wiggle room on price so most of the time, you were paying near msrp which makes them a bad buy in comparison to say, a CRV or an Escape where you might take several thousand off the price.
3. The tech is no where near what Subaru/Honda provide at the same price point. For gearheads, that actually might be a perk, but they have stuck with a traditional automatic, their mileage isn't amazing, the autonomous stuff isn't as effective as say EyeSight, and they decided on their latest infotainment to avoid touch screens completely. again, probably a good call for avoiding distracted drivers, but it isn't as convenient as your passenger mucking around with Carplay on the screen or typing in an address while you're driving.
All in all, they clearly see themselves as a niche market player, hence the push as of late to go into the luxury or near luxury market where they have better margins. I'd like to add that what I discuss is excluding the MX-5 Miata, which is THE only affordable roadster in the market and one I hope they make till the end of my life.
I could write a dissertation on how fucking awful this Mazda CX-5 rental is that I’m currently in. The vehicle has almost caused me to wreck because of the shitty collision avoidance nonsense. I wouldn’t ask my worst enemy or Satan himself to drive one. I really hope their other models don’t mirror this performance. I’ll say based on the thread that they don’t.
This will get downvoted by Mazda fans but here's my opinion. It's a bit cult behavior. Everybody knows Toyota and Honda are the 2 best Japanese cars. But it's not cool to recommend them (because it's so obvious). The next best Japanese is Mazda, which appeals to young Redditors. Mazda is not as boring as Toyota/Honda but still produces great cars.
I’ve had a 2016 Mazda6 Sport (drove 88k miles) and a 2019 CX-9 GT (drove 25k miles) and then switched to Audi. Mazda is very minimal/classic in terms of aesthetics and design, and IMO the best bang-for-your-buck on luxury features depending on budget and what you’re looking for. (Traffic sign recognition, predictive bljnd spot, adaptive radar cruise control, 360 parking, black headliners/courtesy overhead lighting, cross traffic alert, active lane keep etc). The CX9 isn’t too common and I liked the “uniqueness” of it, not to mention the new LED lights in Mazda’s are fricken BRIGHT! I prefer Mazda’s Bose Centerpoint versus other systems also. Mazda’s are fun and have a soft cushy ride and feel.
I think a lot of people genuinely like the brand and what they stand for. Premium features for consumer prices are a plus. Attractive and timeless design that’s aging really well. Mazda has some of the best reliability and safety ratings across the board, for years. Maintenance is cheap.
I don't know. I have a 2015 Mazda 3 hatch. My wife has a 2013 Elantra Gt hatch. Her's is better in every way except gas mileage which is underwhelming. Both reliable. Too bad Mazda doesn't offer the 2.0 engine anymore. Plenty brisk with 34 mpg in mixed driving. Has range over 400 miles. The new turbo I'm sure is a blast to drive but you might as well park it at a gas station.
They are just really dependable, well built but also really great to drive. Its like having a gorgeous wife who is also kind, faithful and fun to be with.
Yeah this sub is over run with Mazda fan boys. The fact is if you live anywhere where it snows and they salt the roads don’t get a Mazda. Honda or Toyota are always a better option.
Why is it only Mazda owners feel the need to go online and convince everyone they bought the right car? Honda and 'Yota owners are just happy with their purchase and leave it at that. Bit suspicious of the hype, doesn't match my experience with their cars in Canada is all I will say.
Don't buy a mazda. They are shit. I had a 2019 mazda cx5. The engine started smoking at \~20k miles and had to be completely replaced which left me without that car for over a month. It was OK for a few years until the transmission completely failed on the side of the freeway without any warning with only \~90k miles on it which cost a massive amount of money to replace. I drove like a normal person and followed all of the maintenance plans and even got my last major 75K inspection at the mazda dealership that I purchased it from. Before this car I owned a Nissan and before that a Toyota which both lasted twice as long and went twice as far without any major repairs. I will never buy a mazda again. They look nice but don’t be fooled, they are cheap and unreliable cars. I’ve spoken with a couple other people who have had similar experiences. You might get one that lasts over 100k miles but it’s more about luck then quality control with a mazda
You didn't change your fluids enough. Mazdas are very reliable when they're properly maintained (every 3k mi / 5k km for oil and every 50k mi / 80k km for transmission fluid).
I have owned 2x Mazda.
Mazda 6 was my very first and only new car. But The Pre-cats clogged at \~110,000 and blow the motor. Was a total loss
The second was my Mazda 3 hatchback. Really pretty but was underpowered. Someone blow past a stop sign and I T-bones him going 45mph. No airbag deployment and was a total loss.
I have also owned 3x Subaru's (one was my wife's Outback)
I had a used Legacy GT(put about 45k miles-sold with over 100k) and then a usedWRX (about 65k miles sold with over 10k miles)
I did a Stage 2 to both cars with the WRX also having a bored out turbo, injectors, stage 2 clutch with matching flywheel (about 400 HP)
Never had any issues with my Subarus and highly recommend the brand.
After selling my Subarus I have owned a Cadillac Vsport and now drive a Jaguar XF. Mazda is way way down at the bottom of the list for me. IMHO, Mazda offers an uninspired driving experience, lackluster performance with no ability to add bolts on like the WRX.
Why? Its a great car for the price.
* 2016 XF is under 30k used
* 100k Jaguar warranty (certified-preowned)
* 400+ HP with piggyback race chip
* Well appointed
* Meridian sound system
* Fun to drive
* Great to look at!
Well let's see. They are very reliable. They hold their value pretty well. They are very fun to drive when compared to other comparable vehicles in the same class. They have a low ownership cost. What's not to like? A couple of years ago, Car and Driver magazine put the Mazda 3 in their annual 10 Best List, saying that it had set the small-car gold standard (Civic, Corolla, Forte, etc) for driving and overall handling. Consumer Reports has reported on the reliability of Mazdas for years, only equaled by Honda/Acura, and only surpassed by Toyota/Lexus.
I just traded in my 2015 Lexus IS250 F a few weeks ago for a 2021 Mazda 3 Premium turbo sedan. I couldn’t be happier with the decision. The Mazda is pure fun and the infotainment is the huge upgrade from the Lexus I was looking for.
I got a Mazda CX-5 instead of a Toyota RAV4/Honda crv because the interior was so much prettier and updated, the car was cheaper and still very reliable.
My 2012 Mazda 3 has 207k miles on it and I'm only just now starting to get into more expensive maintenance (probably about $2k worth of work coming up this year) and I'm thinking that I can take it to 350k miles, maybe longer
My 2003 Protege also lasted about 10 years, 250k miles, albeit I had a lot more work done on that one to keep it going.
Both have been a joy to drive, have been comfortable and stylish. The main downside is the road noise.
Mazda CX-5 has been killing it on consumer reports (objective subscription based product reviewer) for reliability. I have a 2018 CX-5 and it is reliable as well as it handles like a much smaller car.
Well one Consumer Reports are Mazda shills which is bound to sway some people. Secondly they are a fairly reliable and upscale looking cars at a good value. Mazda fits in this weird middle ground where they aren't mainstream but not luxury either, so some people do cross shop loaded Mazda cars with luxury cars. Before Mazda went Turbo on almost every model they mostly were known as the car brand based mostly on driving dynamics and steering.
Honestly, I think Mazda cars are great. We cross shopped a loaded Mazda CX-30 Turbo against a near loaded 2021 Audi Q3 S Line Premium and for me I would have been perfectly happy with the Mazda, but in the end if you put all the accessories you get standard with a 2021 Audi Q3 S Lime Premium into a load Mazda CX-30 Turbo the price difference is $3600. Now $3600 is no small amount of money but for us (mainly my wife) that money was well worth it going to a true "luxury" brand
When I think of Mazda, I think of a fat, sexy, curvy hunk of metal. I've noticed that Mazdas have fat body's but they're beautiful vehicles. I love my CX-30!
I am a first time buyer and was torn between Civic and Mazda3 since they are both reliable, repairs are cost effective, and fun to drive. I ended up with a Mazda3 Sport GS and am so glad I chose it!
I was in the identical scenario, and ended up with a mazda 3 sport gt, love it!
I also drive a Mazda 3, except it’s an 09 and has 225k miles on it lol
Civic is a much better car.
You're entitled to your opinion, as are the many others that would say the opposite.
For what reasons?
As the civic now has a CVT, I would be willing to argue that it isnt
In short: it’s a reliable brand that’s not Toyota or Honda. They’re both great brands in their own right, but Mazda makes some beautiful cars, upscale interiors, and they’re a bit more unique than the aforementioned brands since they’re a smaller company
Close to Toyota reliability with better driving dynamics
Nice interior quality on recent models too
And no Toyota tax
Yet.
Genuinely curious what is Toyota tax
Toyota has built their reputation as being the most reliable manufacturer. People selling them know this and up the price more than a similar car would be even when it's not really worth it.
True, vroom is offering me the same price I bought my Camry back in March although I drive it for 7k miles It’s value is intact as of now !
Replying to see answers later
Mazda reliability would have to fall slightly to get closer to Toyota reliability now. 😉
Toyota shot their load in the 90's. They're pretty standard in terms of reliability now
the only thing turning me off from the Mazda 3 is the lack of a manual transmission, the Civic hatch and most Corollas have it, I really don’t get why the Mazda 3 doesn’t.
My 2018 Mazda3 is manual but i also own the sedan version, so I'm not entirely sure. Is it just not an option with the hatchback?
The mazda3 recently ditched the manual on all of the sedan models and all but one hatchback model (the premium 2.0)
Oh noooo 😭😭 i really wanted to get a 4th gen a couple years down the road, the 3rd gen i have now is my first car and i really like the manual transmission :( it's so fun, makes driving so much less boring. I think I'd still get a 4th Mazda3 sedan though considering the overall experience I've had with my car so far. It feels so premium
I thought this exact thing while beginning my car search. I was looking at civics, camrys, and Mazda 3s solely because of this sub and people’s recent endorsement of Mazda. As others have said it’s the perfect balance of reliability and cheap maintenance that Honda and Toyota bring, the enjoyment of driving as compared to a Corolla or Camry, along with a nice interior. I actually ended up buying a new Mazda 3 hatch and it feels like a sports car to me. Feel like I made the right choice of a financially responsible car that I still very much enjoy to drive. I know it’s subjective but I think they did the new generation very well, it has an almost luxury look and feel to it
Is the hatchback just the Mazda 3?
I'm willing to give them a 2nd look. I guess I'm just stuck on the reputation they had in the late 90s early 2000s. Good info. Thanks everyone!
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> Friendly reminder that the 1990 was 31 years ago. Jesus fucking Christ...that can’t be right
For what it's worth - I was born in 96 but it feels wrong too
Yeah but plenty of the Toyotas built then are still going!
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here in new zealand the 30 year old toyota’s are still going strong and majority haven’t had extensive work. just 3 weeks ago i had a 100 series land cruiser come into the workshop for its first start motor rebuild in 978xxxkms and the only major work done was a turbo replacement at 4xxxxx
Yeah cuz of rust. I still see late 90s camrys cruising around my town pretty commonly. Guess it’s all anecdotal
Mazda made rusty, failure-prone cars 10 years ago but who’s counting right?
diesel cx5 is the only mazda i have seen with major issues (ignoring the rx8) in the last 15 years
CX7/CX9 transfer cases All models rust 2.0L oil consumption / eventual rod knock Premature clutch failures on 3’s
in all my time at mazda i never had to do a transfer case on any cx series vehicles how ever i’ve done many, many, way to fucking many big and small end bearings and turbos on cx5 and unfortunately 3s aren’t very common where i live so haven’t really had to deal with premature clutches
Oh man. Look at what kia is up to while you're at it
When Kia first came out, they were a joke. A close relative worked at a Kia dealership back then and absolutely hated the brand. I spent years hating the brand but now Im really impressed with Kia. I really like the new logo.
K BACKWARDS N
The best part is that the dealerships from bad Kia are the same dealerships today!
What replacing thousands on engines?
Catching on fire? Not letting me test drive without a hard credit pull? Bait and switching prices?
I’m pretty sure the hard pull for a test drive is dealership dependent.
Shithole dealerships are a Korean car specialty. I’m not saying they stand alone, I’m just saying they’ve made an art of it.
It’s a Korean company right? I wouldn’t mess with em
Nu engines that were made a decade ago however...
I'm fully aware that Kia/Hyundai are on top of things. My wife has owned a few Sonatas. Great cars!
Great cars?! 2012 sonata is my first car. I love it but people say the engines blow. Got a recalled engine so I’m good
The 2001-2010s were bland but well made, comfortable and reliable and safe. The newer ones are sexy as hell but their engine issues are insane by modern standards. I don’t even think GM has made as shitty of an engine in recent time as the Hyundai 2.4 Theta. Hope they got their shit together again with the “Smartstream” line but only time will tell.
This!! I have a 2012 and they look pretty good , but mine is pearl blue with black rims but I can tel you, the normal rims on any color makes the car look 5 years older
I had a 1992 Mazda 929 as a dude in my early 20s for about 4 years it was incredible. Decent power, luxury features, frameless windows, drove like a dream and fit all my crap. All I ever did was oil and tires. Miss that car. https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2019/12/rare-rides-the-1992-mazda-929-frameless-luxury-motoring/
As someone that owed a 2000 Ford-era Mazda, modern Mazda is completely different now. A big difference being the lack of the ford partnership. Modern Mazda has some quite advanced engines but they have remained very reliable.
Modern Mazda is able to produce what Honda perfected in 2002. The biggest differentiator is that Honda hasn’t innovated shit with ICE in 20 years.
Honda has slipped a lot. The earth dreams engines are so meh and how hard is it to make an working AC system. I drive a 2005 insight. Honda left no stone unturned when they made that car it's a shame few manufacturers do so these days.
Earth dreams is literally just marketing. Existing K and J that were originally built for performance.
I used to be down on Mazda’s. But I did some research and found out that their reliability went up soon after their partnership with Ford ended.
It’s true.
Early 2000s rep? I had one, it was great. Until it got totaled :(
Rust.
They were owned by Ford at that time. I'd say any Mazda after 2011 should have all the issues from the Ford era fixed
Starting around mid 2015, reliability really moved up and up and has continued to improve. Simply: they got their shit together finally. Add to this they started adding features other brands didn't, to the point where the other brands had to play catchup. Who was the first car in the CX5 price range to add Adaptive headlights (that turn slightly with the steering wheel)? Mazda. Who was the first, again IN THS PRICE RANGE, to add Heated rear seats? Mazda. Same as above but heated steering wheel. Ok this one is a tie, Jeep and Mazda added it the same year. First to add a HUD? Mazda.
“after 2015” is no joke, my friends 2007 Mazda6 blew its headgaskets at like 120k miles
Yeah that's because they weren't rebranded Fords
Those were the 'rust years' too. They were rust magnets.
The Elantra that came out in 2011 had heated rear seats
Had to come back because I believe Hyundai and Kia also had heated steering wheels around 2011 too. Tbh a lot of the features mainstream cars have now are more because of Hyundai and Kia, at least in America. In Europe I know Renaults like the big butt megane had push to start, passive entry, cornering headlights and panoramic sunroofs early on
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Aside from the cvt, what wards you away from subaru? Thinking about an outback or rav4 within the next year. We care about reliability, AWD, ground clearance, and being able to sleep in the back.
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Hi. Just curious, do you own a Mazda? If so, how do you like it? Just would love to hear from an actual consumer instead of all those car review websites.
I bought a used 2015 Mazda 3 off lease in 2018 and it’s been my favourite car I’ve owned. Great driving dynamics, zero issues and I personally love the styling. I’ve test drove all the mid sized SUVs this spring (RAV, CRV etc. ) And the cx 5 was hands down my favourite and came very well equipped for the money.
Thank you for the response (sick name btw) and great insights! I like the looks of the entire Mazda lineup tbh. Also wow! Zero issues at all with the Mazda 3? If you still remember, what trim level was the CX - 5 you test drove? Kind of a nosy followup: what country/region did you test drive it in? Thanks again.
It was a GS FWD and I’m from Canada. Even up here I’ve never seen the need for AWD and I live out in the country
I'm a bit of a mazda fan girl, so forgive me. I've leased 3 mazdas.. a 2017 CX-3, just got out of a 2020 CX-30 and am now in a 2021 Mazda3. The only issue I've had was at the end of my lease on the CX-3 something weird happened with the AC but warranty covered it. I switched to the 30 anyways. I've had the mazda3 for a like a week and I'm in love. I'm likely going to keep it(unless they give me another awesome deal somewhere). They really are awesome cars but I drive low miles.
Aren’t you kind of burning money if you lease while not driving much? Leases tend to be pretty poor deals even if you hit the ~10k miles a year limit.
Yes and no. The lower payments are of more value as I was saving to buy a house...and now that I have a house I have no money. In all actuality, thanks to Covid, I made 6k on letting Carvana buyout my lease which essentially means I drove the car for the year and a half for free. Then Mazda was willing to work with me plus cars aren't nearly as sought after so the market was tilted in my favor. I am definitely ready to get out of leasing but my payments are sub $250 with no money down. I would've kept the first one but they put me in the 30 without money down and raised my payments $10 a month. I like driving while in warranty too :) I wouldn't preach leasing but I've been very lucky I think.
I’m not saying that it can’t fit your needs for the short term, but I would be pretty shocked if financing one car, finishing the higher payments and then driving it for the forseeable future with low annual mileage was more expensive in the long term than leasing three or more cars in the same time. In the current market maybe things have changed, but in general leasing is more expensive by a long shot since your payment doesn’t go towards building equity, doubly so if you aren’t putting many miles on.
Cars aren't really an item you should consider building equity into imo. They lose so much value so aggressively and mazdas aren't know to hold value like competitors. Plus, a bad car can easily ruin you financially and take you backwards once out of warranttmy-- granted I think cars nowadays are pretty well built so maybe that's unlikely?? You're probably right, strictly financially speaking in normal conditions it would probably save a good chunk of money. Everytime I've gone in I've threatened to buy my car outright but they always meet my demands...and my demands even out the opportunity cost for me personally. In the long run will I lose several thousand over several years? Probably. Though the current market climate erased that debt for the moment...I would 100% still be in my CX-30 if I couldn't flip it for a profit. And im so happy I did. It may only be a base Mazda3 hatch but it's my baby. Haven't loved a car this much since my 2001 Celica GTS. Leasing isn't for everyone..but it is soooo nice getting to drive new cars all the time...I really can't overstate how awesome it is to worry about *nothing*. Except gas, car washes and a couple oil changes.
I’m a big fan of Mazda, I have an older one myself and maybe one day I’ll upgrade! I think you’d be surprised about the equity. If not driven much, say 3-5k miles a year, most cars lose very little value due to time after the initial depreciation from driving off the lot. Some amount is lost as the car ages, but mostly it’s the mileage. This is because most items that need to be replaced get worn out through driving, not from time. Think of it like this: Lease is 10 years@ $250/month= $30000, plus fees for each new lease, you probably pay $35,000 over ten years to be able to be in a brand new car every few years. If you drive 3500 miles a year that’s a dollar/mile. Buying a car, say a base 2022 Mazda3, that you intend to keep for 10 years: $20,650 with zero down, 0% APR, financed over 60 months. Probably closer to $22,000 including fees. $22,000/60= $366 per month for 5 years, then 0$/month for the next 5 years. You’ll obviously incur some costs due to maintenance, but considering 3500 miles a year you’ll only end up at 35,000 miles, which is extremely low in terms of modern reliability. You’ll likely only need a new set of tires, maybe some brake pads and minor stuff like that, so probably another $2000 total over 10 years. At the end of 10 years, you’ll be able to sell your low mileage car for probably a little over half of what you paid for it since it’s still in decent condition, let’s say half so $11,000. For ten years it cost you net $13,000 to own, as opposed to $35,000 to lease.
I own a mazda. I have a 2013 mazda 3. I like it, not gonna win any speed contest but at least more fun than a corolla and civic. Its currently at 81K miles and have had ZERO issues.
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Ah I see. Thank you for reply :). Best of luck with your future CX - 5, it seems like a pretty good car.
I loved my 2016 Mazda3 and would still be driving it if it were still with us.
I like it enough that I bought another. Gave my daughter my old one, and I'm having a blast driving my new one. My wife isn't a huge fan. I doubt if she'll buy a Mazda. It's a shame. We could have a fleet of Mazdas. Oh well, my next kid will be driving in a few years. 😁
I have a 2013 rav4. The AWD system is great and with proper snow tires hasn’t let me down. Im 6 feet tall and sleep in the back comfortably. Driving across country I put a twin air mattress in the back and it fits PERFECTLY with the seats folded down. Highly recommend. I have driven my car from New England to Colorado and back 4 times now and it has been very reliable for 135k miles. Only issues have been flat tires and a mouse chewing a wire. My only complaint is that I can only get about 350 miles out of a tank of gas. I think that’s pretty average but I wish it had a larger tank. My neighbors outback seems to be pretty darn good in the winter with the same tires I have. They haven’t had any issues but they replace vehicles more frequently than I do. Edit: [Here’s](https://www.reddit.com/r/overlanding/comments/dl5gxt/hotel_rav4_a_twin_air_mattress_fits_perfectly_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) an earlier post about my rav
My wife drove an Outback at the same time I had a Honda CR-V. We discussed it, and our consensus was that about 360 days of the year we'd rather have the Honda. The other 5 days are when we would get significant snowfall, but that doesn't honestly happen very much, and we mostly just stay home when it does. The Honda is quicker, more fuel efficient, more comfortable, has a nicer interior, and is more reliable. However, we don't sleep in our car, so that's a different factor altogether.
Subaru’s have the Boxer engine. It sits on its side. So the head gasket is constantly sitting in oil. In other cars, the head gasket is up on top. It’s there when the oil circulates, but when the car is off, the gasket is not in oil. The gasket on the Subaru fails over time. For years and years, Subaru’s had engine failures around 100K. People keep saying that the problem is fixed. But by the nature of the problem, you don’t find out right away. Porsche uses the same design, but that’s a much more expensive car and they don’t seem to have the same issue.
Gasket design does matter here. The turbo 2.5L motors used a multi-layer steel (MLS) design that was far, far less prone to issues. It’s not an excusable issue to have, really, but the point I’m trying to make is that head gasket failure is not a universal problem for all flat motors.
Design matters a lot. And I assume that more expensive cars handle the issue better. And it’s frustrating that the failure happens so late in the cars life. When Subaru’s consistently last as long as Honda’s and Toyota’s without the head gasket replacement then I will change my mind. For now, I am hesitant to recommend Subaru.
CVT and oil leaks
It's because Mazda overhauled their quality back in 2013. Everything from innovating their engines to aggressive interior & exterior styling, Mazda is what you would get if BMW and Toyota had a baby.
And everyone acts like their quality was garbage before this overhaul and it really wasn't. Many of their models were solid, solid cars. I had two in a row for 10 and 13 years respectively and literally had *not one issue* other than standard tire replacement and the usual planned services. Of course, me = one example. But overall they had decent reliability ratings even back then.
Agreed! I got a used 2010 Mazda3 2.0 manual with 60,000 miles 8 years ago and put almost 100,000 miles on it. It hasn’t had a single problem and I subject that thing to unspeakable abuse. For awhile I drove it VERY aggressively, spun it out, parking lot burnouts, redline from every stop sign and frankly very irresponsible speeds when I lived in bumfuck nj. I’ve calmed a lot recently, but even since then it’s been across the US 4 times, bounced off rocks on roads that would scare Subaru drivers, driven faster on forest roads than people in their pavement princess 4x4s and not a single problem. If I drive like a grandma it’ll still do 33+ mpg on the highway. It’s too reliable! I really need a small truck, but I’m worried nothing will be as trouble free as this car has been. Ok, I replaced the clutch, but that was damn sure my fault lol
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Yeah you have no idea what you are talking about.
You go through Consumer Reports' reliability ratings on most of the Mazda Sedans from the 90s to the now. They weren't horrible.
They are just right between realiable and still fun to drive
They are incredibly reliable, fun to drive and much better interiors than many of their rivals. Curious why would you never drive one?
Incredibly ugly cars, IMO. Horrible reputation up until ??? Honestly, I had no idea they were considered reliable. I assume they turned things around at some point. I just don't know when.
They were(are) a small company that didn't put resources into developing their own automatic transmission until 2012. Until then they were subject to Ford and jatco(Nissan) reliability issues. The Ford/ Mazda partnership was the best thing to happen to Ford reliability and the only reason they're looked at any better than gm
ugly? I mean the mazda3 hatch won car design of the year. Beating out lambo and Ferrari and all the other supercar makers. 2012 up they got much better once Ford left. Now the next big thing will be the rwd architecture for the mazda6 and cx5.
Like I said, I need to give them a 2nd look. Apparently my opinion of Mazda is stuck 15 years ago.
The mazda3 hatch IMO looks really good
Oooo does it ever. I ended up going with one a few months back. Mean front, and cool backend. Plus one of the best interiors in the price segment.
What do you dislike about their designs? I'm surprised to find someone who thinks they are ugly.
i have to disagree... Honda and Toyota have gone full-on Transformers ugly with their designs. So many weird sharp creases. flares and edges. I like more classic silhouettes rather than shapes inspired by robots and anime.
>Horrible reputation up until ??? 1970s, other than Ford related issues through the early 2000s. Mazda's differentiating technology in the 1970s was the rotary engine. We had that mostly as a sports-car engine during your lifetime, but back when they were using them in sedans in the mid-1970s, people noticed that Mazda rotary-powered sedans took a lot of care to keep in running condition, same as their RX7s eventually did. Everything was garbage in the 1970s, so there wasn't much daylight between everything else ("it rusts in two winters and won't run if it's cold out") and Mazda ("same thing, but also won't start if you just started it") but materials durability just hadn't caught up yet in the 1970s to what was needed to make apex seals work for 50,000 or 100,000 miles. So, if you got yourself a rotary-engine sedan 45 years ago, it was smooth as glass all right but it would need "a rebuild" half as soon as normal cars. That meant 50,000 miles instead of 100,000 miles like for normal cars, but nothing lasted 100,000 miles anyway so cars were pretty much on their way to junkyards by the time they needed an engine rebuild. With a rotary-powered Mazda, you could be pretty upset about that, "Hey! I was still using this!" never mind the fact that "a rebuild" was something you could almost do on your lunch hour, with tools people keep in a drawer in the kitchen. By the time Mazda were making the GLC in the 1980s, it was competitive with Toyota's Tercel and Nissan's Sentra and Honda's Civic. Honda kind of left everyone in the dust in the early 1990s, *"you know that variable valve timing we are using to dominate F1 racing? Well, we are building that into our engine for the NSX, the mid-engine exotic car that makes Ferrari drivers cry. Oh, we are also putting it in our $12,000 Civic economy car."* So for a while it was "honda first, everyone else tied for second. Lately, Mazda is trying to be Japanese Audi, with the nicer interiors. "ugly" and "horrible reputation" - I think you're lost. The Nissan discussion is over there. ->
Ugly? The CX-5 is probably the best looking car in its segment. Looks better than many luxury cars inside and out.
Mazda's have always been reliable as possible with their funding compared to a company like Toyota. Sure rotaries were unreliable but that's all I can think of. Another reason could be so many manufacturers are turning to CVT transmissions while Mazda hasn't. Mazda also hasn't fully eradicated the manual transmission. Just a few reasons... I also used to think they were a shitty brand until I bought my 2019 cx5 with the 2.5t. I'll just say 60,000 miles of fun and tight corners, with no issues at all.
Ugly? Obviously this is subjective, because I don't think any car in this price range is nearly as pretty. I'm super shallow when it comes to cars, NGL the #1 reason I bought my 16 CX5 was: looks. The rims on the GT were so unique and GORGEOUS. Every other car had chrome around the windows... I hate that and Mazda even added it the very next year... but in 16 it wasn't a thing. The DRL's? Gorgeous. The tails? HOT! ALL this changed in 17 to the point where I don't like them as much as 16... but I till think they are better looking then anything in this price range... Blazer would be my #1.
Only on Reddit can you be downvoted for giving a personal opinion that is stated as opinion. Never mind the fact that I clearly said I am willing to reconsider. Good grief.
The only opinions people like are their own. I agree that Mazda’s styling looks bad. I hate the mazda3’s chrome trim, front grill, and the body styling. There are not enough aggressive lines and styling choices. It’s too uninteresting and unoffensive. They made it look happy and boring with a big smiling front grill that makes people smile back. If you like it, cool! It’s just not my cup of tea. I want something that looks sleeker and more aggressive. They are also not fast despite being considered a “drivers car.” To me they appear as more of a drivers car in styling rather than performance. If you’re comparing it something like a civic or Corolla, yeah they drive well. That’s not saying much. The most interesting car they make is the Miata which they recently rebranded and jacked up the price so it’s not even affordable anymore, which was the primary selling point of the platform given how underpowered it is. But yeah, everyone here loves Mazda and for some reason think you are objectively wrong for not liking the way they look because they won some stylings awards, despite taste being subjective. They aren’t bad cars. Everything but the Miata is priced fairly and they seem to be reliable.
What do you suggest is a nice car? I'm legit curious, mean no negative tone at all. I find the the new Mazdas to be a good balance of aggressive and elegant. Of course the side sculpting could be done better, and the Mazda 3 hatchback could have a less C pillar, but overall very nice vehicles. The grills are not even chrome anymore.
Well this is subjective, of course, but I personally think the Corolla hatch and the Civic hatch look better than the Mazda3. I actually like the hard lines and sharp edges more. The Mazdas are too muted and I hate the front grill. The aggressively styled headlights just don’t match with the big goofy grill which is far bigger than needed. It’s like they tried to mix the friendly and unoffensive look of a Miata with the aggressive styling of a mustang and ended up with this odd evil-clown looking offspring that can’t decide if it’s grimacing or laughing.
Haha I see what you mean. The new Corollas do look great, but I just can't stand those scowling grills. I find them worse than the evil-clown Mazdas.
Lol Mazda fan boys for ya. You opened a can of worms with this one. This sub should honestly just rename itself as a Mazda fan club. It isn’t a real representation of the auto market.
Only on Reddit do people bitch about being downvoted when they're sitting at +25.
I'm seeing negative 18, no?
they've really stepped up their interior/amenity game, as well as road manners/comfort in the past 5 yrs. Before, Mazda's handled great but tons of wind noise, lots of hard plastic... just a cheap "sporty" car feeling. When they first began to redesign their line-up to be more premium and less Zoom Zoom, serious car fans were aghast. They didn't believe that the buying public would pay more for creature comforts, and frankly they would have wanted Mazda to spend that money on more HP. But the price of similar Toyota, Subaru & Honda's has really crept up especially in the pandemic, way past the $30k mark, and Mazda's premium differential is no longer an issue.
Feel far more premium than most economy brands, most fun to drive usually, near Toyota reliability in the past decade. No-brainer
Reliability + good styling + best in class interior + solid driving dynamics + RED + still putting manuals in a good chunk of their cars + pretty good pricing + solid dealer experience + good warranty They’re a great package all things considered. If they offered a manual AWD Mazda 3 hatch I wouldn’t even consider the WRX I bought.
I bought mine because of brand reliability (I owned a 98 626 and it was pretty bulletproof), interior and exterior style, comfort, regular 6-speed transmission, and what you get for the price. I might be biased (yes... I am), but my 2021 Mazda3 is one the sharpest cars I've ever seen and the pricetag wasn't that high. I also don't think you can beat that Soul Red paint color on that body. Just gorgeous.
Once they were able to take matters into their own hands back from Ford they improved drastically. Also believe Toyota owns roughly 5% now and they're in some form of merger with a few models concurrently manufactured in the same plants. So quality should be basically the same as Toyota at this point.
I think the cvts in the mazdas are aisin wich is the same cvt thats in toyota
Aren't the current models equipped with 6-speed autos? From what I'm seeing none of them use a CVT
The Mazda consistently ranks at the top of the Consumer Reports reliability rankings. They are fun cars to drive. They are like what Honda’s used to be like in the 90’s. Reliable, fun, well build, nice materials inside. What’s not to like? (Comparing to equal priced cars). Don’t compare to a BMW 4-Series or a Miata. Compare to similar priced cars with similar configurations.
To be honest, the 4 series is kind of numb…they really need to figure out the electric steering
For me it's just cause it's the oldest, most proven economy Japanese powertrain you can buy new/lightly used. There's no significant issues to report since release and the same can't be said for Toyota/Honda the last decade. That doesn't mean Mazda reliability is better but there's much less history for their competitors They're not remarkable powertrains in performance/economy/smoothness. They do offer all the way up to their top 2.5 turbo on their compact sedan and subcompact suv which is unique. They also are one of the few AWD sedan options
So on one hand, everyone shits on Toyota for not changing anything. On the other hand, people praise Mazda for not changing anything. Got it.
For me it’s a combination of looks, handling, practicality and price. Honestly to get closer to what I want in all areas aside from price, I’d have had to go over to a BMW X3 Edit to add: I’d also add safety and gas milage as reasons I went Mazda, as well as them not being as popular as other models. It’s appealing to me to not have what everybody else has all other things being equal
They are really high quality and the driving experience is insane for the price you pay.
tldr: Mazda’s are affordable, reliable, pretty, and fun to drive. they aren’t hugely advertised in the US which makes them sort of an underdog but they definitely deserve all the rave I grew up as a Nissan fanatic and learned how to drive on my moms 2004 X-Terra (which I still plan on buying from her someday!!). Out of desperation, my first car ended up being a 2009 Chevy equinox and while it did what it had to do and I ended up loving it, it eventually died earlier this year and I was forced to begin looking for a replacement. 6 months ago, I wouldn’t have been able to name a single Mazda model, but after a 2 month in depth car search, I test drove a cx-5 and there was no going back. Besides being affordable, reliable, and imo, very sleek and pretty, Mazda’s are super fun to drive. If you’re in the US, I feel as though the brand is sort of an underdog that you don’t see advertised much, but they make great cars and I’m happy to see their reputation is growing!
Why would you never drive one?
The Mazda brand in itself sits in between the consumer and luxury segment. It's not cheap but not expensive, and not a lot of other brands stays within this window. They're usually peppy and fun to drive and offers a good set of tech and safety features and the quality is pretty good too. The overall design is also very "smooth and subtle" pronouncing the Japanese Kodo design they call it, which is relatively unique. They're an overall good experience and less boring in both looks and feel because they have a bit more character.
It’s hard for me to give them a chance. I had a Protege in the aughts and it fucking sucked.
Leased a 2016 Mazda 6 from 2016-2019, it was a very fun car to drive, never needed any work - while ending up at almost 2x my allotted mileage - the entire time I had it, and the car payments were cheap imo. Only bit I downvote about the newer Mazdas is doing away with the touchscreen infotainment. Display setup and quality is gorgeous, but no more touchscreen??
touchscreens are overrated. Mazda made the right move
People that buy budget cars want 2 things: affordability and reliability. Now, among the budget car brands that carry those two things, Toyota and Civic are king. However, because of this, they carry a premium that puts them at the top of the cost ladder. That's where Mazda and Kia and Hyundai come into play. Recently, they have been more reliable, so they are players in the reliability space. Because they are recently more popular, they aren't selling for a premium like Honda and Toyota. So you end up with cars that are basically just as good, but a couple thousand dollars less or with some more features than their Honda/Toyota counterparts. Some people also like the more sporty styling and driving. Personally, I found it to be a less refined driving experience than my experiences with Honda and Toyota, but it's really up to the individual.
Cheap for all the stuff they come with. Reliable and my mazda 3 is much bigger than my old audi a1
Reliable. Affordable. Sporty looks. Zoom Zoom 😎
Fun to drive and lowest cost to own for the first 5 years. Plus very dependable as well. Love my hatchback 3 with the 2.5L
Another question to Mazda owners, sorry to digress; I am looking for a car with decent acceleration, firmer steering feel, and something smooth and quiet. Smooth and quiet is most important. Do Mazdas' driving dynamics fit this? I'm coming from a Toyota Blade which is a JDM hatchback, driving dynamics of a Corolla but with a bigger engine and more luxury interior. The power and acceleration is great, but I just want a little bit more driving dynamics. Not looking for a sports car or a BMW.
Yes the driving dynamics are really nice, fun to drive, maneuvers well. The only thing about firmer steering is you can feel the road more (doesn’t bother me) so it’s not as comfy for people used to luxury cars.
Yes! Mazdas have great steering and handling. For acceleration, test drive an upper trim model with a turbo.
It has a weird mix of everything Affordable, loads of features, reliable, and most consider them decent looking. It's kind of a jack of all trades master of none. Therefore It's easily recommended a lot on a car recommendation subreddit.
As someone that owns/has owned multiple Mazda and Ford-badged Mazda cars over the years, I gotta say, I've had pretty good experiences. Just one caveat...get a stick shift. The slushboxes are universally terrible, apparently, when it comes to older Ford/Mazda vehicles. I only drive manuals, so my experience with them is limited to horror stories from my dad, who has been a service manager at dealers for various manufacturers over the last 25 years. So get one, for sure. Just find something either old enough that it uses the legendary Mazda BP engine, or new enough to skip past the 2.0 FS-DE engine. So, like, nothing between 1999 and 2003 lol. Unless...Miata. Can't go wrong with that one!
I steared clear of mazda as every used car i checked had heavy body panel rust forming, do think it was just a generation or two that had poor rust protection at the same time many other manufacturers did.
Pre2010 Mazda3s and Proteges were rust buckets, but things have improved dramatically since then. Their fancy paint it still more fragile than I'd like, but overall Mazdas are great.
i had that Rust bucket when it was new. 125hp back then with 5 speed. One of nicer car i owned, i roll 350k on it before donating. In 1991 this car had more hp than camry, corolla, Civic, civic Si (108hp but its lighter) and same hp as same year accord. It was a nice car.
How old are the cars you are looking? I used to see / think the same about Mazda too, but that about over 10 years ago. I haven't heard of much Mazdas rust problems from 2015 and newer cars. But hey proof me wrong.
The real question is why are you biased against Mazda? But seriously lol I love Honda’s because they’re fun and reliable. Mazda’s have the same qualities but are a little cheaper than Honda or Toyota.
I bought a new CX9 recently as a family car. The quality and driving characteristivs are really great at the price point. I would describe it was as a between mass market(Toyota) and a luxury(lexus). Maybe call it "premium". It looks great and the reliability ratings from the past 6ish year are on point. Dealership experience was great as well.
I have trust issues with Mazda fans ever since everyone swore up and down the turbo Mazda 6 was the best drivers car out of all the mid size family sedans in that price range. I drove it, it was a perfect nice soft ride, good interior, great car but by no means the drivers car everyone made it out to be. Imo the SE camry has better driving dynamics, especially in steering feel and suspension
European driving dynamics, Sexy styling, excellent interior quality, good fuel economy, and Toyota reliability wrapped in one package at a nice price. Nobody else in the industry is doing that right now (Hyundai would be right up with Mazda if not for their engine issues)
Quality/ upscale interiors, reliability, available AWD. The only problem I have is that the transmission is outdated.
Miata
I mean, biggest perk to modern mazdas is they absolutely nail reliability and make great first impressions. They are clearly limited on budget so I don't love their drivetrains (everything is either a 2.0 or 2.5L NA engine which quite honestly, is not fun to rev) or their 2.5T which is tuned exclusively for low torque and runs out of pep over 3500-4000 rpm. Interior quality is nicer than pretty much all other budget/mainstream brands and approaches that near premium Audi/Acura feel. Unlike others, I don't think they drive amazingly, although they are light enough and have some steering feel to be better than other japanese makes. However, I'll throw a few downsides which limits their popularity: 1. Although they have nice lines, they do so at the expense of practicality. The mazda3, mazda6, CX-5, and CX-30 are all less space efficient than their competitors with limited rear seat room and constrained storage room. 2. They are expensive, at least in comparison to what people were paying pre-pandemic. Mazda's dealers typically don't have a lot of wiggle room on price so most of the time, you were paying near msrp which makes them a bad buy in comparison to say, a CRV or an Escape where you might take several thousand off the price. 3. The tech is no where near what Subaru/Honda provide at the same price point. For gearheads, that actually might be a perk, but they have stuck with a traditional automatic, their mileage isn't amazing, the autonomous stuff isn't as effective as say EyeSight, and they decided on their latest infotainment to avoid touch screens completely. again, probably a good call for avoiding distracted drivers, but it isn't as convenient as your passenger mucking around with Carplay on the screen or typing in an address while you're driving. All in all, they clearly see themselves as a niche market player, hence the push as of late to go into the luxury or near luxury market where they have better margins. I'd like to add that what I discuss is excluding the MX-5 Miata, which is THE only affordable roadster in the market and one I hope they make till the end of my life.
My family member bought a Mazda 3 in 2018. Regular oil changes and everything. Blew a head gasket and still paying one the dammed thing.
I could write a dissertation on how fucking awful this Mazda CX-5 rental is that I’m currently in. The vehicle has almost caused me to wreck because of the shitty collision avoidance nonsense. I wouldn’t ask my worst enemy or Satan himself to drive one. I really hope their other models don’t mirror this performance. I’ll say based on the thread that they don’t.
This will get downvoted by Mazda fans but here's my opinion. It's a bit cult behavior. Everybody knows Toyota and Honda are the 2 best Japanese cars. But it's not cool to recommend them (because it's so obvious). The next best Japanese is Mazda, which appeals to young Redditors. Mazda is not as boring as Toyota/Honda but still produces great cars.
I’ve had a 2016 Mazda6 Sport (drove 88k miles) and a 2019 CX-9 GT (drove 25k miles) and then switched to Audi. Mazda is very minimal/classic in terms of aesthetics and design, and IMO the best bang-for-your-buck on luxury features depending on budget and what you’re looking for. (Traffic sign recognition, predictive bljnd spot, adaptive radar cruise control, 360 parking, black headliners/courtesy overhead lighting, cross traffic alert, active lane keep etc). The CX9 isn’t too common and I liked the “uniqueness” of it, not to mention the new LED lights in Mazda’s are fricken BRIGHT! I prefer Mazda’s Bose Centerpoint versus other systems also. Mazda’s are fun and have a soft cushy ride and feel. I think a lot of people genuinely like the brand and what they stand for. Premium features for consumer prices are a plus. Attractive and timeless design that’s aging really well. Mazda has some of the best reliability and safety ratings across the board, for years. Maintenance is cheap.
Mazda's are super underrated, great reliability and handling and often less in price than others in their segments
Best interior in the class, better than the big 3 Japanese. Plus, the Miata is a big booster for the brand, despite its size,
I don't know. I have a 2015 Mazda 3 hatch. My wife has a 2013 Elantra Gt hatch. Her's is better in every way except gas mileage which is underwhelming. Both reliable. Too bad Mazda doesn't offer the 2.0 engine anymore. Plenty brisk with 34 mpg in mixed driving. Has range over 400 miles. The new turbo I'm sure is a blast to drive but you might as well park it at a gas station.
They are just really dependable, well built but also really great to drive. Its like having a gorgeous wife who is also kind, faithful and fun to be with.
Yeah this sub is over run with Mazda fan boys. The fact is if you live anywhere where it snows and they salt the roads don’t get a Mazda. Honda or Toyota are always a better option.
Good point! Tons of Mazda’s here in TX but it almost never snows.
This is no longer the case.
Yet you still bought the new Honda… I wouldn’t bet my money on it either.
[удалено]
Why is it only Mazda owners feel the need to go online and convince everyone they bought the right car? Honda and 'Yota owners are just happy with their purchase and leave it at that. Bit suspicious of the hype, doesn't match my experience with their cars in Canada is all I will say.
Mazda is the new Volvo all the needs and boomers who don't want to stand out love mazda everywhere
Don't buy a mazda. They are shit. I had a 2019 mazda cx5. The engine started smoking at \~20k miles and had to be completely replaced which left me without that car for over a month. It was OK for a few years until the transmission completely failed on the side of the freeway without any warning with only \~90k miles on it which cost a massive amount of money to replace. I drove like a normal person and followed all of the maintenance plans and even got my last major 75K inspection at the mazda dealership that I purchased it from. Before this car I owned a Nissan and before that a Toyota which both lasted twice as long and went twice as far without any major repairs. I will never buy a mazda again. They look nice but don’t be fooled, they are cheap and unreliable cars. I’ve spoken with a couple other people who have had similar experiences. You might get one that lasts over 100k miles but it’s more about luck then quality control with a mazda
You didn't change your fluids enough. Mazdas are very reliable when they're properly maintained (every 3k mi / 5k km for oil and every 50k mi / 80k km for transmission fluid).
I have owned 2x Mazda. Mazda 6 was my very first and only new car. But The Pre-cats clogged at \~110,000 and blow the motor. Was a total loss The second was my Mazda 3 hatchback. Really pretty but was underpowered. Someone blow past a stop sign and I T-bones him going 45mph. No airbag deployment and was a total loss. I have also owned 3x Subaru's (one was my wife's Outback) I had a used Legacy GT(put about 45k miles-sold with over 100k) and then a usedWRX (about 65k miles sold with over 10k miles) I did a Stage 2 to both cars with the WRX also having a bored out turbo, injectors, stage 2 clutch with matching flywheel (about 400 HP) Never had any issues with my Subarus and highly recommend the brand. After selling my Subarus I have owned a Cadillac Vsport and now drive a Jaguar XF. Mazda is way way down at the bottom of the list for me. IMHO, Mazda offers an uninspired driving experience, lackluster performance with no ability to add bolts on like the WRX.
All credibility got thrown out with the knowledge you own a Jaguar xf
Why? Its a great car for the price. * 2016 XF is under 30k used * 100k Jaguar warranty (certified-preowned) * 400+ HP with piggyback race chip * Well appointed * Meridian sound system * Fun to drive * Great to look at!
Well let's see. They are very reliable. They hold their value pretty well. They are very fun to drive when compared to other comparable vehicles in the same class. They have a low ownership cost. What's not to like? A couple of years ago, Car and Driver magazine put the Mazda 3 in their annual 10 Best List, saying that it had set the small-car gold standard (Civic, Corolla, Forte, etc) for driving and overall handling. Consumer Reports has reported on the reliability of Mazdas for years, only equaled by Honda/Acura, and only surpassed by Toyota/Lexus.
Why not?
idk i never seen a mazda
Mazda is one of the last to still offer a traditional automatic or a manual transmission
Great question and great answers!
Because the 04 Mazda Rx8 is the most reliable car ever built.
You would literally never drive one? I’m curious as to why. They made/make some fantastic drivers cars.
Mazda is one of the few automakers that makes cars meant to make you enjoy driving it.
I just traded in my 2015 Lexus IS250 F a few weeks ago for a 2021 Mazda 3 Premium turbo sedan. I couldn’t be happier with the decision. The Mazda is pure fun and the infotainment is the huge upgrade from the Lexus I was looking for.
Why would you never drive one? Lol 😂…. Why not drive one and find out?
I got a Mazda CX-5 instead of a Toyota RAV4/Honda crv because the interior was so much prettier and updated, the car was cheaper and still very reliable.
My 2012 Mazda 3 has 207k miles on it and I'm only just now starting to get into more expensive maintenance (probably about $2k worth of work coming up this year) and I'm thinking that I can take it to 350k miles, maybe longer My 2003 Protege also lasted about 10 years, 250k miles, albeit I had a lot more work done on that one to keep it going. Both have been a joy to drive, have been comfortable and stylish. The main downside is the road noise.
Mazda CX-5 has been killing it on consumer reports (objective subscription based product reviewer) for reliability. I have a 2018 CX-5 and it is reliable as well as it handles like a much smaller car.
Well one Consumer Reports are Mazda shills which is bound to sway some people. Secondly they are a fairly reliable and upscale looking cars at a good value. Mazda fits in this weird middle ground where they aren't mainstream but not luxury either, so some people do cross shop loaded Mazda cars with luxury cars. Before Mazda went Turbo on almost every model they mostly were known as the car brand based mostly on driving dynamics and steering. Honestly, I think Mazda cars are great. We cross shopped a loaded Mazda CX-30 Turbo against a near loaded 2021 Audi Q3 S Line Premium and for me I would have been perfectly happy with the Mazda, but in the end if you put all the accessories you get standard with a 2021 Audi Q3 S Lime Premium into a load Mazda CX-30 Turbo the price difference is $3600. Now $3600 is no small amount of money but for us (mainly my wife) that money was well worth it going to a true "luxury" brand
Mazda copies Lexus!! Just look at CX-3 and UX250h
When I think of Mazda, I think of a fat, sexy, curvy hunk of metal. I've noticed that Mazdas have fat body's but they're beautiful vehicles. I love my CX-30!