Consumer Reports rates them in the top 3 reliability brands, sometimes #1.
I drive one. Their interior trim tends to be higher quality than price-competitors. Mazda is completely allergic to CVT transmissions, opting to increase mileage through their own methods (SKYACTIV). Automatic transmissions tend to have the clutchless manual shifting as well. This was a selling point for me, I hate CVT. They also maintain manual transmissions for some, perhaps unfortunately only in the lower trims though.
That’s probably true for a 2014 model, but Mazda has been attempting to reposition themselves as a more upmarket brand in recent years, much like VW did in the 1990s. Their current cars are much “nicer” feeling than they used to be.
Actually it’s the opposite. As of the last time I looked into it, if you want a Mazda3 with a manual transmission, you have to get the highest trim level. Which kind of makes sense. Pretty much the only people buying manuals in the US nowadays are “enthusiasts”, so if they’re going to have the expense of offering a manual for such a small group of buyers, they’re going to make you buy the more profitable top trim.
Yeah that’s true, and I’m not sure that’s necessarily a good thing. I’ve driven a new (like model year 2020 or 2021) Mazda 3 a few times as a loaner when having some work done, and yes it’s definitely “nicer” but not as fun to drive and the mileage was crap. The cars are heavier, they turbocharged the engine, and added all-wheel-drive, all of which saps the MPG’s. That hurts even more because they require premium gas. I have the naturally aspirated 2.5L engine in my 3 (which is somewhat of a rare beast) and I can still get 40mpg in just the right circumstances, and no premium gas needed either. The newer 3’s feel more like my old Passat, which had a V6 and pretty crap mileage too, but it was definitely smooth. Also, the new 3’s have one digital gauge that attempts to look just like the manual gauges on either side of it, and that just bothers me.
How bad was the mileage on the new Mazdas? My 2014 3 (which is what you have, but I don’t have the 2.5L engine), is 33.3 combined for the lifetime I’ve had the car so far, and gets up to about 42 on pure highway miles. That said, I don’t particularly feel like the interior feels cheap on that car for a car in its class. It’s certainly nicer than the Chevys or Fords I’ve been in in that market segment.
My running average is right around 28-30mpg with a good bit of city driving, but still some decent highway trips. I’d say my typical highway drive is in the 35mpg range and around town is more like 20-25 (that’s actual city, so lots of stop lights, speed limits around 30mph, short trips, etc.). The EPA rated mileage is 28/38, which is typical. Their “city” mileage is actually what I would call “suburban”.
Anyway, the 2022 AWD turbo 2.5L only gets an EPA rating of 23/32, so my “real world” city mileage would be in the teens, and on the highway it was tough to break into the 30s. Still better than the Passat (on a long highway-only trip the highest I ever saw was 28mpg, while a trip to the grocery store just two miles away would maybe be 14mpg if I was lucky). Even the 2022 FWD non-turbo (so basically the same engine as 2014) only manages 26/35.
They did bring back the 2.0L, which they pulled from the US market in 2018, and that bumps the numbers back up a smidge to 28/36, but there’s been nearly 400 lbs of weight gain since the mid-2010s to hurt those numbers.
I was thinking of CX-5, but now that’s all automatic. For the 2023 3 it looks like manual only available in the premium trim, which is the 3rd most expensive of 7 trims.
I’m not sure I can offer a helpful opinion here. Since I’m in the aftermarket rather than at a dealership, I don’t see the latest cars; generally they’re five years old or more. That said, I think of Kia and Hyundai as not bad but still not as good as the four makes I mentioned. I’ve seen so few Ecoboosts I have no thoughts on them.
I did notice that they seemed to hold the line longer than most of the others on normally aspirated engines and geared automatics (yet at the same time they were quick to adopt the e-parking brake).
Only have driven the recent ones as rentals but have had good imopression as to the driving and interiors and only have heard positive about reliability.
The fact that they are lower sellers than Hondas and Toyotas could suggest a more limited parts market than the big-selling brands and thus maybe higher prices.
Yes, Apple Car Play unavailability was a major consideration when I was deciding between a used and a new Mazda.
Also, while it does not bother me a bit, it should be noted that the Mazda infotainment display is not a touch screen. This is deliberate, as studies have shown that touch screens have a negative impact on safety.
And finally, Mazdas have an unusual center console “Commander” control knob that some may not like (I happen to prefer it to dash-located controls).
Did they change that when they went to the newest design (which is honestly a pretty small screen)? The 2014-era screen that sticks up out of the dash is a touchscreen, but touch is disabled when the car is moving so you have to use the dials/buttons then.
I’m curious how the knobs and buttons work in conjunction with a screen. The only way I can see them being safer is if they all have a fixed function. But usually large screens mean some sort of menu-based situation, where you’d still need to look at the screen to know what the controls would do.
That sounds right. I’ve never tried touching my screen when the vehicle was parked, but I think it is not a touchscreen, period.
As for the knobs and buttons, there is mostly just a large joystick-like knob that is all that is needed 90% of the time. With it, you move the field that is active around (there is no cursor, just highlighted fields), then push it in to select. I like it because it’s location is right next to where my right hand often rests while I drive, so it is natural (for me) to use it to navigate the screen. I’m sure there are some who would dislike it.
Sorry, @LivingGhost371, if we are straying too far from your OP.
No, it’s actually helpful seeing other people’s thoughts on the Mazda entertainment system.
My sister’s one of those people that doesn’t like all those new fangled touchscreen type stuff; we were looking at cars with all those navigation system screens and she’s like “where do I put in my CD? Where’s the buttons for the radio station presets?”. She doesn’t even own a smartphone. She’s a bit put off by the idea of those “wheels” down by the shifter in the newer Mazdas, but is willing to see if she can learn to live with it.
We looked a bit at Civics too, but she doesn’t like Honda seats and was really put off by the weird instrument panel layout.
One more bit of anecdata: We bought our 2014 CX-5 in 2013 after extensive research and test-driving 17 different vehicles, and we decided the CX-5 was the best of them for us. Nine years, roughly 90k miles, and two cross-country moves (with cats) later, we haven’t had a breakdown or any major issues whatsoever. This includes having lived at times both in a low desert climate, and a few years in a climate cold enough to see winter snow. Maintenance has been minimal (certainly less than recommended by the manufacturer).
In fairness, 90k miles in nine years is not being particularly hard on a car; outside of some long road trips, we don’t do a ton of running around.
While I wish it had some of the more modern safety features that have become standard, we’re very, very happy with it. And should we need to buy another vehicle for some reason, we’d probably start by looking hard at the current CX-5s.
Mazdas are great cars, but I don’t think they have quite the reputation for long life that a Toyota or Honda has. I would put Toyota-Honda-Subaru (also Lexus and Acura) in the first tier of Asian car reliability. Mazda-Hyundai-Kia (and Genesis) in the 2nd tier. Nissan/Infiniti is third tier, while Mitsubishi is at the bottom.