2019 Mazda3

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Matt Maran (AKA Subaruwrxfan) has driven the manual hatch:



Seems like a pretty fun car to drive. I think I'm gonna go look at one this weekend...

I can't help but feel that the hatch would look better without dual exhaust. I'm probably in a very small majority in this opinion.

 

[mustafur]

Lucky Mazda still provide the Manual in every trim here.

 

[Jay]

Checked out the Hatch today at the dealership. They had no Top end Astina models but sat and went through the G25 Evolve and it was fantastic. Very premium and a big jump up over the previous generation which are nice too.

I really wasn't sure about rear end of the hatch but it is better in person and the Deep blue crystal mica looks fantastic on it.
Not really fond of the special colour Polymetal grey however.

 

[Jay]

Just got a email from Mazda saying our car is enroute to Australia

 

[kikie]

I have seen a few of these new Mazda 3's and they really are good looking cars.

One was in that Mazda metallic red and the other one was black.

 

[Jay]

Picked up the Astina Sedan this evening, absolutely blown away with it so far.
My wife and I were the first in a 3 month back log of orders apparently, glad we ordered early.

 

[88GTA]

Nice man, congrats.

 

[dice1998]

Picked up the Astina Sedan this evening, absolutely blown away with it so far.
My wife and I were the first in a 3 month back log of orders apparently, glad we ordered early.

View attachment 823083

DCB huh? Good choice! Curiously, are there trim levels for the car over there or is it also called Select Package, Preferred Package or Premium Package over there or is something completely different?

 

[Jay]

Yep, Deep Crystal Blue mica, looks so good.

Quite different here (Australia), there is 6 trims of the Mazda 3
G20 Pure
G20 Evolve
G20 Touring
G25 Evolve
G25 GT
G25 Astina

 

[dice1998]

Yep, Deep Crystal Blue mica, looks so good.

Quite different here (Australia), there is 6 trims of the Mazda 3
G20 Pure
G20 Evolve
G20 Touring
G25 Evolve
G25 GT
G25 Astina

Wow, that is quite different . I would think that 20 and 25 refer to a 2.0 and 2.5 engine choice (which the US doesn't get as we only have the 2.5 and, eventually, Skyactiv X).

Congrats on the car either way!

 

[VXR]

That is one fine looking vehicle. Congratulations.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Gahhh wish we could get a sedan with the manual in the USA. Curse you Mazda!

 

[Jay]

Thanks guys

Gahhh wish we could get a sedan with the manual in the USA. Curse you Mazda!

It is kind of strange, here all models are manual and you have to pay extra for automatic.

 

[LOonIE]

Gratulations @Jay!
I completely missed the release of the car and yesterday an astonishingly good looking Mazda overtook me on the Autobahn. It was the hatchback in red.
What a beauty! I instantly fell in love with the rear end.

Oh, BK hatch driver here.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

I saw a few at the New York auto show and I saw a white hatch today on the road. I'm glad people are buying them! I can't wait to see the future Mazda 6

 

[Jay]

Just a update after living with it for a
few days now.
It still blows me away, my wife and I had our eye on one since I heard pre-production rumblings. Well worth the wait, yes it costs more but the quality, softness and quietness alone make it well worth it. Not to meantion the long list of features. We love it. Only downside I would say would be rear legroom with the front seat in my driving position (I'm 6'3). Trunk is huge though in the sedan.

 

[ProjectWHaT]

Euro specs of the Skyactiv-X engine are released

https://www.motor1.com/news/353107/mazda-skyactiv-x-official-specs/

The 2.0-liter four-cylinder powerplant makes 177 horsepower (132 kilowatts) and 165 pound-feet (224 Newton-meters) of torque.

The Skyactiv-X engine in the Mazda3 also comes standard with a 24-volt mild hybrid system. The tech is able to harvest energy during deceleration and releases it to boost fuel economy.

European buyers can order the Skyactiv-X engine on either the hatchback or sedan body styles. Customers also have a choice of a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox.

At its best in the six-speed manual, front-wheel-drive sedan, the Skyactiv-X engine delivers 5.4 liters per 100 kilometers combined fuel economy in the WLTP test. This figure is roughly equivalent to 44 miles per gallon, but it's worth noting that the American EPA evaluation is different, so the Mazda3 with this mill would not have an identical rating in the United States.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Based on this calculator, 44mpg (UK) would be equivalent to about 36mpg (US). Which is hardly impressive. So it's a 4 cylinder engine that makes fairly middling 4-cylinder power & torque and delivers fairly middling 4-cylinder fuel economy (the previous-gen Mazda 3 2.0 would do 41mpg highway, for reference). If you consider it a hybrid (I mean it is) that goes from middling to actually kind of inadequate. People complained that the CR-Z achieved poor economy for it's configuration, and this seems notably worse. What happened Mazda?

Maybe I was overly optimistic, but I was anticipating 200hp, 200lbs-ft, and 50+mpg. Instead we got something that isn't really far off from the Skyactiv-G 2.0. Would love to see what the MX-5's tuned 2.0 could deliver (in terms of fuel economy) installed in a very light platform like the demio/2, but with better aero. Probably better than this.

edit: I guess 36mpg combined is pretty decent, but a Prius will do better than 50.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

I believe that's ~44 U.S. MPG. That's what the 5.4 liters/100 km converts to when plugged into the calculators.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I believe that's ~44 U.S. MPG. That's what the 5.4 liters/100 km converts to when plugged into the calculators.

Correct.

 

[mustafur]

If that's real world driving in combined economy then it beats my Mazda 2 Fairly comfortably.

Think of it this way, it's like a Mild Hybrid that can be had with a 6 Speed Manual.

Considering it's rivals in this catagory are all strictly CVT only it's a good selling point for people who are not a fan of Single tone engine sounds.

 

[05XR8]

Just saw the 3 hatch in white, tinted glass, black wheels. The front is to die for. The black grille and lights:tup:

 

[Aphelion]

Seen a few wild ones now, both hatches and sedans. They are easily the most head-turning cars in this segment on the market. They honestly look as if they could be twice the price they are.

 

[05XR8]

For real. Very upscale. Love the rear double round tailights in the hatch. I was riding high in my work ute and not too sure about the view from the rear. I'll have to look at that C pillar for a while, to get used to it.

The sedan should be a looker in Race trim.

 

[Jay]

Sun finally came out on the weekend for a short time so I managed to get a look at the blue.

 

[88GTA]

It seems a lot bigger than the last 3 from that angle, almost as big as my 6.

 

[05XR8]

Sun finally came out on the weekend for a short time so I managed to get a look at the blue.

Brings back the first time I saw the original A4 and Acura TSX. They have the perfect shapes, for those sedans, in that era. They both still hold up today. The 3 sedan is right up there.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

Brings back the first time I saw the original A4 and Acura TSX. They have the perfect shapes, for those sedans, in that era. They both still hold up today. The 3 sedan is right up there.

Agreed about all 3 cars. First gen TSX, especially, was just right. The new 3 (as a sedan) is as close as I think any car in 2019 could be to those proportions. It's a fantastically handsome car in proportions and in details. Wish they would sell the sedan with a manual here!!

 

[Jay]

Agreed I might be biased but I think the sedan looks stunning.

It seems a lot bigger than the last 3 from that angle, almost as big as my 6.

It has gotten larger, when I showed my parents (they own a outgoing BN Mazda3) they were surprised by how large it is. Still 200mm shorter than the 6 however.

 

[05XR8]

Just saw a white sedan from the rear and rear 3/4, while I was driving. Black tailights and bright wheels. I guess it was a top model. This too, had tinted windows like the hatch I saw the other day.

I wish the single round tailights or double rounds in the style of the Vision Coupe were feasible.

As they are, the lenses are so dark, I couldn't see the nice round design in the housing. Seemed different to the hatch.