Dec 1 - Test drove 3 sport!!

[boofdogg]

Wow!!!

I must confess that I am not a very "car savvy" person. In fact until a couple of months ago I didn't quite understand what torque meant. But I can truly say that the Mazda 3 is one wicked ride!!! I test drove a GT sport (manual) this evening and it was amazing!! Since I'm not that great on all the jargon I'll just say how it felt.

First of all, just as people have been saying, this car is even more attractive in real life. Seriously, the pictures just don't do it justice!
The handling (from an amateur viewpoint) is very good and the shifter is very very smooth. I could tell and feel how powerful the car was as I stepped on the gas and heard the powerful roar. I found it sped up very quickly as I found I changed the gears rather quickly.
The interior looks phenomenal especially since I was driving at night and I absolutely fell in love with the red/blue electrolumniscent lighting.
My only criticism would be that the leg room in the back is small but for such a sporty car who the **** cares??? Trunk space is ample and I like that the back seats fold forward for even more trunk space.

Anyways, the bottom line is that I'm sold! The value for money is great and for a compact car, I think this is top of the line. I might have to wait a couple months but I'm getting me a Mazda3!!

According to the dealer they're selling like hot cakes. Demand is keeping prices up so it's really hard to negotiate right now so waiting a little while till the "newness" starts to wear off will translate into more negotiating power.
Sweet Car!!

[Slalom]

glad to hear u enjoyed the car so much! im loving mine the more i drive it (550kms so far)...
im looking forward to taking a manual for a spin when my salesman calls me so i can see what im missing after getting the auto :-) im happy with the auto tho as i was tired of the daily commute of constant shifting in my P5.

[6_funk]

where are you guys from?

[Slalom]

Originally posted by 6_funk@Dec 1 2003, 10:29 PM
where are you guys from?

im in ontario (london)... where r u from 6_funk?

[apexjr]

im looking forward to taking a manual for a spin when my salesman calls me so i can see what im missing after getting the auto :-) im happy with the auto tho as i was tired of the daily commute of constant shifting in my P5.

I took both for a spin at a dealer. I honestly thought the auto was quicker, and I loved the automanual shifter. I admit I was minus the dealer when I took out the automatic one, but the manual was still pretty quick with the extra weight (3 people). In the automatic I took it up to around 95-100 mph and when I had to shift from 3rd into 4th was right around 80 and the pull to 95 was much slower. If this thing had a 5 speed automatic it would be a lot better. I'm waiting for the Mazda6 4 door hatch with the 5 speed automatic to take out before I decide which Mazda I will be getting. That and I will have to take out the manual again and see how it pulls from 80 to 95 to do a fair comparison.

[6_funk]

i'm from toronto, which dealer did you go to?

[boofdogg]

I live in Ottawa and I must say I agree that it's not the same driving with the salesman... I think I'll have to go for another run at it

[Number Eight]

I'm in Mississauga, and even though there's a dealership like 10 minutes away from me, I have yet to actually see a 3 in person due to exams going on right now.

[Cowtown]

Heh, I freaked my salesguy out, I was a bit tenative but I still gave the Mazda3 I drove the boot to give it a good run.

In fact I came up fast, did a lane change up to a red light and wasn't slowing down and said, good I get to test this and stood on the brakes, the ABS kicked in, a little tail wag and it came to a nice stop. The Pro5 brakes feel a bit grabier but the Mazda 3 I think has more progressive brakes. Funny enough after I had stopped the salesguy said, good nobody has done that with me yet, at least I know how it works!