2009 Mazda MAZDA3 i Sport 4-Door

Pros

Awesome look: Outside and Inside. Great sound system. I was shocked by it's handling

Cons

Isn't as fast as it looks in a way.

Purchased As New

My Mazda 3 is Copper Red ... with all black interior. It is a very attractive car inside and out. I was shocked when I did some cornering and realized it was glued to the road. The steering wheel stiffens at higher speeds for better handling. The only thing left is its performance... Overall I feel like it's a little over "OK" From a stand still, It doesn?t have that torque pulling feeling until your rpms are built up after 4 to 5, than it takes off. When you?re rolling and you put it on "M" meaning manual shift and down shift it can catch you by surprise. (or you can just buy a stick) If I was going to choose between a drag and a track I?d go with the track. You can always use the M and control your gear/rpms and it flies around corners and will have enough speed coming out to launch. Bottom line is it?s not too much of a 0-60 car or a very fast top speed car? but it has everything between. This is only if you?re going to buy it and treat it like a race car. But if you treat it like you?re an old man it wont go anywhere.....read morehide

Pros

Peppy, handling, fit and finish

Cons

none yet, save maybe a bit hard on gas

Purchased As New

I've owned this 2008 Mazda3 GX (base model, only auto and A/C as options) for just over a year now. It was originally bought in Sept 2008 as a replacement for my wife's 2002 Saturn SL1.

Car handles great, no complaints whatsoever, save maybe that it's a bit hard on gas and both the wife & I aren't exactly flooring the gas pedal. At least, it's very peppy when needed.

I've heard Mazdas are a bit prone to rusting so we had it rustproofed this year and will get it treated as such every other year....read morehide

Pros

just about everything is a pro on this car.

Cons

gas mileage; could use a little more room in the back seat for legs.

Purchased As New

I have a base model. I have driven 1,000 miles. After 3 fill-ups at the pump, I got 22 miles/gallon on town and city driving, and I've gotten 29 miles/gallon on highway driving. Hopefully, this will be improved as the car "breaks in". I love driving this car. I previously owned a 95 Mazda Protege for 13 years. What a difference driviing a 21st century car. I test drove 5 different cars in this class and the Mazda 3 drove the best, and felt the best. My hubby immediately commented on how comfortable the front passenger seat is...and he's a big guy! There is no skimping on material in the interior like some of the other cars I looked at. I get rave reviews from friends and family on its looks, style, comfortable interior, color. The stereo/CD player is awesome, too. The car handles well, also....sporty feel to it. I would recommend this car to anyone. I rated reliability at 5 stars, but time will tell if it truly is reliable. If it turns out to be like my Protege, it will be reliable....read morehide

Pros

Excellent handling for the price, cute, zoom zoom!

Cons

Mileage could be better

Purchased As New

I bought this car new when I realized it was even less expensive than the used models! I really love the styling, and the handling is amazing. Really a sporty car, doesn't feel like an "economy car" at all. I totally love it and highly recommend it!

Pros

Good performance and fuel economy, looks great with the rear wing spoiler and rims

Cons

This car is not good in the snow, it's light so it will drift and skid unexpectedly

Purchased As New

I have the Summer 2008 year model which is nearly identical to the 2009 model. A lot of the standard features are really great like the iPod adapter, keyless entry, 6 speaker digital CD/Stereo and enhanced suspension over earlier model years. The second gear of the car is not very quick in acceleration on things like highway onramps when accelerating rapidly through 30-40 mph, and you may think the car has no giddy up, but because the transmission only has 4 gears the second gear was designed to cover a long range of speeds and therefore not be as responsive as first, third or fourth. I love the great combination of sportiness and fuel efficiency, and did I mention the beautiful 17'' alloy rims?...read morehide

Pros

Fit N finish, style, fuel economy, performance, comfort

Cons

Stereo has 3 knobs - gets confusing. Seems underpowered when starting on UPHILL.

I have owned all sorts of vehicles in the past (from Lexus LS430/GS400 to new Mustang GTs to Miatas/MSM) and this car amazes me. Its almost as much fun to drive as a Miata - which is saying a lot - but i can fit my entire family in it: Wife + 3 kids. It gives me 27 - 29 mpg depending on how i drive it but no matter how "bad" i've been, it never drops below 27 (26 once in a while). Fit and Finish is top-notch - expected of a built in Japan and exported to US car. I have a blast driving this car (i Sport/manual with AC). Oh and the stereo is very decent for an entry level unit - love how i can plug in my ipod to it. Also the audio controls on steering wheels are very handy. AC blows ice cold air and gets entire cabin cooled down very fast. Has perfect power to weight ratio. Only surprising issue regarding power is when starting from stand still on an Uphill, it seems to take a lot of gas to get going otherwise stalls (scratching head) - not at all in line with how responsive the engine feels on flat roads. Maybe its responsiveness vs. power. Oh and do buy this with manual transmission to enjoy to the fullest....read morehide

Pros

great handling, great gas mileage, very sporty looking, precision shifting

Cons

lacking some power, which is to be expected from a car of this price

I absolutely love this car, its extremely sporty looking, on the highway i've gotten 44 miles per gallon, and it handles extremely well. the sound system that comes with the car is decent too. it also has a very precise shifter.

it does lack some power but that is fully expected from a $14,000 car. also, there is a lot of road noise.


if you are a teenager buying your first car, get this!!!...read morehide

Pros

need more hp and turbo

Cons

nothings

nice car with perfect saftey, confortable, nice aceleration , and nice power but can be to much better , i love mazda plz more hp

Looks great. I love the drop engine feature and the other safety features of this car.