2010 Mazda MAZDA3 User Reviews

Pros

Esthetic appeal, design, user friendly gauges/knobs, excellent gas mileage!

Cons

Road noise, driver's door controls up too far on door ledge (have to reach forward).

Purchased As New

This is by far the best sporty car I have ever test-driven and then purchased! I love the color (silver), the design, the positioning of the dash controls and gauges, the luminescent red and blue lighting on dash and gauges, the VERY (yes, VERY) deep glove box WITH 2 SHELVES! How ingenious! The trunk is deceivingly roomy and the rear passenger seat folds down allowing ample room for longer items to fit between rear seat and trunk. It is quick, precise, sharp turns, speedy when you need it, excellent gas mileage (I get 32 mpg city), I can't say enough. I absolutely love it. My only regret is I wanted the completely "decked out" version, which I would have had to wait for and risk losing my "cash for clunkers" incentive. I am already planning to purchase this car again in about 2 years as long as they maintain the sporty design. My entire family loves this car. And Mazda Corporation is right there for everything (questions/answers). They even set up a web site for you that is only for you. This MAZDA is a WIN/WIN....read morehide

Pros

Loved the Design

Cons

Not reliable

Purchased As New

Before I bought a car I did a lot of research before I bought one and mazda seemed to be the best choice. Well now that I'm having so many problems with my mazda did even more research and there are a lot of people out there having the same problem I am.... Mazda transmissions don't last and go out at very low miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The worst part is even if a small part goes out in the transmission mazda doesn't replace just that piece they replace the whole transmission... which for someone like me is very expensive since I don't have an extra 2600 bucks laying around!!!!!! So right now my car is 3 yrs old and it's having it's 3rd transmission because apparently the one they got to replace the first was a lemon! If I knew three years ago what I know now I would never have bought a Mazda! Maybe that's why Mazda now does 50,000 mile powertrain instead of 100,000.... Mine went out at 68,000....read morehide

Pros

Tight Turning, mpg 35

Cons

Little rough at high speeds, comfort is bad for a 6'5" person

Purchased As Used

I bought this car used in 2005, only had 15,500 miles and have never had a problem. Have over 140,000 miles on this car still no major problems! Only problem I had was the oil filter cap is made of some cheap plastic. Its really reliable.

This car is used for work mostly, from Pa to Ks to Fl toTx.

Comfort level is low on trips longer than 6 hrs...read morehide

Pros

great gas mileage and roomy

Cons

little bit of road noise

Purchased As New

I owned a gas guzzler SUV (Range Rover) for hauling erscue dogs, and a Honda Civic for gas mileage (I commute 85 miles a day). I traded both for a 2008 Mazda3 hatchbask (S model) and I can now accomplish both tasks. Great mileage and room for the dogs. Great little car.

Pros

Fun - Sporty - Storage Room - Performance

Cons

Road Noise

Purchased As New

I traded in a clunker for the 2010 Mazda3 5 door. I was looking for an inexpensive vehicle to carry a family of 4, a fun sporty car for myself, and a vehicle that could handle carrying hockey goalie gear. I got what I needed in the Mazda3. I wanted to get the MazdaSpeed3 but I knew my wife would blow out the clutch. The Mazda3 has the Auto for her and I have the manual shift feature. I had a tough time getting into a comfortable driving position but once I did the experience has been nothing but fun. I am hoping the mileage will come up though. I am averaging 24 mpg in mixed driving....read morehide

Pros

Handling engine power, comfort

Cons

slows down with A/C

Purchased As New

I got stolen my 2007 Mazda 3 and guess what I bought again, a Mazda 3. I love its sporty look, its handling and engine power ahen I need it. The sportstronic gear change it is fun and useful in the highway. I also like the sound system and its ipod aux. Great car, I´ll keep it for years!!.

Pros

great mileage, large trunk, good excelleration, sporty looking car

Cons

would like cruise control to be standard on all models

Purchased As New

I have had my 2010 Mazda 3 for 3 months and love it. My wife drove a 99' Protege for 9 years and we had great performance from it; never had any serious mechanical trouble with it even after 150,000 miles. We also have a 2009 Mazda 6 so you can see we highly recommend Mazdas.

Pros

Sound System, Speed, Interior

Cons

Gears are to close to each other

Purchased As New

I have been driving this car for about two weeks now and I must say I like it alot. It is very quick off the line and looks great. It turns very well and overall it is a very smooth ride. The Bluetooth system is wonderfull. I never thought i would use it but now i just love it. I got the bose package that is fantastic. Their is no need for anyone to have to replace this sound system. I put an aftermarket system in my last car and spent a pretty penny but this one blows it away.

The negaives, I have the 6 speed stick shift and i feel like i am always changing gears because they are so close together. If i could do it over again i would op for the auto with the tiptronic transmission. Another con is I am only getting 23 MPG. I do have a heavy foot though. My last gripe is I wanted to get the Sirius in my car and I found out that it was going to be 800 dollars to do so. So my advice is if you want the Sirius get one that already has it installed.

In closing this is a great car that i fell like i could driver for many years to come....read morehide

Pros

Handles like a dream - like being on a roller coaster - great value for the money!

Cons

Cabin noise, traction with stock tires, seats are too vinyl-like

Purchased As New

A new gunmetal blue i Sport 4-door with 5 speed manual, my fourth Mazda and replacing a Toyota Camry. The car handles better than any other I've driven over the last 30 years. Plenty of power with the 2.0, but the stock tires squeek easily, and the cabin noise at highway speed requires turning the stereo up some more. Some may complain the ride is a little rough, but I'll take the handling over a cushy wallow any day. The driver side cockpit is snug, which translates to me as a sports car feel, and the 3 does NOT have the econobox feel to it at all.

Just driving around the block is a blast. The manual transmission has a short, crisp throw and the gears shift like extremely smoothly. The oil used is 5W-20, so don't expect as much engine braking as older manuals - the car hardly slows down when downshifted. Still seems very peppy, and it's also more difficult to make the engine lug. Super sweet action for a MT, which I prefer mostly for the better feel and handling in the snow.

Quality should be good - my three previous Mazdas ('86 626, '90 MX-6, and '97 Protege were excellent), and the sub $17K price tag makes value outstanding. Very sporty look, and the color turn heads, though that's not a real priority for me.

The seats in the i Sport model are nylon, and though they appear durable, they are little warm and uncomfortable compared to cloth. They remind me of the old vinyl seats of yesteryear, though they breathe better. I bought a micro-fiber seat cover and it helps a lot. If you add an aftermarket seat cover, be sure it doesn't interfere with the SRS airbags in the front bucket seats.

The ergos are good, though not as sweet as the Camry. The posts between the windshield and the driver/passenger side windows are wide, and create small blind spots. The three mirrors don't seem to give quite as "surround view" as I would prefer, though I don't feel unsafe. The stock horn is a joke though, and will have to be replaced for safety purposes. There's no way that can be heard 2 feet in front of the car at highway speeds.

One final modification is a steering wheel cover - the hard pastic stock one slipped a little in my hands, so I forked over a whopping $4 for a vinyl cover. Much improved.

I waffled between the i Sport and i Touring models, and finally picked the i Sport because of the color, and saving $2K. I never use cruise control, but two perks on the i Touring that I would have liked are the cloth seats and the power door locks. Still, 75+ % of time I'm a one-door guy, and the $15 seat cover is nice. Money saved pays for gas for a year.

One final bit of advice - don't test drive one of these unless you're ready and capable of buying. It'll blow your socks off!...read morehide

Pros

Handeling, Transmission, Power, Features

Cons

gas milage, tires

Purchased As New

The Mazda 3s Grand Touring is an incredible car for the money it is loaded with features that cost extra in most luxury marques. It is also a wonderful drivers car, I chose the 6pd manual. I've shifted in gearboxes from BMW and Porsche and this stick feels just as good. The cornering reflexes on the 3 are also top notch, while it might not be the 10/10ths car a Mini Cooper S is it is still great fun on back roads. The styling can take some getting used to but it certainly doesn't blend in in the sea of boring cars. I think the "face" in black looks kind of sinister. The gas mileage cold be better, and the stock tires need more grip but these are minor quibbles. All you Civic and Corolla shoppers, drive the 3 and you'll be hooked....read morehide