Living with the Mazda3 Long-Term Tester: Interior Quality and Quirks

With many cars, even after a year of driving age starts to slowly take a toll. Having personally owned a 2007 MazdaSpeed 3 and a Honda Civic, I found the fit and finish of our long-term Mazda3 tester to be a huge leap forward. With the Civic, I started hearing random rattles and creaks inside the dash even after six months, but the Mazda3 still feels as fresh as the day it was delivered to the Yahoo parking lot.

The red-stitched, white leather seats are holding up perfectly after 11 months of dogs leaping into the back seat, babies drooling, bikes getting jammed in and impromptu beach trips. Soft touch points at each armrest and the thick sporty leather steering wheel are likewise wearing without blemish.

Our only gripe recently has been the volume hand off between audio sources. Often navigation commands will sound far louder or quieter than the music playing, and must be quickly adjusted by the same shared volume knob. Once the Navigation command has ended and music resumed, you’re waiting for the next command to regain the ability to adjust volume. A navigation volume that pre-adjusts based on current music volume would be a welcomed addition. The Bluetooth connection to my iPhone also seems sensitive to a signal interruption — if I have grab the iPhone on the sides, the streaming audio occasionally breaks, though it’s unclear whether that’s a phone issue or something with the infotainment system.

Stay tuned for our final update as we give our parting thoughts with the Mazda3.