2008 Mazda 3 GS 2.0

Summary:

This car is a good buy relative to the price and options

Faults:

Nothing yet has gone wrong, although I do get a funny smell through the air vents when I go through a car wash with the AC on.

General Comments:

The car has decent handling, but it does feel a little top heavy into the corners; perhaps the wheel base could have been a little wider. I expected more out of a car with 16 inch wheels on it.

I do not recommend the 4 speed auto, the gear ratios are terrible. It accelerates quite well in first, but loses all power when it shifts to second, the RPMs just drop way too low. I should have got the model up with the 5 speed auto, but was not willing to spend another 4k.

The interior and exterior are both really sharp looking, the instrument cluster has very cool blue LEDs that light it up at night.

The seats are not the most comfortable for a taller person; I found them to be short on the legs. I also still have to reach for the wheel when my seat is positioned all the way back with the telescopic wheel adjusted towards me... great head room though.

The sound system is decent. The volume jumps dramatically from 34 to 35, the base goes flat sometimes when listening to MP3s. Aux plug under the arm rest is a nice touch, but I am still wondering why it didn’t come with bluetooth.

The cruise control is terrible on hills, it fluctuates way too much.

I really like the auto head lights and auto windshield wipers.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th November, 2008

26th Oct 2009, 17:03

The 4 speed auto is decent up to about 40-45mph, then really putters out because it shifts into 4th way too early. Generally when I want to pass someone on the highway/freeway, I drop it into manual and shift into 3rd. In third I was able to drive 80mph over the rockies in Idaho and still had a little oomph left.

2008 Mazda 3 Mazda Sport GT w/ Luxury Pack 2.3L

Summary:

Awesome

Faults:

Had the car for just over 2 months now. Nothing major has gone wrong with the car. Just a faulty stereo, but had it changed under warranty. Sounds much better now. There has been a TSB out for all 2008.5 Mazda 3 stereos.

General Comments:

This model is a 2008.5.

Overall this car is great. Cheap on gas, I get about 540km on a full tank.

Interior is nice with the piano black finish and the leather seats. Heated seats are nice and the Bose 7 speaker system sounds amazing.

One thing that should have been added is "dead pedal" driver's footrest.

Overall quality is good.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th July, 2008

9th Oct 2008, 22:30

I've got basically the same car, only with out the lux package. I've owned mine since April '08 and have 28,000+ km's on it, I commute 35min into Red Deer and back and am able to watch my fuel economy. With that amount of Km's on the car, I'm finding an average of 600Km's (+/-) per tank depending on the type of fuel.

Wait until you hit your first 8,000 oil change and watch your fuel economy sky rocket. Try premium, I was getting about an extra 100km's per tank (hi-way driving that is). Another thing to try is experiment with your fuel stations. I've found a wide difference in fuel economy vs one station to another... I've found that my car can be a bit of a princess with the type of fuel that I use... just something to think about...

7th Jul 2010, 10:33

So here it is. I also have the 2008.5 GT with the luxury pkg. It was a hard sell on me. I truly did my best to not like this car. Now I can't say enough about it that is good. It grew on me. The engine, the delivery of the power, the comfortable cabin and excellent stereo. As for the exterior, the styling is primo. I prefer it to even the 2010 model. This car comes with things that usually are not found in this class, and even then would be options on higher end cars: HID Headlamps, LED taillights, auto-headlights, rain-sensor wipers to name a few.

Finally I come to the engine. What a piece of interesting machinery. It is not the biggest engine in the world, and despite Europe not showing this car the love we do here in Canada, I must say it is because of this engine. We get the 2.3L inline four. They only get the 2.0L and the 1.6L diesel. Neither of which have the same fun factor. Not in the least. Now I drive a lot, and with 45K's on my 3, I found my fuel mileage got better after I broke 15K. I clear 530km in town on a tank before filling back up, and on the highway, well, that number gets closer to the high 600's.

2008 Mazda 3 i Touring

Summary:

It's wonderful... and I seriously can't recommend it enough

Faults:

Nothing! :)

General Comments:

I love my Mazda3! Nothing has gone wrong with it, it handles beautifully, and the interior is amazing. It's a solidly built car and feels really sturdy. It has tons of really great features and is thoughtfully designed. It handles well in the snow, rain, and everything else.

Although Mazda says the 3 gets 22-29mpg, I get a fabulous 37mpg on highway.

The only thing that was a little crappy was the dealer, but who really cares. Car dealerships are notoriously shady. But they did go out of their way to get the color and specs I wanted from another state, so that was cool.

If things continue this way, I'll never get anything else but a Mazda.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th June, 2008