24th Mar 2007, 18:50
A very entertaining read. I recently read that the C-max was voted most unreliable car!
I'm getting rid of my VW Golf TDi 150 and buying a Mazda 2.0 Sport. I prefer it over the mk v, it should be more reliable too.
In '06 they face lifted the 3. Worldcarfans website details the changes. I look forward to owning a 3 sport!
3rd Oct 2013, 07:17
Great review and consumption follow-up seems promising OP!
I have a similar love for my previous Primera, a 2.0 eGT P10 and I am looking into a 2006 Sport also. Very eager to get one now as it ticks so many boxes and looks great to boot. I love it in the rich dark blue colour it comes in, and am going to see one tomorrow. If there are no alarm bells, I'm sold.
27th Dec 2013, 10:20
I posted about owning a Primera eGT Saloon before, and commented I was looking into a Mazda 3 2.0 Sport; I bought one!
I love it. Around town I am almost getting 30 MPG in winter with lots of sitting around waiting for windows to demist, heating the car up for the wife and having the odd blast on a dual carriageway mixed in. I have NOT been delicate.
I usually fill up just below 1/4 tank and note the miles travelled at 1/4... With normal 95 RON unleaded I was getting about 180 miles out of 3/4 of a tank. With V Power+ I was getting between 200 and 210... Trying Tesco's 99 RON Momentum now, and so far I'm on 90 miles out of 1/4 of a tank, which is more than expected! And it was cheaper, so will treat my engine to that stuff...
I am overall happy with her; she's in Aurora blue and looks gorgeous. Tricky in the wet but fun, and a lovely place to be! Would buy again...!
31st May 2016, 10:25
The above comment was mine. I have had her three years now, and aside from minor issues and new brake disc and pads all round in the interim, she was fine.
I need to do a bit more to keep her going finally and will probably shell out for some bodywork repair (Storm Katie took a toll on my paintwork with the help of a tree!) and general upkeep plus some attention to the underside. The clonking noise of a broken suspension link was fixed, but seems to be reappearing. Curious as to her future, but will find out soon enough.
I figure if I can get all repairs and cosmetic refurbishments done for under £2k, it'll be better than replacing her; similar cars now cost still around £3k and mine's only done 55k on the clock!
I can't find an alternative car I like more with a similar balance of style, practicality and fun. I would happily go for the 2008 refresh though, simply for MP3 functionality in the BOSE system and an Aux jack.
31st Oct 2016, 15:50
Right, so I've been the last comment in May 2016; since then I have taken her on a 3,000 mile road trip after having the underside cleaned up and undersealed, plus new tyres on the front. She's been around the UK and performed exceptionally well, keeping me and the wife safe and warm up in the Highlands of Scotland.
She came back with a few extra miles on the clock and the need for a wash; other than that, she held our luggage beautifully (we had 16 days worth, for two people, over various terrain; we did a lot of walking en route hence wellies, hiking boots etc), and got up to 380 miles out of the best part of a tank.
I can't find anything better for the money, though older cars like my cousin's 190E still make me miss the older beasts I used to have from time to time...
31st Oct 2016, 16:13
We did a 800 mile trip non stop other than gas. High praise as well. 2 adults with luggage in a loaded 2012 Touring. We stopped at a very cool outdoor "salon" under canopies for a quick synthetic oil change in Jacksonville. Great trip, a very comfortable car even for tall occupants. It is actually easy to speed in this car on the interstates. With the automatic you simply point, go and arrive. Very impressed.
18th Aug 2021, 13:22
So I commented about my 3000 mile trip. Eventually sold the Mazda 3 Sport 2.0 Saloon as I opted for a bigger car with more poke: The 2009 Mondeo Titanium X Sport, 6spd Manual with the 2.5 Turbo Inline 5 Volvo lump. I actually think the OP would enjoy this car. It goes around corners without much roll at all, and although it is big and you can tell, it is still fun. It's quieter in the interior so OP would love that as you can't hear the engine as much, but it shifts quicker than the Mazda did. I actually miss the 2.0 Sport's engine sound and normally aspirated engine though. The Mondeo, however, makes for a very competent cruiser with the ability to be enjoyed on the bends too. It's overall a nicer place to be, but I do miss the gauge illumination of the Mazda cluster, and the Mazda had a bigger glovebox and better armrest storage, and the cupholders weren't great on either, but the Mazda was slightly better still than the Mondeo.
The Mondeo has sunglasses storage inside, seats are better for the driver, less comfy for a passenger trying to nap, but supportive and good on long journeys. Mine had Bluetooth, but only for phone calls. I replaced the module in the glovebox with one from a 2010 Focus, so now Bluetooth works for music also. The Bose system on the Mazda was great, but overall materials in the Mondeo are better and the Sony system rattles them less and is still a very good sound system.
The steering wheel on the Mondeo is nicer with a chunkiness to it, but the cruise control setup on the Mazda was much easier to use.
The Mondeo is 220PS whereas the Mazda was 150. The Mondeo has more torque and is capable of overtaking in any gear, but doesn't quite have that same sense of fun and urgency as the Mazda did in the higher rev range. The Mazda has a chain driven LFVD engine which was incredibly fun. I prefer normally aspirated and higher revving engines versus a turbo, but I won't complain about the poke the Mondeo has.
The Mondeo has exterior similarities (Xenons, fogs, spoiler - proper not just a lip unlike the Mazda). I preferred the Mazda's light clusters, but the Mondeo's fog lights, grille and twin exit exhaust, plus the rear diffuser looks nice.
While the Mazda's boot was spacious for its class, the Mondeo being a hatchback is more practical and especially quite cavernous.
Overall the Mondeo is great for a wider variety of uses and daily peaceful driving, being a nice, roomy car with a quieter cabin, but the Mazda's engine was a lot of fun and definitely worth the spend for anyone still in the market for cheap smiles!
23rd Mar 2007, 08:10
In addition to my original review at the top of this page, I would like readers to know the following:
I love this car. It will do almost anything I ask of it. Recently, rather than see what it would do in terms of speed and acceleration, I thought I would see how economical is was by driving carefully on a long 130 mile journey. By taking my time, not racing through the gears, and not exceeding 65 MPH on a motorway, the car returned an amazing figure of 45.88 MPG! Which is above those claimed by the manufacturer.
On a separate occasion, by driving sensibly, but not dawdling nor exceeding the national speed limit, she returned dead on 40 MPG! - and that's from a 2 litre engine!
My last car was a Ford Focus C-Max with a 1.8 litre engine, and that piece of junk returned just 27 MPG at the most no matter how delicately I drove it. The Mazda just blows it away in every respect apart from a tailgate, but in service, I have found not even that desirable feature is the massive disadvantage I once thought it might be.
The car has also been into the garage for it's first service recently, and the garage staff, as well as being helpful and courteous, were very efficient. They turned the car around in about one hour whilst I waited. Others have much to learn from them it seems.