Jump to content
Create New...
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Interactive Review: 2012 Mazda 3i Grand Touring Hatchback

    William Maley

    Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

    October 12, 2012

    Coming in this week at the Cheers & Gears Detroit garage is the 2012 Mazda3 i Grand Touring hatchback. This 3 is equipped with a 2.0L SKYACTIV-G four-cylinder producing 150 HP and 155 lb-ft of torque and goes through a six-speed automatic. If you're wondering, this is the same powertrain package in the Mazda CX-5 crossover I had back in August.

    The 3 i Grand Touring starts at $23,150 and my test vehicle stickers at $25,345* (includes $795 destination charge) thanks to the optional Technology Package.

    I had this car for about day and there are some items that impress me and others that drive me somewhat crazy.

    • 2.0L SKYACTIV engine doesn't feel sluggish at all in the 3. I'm thinking the lighter weight of the 3 to the CX-5 plays a role.
    • Handling is sublime and fun. The car is stable when turning and the steering is just right in feel and weight.
    • Ride could use some improvement as the 3 will transmit every little bump into the interior.
    • Average fuel economy so far is an impressive 35 MPG (EPA rating is 28 City/39 Highway/32 Combined)

    I have the 3 till Wednesday and will be updating before it goes back. If you have any questions for the 3, drop them below and I will do my best to answer them.

    Update: October 15, 2012

    It has been an interesting weekend with the Mazda 3 as it had to deal with endless rain and being used to carry a good amount of stuff to the recycling bin as I was cleaning out my closet. The 3 dealt with both of these without a sweat.

    Average fuel economy has dropped to about 33 MPG, which is still above the combined fuel economy figure. I also did a bit of highway driving which saw fuel economy climb to an impressive 40 MPG. The highway also revealed that the Mazda3 isn't so good at containing road noise.

    I'll have one more update before the 3 leaves on Wednesday. If you have anymore questions, please don't hesitate. Drop them off.

    William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.


    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    How does the fit and finish compared to other auto's you have reviewed in this category?

    I own a 2012 Mazda 3 i Skyactiv since Febuary this year. To answer your question, I will break down in two categories:

    1. Mechanical and Structure - Very high tolerance in term of fit and finish. If you get a chance to crawl underneath the car, you will see all the components are logically arranged and the wires and hoses are secured neatly with clips in pure Japanese way of doing things in "details". The Mazda engineers did a good job in heat management.

    2. Body and trim panels are fitted like in 90's standard. The gap control in all body panels are not exact. My car's bumper and hood joint is not spaced evenly. I verified at the dealer lots, all hatchback produced in 01/2012 suffered this symptom. The door panel trim has a sharp edge and not flush fitted. My car's driver rear door has a upper interior door trim that was not seated flush to the door frame leaving a sharp plastic edge sticking out. Based on my experience in plastic production, the trim panel and the blow molded front bumper has a poor tolerance control. A worn mold or an old equipment with incorrect blow pressure might be a result.

    Bottom line is you buy this car for the handling and mechanical components - Yes, you will be happy to own Mazda 3 like me.

    For a premium car's quality interior and perfect sheet metal fits - Ha, you are better off buying a ford Fiesta, Focus, Matrix, Carolla, Camry, Accord, Altima. Pay close attention, you will see what I am talking about.

    Example: Old Camry, Toyota cut a corner on heat shields so you can see a tail pipe below the chasis. That is normally non-engineer will not catch and it has nothing to do with reliability. For me, that is like doing homework without a full effort. I bought a Mazda for engineering. Mazda still needs quite bit work on panel and trim design and manufacture.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    The above guest poster is correct, the fit and finish isn't anywhere near as good as the Focus.

    Focus ST pretty much cleans the clock of the Mazdaspeed three and makes it scream for mercy as far as fit, finish and drive goes.

    Mazda 3 does drive very well though....

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    For a premium car's quality interior and perfect sheet metal fits - Ha, you are better off buying a ford Fiesta, Focus, Matrix, Carolla, Camry, Accord, Altima. Pay close attention, you will see what I am talking about.

    I've got a Focus. Sheet metal fits are by no means perfect. The 12-year-old 5-series also sitting in our driveway is much better in that regard.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    How does the fit and finish compared to other auto's you have reviewed in this category?

    Compared to the Chevrolet Cruze (I'm excluding the Dart since I didn't really spend enough time with it), I'm finding the 3 to be on par with fit and finish.

    NEEDS REDESIGN. same basic look for too many years now.

    See this - http://www.cheersandgears.com/topic/80058-mazda-news-rumorpile-what-we-know-on-the-next-mazda3/

    Due out either next year or 2014.

    I will be doing an update sometime later today.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I am glad to see so many people joining the discussion. The Cruz 's fit and finish is pretty good. I went to check out Dart, the fit and finish is about par to Mazda 3; One note to potential Chrysler buyers: When you go shopping, check the used lot for the same model. I notice the material Chrysler uses to make coolant reservoir and windshield washer turns yellow after sitting on the lot for few months. I noticed that when I was bored and went to local dealerships "window" shopping. The only way to explain that is the plastic material used is too cheap.

    To improve the fit and finish for current Mazda 3 is not hard. The front facia alignment can be done through designing a bumper be able to move in and out indepedent to headlight. The current model has a plastic anchor bolt to head light. I thought about adjusting mine, but I was concerned changing headlight aim. The door trim can be done with hiding the joint behind a false plastic facia like building a house hiding all imperfections with caulking. If you look at new CR-V's wheel fender wall plastic trim, the bumper goes behind plastic trim. Even bumper missed alignment with fender a little, the customer can not see it because it is hidden behind a trim. Mazda certainly can use this trick to "improve" fit and finish.

    My wish is Mazda makes Mazda 5 six inches longer. 4 inches goes to 3rd row leg room, make bumper facia smaller and increase rear cargo room 2 ~ 3 inches longer, ride on new 6 chasis rather than 3's, equip with the 2.2 Skyactiv-D with 6 speed automatic and market around US$27,000 in USA market. I always want to buy a people hauler van, but I don't want anything on the market today. Mazda 5 is my preferred choice If Mazda can grant me the wish above. That will be awsome.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • google-news-icon.png



  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive
  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • At the New York Auto Show this week, Hyundai unveiled the 2025 Hyundai Tuscon.  This mild refresh modernizes the Tuscon and brings it more into alignment with the rest of the Hyundai lineup, including their EVs. The exterior styling updates, largely consisting of a front fascia update, are subtle. Inside, Hyundai made the interior more open and airy with a new, lower-height dashboard featuring a panoramic gauge and infotainment screen. The screens consist of twin 12.3-inch displays with crisper colors and graphics, as well as faster processing speeds.  While the screens can control all functions of the car, Hyundai still included physical buttons for the most frequently used controls.  Wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay are now standard across the line. A new steering wheel features a much more open design, and on premium trims, the gear selector is now an electronically controlled stalk on the right side of the wheel, much like in the Hyundai Ioniq 6. On some Tuscon models, a new 12-inch color heads-up display with premium graphics is available, and for the first time, navigation directions from Apple Carplay and Android Auto will appear in the display. Proximity key with push button start is now standard across the 2025 Hyundai Tuscon lineup, while an available Digital Key 2 allows for fob-free driving and access via the driver's mobile phone. For 2025, Tucson adds Forward Attention Warning, which utilizes an infrared camera mounted on the steering column to help track the driver’s eye gaze and monitor attention levels to help ensure safe driving. Available Smart Cruise Control 2 continually assesses driver alertness. If the driver is found to be unresponsive, the system can even help safely bring the vehicle to a stop, activating the hazard lights and the electronic parking brake once the vehicle is stopped. Additionally, rear outboard passenger seatbelts now feature standard pretensioners and load limiters. The powertrains largely carry over from the previous model with a standard 187-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder at the entry level end. Also available is a 1.6-liter turbocharged hybrid with 231 horsepower with a slightly more powerful electric drive unit (47.7-kW, up from 44.2-kW), and a 6-speed automatic transmission. The plug-in hybrid model features the same 1.6-liter unit, but now paired with a larger electric drive unit with 72.0-kW of output rather than the 66.9-kW motor from the prior year. The plug-in hybrid boasts 268-horspower total system power. With a 13.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the 2025 Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid takes less than 2 hours to charge on a level 2 charger.  All hybrid models come standard with all-wheel drive. 2025 Tucson 2.5L models will arrive at U.S. dealerships in June, while 1.6L turbo hybrid and plug-in hybrid models will be available late summer. View full article
    • Plastic cladding = off road.  Instead of killing the Sonata, they should just put plastic body cladding down the side and raise the price by $10k and call it the Sonata HD Overlander X.  Instant hit.
    • Considering a planet with 8 Billion and he sold almost 2 million cars, then he is covering .025% of the population compared to other auto companies. I think 2024 going into 2025 we will see other auto companies top Tesla. You and I are two peas in a pod as I also was up on a hill watching the implosion and thinking what a waste as it was a great building. I love the Kingdome and hate the new stadium.  Agree it was surreal to see the ship hit the support pillar and the whole building just collapse. Be interesting to see what replaces it as today bridges built like that are not allowed due to the exact nature of how it collapsed.  Yes, Tesla is a love or hate and the minimalist approach is not for everyone. I honestly have to agree with the comment @smk4565 I believe made that the touch screen only will be the future of cheap autos and switches and buttons will be the higher end autos. Interesting times we live in for sure.
  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings