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coolskillrex remix posted:An okay run down of the new 3s http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/12/2014-mazda3-review-first-drive/ Once they release the manual version of the 2.5, I'm sold. I loved my Protege5, but it was just too drat slow. But 185HP should put the car into high six second 0-60 times, which is fine by me.
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Jul 13, 2013 17:59
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coolskillrex remix posted:An okay run down of the new 3s http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/12/2014-mazda3-review-first-drive/ Mazda's marketing budget is probably puny compared to Honda's and Toyota's efforts in the US. That has a LOT to do with sales. Dodge/Chrysler sales skyrocketed after they started running expensive ads a few years ago. There was of course a jump in quality, but nonetheless the ads had a big effect.
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Jul 13, 2013 19:11
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angryhampster posted:Mazda's marketing budget is probably puny compared to Honda's and Toyota's efforts in the US. That has a LOT to do with sales. Dodge/Chrysler sales skyrocketed after they started running expensive ads a few years ago. There was of course a jump in quality, but nonetheless the ads had a big effect. Honda's ads are awesome : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x11j11w_pub-honda-hands_creation#.UeGeENLfCfc and also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWk9N92-wvg
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Jul 13, 2013 19:37
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coolskillrex remix posted:An okay run down of the new 3s http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/12/2014-mazda3-review-first-drive/ It looks like they're even offering the option for adaptive cruise control, making it the least expensive car to offer that feature: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/07/11/mazda3-zoom-zoom/2509683/ Nice for people who spend a lot of time on the highway. It'll be even better once this technology is widespread enough to start reducing traffic jams.
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Jul 13, 2013 20:04
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Throatwarbler posted:I just noticed this right now. The new Mazda3 has a HUD, and not the lame project-on-windscreen one like a BMW, an actual honest to god glass targeting reticule. It pops up. Is this their solution so that people over 6ft tall don't have to bend down to see how fast they're going? Neat. For some reason Mazda 3s and 6s have had this very weird geometry between the top of the steering wheel and the gauge cluster making it impossible for me to see the top of the gauges without ending up in some horribly uncomfortable position. Why Mazda?
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Jul 14, 2013 03:12
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I'd rather have a solution for seeing out the top of the windshield. When I have to crane my neck down at half the lights I stop at to see when it changes... well, it gets old after a while.
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Jul 14, 2013 03:22
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I think they make stickers that you can put on the top part of your windshield to help you see lights better. I can't think of what they are called for the life of me though.
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Jul 14, 2013 03:24
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oRenj9 posted:I think they make stickers that you can put on the top part of your windshield to help you see lights better. I can't think of what they are called for the life of me though. Sunroofs
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Jul 14, 2013 03:43
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Snowdens Secret posted:Sunroofs Are you having a stroke?
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Jul 14, 2013 03:58
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oRenj9 posted:I think they make stickers that you can put on the top part of your windshield to help you see lights better. I can't think of what they are called for the life of me though. Fresnel lens. I like the old dash mounted one that Lobsterboyx has in his old Buick. 
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Jul 14, 2013 04:07
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Snowdens Secret posted:Sunroofs You're joking, but I actually hate sunroofs with a burning passion; the enclosure for the mechanism and rails lowers the ceiling height inside the car, leaving me with even less headroom than non-sunroof models. t 
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Jul 14, 2013 04:08
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Powershift posted:Are you having a stroke? No, I was making this joke 
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Jul 14, 2013 04:12
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Sudo Echo posted:Is this their solution so that people over 6ft tall don't have to bend down to see how fast they're going? Neat. For some reason Mazda 3s and 6s have had this very weird geometry between the top of the steering wheel and the gauge cluster making it impossible for me to see the top of the gauges without ending up in some horribly uncomfortable position. Why Mazda? Nearly every single car with an adjustable steering column is like this for me. I like having the wheel low and near perpendicular to the ground which always cuts off the top section of the speedo.
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Jul 14, 2013 05:54
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coolskillrex remix posted:An okay run down of the new 3s http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/12/2014-mazda3-review-first-drive/ In Australia the Mazda3 is the best selling car in its segment (and occasionally the best selling car for a month), beating the Civic, Corolla, Focus and Golf. There are so many of them on the road these days it has turned me off from buying one
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Jul 14, 2013 07:19
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Fucknag posted:I'd rather have a solution for seeing out the top of the windshield. When I have to crane my neck down at half the lights I stop at to see when it changes... well, it gets old after a while. Mazdas do seem to be for short people, I usually look over the windshield of my nb miata to see lights and I'm only 6'1".
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Jul 14, 2013 15:58
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You Am I posted:In Australia the Mazda3 is the best selling car in its segment (and occasionally the best selling car for a month), beating the Civic, Corolla, Focus and Golf. There are so many of them on the road these days it has turned me off from buying one The Mazda3 is also one of the most popular cars in Canada as well (the Civic is still inexplicably holding on, but Canadians are slow to shift brand loyalties). It surprises me that it wouldn't be the same in the US.
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Jul 14, 2013 16:52
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Seat Safety Switch posted:(the Civic is still inexplicably holding on, but Canadians are slow to shift brand loyalties). The Civic is a fantastic car for most people's needs. It's safe, economical, and reliable. It has a roomy and comfortable interior with great sight lines, tons of storage cubbies, and big cup holders. And the goofy, two tiered IP puts the only two gauges most drivers care about--speedometer and fuel level--right in the driver's sight line. It may not handle as well as a Focus, 3, or 90s Civic, but it doesn't wallow around like the Corolla or shudder and bounce like the Elantra. Honda's stellar reputation doesn't hurt matters. The Mazda 3 is the true successor to the great Civics of the 90s in terms of combining value and fun, especially if these rumors about the next MS3 having a high revving NA motor instead of the current turbo setup are true (rumors I take with a dry seabed of salt). But Mazda's reputation isn't as good as Honda's, and the Civic is still great, just in different ways.
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Jul 14, 2013 19:20
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Linedance posted:Nearly every single car with an adjustable steering column is like this for me. I like having the wheel low and near perpendicular to the ground which always cuts off the top section of the speedo. same and I always feel like I'm a wierdo. They should tilt the drat gauges with the wheel.
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Jul 15, 2013 19:53
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Seat Safety Switch posted:The Mazda3 is also one of the most popular cars in Canada as well (the Civic is still inexplicably holding on, but Canadians are slow to shift brand loyalties). It surprises me that it wouldn't be the same in the US. Canada is a surprisingly different car market then the big US markets.
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Jul 16, 2013 12:12
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The Datsun brand has officially been revived as a budget car, at least for the Indian market, and probably some more in the future. http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-autos-nissan-datsun-go-20130715,0,7683911.story
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Jul 16, 2013 17:36
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Xguard86 posted:same and I always feel like I'm a wierdo. They should tilt the drat gauges with the wheel. Infinity G's and their related Nissan Z's do this. It's pretty cool.
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Jul 16, 2013 18:37
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PeterWeller posted:The Civic is a fantastic car for most people's needs. It's safe, economical, and reliable. It has a roomy and comfortable interior with great sight lines, tons of storage cubbies, and big cup holders. And the goofy, two tiered IP puts the only two gauges most drivers care about--speedometer and fuel level--right in the driver's sight line. It may not handle as well as a Focus, 3, or 90s Civic, but it doesn't wallow around like the Corolla or shudder and bounce like the Elantra. Honda's stellar reputation doesn't hurt matters. The problem with a Mazda 3 is they rust like an 70's Honda Civic. Especially in Canada which is why you are more likely to see a 90's Civic on the road here then an early gen. 3.
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Jul 16, 2013 18:40
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PeterWeller posted:Infinity G's and their related Nissan Z's do this. It's pretty cool. drat now I really want to try a 370.
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Jul 16, 2013 19:40
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PeterWeller posted:The Mazda 3 is the true successor to the great Civics of the 90s in terms of combining value and fun, especially if these rumors about the next MS3 having a high revving NA motor instead of the current turbo setup are true (rumors I take with a dry seabed of salt). But Mazda's reputation isn't as good as Honda's, and the Civic is still great, just in different ways. I don't know about that; I had the misfortune of driving a 2011 Mazda3 2.0 a couple years ago; I found it to be a singularly bland and uninspiring car to drive. It simply doesn't hold a candle to those old Civics; it doesn't even hold a candle to the '02 Civic my mom had at the time - the generation of Civic that started the litany of criticisms against Honda.
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Jul 17, 2013 02:50
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MrChips posted:I don't know about that; I had the misfortune of driving a 2011 Mazda3 2.0 a couple years ago; I found it to be a singularly bland and uninspiring car to drive. It simply doesn't hold a candle to those old Civics; it doesn't even hold a candle to the '02 Civic my mom had at the time - the generation of Civic that started the litany of criticisms against Honda. I've only ever driven a first gen MS3 and a first gen S with the 2.3, and they were both fun (kinda scary fun in the MS3's case), but they were high(er) end sport(ier) trims. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the base models are just as poo poo as any other poo poo box.
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Jul 17, 2013 07:14
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-wrong thread-
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Jul 17, 2013 14:51
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MrChips posted:I don't know about that; I had the misfortune of driving a 2011 Mazda3 2.0 a couple years ago; I found it to be a singularly bland and uninspiring car to drive. It simply doesn't hold a candle to those old Civics; Those old Civics weighed like 2400lbs or less and had double wishbone suspension all-around. The Mazda3 weighs 600lbs more and has the same suspension compromises that every other economy car does. It's hardly fair to compare the two. If you were to compare a new Civic with a new Madza3, the winner would be clear. The Civics of the 90s were automotive anomalies.
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Jul 17, 2013 17:39
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Does anyone want to venture a guess as to when the manual will be available with the 2.5 in the new Mazda3? Because that is essentially my ideal car. None of the stuff I'm reading about the car says anything about a time frame for that.
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Jul 18, 2013 02:28
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oRenj9 posted:Those old Civics weighed like 2400lbs or less and had double wishbone suspension all-around. The Mazda3 weighs 600lbs more and has the same suspension compromises that every other economy car does. It's hardly fair to compare the two. If you were to compare a new Civic with a new Madza3, the winner would be clear. If you compare the handling of a new car to a few choice 80's to 90's era cars, you will probably hate every new car. All cars have a price point, and to meet those compromises must be made. Over time where those compromises are usually made have changed. Buyers and regulations have shifted toward a focus on safety and fuel economy, moreso in commuter cars like the civic and mazda3.
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Jul 18, 2013 11:40
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I think the Fit is the closest successor to the 90's Civics. Sure it has a cheap suspension (struts up front, torsion beam rear) but it only weighs 2500 pounds and it handles very well. And the L15A7 is great and feels just like a vtec D15. The Fit feels pretty much like some time-warped in a 90's honda and put new body panels on it.
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Jul 18, 2013 15:42
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Xguard86 posted:same and I always feel like I'm a wierdo. They should tilt the drat gauges with the wheel. I just had a new Golf from zipcar, so far it has been the worst for this. I took a picture from my perspective. The camera was a little in front of my face, so in practice I could see slightly more of the speedo (up to about 50mph!).  This is after I'd adjusted everything to my comfort. I suppose, being German and all, they probably expect you to adjust yourself to the car's comfort.
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Jul 18, 2013 21:07
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Yeah, basically the Fit is the equivalent of the old Civic, and the Civic is the equivalent of the old Accord.
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Jul 18, 2013 21:16
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lazer_chicken posted:I think the Fit is the closest successor to the 90's Civics. Sure it has a cheap suspension (struts up front, torsion beam rear) but it only weighs 2500 pounds and it handles very well. And the L15A7 is great and feels just like a vtec D15. The Fit feels pretty much like some time-warped in a 90's honda and put new body panels on it. It even comes in 90s teal. It would be nice if they had one that slotted in between the Civic and Fit that provided nicer suspension and maybe a little bit zingier gearbox.
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Jul 18, 2013 21:22
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One of the interesting tests for a car is how good the cheap one is, rather than the expensive/fast model. If they can make it so that good, fun handling is inherent to the design, even on low-powered models, rather than being the result of completely reworking the thing, they're probably doing the job right. This is where the Italians have always been quite good, making small, cheap cars that are a hoot to drive, despite not having any real poke.
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Jul 18, 2013 21:28
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InitialDave posted:One of the interesting tests for a car is how good the cheap one is, rather than the expensive/fast model. If they can make it so that good, fun handling is inherent to the design, even on low-powered models, rather than being the result of completely reworking the thing, they're probably doing the job right. This is where the Italians have always been quite good, making small, cheap cars that are a hoot to drive, despite not having any real poke. The French, too. Remember the Citroën AX, Peugeot 205 and 106 and Renault Clio. Suspension built to handle the GTI engines, even in the 1.0 variants.
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Jul 18, 2013 21:54
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Linedance posted:I just had a new Golf from zipcar, so far it has been the worst for this. I took a picture from my perspective. The camera was a little in front of my face, so in practice I could see slightly more of the speedo (up to about 50mph!). That is literally the worst. My mom's Fiat 500 is really bad for that too. Plus the retarded circular all in one gauge compounds the problem. The revs are a smaller gauge inside the speedo, and yes, it is easy to confuse which hand is which. Then there is the visibility in that thing. As Richard Hammond described it, "The visibility is quite good.. Say, next to having a bag over your head, or being blind." In the cabriolet you can't see anything behind you shy of 8ft tall. It is also literally impossible to check your blind spot. The first time I drove it, I stuck my head out of the window when I had to merge left. It seems to be a fairly common theme in cars which are mostly quite good. They just throw poo poo around without thinking about how good it is for the driver.
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Jul 18, 2013 22:29
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It isn't costs that make modern cars no fun. It is electric steering, eco gas saver tires and rear camber settings set up so that a car will always understeer no matter what happens. Take a dull car, put sticky tires, camber bolts, and a rear sway bar on it and it will be ten times more fun in corners.
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Jul 19, 2013 02:44
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Seat Safety Switch posted:It even comes in 90s teal. It would be nice if they had one that slotted in between the Civic and Fit that provided nicer suspension and maybe a little bit zingier gearbox. Yeah I love my Fit but I would kill for a Fit Si with a 6-speed, IRS, and another 50hp. Ford did this with the Fiesta, make it happen Honda! FYI the K-series is a straight swap into the Fit 
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Jul 19, 2013 04:50
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There is the City too which is basically like a Fit sedan. Not that I see the appeal - the Civic (even the sedan) is better to drive than the fit, as are any number of other Fit-sized cars (Swift, 2, Fiesta etc). I can only imagine the North American Civic has been screwed up if so many people think otherwise.
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Jul 19, 2013 08:32
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Speaking of the Fit:   Three different engine configs (at least for Japan): 1.3L with a CVT 1.5L RS with a six-speed manual 1.5L Hybrid with a 7-speed dual clutch trans Edit: Automotive News reports a subcompact sedan and crossover based on the Fit Hybrid's tech will be coming to the US instead of the Fit Hybrid itself. Lame. Automotive News posted:While the United States is not expected to get the hybrid version of the standard Fit five-door, hybrid versions of a Fit-based small crossover and sedan are planned for the United States. Those vehicles are expected to arrive as early as next year. The US Fit hatch appears to likely be getting only the 1.5L direct injection engine with a CVT. Thwomp fucked around with this message at 14:37 on Jul 19, 2013 |
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Jul 19, 2013 14:20
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