Mazda 3 2.0 Sedan and Hatchback Review

After months of having to drool at this sleek smaller sibling to the Mazda6 bearing Singaporean number plates, the Mazda3 was finally launched for the Malaysian market on the 23rd of November 2006 by the Mazda Division of Cycle & Carriage Bintang Berhad at its newly refurbished showroom at Jalan Ampang. Sorry for not being able to cover the launch, but to make up for it here is my test drive report on the Mazda3 2.0 in both hatchback and sedan forms. Read my report after the jump!

The Mazda Axela, or Mazda3 as it is known in Malaysia comes in four variants for the Malaysian market – a 1.6 hatchback, a 1.6 sedan, a 2.0 hatchback and a 2.0 sedan. The cars come imported directly from Japan. Mazdas idea of a hatchback is similar to BMWs, looking more like a shorter shooting brake more than the conventional sporty hatchback that were used to, this helps with interior space as well as ensures the cars roofline doesnt make it impossible for taller than average passengers to sit in the rear comfortably. The sedan shares the family look of its older brother the Mazda 6, with a similar horizontal bar wedge grille on the front.

Both body variants look like they have the same front bumper design with a wide air dam flanked by fog lamps, yet in reality, both cars share no body panels! The sedan has its grille integrated with the front bumper, while most of the hatchbacks grille is part of the bonnet. Both the Mazda3 hatchback and sedan have a very planted to the ground looks to them, sitting low to the ground, with minimal wheel arch gaps enhancing the effect. Even more so with the Mazda 3 hatchback, it has a slight wide-body look to it thanks to the design of its shoulder line, making the car look wider despite being no wider than the sedan in reality. Both cars have a sexy rear end with a rear bumper sporting a diffuser-like design. Tail lamps of both cars share a similar nice clear lens crystal design. The sedan has a small tastefully done boot lid spoiler while the hatch has a rooftop spoiler.

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Enter the car and youll be greeted by a predominantly gray sporty-looking interior with dark aluminum trim. Seats are of the fabric kind even for the 2.0 litre model. The sportier hatchback model has some red pattern to the seats, while the sedan model has it fully black. The shifter for the 4-speed automatic transmission is a gate-shift type, and is relatively short, giving it a sporty feel.

Stick the blade key into the ignition and turn the engine on, and the engine smoothly comes to life. Then you notice the meter panels. They look really really good. In daylight, they light up with electro-luminescence in red, and its brightness can be set to suit your preferences, though its not infinitely variable – only in 3 steps. This is how the meter panel looks like in daylight. At night when you turn on the headlamps, there is an additional glowing blue ring around the gauges, which simply looks great .The brightness of the red is also variable in that mode. The 3 gauges of the meter panel are also set deep inside three pods, which protect them against glare from sunlight. One interesting thing about the Mazda3 is unlike most tiptronic cars that only show you which transmission gear you are in when you are manually shifting the gears, the Mazda3 also shows you which gear you are in when you are in fully automatic mode!

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While I would expect leather seats to be offered in the 2.0 litre model (keep the fabric seats for the 1.6 litre), the seats are comfy and supports you well. I found that the default seating position is actually quite high for a sporty car like the Mazda3, but nevertheless a high seating position allows you a good view of the road ahead. Though the interior space of the car is nothing segment-breaking like the Honda Civic, it provided sufficient room for even a tall person to sit behind. Even though from the outside the sedan had a sloping roof, the slope actually begins behind wherever a tall persons head would be. Protons GEN2 designers should take note from Mazda.

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The ICE and air conditioning controls are set out mainly in a set of buttons and large knobs that are easy to turn, they dont feel too loose so they are easy to control. They light up with a dull red at night, as to not be overly bright and distracting. Theres a set of LEDs to the left and right of the volume knob which light up as you adjust the volume – an interesting design feature which doesnt really serve much purpose as it doesnt indicate volume, just how fast and in which direction you are turning the knob. The 2.0 litre model has automatic climate control. The audio system has decent treble and bass but the bass seems to lack a proper deep thump to it due to the lack of a dedicated subwoofer, however for a stock audio system for a car in its price range it is satisfactory.

Interior plastics are NOT the soft kind you see in old cars, but they are not as hard as what you might see in some of the older Korean makes in Malaysia, and most Protons. The different components of the dash are also pieced together well with proper gaps between different panels. The leather wrapped steering wheel has a comfortable size to it, not extra small and sporty like the new Civics and gives you a good grip. The cabin has a mid-market sporty feel to it, which is smart of Mazda, if you want sporty, just go sporty all the way, it is not a weird mix of luxury and sportiness which excels in neither aspect. Overall, the controls are quite ergonomic and the cockpit keeps you sufficiently comfortable and entertained through your journey.

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The same deceiving slope of the sedan also allows the car to look sporty and have a short, almost aeroback-like rump while hiding a surprisingly huge boot space! Double-link boot hinges neither intrude into the boot when the lid is closed nor obstruct the boot when the lid is open. The boot has a full flat floor thanks to specially designed rear suspension which do not intrude into boot space. It fits up to 3 full-size golf bags. Both the sedan and hatchback variant have 60:40 folding seats for you to extend your storage space. As for interior storage space, you have some storage space in the center armrest, as well as a surprisingly large 3.6 litre glove compartment. The cupholders are in a covered compartment in between the center armrest and the gear shifter – you get two of them, and they have a little hole in between them so you can fit longer items like your wallet or cellphone.

The all-aluminium 2.0 litre engine is a DOHC unit with 16 valves, variable length intake manifold and S-VT variable valve timing. It makes 147PS at 6,500rpm and 182Nm of torque at 4,200rpm. It is normally aspirated and behaves like so, no crazy amount of torque at low revs – you got to rev it up for maximum power. The Mazda3 feels nimble around the slalom, and makes emergency lane changing composure a dream. The 4-speed automatic gearbox is pretty smart, downshifting down slopes and whenever else required.

mazda3_gear_left.jpgI especially like the fact that in manual shift mode, which is accessible by pulling the gear shift into the M selection in the gate shift, has the upshift and downshift throws the other way around, which I feel is the right way. Pull back to upshift, and push forward to downshift. The only other car manufacturer that Ive seen set up the manual shift this way is BMW. It only makes sense, as when the car is moving forward, its only natural to pull the shifter back to upshift, matching the inertia you are feeling.

The only downside is I feel that the ratios cause the engine to run out of shove too early, so I wish the car came with a 5-speed transmission instead, like the one thats equipped in the 2.0 litre Mazda6. Even so, the car remains a sporty drive, but cant stop one from wishing for more can you?

The Mazda3 shares the same chassis as the Ford Focus and Volvo S40/V50. It is a good blend of comfort and performance with bias slightly more towards the performance side of things, however going over rough roads will not cause you to throw up your dinner. However you do feel road imperfections, and the low profile tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE030 in 205/50/R17 size) while good for cornering performance (sidewalls do not flex as much) sacrifices comfort a little.

Cabin sound insulation is satisfactory thanks to what Mazda calls Thinsulate, and when you are cruising at about 120km/h to 140km/h on a hot sunny day, you can only hear the air conditioning fan, which is quite noticeable on hot days due to the automatic climate control churning it up to cool the cabin down fast on hot days. But the audio system takes care of this minor source of noise – perfectly capable of drowning it out.

The Mazda3 comes with two airbags for the driver and passenger, as well as the standard set of safety features like ABS and EBD. The brakes are sufficiently powerful for spirited driving, and you do not need to step on the pedal too much for you to have an effect. Floor it and the wheels will surely skid due to the braking power it has, but ABS takes care of that, allowing you to maintain steering control during hard braking.

Overall, I really like the Mazda 3 and I would pick the sedan variant over the hatch as strangely I feel the sedan is sleeker than the hatch, though the minor differences in body panel design give the hatch a more aggressive feel. At RM129,899 for the 2.0 sedan and RM133,899 for the hatchback as well as being fully imported from Japan, it would be a good choice for those who dont want to be like everyone else and drive a Corolla or a Civic, don’t need the large interior space of the new Civic and have inhibitions with going the European way with the Ford Focus. It is a car that simply looks beautiful both inside (lovely interior, though not as futuristic as the Civics, but then not everyone can identify with the Civics space age dash anyway) and out, as well as in the engine bay. Now, I wonder if I can custom order one with leather seats…

Click any of the photos in this post for an enlarged version.

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • waimak (Member) on Jan 10, 2007 at 11:18 pm

    You lucky *tooot*, Paul. I'm still drooling..

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  • offroader manix (Member) on Jan 10, 2007 at 11:51 pm

    FANTASTIC………CAR

    Looks like it's gonna give the CIVIC a run for the money….not so on the looks but the reliability and built quality looks immaculate.

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  • khimfoh (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 12:30 am

    I just love the hatch back version of the Mazda 3. At RM133K+ for a CBU from Japan, I guess it's err well…pretty reasonable for those who have a large bank account. Correct me if I'm wrong, does the Mazda 3 share platforms with the Ford Focus and the Volvo S40 as well ?

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  • owaief (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 12:30 am

    love it….i was just wandering…why everybody likes honda civic??? it's revolutionary…but so ugly(besides the gorgeous speedometer though)

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  • Paul Tan on Jan 11, 2007 at 12:32 am

    khimfoh: I mentioned "While the Mazda3 shares the same chassis as the Ford Focus and Volvo S40/V50, the rear suspension is of a different design."

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  • khimfoh (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 12:34 am

    Paul Tan,

    OIC..sorry…was to busy drooling over the images of the Mazda M3 to even bother reading your posting in detail. Sorry ah.

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  • happymeal (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 12:38 am

    hows the engine power/torque delivery compared to the civic?

    fuel consumption?

    how is the steering weightage? accurate or rather lifeless? is it hydraulic or electric?

    transmission… silky smooth ? well tuned ratios?

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  • Paul Tan on Jan 11, 2007 at 12:42 am

    1) Power delivery is pretty much like any N/A engine, linear, peaking at the high revs, but I think because of the variable intake manifold there is quite a decent kick on low revs, making driving the car around housing areas and traffic jams a breeze.

    2) Could not measure this reliably due to short test drive time, but I would say 100km would consume about 9 liters of fuel.

    3) Electric. Accurate. The car felt nimble during maneuvers similar to evasive actions.

    4) The ratios are well tuned but due to engine power limitations 3rd and 4th gear were very… kickless. Shifts were smooth though!

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  • happymeal (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 12:58 am

    u should include those cool technical stuff in the report ma, so can compare :) ..

    but your statement in no.1 contradict your report leh… report say "It is normally aspirated and behaves like so, no crazy amount of torque at low revs – you got to rev it up abit for power. " but now has been changed to lots of kick at low revs :)

    cheers for the quick response…

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  • silverfish (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 1:00 am

    The thing is, it is based on the Focus…but the Focus has independent rear suspension but the Mazda 3 doesn't. This is important because the Focus is one of the best handling cars of its type. Would this mean the Mazda 3 is less so? Why not the Focus instead of this then?

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  • Paul Tan on Jan 11, 2007 at 1:11 am

    happymeal: i dont think i contradicted myself – decent kick and CRAZY AMOUNT are two different things. what i meant by decent kick – you won't find driving at slow speeds a tiring experience because of constant need to downshift.

    but if you want to drive spiritedly, you need to floor the pedal and rev it up – there's no half way compromise there. the 2.0 liter engine is just nice, but you will not feel this is a performance car, for that feel you need the mazdaspeed3. =)

    silverfish: i have not driven the focus – but for one, i think the mazda has the advantage of being japanese so it steers clear of the conti-fear. plus, the focus 2.0 is only available in hatchback form, you can't get a 2.0 sedan focus here, but you can get a 2.0 sedan mazda3.

    one thing though, the focus 2.0 is higher specced with dual climate control as well as a rear seat blower, something the mazda3 2.0 does not have.

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  • firdaus72 (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 1:51 am

    This car has been around since 2004. To compare with 2006 Civic will not do justice to Mazda. Anyway, in Boleh land this is as far as we can get…while people in other parts of the world are selling this as 2nd hand car, we are contemplating on spending absurd amount of money on dated technology…

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  • ingolstadt (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 2:06 am

    Paul, 2 questions

    1. Since it's pricing hits right on Civic's turf. One thing that Malaysian cares most (more so than airbags or passive safety systems, sigh) = Interior Space? > or

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  • nissan130Y (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 3:41 am

    can the 1.6 version beat the 1.6 Dohc Vtec ? else might consider… anyway it does have a good look and promising ride. just wonder how's the servicing here in the east…?

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  • pausch (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 3:51 am

    Can't C & C import from say Philippines so that they can enjoy AFTA tariffs and hence better pricing?

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  • mystvearn (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 4:33 am

    I also agree that the sedan version looks the better between both cars.

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  • normal_user (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 4:37 am

    If the mazda is priced similiarly with the Civic, I choose the Mazda. Great combination of European chasis perfection & Japanese built quailty n reliability. Love it.

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  • zaen (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 4:51 am

    err.. on my opinion actually its almost identical to gen2… right Paul?

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  • ularsawa (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 4:52 am

    i still abit worried about mazda in this country. yes, they have ante up over the years. unfortunately, mazda has and always been how you say….in cantonese "lang mun che" (cold door car). The resale value suffers, spare parts are at times a bitch and the availability of foremans and spareparts also suffers.

    thumbs up to mazda for driving in the right direction with this generation of cars though.

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  • Phisto (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 8:16 am

    It's finally in Msia. I gotta admit even it has been on Spore roads for almost 2 years now it stll as fresh as ever. It's the most beautiful mid size car from Japan in my books. Go get it!!

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  • civicmind333 (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 8:24 am

    i don like the tail lamp look very ah beng

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  • Goniothalamus (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 10:41 am

    I wonder if the 'M' badge logo is the 'roar' of our Proton logo…

    I hope so, one day… the 'budak hingusan' can do as good looking as Mazda Axela, although they can't compete with engine and/or handling. They must refine the design of Gen2, or make facelift of Waja, make more fun to Savvy, at least can increase their sales with minimum cost… Well done Mazda, another nice product.

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  • kington (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 4:52 pm

    Had a spin in the 2.0 litre hatchback not too long ago and i must say, though 148ps sounds lame from a 2litre engine, the acceleration feels more addictive than of the Civic 2.0's. To me, even 155ps from the civic sounds too low when you consider it has the full monty, Honda's i-VTEC system. I guess Honda's 'fake' 5 speed gearbox with 2 overdrive gears seems to be the culprit. the Mazda, though endowed with only a 4 speeder, felt more engaging to drive. I liked it, especially in white.

    Anyway, the drive was fun, suspension setup seems a bit harder than the Civic and even with 5 on board, the rear of the car didn't sink as much as the Civic's. This car is certainly worth buying, if you don't mind financing that lil' extra over the Civic and it looks super cool in white. Well done, Mazda.

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  • REDDEVIL (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 5:13 pm

    Good car but a bit pricey though. It's exterior and interior look solid, well-built and sporty. Wish i can get one sometimes in future, may be a 2nd hand one.. :)

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  • Xoomie (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 5:45 pm

    I prefer the Sedan than the hatchback.

    It looked more "sportier"

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  • itchibawa (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 6:13 pm

    I like Santa's hat.

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  • 4G63T DSM (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 6:15 pm

    Odd.

    As much as I like the 3, (i've driven an example with the 2.3L, the 2.0 is the base engine) in M'sia, I wont pass the Ford Focus for it, considering the Ford is better value for money (and its cheaper to boot by almost 15k no less)

    133K is very close to the big Brother the 6, which begs the question, why is Mazda pricing themselves out of the market?

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  • Ricc (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 6:36 pm

    Its look a bit of RX-8 sedan version.. :-)

    Anyway, I prefer this over Honda Civic though.. :D

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  • transformer (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 10:55 pm

    people in the south had been driving this for years already…

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  • ckengyo (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 11:10 pm

    firdaus72 said,

    January 10, 2007 @ 5:51 pm

    This car has been around since 2004. To compare with 2006 Civic will not do justice to Mazda. Anyway, in Boleh land this is as far as we can get…while people in other parts of the world are selling this as 2nd hand car, we are contemplating on spending absurd amount of money on dated technology…

    i think every cars within this price range selling in malaysia r good. inorder 2 market it comprehensively 2 consumer over here is depend on how the dealership owner over here.

    c&c should b reponsible 4 low well-knownness in boleh land. they have mercedec dealership in the past which dominated high end market & made them desolated mazda. well selling model like the fd rx7 & na, nb mx5 also absence or selling in low volume like they never exist. of cos grey imported not count. now they loose mercedese dealership & started 2 put more attention on mazda.

    no dought the m3 design is very attractive, but what firdaus72 said is right, u never know when the brand new model is going 2 come out. civic could atleast last another 1 yr facelift & 2 more yrs b4 another new model come out. 4 those who really 1 2 consider new car in this price range should consider carefully b4 making any decision. yet better still new corolla & sentra is also going 2 launch this year i guess. atleast ur investment wont depreciate alot if u r in m3 situation.

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  • AmSouth (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 11:12 pm

    The car looks awesome….but a little bit pricey….. thanks to the G and P1

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  • Grey_Fox (Member) on Jan 11, 2007 at 11:37 pm

    lol..NICE!!. Whats the santa hat doing there?. Big fan of honda but i find the new civic too big and bulky. Looking clumsy. I like the design though.

    This mazda?..HOT!. Thumbs up!

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  • J (Member) on Jan 12, 2007 at 4:51 am

    Anyone can list out why Mazda resale value is not good ? (if there are so many thumbs up here)

    Hopefully some Mazda owners can share their experience of Mazda ownership (example spare parts, quality of services, reliability, any strange problem like cannot start in the morning.. etc)

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  • chowh (Member) on Jan 12, 2007 at 6:05 am

    Have to say Mazda's are highly under-rated here. Had a Mazda Lantis hatchback for 7 years – quality of the car was exceptional – no problems at all and the servicing costs was very cheap – kudos to C & C. Didn't get another Mazda because the styling of the newer models was very dated until recently, but by then C & C didn't bring in Mazdas (even when the 6 got rave reviews) Sold it to a friend's son with 80k mileage – they've done another 100k in two years and it's still running fine!

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  • topgunthang (Member) on Jan 12, 2007 at 10:19 am

    wats so bad about the european feel?

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  • pausch (Member) on Jan 12, 2007 at 10:41 pm

    Paul, are the headlights HID?

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  • familyman (Member) on Jan 13, 2007 at 4:23 am

    went to c&c by the federal highway..took the sedan version 2.0 for a spin.. really nice car.. don't have the dough though… this is the 2007 spec..a facelifted version.. not as the same as the people in the south have been driving all the while.. those are only 1.6

    i was told by the sales guy that c&c brought in model cbu from japan and selling it at a bit lower than required price by mazda japan. but c&c need to sale a minimum qouta to maintain that price. if not they have to jackup the price..

    the purpose and intention of bringing in cbu japan is to make it their sedan flagship model for m'sia sales.. since the 3 is such a hit worldwide…

    hoping to get this car within this year… anyone interested to buy a city vtec from me? got full honda service history :))

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  • transformer (Member) on Jan 13, 2007 at 6:31 am

    people in the south get their Japanese CBU from so called "Pallarel Importer"….. they do it faster than C&C do…

    sorry to say, these importer seem to get those Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda5, Mazda6 earlier than the authorised importer…

    not only Mazda, all makes also the same….

    Just like we had Naza here to bring in earlier than the makers….

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  • Mayonaise (Member) on Jan 14, 2007 at 8:58 am

    To pausch & transformer:

    C&C gets their Mazdas from NZ Wheels, which is Naza. I test drove the 3 (both engine variants) yesterday afternoon and I saw the cargo manifest in one of the cars… NZ Wheels is the importer.

    Don't ask me why C&C don't import the cars themselves… Honda M'sia used to rely on Weststar to import the CBU Thailand Hondas, but not anymore, Honda M'sia now imports their own cars.

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  • ksec (Member) on Jan 15, 2007 at 1:09 am

    100K for 9 Litre? That is around 26MPG… isn't this abit low? ( At least by my standard )

    Looks like 10th Gen Corolla still a better choice. Although i like the new styling of mazda3. As someone has pointed out. Like a RX-8 Sedan :)

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  • eifs (Member) on Jan 17, 2007 at 3:39 am

    It's lucky for you guys there in Malaysia to have the 2nd generation Mazda 3. In Brunei, the first generation was first launched in the end year of 2004. Up till today, no one ever complained about it and it's a very reliable car as almost good as Toyota. Price for the sedan is B$30,000 (RM$68,100)and hatchback version B$34,580 (RM$78,497). I bought myself a 2nd generation hatchback of Mazda 3 and it does do well which people compared Mazda 3 Sedan with Lexus IS200 (which we in our shores, doesnt have Toyota Altezza cos it's available on grey imports only)

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  • mtay (Member) on Jan 17, 2007 at 4:14 am

    I saw this car in Melbourne a couple years back and fell in love with it… two years later and I still can't afford it :(

    It's really too bad we had to wait so long for the local launch. I still love the car, but the timing for C&C frankly couldn't be any worse. The pricing puts it head-to-head with the Civic and Altis (both bigger, and the former is cheaper!), whereas its size puts it head-to-head with the City and Vios (both cheaper). Admittedly, the Vios is MUCH smaller, so the main rival is still the City, which is MUCH cheaper.

    At the end of the day, its main strengths are its looks, which pretty much limits its appeal to the price-first, practicality-second, resale value-third, looks-way last average Malaysian. (I could have the order mixed up here… up to u to rearrange it!)

    Still, I love this car, and it's very high on my wishlist.

    p.s. Nice touch with the Santa hat, Paul.

    p.p.s. If I remember correctly, Naza was selling the Mazda3 as early as 2005 (at least, that's when I first saw it in the showroom), under a different name and the sticker price was in the region of RM180K!!!

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  • mtay (Member) on Jan 17, 2007 at 4:30 am

    ^ Edit of above, there were two variants sold by Naza, I think… RM165K for the basic and RM180K for the higher specced one.

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  • funbox (Member) on Jan 17, 2007 at 6:44 am

    "Mayonaise" – Cycle & Carriage is a non bumi co. It owns by Jardin Cycle & Carriage Singapore. Therefore, no right to import cars in bumiland and Naza has every advantage to sell any Mazda as grey import prior to the official launch.

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  • firdaus72 (Member) on Jan 17, 2007 at 10:06 am

    I had enough with Naza when they starts to dip their hands in any auto industries. Naza Bestari is a fine example how their antics had brought misery to previous Peugeuot 206 owners. Rebadging cars should not be allowed although many lauds this as a move to make impossibly high priced cars become affordable.

    Nevertheless…in Boleh Land maybe this is the only way.

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  • edskii (Member) on Jan 17, 2007 at 8:59 pm

    paul the car you test drove, did it come with blinkers on the side mirrors?

    bought a 2006/2007 model SP23 and didnt get them with the car..that's weird

    this is the australian model btw

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  • funbox (Member) on Jan 19, 2007 at 7:15 pm

    Paul, I understand that both 1.6L & 2.0L has the same suspension system. Any characteristic difference between the suspension of these variants?

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  • hush (Member) on Jan 24, 2007 at 1:38 am

    this car is simply gorgeous!!! i love it!!!! i think the performance is nto going to upset anyone!!! originally, the 1.6 version is considered underpowered. because too heavy and yet onli got 107bhp… but now a 2.0 engine is under its bonnet… so no one dare to say its slow now…

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  • Celicazz (Member) on Jan 30, 2007 at 8:02 pm

    its not the sedan and the hatchback,

    its the liftback and the hatchback, rite?

    i'm confused…

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  • masamune (Member) on Jul 13, 2007 at 8:11 pm

    Hi Paul and guys,

    I test drove the 1.6 and 2.0L lasy week and must add that the cabin of the mazda 3 is very quiet indeed. Then i reallised that they had thinsulated soundproofing material on the roofs or rather top of the car.

    Eventhough i test drove the Latio, but i must say that this car has an edge in its design and overall feel to it. The latio is the winner in space i guess but the bodykits (original) just wasnt appealing to the eye…well at least my eyes…hehehe.

    Any way great and informative review on the car paul. I've purchased the mazda 3 1.6L now and have no regrets. It will be a bit tough gettin the bodykits i desire along the road compared to whats available. Nevertheless i like a challenge. Mazdaspeed rules….

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  • orange (Member) on Aug 19, 2007 at 12:39 pm

    Hi masamune, in love with the car too. Just viewed it earlier today at TTDI. How’s the fuel consumption huh?

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  • Hoech98 (Member) on Aug 21, 2007 at 1:36 am

    Test drive the Madza 3 on Sunday and thought the car is cool. Their current offer of their remnants 2006 stock at 99.5K is tempting.
    Later the same day, I also tested the Latio Sports and also love it with the black leather seats and keyless ignition.

    Now I am faced with the dilemma of what to choose.

    Anyone has any advice?

    Thanks

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  • OOOO (Member) on Oct 20, 2007 at 5:03 pm

    notice the reg no for both the white and red cars are the same?

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  • Paul Tan on Oct 20, 2007 at 5:32 pm

    no, its 2312 and 2132

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  • markx on Dec 31, 2008 at 9:47 pm

    ..very nice, sleek car

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  • Steven on Jun 11, 2009 at 1:08 am

    May i know the compares between Honda Civic 2.0 and the Mazda3 2.0?

    Which cars are more faster and stable?

    Will Mazda3 spending more petrol because of the 4 gears compare to the Honda Civic with 5 gears?

    Any complaint of Mazda3 so far?

    NIce driving experience?

    Thanks…

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  • Steven on Jun 11, 2009 at 1:08 am

    The Mazda3 which i means is sedan model…

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  • Steven on Jun 11, 2009 at 7:27 am

    May I know the difference between Mazda 3 and the Honda City?

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  • Joanne on May 05, 2010 at 10:33 am

    Hi Paul,

    I am planing to buy a 2.0 car, i m considering this 3, mazda3 2.0, camry 2.0G and lancer 2.0GT. I like the mazda design for the ext and int. But engine wise i love the lancer as it has higher max output of 114(155)/6000 and max torque of 199(20.3)/4250. and i can feel that the corner is more stable and has a big rim of 18″ but where as the mazda 3 the above is lower. Can you me your comments? Thank You.

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  • dUhhh on May 22, 2010 at 9:59 pm

    hmmm….desperately waitin for ur review on mazda 2….pls

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  • Heard mazda3 sedan is not stable driving at the speed of 150km/h and the sound of water hitting the bottom of the car is quite loud, does it happen to hatchback too?

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