The new Mazda 3 has earned itself a lot of fans since its international debut in June last year. The third-generation model has now arrived in Malaysia, and we have since covered its full pricing and spec details plus a comprehensive gallery of the local-spec CBU car.
If pictures aren’t enough for you, here’s a walk-around video of the new Mazda 3 2.0 Sedan you can now buy for RM138,935. Here, yours truly takes a look at the car’s looks and specs, both inside and out. Want to know how it appears in the flesh, what’s it like inside and what it has got and lost? Press play and find out in under five minutes.
For a more subjective take on the car’s driving qualities, read our Australian test drive report on the new Mazda 3. Also, check out and subscribe to our official YouTube channel for more walk-around videos of Malaysian-spec vehicles. Thanks for watching.
Love the BMW i-drive like control.
Mazda 3 2.0 Sedan you can now buy for RM138,935….ribu ribu terima kasih MITI…
This toilet car is about USD$15,000. That is RM$45,000.
Malaysians are paying RM140,000 for this trash. Stupid Malaysians. Stupid government. BN stop cheating us. We are not stupid!
You can’t get this car for $15K la. In US this bare unit Manual transmission is selling at 16K. Not to mention they are getting a lower tuned engine at 155hp. For basic auto unit selling at 20K above.
but still pay that stupid tax for a car.. get a life..
paying for a Mario Ozawa + satisfy for few minutes + realize the girl not virgin = sexpensive!
since when mario is a girl.. yarks…
didnt know that mario can satisfy you… wow.
Sat in both the new 3 and Altis. Hate to say this but the Altis rear seats have much better thigh support. The 3’s seats lack the crucial thigh support n I’m not even that tall. The seats are 1-2″ shorter than the Altis’.
The most obvious reason Mazda engineers made it that way is to convey perceived more rear legroom
It’s a shame that they took out the adaptive cruise control and the HUD. I’m turning away cause i am a frequent highway cruiser. And they gave us fabric seats. what the…
a good review…just some points for improvement. Voice volume is understandably not good given the basic recording equipment, so the background music should be set at the lowest volume or be omitted entirely.
Likewise.
The videographer should not rely on his/her DSLR to make the audio recording. Hafriz deserves his own remote mic. You can sync the audio in post.
I understand the use of an ultra wide angle lens since space can be confined when filming inside the car, but outside shots should be used with a standard prime like a 35mm on a Full Frame … the distortion on Hafriz is horrendous. That and a video light. As good as cameras are now, it still lacks the dynamic range of human eyes, especially filming with a strong backlight.
Otherwise a good walk through by Hafriz, albeit a little short.
I don’t mind the lack of leather (not a big fan of leather) but the other omitted toys and functions make this 3 not as good as it should have been.
I am still turned down by having no Cruise Control, Leather Seats, and most importantly the big TACHOMETER in the middle!! and maybe 6 speed manual tranny? maybe?
Forgot to mention they also taken off the electric seats while the all famous Altis has driver electric seat.
I’d take the Altis over this M3. Add 2k and you get leather and cruise control. Or get a 2.0 Cerato and save 20k
good review. as good as going down to see the car. What a turn off for a such a high price.
Thanks Hafriz for the honest review.
For This New CBU Madza3,
Personally I …
LOVE the Exterior
LIKE the Interior
NOT MUCH LIKE the Spec
HATE the Price
Will buy the CKD Madza3 if Features-Added HUD,CruiseControl,Dual Zone AC and Leather seat.
don’t put any high hopes coz normally ckd spec will be the same or lower than cbu
Not so honest when they remove constructive criticism. If you guys want to really improve, be open and accept criticism as a learning process. By removing criticism and make yourself looks good only limit your advancement. Will see if you remove this message.
haha…
better buy citroen ds4…RM149k
leather seat (nappa leather)..cruise control…also got massage…
also got blind-spot monitoring…
1.6 Turbo…cheaper road tax maa…
But its a Citroen , just like the Peugeot and Renault, it will give you headaches until you get migraine with problems after problems. Thats the beauty of French cars. Looks great, but a headache to live it.
And you guys said that corolla is overpriced!! Ahahah end of the day, both cars are overpriced…both in a different ways..the corolla altis is big but has the features for its class such as cruise control and leather seats ..however the mazda has high tech features but forgets to put in small yet significant features plus it is a small car compared to others..
Actually how car seller set their price? I thought Civic 2.0 and Mazda 3 2.0 are same segment, how come a CKD Civic only slightly cheaper than a CBU Mazda 3? Then what for having a CKD? Or maybe CKD Civic 2.0 is selling too expensive?
Bro your presentation is good but next time please cut down on the volume. It’s too loud. Thanks
The entire interior is reminiscent of an Audi A3, the idrive-like controller, the benz-like screen, the audi door handles. Too bad it’s still a stupid Mazda, cheap materials all round, inefficient and slow engine with a shit gearbox. Perfect for cheap people.
Sounds like you’re rich people, don’t come here then, no one force you getting this cheap car.
rich people dont bother to read about car..they just buy, so how’s your myvi?
I really like the design. But the specs for Malaysia is really bad. They opted out important stuff like leather seats (though it can be retrofitted), cruise control (which cannot be retrofitted), and the 9 speaker Bose sound system, which can upgrade to better quality components, but getting them to match each other will be tough, not to mention having to drill holes into the rear doors to put additional tweeters. All of the above upgrades will cost a lot more money than if it had already came with it specced in. Think it would be better to wait for a higher spec version to come in the near future, perhaps with the 2.5 litre engine and the hatchback as well.
Space wise, it is tight inside, but still better than the Ford Focus which is quite bad. But if nobody sits in the back or if people who do sit there have short legs, then it would’nt be a major problem. All in all, hate to say this, but the new Altis is kinda a better buy. Sure it doesnt handle as well as the Mazda3, but the Altis has more important specs included, is more comfortable, quieter, and has a far more spacious cabin. Hope Bermaz is aware of the shortcomings, and includes these specs in the near future, cos this is a sweet looking ride.
The BOSE speakers and setup will be the same as manufacturer fitted due to:
1. The one fitted by Mazda will have much better sound proofing.
2. The cabin noise insulation testing and pre-amp tuning is not available here.
You can buy a bunch a BOSE speakers and pasang sendiri, but it will be nowhere near the quality of the original spec.
What kambinganas said is true.
Only BOSE speakers fit at production line produce consistent sound quality due to strict tuning and noise cancellation tech. The end result is world apart albeit it’s known that the BOSE sound system in Mazda produces shallower bass in comparison with aftermarket sound systems.
Also, I’m quite baffled why they omitted cruise control from the spec list. Basic cruise control should be standard. I’m not asking for adaptive cruise control with radar. This mazda3 uses drive-by-wire throttle system. This means that the ECU / car is cruise control ready. You only need a steering control switch and a break switch. Those 2 parts cost Bermaz about RM1k only. They should have made it optional at least.
This is why I cancelled my booking.
btw, I heard the CKD unit won’t have cruise control either. plus they’ll probably remove sunroof. What you’ll get is lesser car with lesser price. That’s what majority of Mazda salesmen told me.
If what u said bout the ckd was true, then they’ve lost one more customer.
attractive rear lamp, sun roof and navigation control. good engine performance and safety standard in its class. but i’m agree with unattractive dashboard, fabric seat, narrow boot.
quite expensive because of CBU, hope will come out with CKD version for cheaper price soon.
I’ve sat in one and reminds me of my new A class. Its an inexpensive alternative if you can’t afford continental cars like I could. Thumbs up to Mazda, its a beauty both inside and out. It’s a 1000 times better than Kimchi junks.
i thought your drive a maserati?daydreamer
If you cannot afford A Class like me, you better get a vios from my boss Sam, he will give you discount.
I hate to say this but the car is grossly overpriced. For about the same price I’d rater buy a barebone ACCORD. At RM 140k, you can also pick up a 2010 Golf GTI with less than 30k Km on it. If the car was 129k fully loaded with leather seat and what not, perhaps it would sell as well as the CX5 did.
This price is clearly a stage to prepare for the CKD variant at RM 120k+. I guess if they had priced this at RM 129k they’d need to sell the CKD version at RM 110+ which they wouldn’t be making much.
But wheres the next season of DRIVEN?
upset with the price,kinda turn me off with the spec..guess i’m better stick with vios trd.
eh wtf they even changed the speedo ? i thought it’s supposed to be digital and surrounded by a huge rev meter, together with a HUD
http://photo.netcarshow.com/Mazda-3_2014_photo_8a.jpg
hate to say this but looking at the spec and also the price now, ignoring the design
it seems corolla altis 2.0 is a better buy now
Good review. I do not need to go all the way to Shah Alam to see the car personally. Still Considering…
P/S: don’t know why, I just like Hafriz’s voice and the way he speaks….call me Gay….hahaha….
I get the feeling that Hafriz is a wee bit nervous throughout the filming. Good job, though, Hafriz! I think I would not have done better, especially after seeing how demanding the readers of paultan.org are.
The trend foe car sales in malaysia is…
-Sell a new car…
-Later after a few month only do the commercial on tv
-After a year new bodykit
-After a year bring in high spec
-After a year.. ok.. next model…
Good video hafriz. Way to go! Keep up the great job!
Good review, I read some comments posted here and there on FB but mostly constructive comments though. Keep it up Hafriz!
Better get a kia optima facelift. Fully loaded than those jap craps. Mazda is follwing honda and toyota. The previous mazda3 was better spec. Why berjaya want to start screwing malaysian more?
Ini kereta front hood insulation pon takda. Pelaq pat segi cekik darah
Once driven a CBU from Japan or Germany, you will realise the money paid for CBU vehicles are worth it. Can’t compare with CKD models. If I am going to pay anything more than RM100K, it better be a CBU unit.
The Altis 2.0V with Additional Safety Package seems like a better buy compared to this M3. Add 2k from the Mazda’s price and you get leather seats, cruise control and a bigger interior. Worth it or even better, get a Similarly-specced Cerato 2.0 and save 20k.
Was about to give you thumbs up then saw you recommend Cerato
*pukes*
With so many praising Altis, Sam Loo will be proud of you all. LOL.
Thanks Bermaz, for f**king up a really really good car for us Malaysians
Thanks for the review Hafriz. Hate to say it, Bermaz have screwed the new Mazda 3 with expensive price. Sigh.
1) BERMAZ, UMW, TCHONG, DRBHCOM, all are public listed company. They are answerable to major shareholders about profit (sometimes shareholders are same across these company), hence is a ‘controlled’ market, on surface it ‘looks like’ there are competition…. but with all these pricing strategies going up, I doubt it…
2) According to Government, Proton is national pride. They need to be protected in order for them to grow slowly and baby sit them facing the real world competition, so Malaysian has to pay 100% patriotism tax for buying foreign car. Plus, the taxes can help Government fund many alibaba projects. Tax the rich and feed the poor??
Malaysia consumer always lose out….
This car in US, mid spec, is selling about US$19K (about RM60K++) and US Dealer still can make profit. With our patriotism tax, it should be priced at RM120K++, now it’s selling at RM139K, so profit margin is high for BERMAZ and Dealers, plus they take out some market standard spec like:
1) Cruise Control (Altis & Civic have it)
2) Leather seats (Altis & Civic have it)
3) Reverse Camera (Altis & Civic have it)
4) Auto Chromic Rearview Mirror (Altis has it)
5) Engine bonnet sound insulation (even 10+ years proton has it)
Just to name a few…if BERMAZ can put it back when they do the official launching in March, they will have good competition with others.
There are other very high tech accessories in higher spec of US Mazda 3, probably they will put them in 2.5L model with even higher price that same as D Segment car…..
It would be a BEST segment C car in 2014, easily out beat the rivals…..if, only if it price at RM120K ++ with all the 5 missing standard accessories restored. They can price it RM140K for another variant with the other high tech spec included. Dream…
oday i test drive M3.. kind of sad.No leather seat, no reverse camera,no electric seat- its manual adjust don’t feel the power when driving when compare to Honda 2.0. Looks good and eye catching when you start to drive it like normal only.Before buy M3 please test drive first few times then decide for rm138000 is it worth or not.Or can go for recond audi or bmw ,merc…..for that price.Your money you decide..