We rented a new Mazda 3 for three weeks in NZ. This is much better than a test drive in the city.
There is a lot to like about this car. The interior has quality materials and it is well equipped.
Like a lot of Japanese cars it has a now old fashioned engine and automatic gearbox. Despite that it has impressively low fuel consumption. Overtaking above 80 kmh results in lots of noise and not a lot of acceleration. You learn to accept that, and work around it.
The main problem which a city test drive won't show up is road noise above about 60...Read more

I purchased the Mazda 3 mid 2015 new - the performance is great especially on the open road. When backing out of our garage and moving from reverse to forward there is a extended delay and jerk in moving forward - not the best on a busy road.
Interior - The high head rests on the front seats are very restrictive when looking for vehicles approaching from the LHS (passenger) of the car while reversing. The manual seat movement of the front passenger seat is a pain. The leg room in the rear is very constrained for anyone but a small child.
Th...Read more

The 2014 Mazda3 is by far the best car for the money. The service on the car is one of the cheapest to keep running. Very smooth ride. Great safety features such as it lets you know when a car is in your blind spot can't live without it. It is a classy looking car you will not be ashamed to drive it. Best car I have ever owned. I have 30,000 miles on it and when it is time for a new car I will be buying another one. I live in PA. If you are looking for a great dealership I highly recommend Scott Mazda on Lehigh Street in Allentown PA. They will...Read more

I commute about 30,000 Kim's per year and the Mazda just works. They blue tooth is amazing the sat nav intuitive and the stereo is great. Its a great little car but the seats could be a little more supportive, but I am now being picky.

I will look at different tyres as there is a bit of road noise.

Overall a great car and although I have the top of the line, when I test drove the other models they went just as good.

AN UPDATE
2 years on and I still love the car. I have had it regularly serviced through Rockdale Mazda who are amazing.
Only a few issues to date
The sunroof seal was very slightly worn and I pointed this out to the dealer, they contact Mazda and it was replaced at no charge ...Read more

Purchased a brand new Mazda 3 SP25GT from Melbourne City Mazda in September 2015. The vehicle is quite engaging with responsive and precise handling; the fuel economy is very good considering I’ve only done 3400 km so far (7.5 l/100km average). The Auto transmission offers shifts that are remarkably intelligent, quick, responsive and smooth. Overall it has a refined substantial-feeling ride quality. The i-stop feature works quite well compared to other vehicles.
The vehicle has the look and feel of a more expensive car inside, in many aspects....Read more

I bought my 2014 SP25 as a demo in June 2015 with 600km, it now has just shy of 9000km. I am very happy with this car,
Good: it is easy to drive, handles well and has enough power for any situation when driven spiritedly, it is also very economical when driven conservatively, the clutch is light and easy enough for a novice manual driver to operate.
Bad: Road noise can be quite loud on some road surfaces which can be an issue when you can't hear the radio over the noise.
Good: The interior is high quality, the seating is comfortable for a t...Read more

Exciting drive, packed with features. Fun drive with a feeling of total control. The heads up display gives you all the relevant information without drawing your eye from the road. Radar cruise control takes some getting use to but makes a long drive so easy, allowing your car to monitor the car in front and accelerate and slow down accordingly. I did encounter some issues when connecting the car to a wifi hotspot. This has not been resolved and is intermittent. The sounds system is excellent with 9 speakers. For the sound enthusiast, you will ...Read more

I bought the Maxx manual sedan, approx. 1 month ago. Drove to Sydney and back about 2,500 kilometres, and averaged 5.1 /100. Staggering for a brand new motor still tight, and that included 500 odd K's around town!

Like most reading this I was awash with choice in this segment, and test drove them all. I nearly bought the i30, but the extra ooomph of the 2 litre Mazda 3 was my end choice.

It's a nice car, has all the stuff and toys needed, very light steering and so quiet. istop took a little while to get used to in Sydney traffic, but it...Read more

Updated my car in September for the new Mazda turbo diesel. Very impressed with the drive, heaps of grunt. Infact it has the same motor as the CX5 diesel. I average around 5.6 lts per 100ks. the adaptive cruise control is fantastic.it does take a little bit odd time to get used to. For example if you put you're cruise control on 110 and the traffic in your lane slows down your car will allow down too,that's great, but if you get behind a car that does not maintain the current speed limit then you could end up doing a considerably slower speed. ...Read more

I have had my Mazda 3 Touring for over 6 months now. It is a great car and so far no regrets. Classy and quite quite roomy interior, lots of high tech stuff, good fuel economy. And after recently having driven a same vintage Toyota Corolla, I am so glad I didn't buy one of them. From the Corolla's drivers seat, it feels very cramped (I'm only 5'7") and the windscreen is narrow, like you are looking through a letterbox not, to mention seeing virtually nothing out the back window. Also the dash is very downmarket in its design whereas the 3's is ...Read more