Mazda 3 reviews

I bought a Mazda 3 because Mazda have a good reputation for reliability. What I got is the most unreliable vehicle I have owned in my fifty years of motoring. During lockdown it was not used much & the battery went flat. If it does go totally flat it is not possible to recharge at home. Two probably three home chargers have been blown finding this out. There was a software update for this problem which was done under warranty. Again the battery went flat & again the dealership said the software had been updated. I should smelt a rat when no paperwork was provided. Both times I was assured the battery was ok. Out of warranty again I had yet another flat battery so I had a new battery fitted. There was a problem with stalling probably because the automatic brake release wasn’t quick enough, there was recall for this so at least I didn’t have to pay for the software update. The sat nav stopped working along with speed limit display. This was while in Scotland & my the time I got back to Norfolk the whole infotainment system had ceased working. My Madza dealer did an excellent job over two days liasoning with Mazda tech support eventually reloading the infotainment software. I was charged £180 on the instructions of Mazda after a goodwill claim was rejected. Software doesn’t suffer from wear & tear so I was somewhat niffed at having to pay to have software reinstalled which obviously wasn’t fit for purpose if it gets corrupted. Next problem was Alternator pulley failed this caused the auxiliary belt to shred. Replacement of the alternator, tensioner and belt was recommended at a cost of £2345. This was on a vehicle 3 years 9 months old having less than 17000 miles. Alternator & flat battery makes me suspicious there a commonality in the faults. Putting this to Mazda in a goodwill claim was reject with a pedantic attitude to periodicity of service history 14 (covid) 15 & 15 months in my case. The car is now known by the nickname The Red Devil!

Mazda paintwork is a draw to the eye but with the glitter of Soul Red Crystal is a reflection that shows every imperfection that would never appear with a different paint especially differences between metal and plastic. 186hp is only available above 4000 rpm so in a urban environment you need to be changing gear often, very often. The inside materials give a premium feel which is top in it's class for comfort let down by the poor tyre choice. The major flaw with this car is in the Tech, in the field of sensor quality and performance rise with costs and these sensors are limited but the cameras have a good resolution. Compared with VW the parking sensors are limited and activate very close to objects, the radar has the same issues on cost/quality being located high in the grill it detect vehicles in the adjacent lane which can cause a safety problem with severe braking. A known problem over many years. The biggest problem/annoyance is the alerts which are constant and with no central message centre to indicate why. Mazda obviously know about this problem because they have install a dedicated mute button for the Alerts or should I say most of the Alerts. In summary the car looks good, the specification does not meet the reality and the car is hard work in a urban environment with constant annoying alarms. It is a 2 plus occasional 4 passenger car for a mature customer without children and occasional grand children.

If you want a reliable car get a Mazda! Had the 3 Sport for 11 years now - apart from new tyres nothings gone wrong yet. My 323 only let me down once in 18 years when the radiator failed. If the AA know people have a Mazda they should offer them a discount!!

I have had this car from new and have no desire to change it. It has never let me down and I have covered 120000 miles.

Great car BUT too noisy on motorway run --- you need to shout to be heard!

Easy to drive, handles well and very nippy.

Some parts fail before recommended change and Mazda don't take any responsibity for them if your car is outside the warranty

My first Mazda, it won't be my last. Best auto gear box I've ever had - has a manual override to allow sequential change, great for very quick changes when overtaking or merging on dual carriageways. Very nippy performance and it handles beautifully - corners nicely flat and without fuss, doesn't wander in a straight line. Reasonably quiet unless you really push it. I've had it for four years and it has been completely reliable in that time. Roomy inside yet has a decent sized boot. Converts to "estate" mode very quickly and easily. Decent quality cabin features: good, very adjustable climate control; nice radio system with six CD auto-changer. Front seats both have lumber adjustment drivers seat also has full up/down, tilt, front/back adjustment. Steering wheel also has full adjustment. Good quality and comfortable rear seat has triple seat belt provision and has reasonable leg room. I would most definitely have another one based on my experience with this.

Excellent car

This latest version of the Mazda 3 comes with lots of bells and whistles, and is a true drivers car. Added to this is total reliability, safe handling and good fuel economy. Highly recommended.

Comfortable, very well equipped, no turbo by design but could do with a little more power particularly in higher gears. Needs spare wheel not inflation kit ( should be compulsory) Very good all round car.

Was very impressed the way the sales person conducted the sale I didn't feel at all uncomfortable or pressurised into the sale. Awaiting notification of vehicle being released after faults being rectified and seviced and new mot ,when i receive the car i will then be able to give a proper review

Good all round hatchback, relatively quick and has good handling. Rear wheel arches don't intrude into the load bay very much, so has a useful load area. Slightly disappointed with the fuel economy averages around 43 to 44mpg, but that is with spirited driving, will do much better if one pussy foots around.

All new mazda 3 coming out soon, should improve performance from 2008 model such as : poor rear view vision, road noise, fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, road fund licence band, insurance group

Not as economical as advertised, but sporty & comfortable for my wife & me. Have yet to discover any reliability issues.

I bought my Mazda second hand and it's my 6th car. I researched a few different makes and models this time due to a very unhappy experience with a previous car. I bought the 'boot' version as I'd had enough of hatchbacks and wanted a 'grown-up' car. My Mazda 3 is very comfortable, roomy and is the smoothest runner I've ever owned. It's great for long journeys, which is good as my commute is a 150 mile round trip. Steering is light and easy, simple dash layout.Three years in and I've had to replace very little, other than tyres, brakes and battery and the usual annual service consumables. Downsides - fuel consumption is slightly higher than the car I owned directly before the Mazda, and cabin noise is pretty high, but after the first week of driving it I no longer notice the noise of other road users. Minor gripe - a rear window wiper would be welcome, I realise that many cars with a boot don't have a wiper, but some do. All in all, the best car I've driven and the positives for me, more than outweigh any negatives.

I bought it at 2 years old and have had it for 3 years now. Its been very reliable and economical, quite comfortable and reasonable performance. In its class I'd say it is excellent.

This is a nice car to drive - responsive and handles well, but there is quite a bit of road noise and the engine is quite noisy too. It isn't very fuel efficient using super unleaded. I've had no problems, so a high score for reliability. There's sufficient passenger space for 3 adults, but the boot space is only average.

First Mazda I've had. Love it! Handles like a dream, best auto box I've ever had includes a manual override to a sequential change, brilliant. Good trim level, well equipped: climate control, 6-cd autochanger built into radio, plenty of storage space with the bigest glove box I've ever seen in any car, let alone a mid-sized saloon. Cheesy as it sounds, I really can't find anything bad enough to complain about. Some people say the suspension is a tad hard and choppy, but that's the price you pay for a somewhat sportier handling saloon. Personally I've never found it a problem. I'd strongly recommend it to anyone wanting a medium sized saloon with a bit more pzaz than your average family car. I'll have another in due course.

I think the car is reliable It is easy to drive I have never had a automatic before but I do like it It has plenty of room inside and in the boot.