04 CIVIC or MAZDA 3?

**chieffy** · September 23rd, 2004 01:32 PM

pinagtatalunan namin ni esmi iyan nung isang kagabi...ako kasi mazda 3 at siya civic dahil daw she's always on the practical side pero wag ka, nung nakakita siya ng mazda 3 sa kalsada napa wow siya...yun na lang daw kunin namin...tinanong niya ako kung anong kotse iyon...sabi ko iyan yung mazda 3 na sinasabi ko

mazdamazda, mazdaspeed version na m3 yeah! :car: hihintayin ko rin iyan

**k700** · September 23rd, 2004 05:13 PM

wilcats, mz3 ka na. i drive one already and no regrets (yet hehe).

i used to bash mazda cars to death and always heaped praises on my civic ride(vti lang po) but after spending endless internet research on mz3 user feedback in the us, uk, aus & japan, i decided to give it a try. Suffice it to say that the road handling, stability, cornering & confidence inspiring aspect of the mz3 is far, far better than my civic imo. ;)

The civic is a good car but the mz3 will give u a smile or a grin everytime u drive it (its been a month now for me hehe). Torque is gud across the band. It's not a perfect car nor is it a very fast one (thou it makes u feel ur fast + the exhaust note is definitely nice to my ears :D ) but try using the Activematic manual shifter and rev till red line, it is fun.

Heck, can't wait for delivery of my 2.0V 2nd week of Oct. That's proof of how happy i am with the mz3.

Cheers and good luck on what u decide on.

**hagiber** · September 23rd, 2004 05:37 PM

Zoom zoom talaga ang Mazda, they have a great reputation for building cars that are fun to drive..

**caloyski5** · September 23rd, 2004 06:09 PM

k700: a true mazda addict! hehehe parang si caloyski :D ...

**wilcats** · September 24th, 2004 04:25 PM

thanx for the response tsikoteers. well majority of the votes goes to the mazda3... hmmm... i hav test driven a civic already but not a mazda3. M impressd wit the supersmooth ride of the civic (or is t just new?) and the nys engine response. i hav yet to testdrive a mazda3... *sigh* if only the 8th gen civic would come out a lil earlier...

**wac3** · September 27th, 2004 11:10 PM

Originally posted by wilcats
thanx for the response tsikoteers. well majority of the votes goes to the mazda3... hmmm... i hav test driven a civic already but not a mazda3. M impressd wit the supersmooth ride of the civic (or is t just new?) and the nys engine response. i hav yet to testdrive a mazda3... *sigh* if only the 8th gen civic would come out a lil earlier...

looks like your heart is really with the civic. same thing here, but as the years go by, car companies are coming out with civic competitors and when you look at them feature-wise, the civic is way behind them. this is my only complain with honda here in the philippines, they are left behind when it comes to features. But there pricing remains to be more expensive than others. How come? Heck the first Civic ES here doesn't even have an armrest! What Honda does is they wait for others to come out with additional features (e.g. climate control, optitron gauges, etc.). Well, just my little insight on Honda Cars Philippines.

But still, my heart is with Honda.

**parakitoJDM** · October 7th, 2004 12:23 AM

hi, if u haven';t decided yet which car to buy. i hope this help sway u to the Mazda 3. currently my ride is a 95ESi just with Strut bar & 15" mags as mods. i'm sort of in the way situation as u, trying to find a replacement to my ageing (albeit gracefully) Civic. So i first test drove a 2.0Civic (w/ K20A2 engine). typical top notch Honda ergonomics, engine was quite responsive and so was the transmission. but the chassis - suspension and brakes felt really out of touch. too boring perhaps? now here comes Mazda 3S - the 1.6li with 15"wheels variant. as u know already the 3 is a real looker - drop dead gorgeous talaga. (i know in the looks alone it really got me sweaty already). and now here comes the test drive. (currently Mazda, as i was informed - only has the S as model for test drive. so i couldn't compare the performance of the 2.0R as i've never driven it. but nevertheless IT JUST BLOWS u away. the Seats feel right and comfortable the first time u ride in it. the body was really stiff, no flexing, no rattle just very solid and quick responses. and oh yes, the steering wheel is like hardwired to your brain. it just steers to the direction u want with a very natural balance. so i expect the 2.0R with the huge 17"s to be even better. and the brakes? oh yes their huge Rotors that really gives a very reassuring feel you always have enough brake power to help u stop when your barreling from your favourite mountain road.

and the transmission on manual mode is really very responsive to up & dn shifts. in fact it will give u full control where it will not up shift even when u bang 1st. gear to the redline.

anyway try to read what AutoMobile mag has to say about the compact cars avaialable in north america.
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The Honda Civic EX faces the Mazda 3 s, the Ford Focus ST, the Toyota Corolla XRS, and the Hyundai Elantra GT
Mazda 3 s

Exciting things are coming from Mazda these days. With both the mid-size 6 sedan and the sporty RX-8 coupe making our All Stars list this year, we were downright giddy to hop in the new 3. The 3 is available in both 4- and 5-door body styles, and sedan buyers get a choice of two engines, while the wagon comes standard with the larger one, a 160-horsepower 2.3-liter 4-cylinder. Also standard on the 5-door is a sport package with stylish seventeen-inch wheels, firmer suspension, and larger brakes. We found our 5-door test car to be the real athlete of the group, living up to its company slogan. The 3 always seemed to have enough power to make us smile, and the car ate up tight twisties with ease. Handling was refreshingly neutral and secure. The only trade-off is that the larger wheels made for a bumpy ride through southern Michigan roads still recovering from a long winter, so some buyers may opt to rebel from the big-wheel trend and settle for a 3i sedan with fifteen-inch tires, albeit at the expense of the bigger engine. The 3s sedan comes with sixteen-inch wheels and the larger engine.

Inside the cabin, the 3 achieves a beautiful balance of sport and elegance; controls are stylish and easy to use. The 3 shares some good DNA with an unlikely car, KITT, the Pontiac Trans Am that starred in TV's Knight Rider. Both cars feature a row of red lights that illuminate sequentially; while KITT's were on the hood, the 3's dance along the dashboard in response to movement of the control dials. The most exciting thing about this cabin, though, is the list of available options including not only the usuals - leather, a 6-disc in-dash CD changer, and a moonroof - but even a navigation system, xenon headlights, side curtain airbags, and a tire-pressure monitoring system. The cutting edge does come at a price though, as a fully loaded 3 costs nearly $25,000, or as much as a well-equipped Mazda 6. Still, even loaded, the 3 represents real value for the money, especially when compared with the Volvo S40, a car based on the same platform can cost $10,000 more.

In this segment, the 3 is the car we would find ourselves owning, and with the wide selection of power plants, body styles, and optional equipment, the latest little Mazda seems ready to suit any small car buyer's desires. Now, if only a Mazdaspeed version could come sooner. . .
All five of these cars' base models cost between $13,000 and $14,000, but the versions we drove better represent what a driving enthusiast might spring for. The Mazda 3 brings hot performance, hot styling, and exciting features to the class. If we were to pick one stand-out in the group, it would be the 3. It was a blast to drive and pleasing to look at both inside and out, and the 5-door would make a fine alternative to not only other economy cars, but also small SUVs by virtue of its commodious cargo hold.

The Corolla provides Toyota build quality and reliability, two major real-world advantages. Buyers looking for something for the long haul can count on minimized visits to their local service center. But our Corolla XRS was trying to be more than it really is. The rock-hard suspension, peaky engine, and mediocre cornering prowess were letdowns, so we would avoid the XRS.

At the end of our test, we told the Elantra it had a nice. . . personality. . .but to be honest, we don't really plan on calling it again any time soon. Hyundai's heart is in the right place with this car, but it simply does not perform at anywhere near the level of the others. The long warranties and rebates are a good way to get business going, but the success of this car, and all Hyundai products for that matter, lies in the hands of designers and engineers, all of whom need to go back to the drawing boards and try again. But at the same time, we do have pity; wrestling with the likes of Honda, Ford, Mazda, and Toyota is tough work, and at least Hyundai is trying.

The Civic is one of the most refined economy cars on the road. Over the years, it has won our enthusiast hearts nearly as much as the beloved BMW 3-series cars. And with natural gas and hybrid versions, it is one of the greenest cars on the road. Unfortunately, small dimensions, a lack of power, an uninspired interior, and suspension faults have taken this car out of the spotlight. There are simply more exciting cars than the Civic at this price.