oh, i might be misunderstood here.
I'm not saying that the 1.6l mzr maxx is at par with the skyactiv variants. If you can easily shell out 965k and up, you should definitely get the new ones. That's a no brainer. Why would we even try to compare technologies 10 years apart. But for some, 70k to 100k doesn't come that easily.
What i'm trying to say is for someone who is somewhat on the edge of their budget, say they have max of ~870k to spare, someone who is looking for subcompact since it is all they can afford, looking to purchase a Vios 1.5G or City VX, i think the 1.6 mzr maxx is still a good alternative.
Yes, you don't get the skyactiv engine but you still get other Mazda 3 goodness that comes with it, such as best in class handling, kodo styling (if that matters), yojin 3, etc.
by the way sir Trav, we already have a 2nd gen 3 1.6 MZR, I don't plan on getting another one with the same engine :D
it would be CX-3 (in case it reaches our shores) or 2.0 sky 3 for me by next year
my biggest dilemma though is that i love the aluminum metallic color and we already have it in our 2nd gen,
would be silly if we have 2 gen of mazda 3 with exactly the same color, don't you think?
