All New 2017 Mazda 3

[zerorice]

I don't base my observations from magazines (heck I don't even read car magazines anymore), nor from paper specs alone. I never make comments about cars unless I've owned or driven them.

When I said that the Mazda 3 1.5 is weaker compared to its contemporaries, it's because I've driven them all. My firsthand observation stays the same - it loves to be revved hard and needs to be revved hard to generate good power. Nothing wrong with that - same case with the Honda L15.

At low revs and a sedate pace, it shouldn't matter to the average driver. There's a reason why slower cars like the Vios and Mirage sell well - people aren't after power anyway. But if you're more discerning, the other compacts in the same price range offer more power.

Which Altis did you own? The 9th and 10th gen Altises were indeed soft-handling cars. Owned several 10th gens already. The 11th gen is a big improvement in terms of cornering ability. Less body roll, less understeer, though steering is still bad (but FB Civic's steering is worse). That said, the 11th gen is still no match to the Mazda 3 when it comes to handling alone.

And while you're at it bashing the 2.0 Altis, guess what, I agree completely. The 2.0 Altis is overpriced and underspec'd compared to the 2.0 Mazda 3. No doubt the Mazda 3 2.0 blows everyone out of the water, until the new Civic decided to put up a fight.

The 1.6 Altis on the other hand is much cheaper with most of the features of the 2.0, which is why it's the better buy comparer to the TOTL variant. That said, Toyota's CVT feels rubbery during spirited drives compared to the CVTs from Subaru and Honda.

Oh, and before you accuse me of getting an Altis for whatever preconceived reason you have - the crux of the matter is that I got one because it comes with a manual. That alone makes it more fun to drive in provincial roads than other good-handling cars that come with an automatic. I say this because I also have an older 2.0 Mazda 3 and it's more powerful and has better handling than the Altis, but the transmission is a big letdown.

Anyway, I digress. I have no idea why you're attacking me on my car choices when the topic on hand was the Mazda 3 1.5. Again, I go back to what I've always opined about it - stellar handling, great features, but has a cramped rear and weaker engine compared to other compacts.

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Hi, guys! Let's all chill! To each his own. All cars have their merits and cons which are really dependent on what you are looking for.

Jut, wanna work for Top Gear Ph. Hit me up! 👍🏼

[marcyaptinchay]

Whoa, easy there friends! Discussion's getting heated. Chill lang.

I kind of agree with jut703's observations. I just got my 2017 1.5 Mazda 3, and immediately I noticed how it needs to be revved a bit more to get a good pace. In comparison, our old 2009 Altis 1.6 V (10th gen) needs a lighter tap on the gas pedal. Perhaps it's with the way the transmission + engine are tuned. Besides, the Mazda has only than 5 kms when I got it out of the dealership; I expect it to have better performance as I rack up the miles. The weight of both cars seem to be identical (1,200+ kgs) as well as power and torque figures (1.5 Skyactiv at 111hp/144Nm vs 1.6 3ZZ-FE at 109hp/145Nm). Could care less about performance though since I'm mostly stuck in traffic anyway and my personal top speed is 100kph, which all new cars nowadays have no problem of reaching.

If you need a bit more punch, the 2017 models have a Sport Mode which holds on to the gears much longer and making the engine more rev-happy. Not to mention that it's got a nice engine sound.

No regrets though, as it's better in many other ways. Handling is superb for me. Whereas before I need to constantly brake before going on a curve, this time, I can do it even without letting go of the gas. This is with the same route. There's minimal body roll, and I love the firmer suspension as it doesn't feel "floaty." Interior quality is much better, with better design and materials used. Seat comfort feels better with the Mazda as well.

In terms of design, the Mazda is hands-down more attractive. I love the long hood and sloping rear roofline. Yes, I concede that the wheels are a bit small for its body, but it's something easily rectifiable by aftermarket solutions (and a lot of cash as well, hahaha). At least though the thicker rubber of the 16 inch wheels will feel comfier especially with our terrible roads. Just a matter of preference (and budget) na lang.

As for space, the Mazda feels more spacious than the 10th gen Corolla (perhaps due to the longer wheelbase), but not that much. The Corolla had much more storage spaces, though. The Corolla also had a larger trunk.

I am yet to find out more about my new car, but so far, it's amazing. You won't win any races with this car, but I believe it will give you more smiles for every mile.


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Boss all good fun lang , dont like the fact that a non sky owner bashing on a car he does not own , kaya nga kami tinatanong , we will give the good and the bad naman Mazda is far from perfect but its an econo box but basically for what it is ,its giving more to the consumer compared to the others (maybe exept for the new civic) i used to love toyotas but as stated i have problems with them . How can a manufacturer improve if we dont point out its problems and just follow them blindly thats all . Can Toyota be great again , yes , they have so much money being #1 and #2 ( back and forth vattle with VW) i want the old Toyota back (when they even gave more than the their european counterparts, but as they are now puro adobo linalabas sana naman maglabas ng salpicao paminsan minsan. JUT has his point and i have mine which is ok . But its people like him who are keeping toyota down . If i were him i would say the Altis was good during its time but compared to other manufacturers now they should step up their game as its being left behind in terms of value for money by its competitors (simple diba and true) nandamay pa ng tuner na walang kinalaman (btw that tuner does Toyota , Honda, and Mazdas ) though mas concentrated sa Mazda

[Egan101]

*marcyaptingchay - I see your point now. You are pissed at how Toyota makes do with limited features and boring stuff as they are counting more on their brand name rather than what their products can offer.

[jut703]

Takes one to know one bud bet you had the sampayan and the torotot siento bente tambutso bwahahhahahhahhahah . Yes ive had cars since the early 90s and ive seen them evolve through the years . And Toyota has been the one lagging through the years if you cant see that then i gues your one of those blind Toyotard fanboys , bwahhahahahhha Toyotards in a mazda thread defending an expensive karitela (kaya nga mura piyesa) . JUT galing ng backup mo kid , puro unlimited rice . I go for simple looks but acceptable power and handling (di puro diretso lang) . The problem is not that you bashed the 1.5 , (i drive the 2.0) the provlem is your comparing oranges to apples , you go to a mazda thread and bash us with your Altis , or compare them to cars you have drivenbut do not own .......weird, tapos expert ka na (family owned cressida to coronas to corollas to camry, civics to accords even BMs benzes , even a Cadillac, Toyotas were good ......not any more . Kaya galit ako because i can see how much they short change people . Bro saan mo kaya kinukuha yung specs mo sa mga kotse pang kumpara ? I dont think naghuhula ka lang so kung hindi sa magazines at sa papel de saan .....hearsay or pull it out your ass ? And why bring in tuners may ginawa ba sayo ? For the Unli ricers , ano minamaneho niyo? Siguraduhin niyo na meron kasi baka wala.

I'm in a Mazda thread because I saw it appear on my timeline, a forumer asked about the performance of the Mazda 3 1.5, so I chimed in with my personal experience.

Just because I don't own a Mazda 3 1.5 doesn't mean I can't share what my experience is with it. I've driven it both in city and mountain roads and I shared my feedback. Following that logic, then you shouldn't be commenting about the Mazda 3 1.5 either since you have the 2-liter. I've also driven the 2-liter and the performance difference between the two is drastic especially in the midrange where the 2.0 comes alive until redline.

I'm not even bashing the Mazda 3. Just stating facts. Look back at my first post - all I said was that the Altis 1.6 and Civic 1.8 have better performance vs the Mazda 3 1.5. Again, based on personal experience - the Altis and Civic accelerate faster and have higher top speeds vs the Mazda 3 1.5.

I also have nothing against OVT tuning the Mazda. That's well and good. All I said was that it usually comes out whenever the lack of stock power of the 1.5 is brought up.

If you think that's me rubbing my Altis up your precious Mazda, then you're obviously way too sensitive about it. What do you want me to say, that the Mazda 3 has a faster engine than the Civic and Altis? It really doesn't.

Heck, I've sold my Altises already so I don't really have any reason to be attached to the brand or the car, unlike what you repeatedly try to portray. And again, I keep on saying that I don't even think the Altis is an outstanding car. I've always had my reservations against the 2.0 because it's overpriced and underspec'd compared to other TOTL compacts. How many times do I have to repeat this to you for you to get it?

I also never claimed to be an expert. Find me a post I've made in the past decade that I've been posting in this forum that I claimed to be an expert. I was just sharing my objective observations.

You might also want to re-read what I said - I don't read car magazines. I didn't say I don't read spec sheets. I said that I don't rely on spec sheets alone when making an opinion about a car.

I've driven many cars with poor specs but good performance, and many cars with nice specs but lackluster performance. For the case of the current crop of compact cars, the specs are pretty spot-on - Mazda 3 1.5 < Altis 1.6 < Civic 1.8. Spec sheets don't list handling capabilities though, and this is where the Mazda shines, beating the Altis and even the Civic.

Also, what backup? I don't tell people to back me up in forums, I can hold my own. That's such a sissy thing to do.

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[Egan101]

Common, guys. There is no need for such words or pointing out broken ideas in another person's points.

Let's move forward and keep those fiery comments in check.

[dct]

Binack up ko si jut dahil may sense naman sinasabi nya. Obviously you're too attach to your mazda 3. You honestly have a point. Pero you're too attach na di pwedeng laitin ang mazda 3? Come on..

And personally, kung ako hihingi ng advice, gusto ko mga may negative din so i know what to expect. Hindi yung puro magaganda lang naririnig ko akala ko perfect na yung bibilhin ko

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[travajante]

Ok, guys, chill. You got your points across. I'm sure everyone meant well. It's a given that owners know their cars better than those who've just tried em. Comparative test drives say a lot, but long term ownership stories tell even more.
Just a suggestion, there's a fun & friendly way to extract objective performance & handling comparisons...The track. Marc's buddy, the RingKing, has a 1.5 you might wanna test against, Jut sir?

[jut703]

Ok, guys, chill. You got your points across. I'm sure everyone meant well. It's a given that owners know their cars better than those who've just tried em. Comparative test drives say a lot, but long term ownership stories tell even more.
Just a suggestion, there's a fun & friendly way to extract objective performance & handling comparisons...The track. Marc's buddy, the RingKing, has a 1.5 you might wanna test against, Jut sir?

That's a good suggestion, we can have a get together of compact car owners on track. 😊

Touge Battle is a good place to start for racing daily drivers since it's not a grid race so less chances of dings. I've seen quite a number of Skyactiv Mazda 3s there actually.

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[travajante]

June 10 good, Jut sir? RingKing & company might be there.

[jut703]

June 10 good, Jut sir? RingKing & company might be there.

I'll be out of the country that entire week. Perhaps we can make July 29 work. Hopefully CIS. Will you be gracing Luzon a visit for this?

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