2007 Mazda 3 i sport 2.0L from North America

Summary:

Not worth the trouble

Faults:

Mainly this car has some serious issues. It makes this weird clicking noise, but the dealer is a joke can't find the problem and always comes to a conclusion " it's a common Mazda thing" I am way tired with this problem.

General Comments:

It can be a really fun car to drive if everything works well. Not mine though, so its pretty annoying most of the time. Waste of money!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 9th November, 2007

15th Jun 2008, 06:24

You haven't even said what is the problem. No wonder dealer cannot help you. Weird clicking noise can mean anything, from discharged battery to loose cup holder :)

31st May 2016, 10:15

I believe this "clicking" is really a "clonking", per my own Mazda 3 Sport 2.0 Saloon.

It's not just me. I read elsewhere it's common and "just the stability system working", but I had replaced a suspension link for circa £50 which fixed it for about a year. It's slowly coming back, so no idea.

2007 Mazda 3 S 1.6L petrol from Jordan

Summary:

An amazing drive, but not powerful enough

Faults:

Nothing went wrong with the car so far, nor did I expect anything to go wrong, as it is a brand new car, and Mazda is known for it's excellent build quality. I found the gear shifter to be a little stiff sometimes when you move it out of park; feels like you need to force it, but the dealer assured me it's normal. It rarely happens anyway.

General Comments:

This is an excellent car to drive; it handles really well, with very nice suspension. The steering wheel feels excellent and allows you to maneuver at high speeds, and take corners without skidding or tilting, which is an amazing feeling.

The car also looks great; the guys at Mazda did an excellent job on design, as it definitely stands out in a crowd. It has a beautiful sporty look, and has an aggressive personality with very unique and eye-catching lines and curves. The lights, both front and rear look exceptionally good.

However, designers seem to have missed out on a couple of issues that tend to be irritating; there's no place in the trunk or anywhere else to affix the fire extinguisher to, which leads to the fire extinguisher sliding from one side to another when you make a hard turn or go uphill, making a lot of noise. I asked the dealer to fix it somehow, and they said I'm not the first to complain about this.

The car also lacks torque. It's good when you drive normally, but when you need some power to accelerate, you get NADA... especially if you're trying to pick up speed from second gear. The car is so slow in picking up speed it's irritating, and the gear ratios between 1st and 2nd gear seem to have a gap... 1st is too low, and 2nd is not low at all. This is seriously a point to criticize, as the car gives maximum torque at above 5000 rpm, which leads to a person shifting manually just to get the car to respond slightly better than it does in "Drive"... still you don't get enough power, and the car can really disappoint you if you're a tight situation where you need power.

I still have a problem parking the car in tight spots, as you cannot possibly see the rear end of the car when you're backing up; it's curvy on the sides, and high with a small rear window, which leaves you guessing how far you actually are from the car behind you... yet a minor issue that you get used to in time.

One disappointing factor was fuel consumption. I got this car thinking it would be super economical with its 1.6L engine; rated consumption was 260Km/20L of fuel. In reality, it only does 212Km/20L of fuel, which is pretty much the same consumption as my previous 2.0L 4x4 Opel Vectra.

The A/C in the car is amazing, quite powerful for such an engine size, and hardly affects engine power. The audio system is also quite good. There are lots of pockets to put stuff in too, very well integrated into the car. However the black plastic foot mats really don't go with superb interior of the car; the interior is quite fancy and well designed, while the foot mats look really cheap and get dirty easily.

In total, it's a good car; very well built, with minor glitches, and a car that serves you well. It is quite comfortable too, and spacious with an amazing look; but I think they could've gotten more power out of the engine, or at least, gotten higher torque out of it at lower RPM somehow... it really lacks the power to accelerate.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 2nd September, 2007

27th Jun 2008, 02:53

I am a Mazda 3 owner as well, but my one is 1.5. I got it in July 07, and until now I feel it is so well, expect lack of power. I really understand it is so down when you want to accelerate or overtake other but the engine does not give you any responses. The car is more than 1200KG, 115PS engine out seems really not enough. Well, for normal usage, it is okay if you don't try to push the car in limit. The fuel consumption is also high, I got around 100km/10L, considering it is a B segment car, it is acceptable.

Except the performance, it is pretty good for daily usage. The outlook is good, and riding quality is comfort, and the boot is really big. The handling is really good as well.

It is built on the same perform of Ford Focus, so we don't surprise its brilliant handling.

But it is hard to change from 1st gear to 2nd gear. Also the gear ratio is not good enough. It may fit on 2.0 or 2.3, but surely not for the 1.5.

Having lives with it for almost one year, it does not appear any problem, no strange sounds or failure. The maintenace cost is cheap as well.

The main weakness is this car is lack of passion, it is my problem, not Mazda. It is truly an excellent family car, not a boy racer. If it is a 2.3 M/T, everything will be perfect!!!