My 2010 Mazda 3 GT Sedan Review

[silverstar32]

Hi Everyone,

My car now has 1000km on it!!

Done in 20 days since purchase

Car had 8km when i picked it up.

See below pic



Pros:

Looks - I was one of the many that at first did not like the new styling but it has grown on me and now I love it. Have had comments from people of how nice my car is and that it looks very expensive. The color is awesome and it looks really sharp.

Performance - Love the power of the 3 even though I still have not gone past 100km an hour. Not a problem on hills and has the pick up when you need it. It is just so much fun to drive.

Technology/Audio- Have not yet set up the bluetooth so can't comment on that but the radio and the speakers are top notch. The speakers actually thump when there is a good bass song is played.

Interior - Love the dash and the center console. Just makes you feel like you are in a luxery vehicle. The dash at night looks sharp and love the ambient lighting.

Cons:

Now this one is hard as I love pretty much everythng about the car. The only thing that stands out and I'm hoping it will improve is the fuel economy. Right now I am averaging 10.3L/100km. Now this is mostly city driving so it will improve right? Right? LOL

[redsnoopy04]

I have had my GT for a little bit over a month and I am close to 900 kms. Agree with all your pros. Regarding your cons, well, currently I am averaging about 9.6/100km; this is a combination of city and hwy driving and there have been a few times that the car was driven ~ 110-120 km/hr..it should get better! Congrats on your car!
Cheers!

[CFX]

My GT has just over 10,000km (7 months) on it. Last I checked, it read 8.8 or 8.9/100km. Seeing as though you do mostly city driving, chances are your fuel mileage may get a tiny bit better, but not much.

[McGuyver_3]

My GT jost over 16800km also 7months still going about 10/100 50/50 if i do strictly city good god lets not go there lol

[silverstar32]

***Update***

My car is now at 4700km (yeah I drive a lot, 60km a day back and forth to work) and average is now at 9.6L/100km so its getting better.

I do 50/50 city/highway.

Got my first oil change at 3000km and switched to synthetic.

Still loving the car, no issues at all, no squeeks ect Everything works as its supposed to and its so much fun to drive.

Will keep you guys updated

[SonicBoy]

As the engine breaks in, it gets better. I think it's around the 15K mark that the numbers stop getting any better.

[Charlie S]

My MZ3GT is now over a month old, 3000 kms on the clock.

I didn't like the looks at first especially the front.
It kinda grew on me now.

No cons that I can think of, I love everything about it. The blue tooth
works well and I use it so frequently.
Sometimes just for the heck of it...lol

I am considering switching to Syntetic also. Not sure how much more advantagious that will be for everyday driving.

I just done the Tint on the windows and I'm waiting for Spring to install the Side Sills, the ones that come on the 5 door Sports models.

Charlie.

[ck1223]

Technology wise, it's a great car. I like the built in BT, heated seats and mirrors. I drive a LOT of highway. Bought my car in August, and have 21,000km on it. I average 8.9-9L/100km. I do about 75% HWY, 25% City.

However, my 2010 Mazda 3 GT Sedan has more road noise than I expected. It's also not a very smooth ride. I feel every bump. You can say, well, it's a stiff suspension, but my friends 3 year old VW GTI runs like butter. I have to say, I'm not impressed with the purchase of the car.

This car isn't made for tall people either. I'm 6'2, and I wish the wheel telescoped further. I'm always trying to find a comfy spot.

This is my first car purchase, and I've learned a valuable lesson, in an expensive way Test the car out thoroughly.

Sadly, I'm looking forward to the day I get rid of it. Blah.

[twistedspoon]

Personally, I feel that the technology built into the GT is not of good quality. When I talk to my wife through the built-in Bluetooth during a phone call, the "tick tock" from the signals would drown out her out - perhaps it has to do with the positioning of the mic. And more often than not, the auto wipers does funny things - when the rain is light, the auto wipers will do double wipes for no apparent reason; and while driving at a constant speed and when rainfall is consistent, it may not wipe the windshield when it should have.

The other complaint I have is rocking/rebounding of the car when coming to a complete stop, even under light braking. I haven't experienced this on any new cars before and I am sure that I don't have a heavy foot on braking.

In my opinion, the Mazda3 is a good car - definitely better than its competition - but it does have its flaws.

[Elusivellama]

If I drive with fuel economy in mind, I can get about 9.7 - 10/100km in the city. But I'm usually sitting at about 11.1 - 11.3 anyway. I get about 7.3 - 7.6/100km on the highway, which is quite good for a car with only 5th gear for cruising. *shrug* I look at it this way, the car trades some fuel economy for the driving experience, I can live with paying an extra couple bucks per fill up.

[rob3]

i just bought mine two weeks ago. Put on about 2000kms and im getting 10.3 mostly city driving with a few country roads. Ive been on the highway a couple of times. Ive also had the car up to the governor a couple of times(no need to flame i understand i broke the low and i do on non busy roads where there are zero cars. I just had to see) but anyways

It has a lot of pros and i agree with urs except...

I have the bose sterea, it misses the last 4 or 5 bass notes. but for a 5 inch woofer cone i dont expect it to hit those notes. My friends a recording engineer and he tuned the stereo in the car
also the highs have a weird not so true sound to them. I enjoyed my kenwood exelons better and i am thinking about running the crossover from that to the kenwood tweeter but keep the bose door speaker
One more con, the 2010's still have wheel hop!

Overall an awesome car and a great buy for the money

[Jackal]

I bought my 2010 GT last August and I am nearing 24000 km mark. It's going for it's 24,000 km maintenance in a week or so. I have to say I love the torque off the line (having had a 2002 Civic before). I got it tinted 35% front and 17% rear. I also got the weathertech liners for the front. I wish I had gotten them earlier for the first winter. I love the bluetooth technology. Works great with my Iphone (just wish I could control it using dash or steering controls).
The adjustable headlights is a nice touch. I also like the panasonic speakers and the mp3 jack.
I wish I had gotten the gps, keyless etc. start option.
Overall, I am very happy with the purchase although I sometimes crave the extra power of a Mazda 6 GT V6.

[antifuse]

Do you have the GT with cloth interior? That's the trim level I have - some times I wish I hadn't been cheap and gone with the GT-E package, but I don't really have any regrets; the base line GT trim is still generously equipped and I rarely have a need for a GPS (once or twice a year it would be nice to have..).

Personally, I think the factory GPS isn't worth the money. I would have LOVED to have the push start/advanced key stuff, but couldn't justify the cost of it either. The base GT package is pretty damn sweet as is, especially at current prices

[McGuyver_3]

Personally, I think the factory GPS isn't worth the money. I would have LOVED to have the push start/advanced key stuff, but couldn't justify the cost of it either. The base GT package is pretty damn sweet as is, especially at current prices

2000$ it didnt even make me think twice
10.1 bose surround sound
push start button with smart key
useless nav screen
active swivell bixenon headlights

I can totaly justify paying for that its dirt cheap when my parents got their murano back in 04 the nav option was 5500$ for JUST nav

[antifuse]

2000$ it didnt even make me think twice
10.1 bose surround sound
push start button with smart key
useless nav screen
active swivell bixenon headlights

I can totaly justify paying for that its dirt cheap when my parents got their murano back in 04 the nav option was 5500$ for JUST nav

Right - or, if you don't need any of that other stuff, you can pick up a great GPS (that you can put in any car you own) for a couple hundred bucks.

[andrewf]

I've had mine for about a month now. Overall I'm pretty happy. I do agree about the road noise though. Anyone have suggestions? I'm not much of a car audio enthusiast but I've heard using some sound deadening can help significantly with the road noise. Would doing the front doors and maybe the wheel wells do much? I find the loudest noise is when you get debris in the wheel wells.

For the person who had an issue with the signal ticking on bluetooth: you can change the signal sound to 'low'. I find it pretty quiet, to the point where I can't hear it with the radio at a moderate volume, but the 'high' setting was pretty loud and goofy sounding.

[McGuyver_3]

Right - or, if you don't need any of that other stuff, you can pick up a great GPS (that you can put in any car you own) for a couple hundred bucks.

i dont really need it but after all the alterations i have gone through with my old mazda 3 i am NEVER buying a base or half loaded car again. Fully jammed or nothing at all

[dave2010GT]

i dont really need it but after all the alterations i have gone through with my old mazda 3 i am NEVER buying a base or half loaded car again. Fully jammed or nothing at all

I've got to agree even though I gutted the electronics out of my car and replaced all the audio I do wish I had push button start

[Jackal]

Do you have the GT with cloth interior? That's the trim level I have - some times I wish I hadn't been cheap and gone with the GT-E package, but I don't really have any regrets; the base line GT trim is still generously equipped and I rarely have a need for a GPS (once or twice a year it would be nice to have..).

I have the GT with cloth interior. No regrets. I have my own GPS and use it alot. Not a fan of leather seats in very hot or cold weather. For me it has everything I was looking for in a car (for the price that is).

[Timotee]

Hi there, I have my GT now for about 2 weeks and here is my feedback:

Looks
I love the look of the 1st generation sedans, they look really cool. The 2nd gens did not strike me as fascinating at first but a closer look somehow convinced me that they were indeed a beauty as well. The rear lip spoilers complemented the arching rear of the sedan. The stock 17 rims are beautiful, love how they look on the sedan.

Performance
The first few kilometers seemed rough at first. I owned a Mazda 5 A/T for 3 years and my GT is currently a manual, the timing between my clutch and gas pedal could have contributed to the rough revving at first. Now, 2 weeks into my ride, I felt the engine settled down a bit and everything seems to be feeling smooth, in terms of revs and shifts. The 2.5 engine has more than enough power and having to commute to work for a good 40 kilometers back and forth makes the drive worth it and most of all.....FUN! The sport tuned suspension completes the Zoom-zoom experience. Mazda suspensions and the crisp steering response have made me a Mazda fun ever since. I have driven a Mazda van & Tribute SUV back in Manila and instantly fell in love with the handling of the Tribute. I told myself that if the SUV can drive like this, more so with a car. When I came here, the Mazda 5 acquisition was a decision well made. The purchase of the Sedan GT was even better.

Tech/Audio
The blue tooth is neat and I was really ignorant to tell the sales rep during the delivery that it was my first time to talk to a car...... -- set up was easy as pie. My kids were like......."whoa"!
The audio is decent, 6 disc changer is nice.....not marvelous.....but nice. Would I spend more for a Bose set up......nope. I guess 6 speakers is more than enough.

Interior
At first I said....."who the hell needs heated seats????" -- then when I tried them......."I can never do without heated seats!!!"
I love the blacked out meters, the zoom-zoom tone, the welcome lights, the dash lighting, the front seats, as well as the passenger ones.

Cons
Like our friend silverstar32, I am currently averaging 10.3 L/100 kms. on the consumption issue. I do hope to bring it down to the 9+ area after sometime.....or maybe find me a job somewhere nearer, like that would solve it.

As I am pretty much in love with my GT right now, not much I can say EXCEPT that they should have included SIDE SILLS on this model and not consider them as an accessory.

[Jackal]

Hi there, I have my GT now for about 2 weeks and here is my feedback:

Looks
I love the look of the 1st generation sedans, they look really cool. The 2nd gens did not strike me as fascinating at first but a closer look somehow convinced me that they were indeed a beauty as well. The rear lip spoilers complemented the arching rear of the sedan. The stock 17 rims are beautiful, love how they look on the sedan.

Performance
The first few kilometers seemed rough at first. I owned a Mazda 5 A/T for 3 years and my GT is currently a manual, the timing between my clutch and gas pedal could have contributed to the rough revving at first. Now, 2 weeks into my ride, I felt the engine settled down a bit and everything seems to be feeling smooth, in terms of revs and shifts. The 2.5 engine has more than enough power and having to commute to work for a good 40 kilometers back and forth makes the drive worth it and most of all.....FUN! The sport tuned suspension completes the Zoom-zoom experience. Mazda suspensions and the crisp steering response have made me a Mazda fun ever since. I have driven a Mazda van & Tribute SUV back in Manila and instantly fell in love with the handling of the Tribute. I told myself that if the SUV can drive like this, more so with a car. When I came here, the Mazda 5 acquisition was a decision well made. The purchase of the Sedan GT was even better.

Tech/Audio
The blue tooth is neat and I was really ignorant to tell the sales rep during the delivery that it was my first time to talk to a car...... -- set up was easy as pie. My kids were like......."whoa"!
The audio is decent, 6 disc changer is nice.....not marvelous.....but nice. Would I spend more for a Bose set up......nope. I guess 6 speakers is more than enough.

Interior
At first I said....."who the hell needs heated seats????" -- then when I tried them......."I can never do without heated seats!!!"
I love the blacked out meters, the zoom-zoom tone, the welcome lights, the dash lighting, the front seats, as well as the passenger ones.

Cons
Like our friend silverstar32, I am currently averaging 10.3 L/100 kms. on the consumption issue. I do hope to bring it down to the 9+ area after sometime.....or maybe find me a job somewhere nearer, like that would solve it.

As I am pretty much in love with my GT right now, not much I can say EXCEPT that they should have included SIDE SILLS on this model and not consider them as an accessory.

I've had mine for over a year and I still enjoy driving it. I agree with you about the 2.5L engine. It offers enough power to overtake comfortably or merge into traffic. The allow rims look great. I like how they curve around and not flat. Heated seats are great right now.
I at around 10.3L too but it was as low as 9.7 at one time when I was doing a lot of highway driving. Enjoy zoom zooming around!!

[rob3]

i don't know how you guys are getting such bad mileage. I drove on the 401 bumper to bumper and on my fully loaded 2010gt 2.5l was avg 9.3l/100km

[rob3]

oh a good thing is if you use 6th gear when cruising at around 65 it gets 5l/100km

[itzmattz]

I find the ride in the 2010 3 GT is quite bumpy as well. I've racked in arond 11.5K in mileage since I got the car in May of 2010. Fuel economy is okay. Averaging 9.6L/100km city driving. Stupid winter. I vividly remember my fuel eco used to be like 8.5 or lower sometimes within the city when the weather was nice.

[stas]

how in the world are you getting 8.5 or even 9.6l/100km driving in city? i do mostly city and bit highway and getting 10.7L/100km was at 10.5L/100km before winter