Comments on: 2009 Mazda3 SP25 at MIMS

By: Louise

Louise — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 11:29:35 +0000

I think ur all stupid! this car is gorgeous! i just bought one and its awesome!! so easy to drive aswell and very spacious! i have a baby so fits her car seat and pram and drives really well!!the color is amazing too! dont critisize before u actually drive it!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:04:58 +0000

Just picked up my black SP25 manual from Geelong Mazda. I had been looking for a new car for under 32k, and I got a standard SP25 with mats and cargo liner for 31300 on roads. It’s the best value car on the market, it comes with some high standard eqiptment as listed in other comments. The only other car I considered was a golf GTI.

By: Ms A

Ms A — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:42:42 +0000

Please tell me how much is your mazda 3 SP25?

By: new owner SP25

new owner SP25 — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 04:26:05 +0000

whatever the comment above it won’t stop people who love MAZDA, like me…I just owned it last month SP25 with leather seat…i love it…and I think it worth my money and that’s it…how long u gonna live in this world…don’t think too much…(:

By: hotdog

hotdog — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:59:15 +0000

As someone who has just picked up the latest model, in reply to some comments above, the back seat room is the same or less than in the previous model. Although the aesthetics of the front grille may upset some diehard fans, it doesn’t really look all that bad in reality.

The smile ain’t such a bad thing. I think it’s some form of strange japanese marketing as many cars, including hondas and toyota’s have some sort of ’smile’ front and back. Plus on a darker coloured car its not obvious.

The radical design is also practical, that ’smile’ represents more air to cool the radiator, and at least on the SP25 model, on the passengers side next to the smile is a cold air intake.

Of course it looks better from the rear, the slanted led lights and twin exhaust definitely make the previous model look a little bland.

My only criticisms, being an owner of the previous model aswell, is that storage space has been sacrificed, especially in the glovebox and centre console, and the handbrake is on the wrong (or opposite) side of the centre console compared to the previous model. Also, on the auto model it no longer tells you what gear you are in when the gearbox is in D. It’s a bit annoying and makes you wonder why they did it.

By: MADAZ

MADAZ — Sun, 03 May 2009 08:18:00 +0000

See it in person before making judgements on the smile, remember, a registration plate helps break it up, this car is amazing enough for you haters to get over it. Look at the line of the car just above the smile, it looks very sporty like the RX-8 http://blog.webridestv.com/wp-.....0_0026.jpg which has a smile too, albeit smaller. You can understand where Mazda is coming from.

By: Josie

Josie — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:26:52 +0000

Proud new owner of the mazda3 SP25 – took delivery of it yesterday and have been loving it ever since. Handles amazing, power is fantastic, interior is comfortable and both the inside and out has a very sytlish and classy finish. Definitely turns heads (in a good way) when driving. I upgraded from a Mazda 3 Maxx Sport (2006) and definitely worth the extra investment.

Very happy!!!

By: ZoomZoom

ZoomZoom — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:11:52 +0000

Fasthonda, the Mazda 3 has never had any problems whatsoever. As for the MPS3, it has had a problem with the front enine mount where the engine could drop out only in the worse case scenario.
I don’t work for Mazda, just know a lot about them. If you liked Honda the same way you would know that they to have their fair share of problems just like any other car manufacturer.
BTW, did you ever consider that the Mazda 3 would cost around 20k less than an accord euro with equal specs(sat nav) and not to mention the 3 also has some features that won’t be found in the euro, eg. 10 speaker bose system if you opt for sp25 which is still 10k less than the euro with sat nav.. Also the 3 is faster and more economical.

It comes down to what budget he has but both are worth of a look.

By: Fasthonda

Fasthonda — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 03:16:49 +0000

@ZoomZoom
You must work for Mazda?Maybe I should dig up info. on the Mazda 3 in regards to problems they have had?I definately know that the MPS3 have had i’ts fair share of problems..the most serious being massive engine failure.

@Al Juraj

I’m not quite sure in what market segment you are buying into anyway,Honda Australia have put out a statement in regards to WHAT the PROBLEM entails I’ve copied the most important part…..”These reports are in regard to an engine operational sound, which is linked to fuel quality/specification and the electronic emissions management system, has been confirm to be from a combustion sound taking place after the programmed ignition, namely a “post combustion noise”.

As this condition takes place after the programmed ignition and with the piston on its downward stroke, there is no detrimental force or impact within the engine in your vehicle.”
There is a software fix available later in this month.

At the end of the day Al Juraj,do you want to drive and be seen in a smiling clown faced car,or in a classy,award winning car.

By: Vid_Ghost

Vid_Ghost — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:21:47 +0000

This car is going to well very well in black… and if you got it in any other colour your going to be stuck with that smiley face for the life of the car…

In black it will blend into enough to not look so bad.. cant wait to grab mine on 6th of aprl when that hit showrooms :)

By: Devil's Advocate

Devil's Advocate — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:09:58 +0000

That is interesting you should say that Al Juraj. The 3, from what I have seen, is one of the better cars in it’s class for rear seat room, especially head room in the hatch. The shape of the seat is not the best for 3 people, but if you only have 2, it is great for what it is, a small/medium car. Of course it is going to have less space in the rear seat than the Euro, Aurion and Falcon.

By: ZoomZoom

ZoomZoom — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:54:18 +0000

No worries Al Juraj. BTW which model mazda 3 were you considering. Maxx sport, Maxx or Neo seeing as your looking at the 2.0. I think that the Maxx sport is the way to go with all those features standard: sat nav, bluetooth, ESP.

By: Al Juraj

Al Juraj — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:49:20 +0000

Thanks for the heads-up ZoomZoom. I’m beginning to be sceptic of Honda automatics upon reading the Wheels article that it actually takes more than 1.5 secs to accelerate to 100 km/h compared to the manual. While other autos have matched or even surpassed their stick-shift siblings, Honda has yet to catch up. They haven’t even released a 6-speeder yet, even on the Legend.

Rear seat space is a bit of a problem for the old 3. I hope Mazda has rectified the issue on the new one. Performance should be better for the 2.0 auto as it gains an extra gear and the car is slightly lighter than its predecessor. I really can’t wait to test it.

By: Fasthonda

Fasthonda — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 07:22:56 +0000

I tend to agree with the other posts that it is a bit cartoonish.The MPS3 luckily,doesn’t quite have that look.

By: ZoomZoom

ZoomZoom — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 06:05:30 +0000

More pictures of the Mazda 3 MPS have shown up. Looks hot!

http://www.motorauthority.com/.....eneva.html

By: Twilight

Twilight — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 02:55:10 +0000

RALLYwhiz,

you forgot the Ssangyong STAVIC… THAT shouLD be AT THE toP!!!

By: pious

pious — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 22:11:28 +0000

I’d be smiling too, if that young lady had her hand on me.

By: ZoomZoom

ZoomZoom — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:20:59 +0000

Al Juraj: all your options seem ok but just be aware that the Honda accord euro has a problem with the automatic gearbox and Honda acknowledges it but doesn’t know how to fix it yet. Apparently it could lead to engine problems as well.

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/s.....hp?t=99566

By: ay

ay — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 13:15:56 +0000

why do the rims look so small on this car, they look like 16’s, i know they are probably 17’s but they look out of proportion. Is it because the side panels have a large space between wheel arch other point of reference on car?

i don’t seem to like this car like the old mazda. sp. the old SP had a strong angry feel to it with the defined wheel arch overhangs, this car doesn’ have that, and lacks the sporty look subsequently.

By: Al Juraj

Al Juraj — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 10:36:35 +0000

This will definitely be on my list, but I hope the SP25’s pricing isn’t too close to the base 6. I can’t wait to test it and anticipating no fatal flaws as compared to my other prospects. So the candidates now are…

1. Honda Accord Euro – best interior and exterior, great package even on the base model, but auto just not fast enough and a V6 or Type R is unlikely.

2. Mitsubishi Lancer – great looks with fantastic equipment for the price, also has decent back seat, but interior materials becoming more Korean.

3. Toyota Aurion – can outrun most bogan cars, space is really satisfying and we can get a substantial discount from a friend who works in Toyota, but dashboard is too plain and why in the world does this FF car have a foot operated parking brake (the Camry comes with a hand brake)?

4. Ford Falcon – a sincerely fine effort from Oz once and for all, but cost cutting is still visible inside and overall reliability is still in question.

5. New Mazda3 – set to be the class leader combining Japanese quality with European excitement. This is the likely winner if rear seat space is good enough.