First 2019 Mazda 3 reviews are out

"KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time" (kngt) 01/27/2019 at 11:29 • Filed to: 2019 mazda 3, 2019 mazda 3 hatch, mazda 3, mazda 3 hatch, mazda 3 sedan, 2019 mazda mazda3, mazda3, 2019 mazda3

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  !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!   “Ignoring the carryover powertrain, the 2019 Mazda3 really feels like an evolutionary leap forward from the old model. The old Mazda3's Achilles heel was always its somewhat stiff (albeit sporty) ride, and cabin noise, and it’s immediately apparent after just a few miles of driving the night and day difference between the two cars. The time and money Mazda invested in studying the human body really appears to have paid off. Ride quality is simply exceptional. Even on the harshest potholes and bumps, occupants are completely isolated from the impacts.

Yet, despite that isolation from impacts and noise, the Mazda3 remains remarkably engaging to drive. The Mazda3's steering is direct and progressive, with a hint of lightness to it that brings the Miata to mind. That pelvic voodoo Mazda engineers did really pays off in bends too, as suspension and seat combine to make the driver feel one with the car.”

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! : ” A significant change with this new chassis is deletion of the multilink independent rear suspension in favor of a patent-pending torsion-bar arrangement. Whether this has to do with cost, packaging, or Mazda’s screed about the car as an extension of the driver’s body and soul is unclear. Anyway, we have no complaints about handling, and the predictive and stability-enhancing G-Vectoring Control Plus ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) is standard even on base models. The car turns in smartly on the stiff chassis and is imperturbable. The 18-inch, low-profile Toyo Proxes all-season tires were acceptable in terms of grip, and ride quality exceeds expectations. Meanwhile, the brake pedal is firm and progressive in the Porsche fashion, and it’s easy to bring the sedan to a stop without bobbling your passenger’s head.”

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! : “For starters, Mazda jettisoned the old 3's sophisticated, multi-link rear suspension and put a simpler, torsion beam setup in its place. On top of that, the 2019 Mazda3 rides on tires that are 18 percent softer than before. You might think both of these would be backward steps in terms of handling, but they’re mitigated by a new, stiffer chassis and body structure. What’s more, the torsion bean uses a new, pinched-center design that makes it a lot stronger, and helps to return a 75-percent overall improvement in lateral stiffness.

On the road, the new Mazda3 is a sweetheart. The 18-inch, 215/45-series Toyo tires of my Premium-trim test car offer adequate grip, and even with the torsion-beam setup, there’s no rear end sloppiness in turns. Enter a right-hander and the car will lean to its left, a natural bit of roll that mimics the way your body shifts slightly while turning the wheel. Mazda says the new rear suspension also reduces overall levels of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), and indeed, the 3 is a smooth, quiet operator, whether on pristine stretches of California canyons, or on a pockmarked stretch of the 101 Freeway up the Cahuenga Pass.”

Looks like US publications got the FWD automatic sedan, and non-US ones got the FWD mnaual hatch ( Australian reviews linked were very positive). No AWD models tested yet.

I’d pay just for this interior if not anything, over the competition

My take : Given the visibility and space constraints of the hatch despite looking much better, the sedan is a better buy for space, same performance and features and it is cheaper trim vs. trim. I would take the sedan in mid to high level trim Automatic AWD as a daily driver over an Impreza or Civic or Corolla any day. Actually, if they offer the AWD on the Mazda6 2.5 Turbo I will be 100% sold but I digress. However, Oppo or any other automotive forum is not fully representative of the general public, so there might be some who don’t mind the blindspots and go for the hatch for the style factor so let’s see how many takers go for it over the competition.

boredalways > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 11:28

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LMFAO at your latest avatar!

WRXasaurus > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 11:29

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This is OPPO. You must swear at the sedan and worship the hatch.... Or the sun will stop turning or something. 

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > boredalways 01/27/2019 at 11:31

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“ Never go full superhero”

I din’t make it btw. Credit to some genius on Imgur

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > WRXasaurus 01/27/2019 at 11:33

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Nah, that’s Jelopicnick. 

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 11:36

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I’ve now seen both in person, they are both ungainly, but the hatch is horrific. 

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 01/27/2019 at 11:39

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The sedan is ungainly you say? Hmm OK forget the hatch, so which of the competing cars in this segment do you think looks better than the Mazda3 sedan ?

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 11:43

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All of them, besides the Elantra. 

dogisbadob > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 11:43

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Here’s a shop of the 2019 3 hatch with the sedan’s rear doors. I also enlarged the rear window a bit. Sorry, I couldn’ t find a red sedan, so  I had to use a gray one. The pink shit you see was me trying to fill in the red color, but I gave up after a few tries.

interstate366, now In The Industry > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 11:44

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As I said to someone a few days ago (it may have been you) I’d likely take the 3 sedan over a non-Si Civic sedan (would have to drive both to say for sure),  but no way would I take the 3 hatch over a Civic hatch.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 11:44

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I like looking at Mazda as if they didn’t build the Miata. Their history is full of super shitty cars, and unpopular fact, the cars got more reliable in the Ford era. 

Maxima Speed > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 11:44

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So wait. They took away the very strength of the car? The whole point was to be engaged and now they’ve taken away driver engagement and replaced it with more competence? That’s not what makes a car fun. My Camry Solara with Direzza DZ102 ultra performance tires is very fast on a twisty road and it’s super predictable. That sure doesn’t mean it’s a fun car to drive. How do the car companies not understand that an engaging driving experience means so much more  than the car lapping a track in less time.

interstate366, now In The Industry > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 01/27/2019 at 11:45

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Every time someone says the hatch looks good I wonder to myself if they’re looking at the same car as I am.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > dogisbadob 01/27/2019 at 11:47

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Yup, I don’t understand why they couldn’t have just done this. That C pillar is atrocious and totally form> function instead of form following function. But hey, with standard Blind spot monitoring perhaps a lot of people wont mind, we’ll see soon enough if it’s a dealbreaker.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 01/27/2019 at 11:48

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Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > interstate366, now In The Industry 01/27/2019 at 11:48

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Because Oppo has an unhealthy obsession with underdog car brands. If you look at Mazda without the Miata, they build Japanese cars for people who are vain and don’t care about reliability. 

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Maxima Speed 01/27/2019 at 11:51

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The whole point was to be engaged and now they’ve taken away driver engagement and replaced it with more competence? That’s not what makes a car fun.

Huh? Where are you getting this from? Just because they went from Multilink to torsion beam? Every single review out so far is praising the handling and they’ve improved the ride,. Y ou know they are going upmarket to be seen as a premium mainstream brand so it’s also more refined from a NVH perspective. It’s all about balance. Motortrend even has this exact line -” Yet, despite that isolation from impacts and noise, the Mazda3 remains remarkably engaging to drive”

You want more? get a Miata.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > WRXasaurus 01/27/2019 at 11:54

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Only applies to Golf/GTIs vs. the competition LOL

boredalways > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 11:59

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“Never go full superhero”

Tell that to Star Lord

dogisbadob > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 12:22

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The best part is that the outgoing 3 actually did use the same doors for the sedan and hatch!

Maxima Speed > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 12:31

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Reducing road feel is reducing engagement, period. There is no other way to cut it. Guess I’ll stick to older cars if  we just have to get over it or get out.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 12:40

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I don’t hate to admit that a sedan is a really good platform for interior room and cargo storage. With the shortening of the trunk on the 5 door model the rear cargo space is laughable.

wafflesnfalafel > interstate366, now In The Industry 01/27/2019 at 12:42

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yeah... I really do like the looks of the 3 hatch (unlike apparently 90% of everybody else... ) but the Honda Si hatch is the more compelling package in the US market at this point at that price point - really over both the Mazda and the Toyota Corolla hatch.

interstate366, now In The Industry > wafflesnfalafel 01/27/2019 at 13:02

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I wouldn’t mind it so much if not for those giant blind spots. At least on the Civic you don’t see the fake  vents when you’re in it.

bhtooefr > Maxima Speed 01/27/2019 at 13:06

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That depends on what forces are actually being reduced, though, and I suspect they’re not so much reducing “road feel” as much as controlling what forces get transmitted. (Additionally, we’re talking about the rear suspension, not the front, so there’s not much road feel coming from the back of a FWD car.)

It’s worth noting that the Ford control blade layout that debuted on the Mk1 Focus, and basically everything FWD compact and larger since then has copied (including all generations of Mazda3 before this one), was intended to better decouple compliance and handling aspects of the suspension behavior. Older torsion beam designs had to make more of a compromise - you could make things stiff to improve handling, but you would have poor ride quality as a result. Or, you could optimize ride quality, but handling would be incredibly wallowy in the back.

I’m curious what Mazda actually did here, to be honest...

Edit: Looks like they managed to vary the strength of the beam along its length, which I think improves the independence of the design:

It’s probably not quite as good for handling over rough surfaces as a real independent rear suspension, but it’s also probably not terrible.

In any case, the major benefit is that it’s cheaper, and the rule of thumb is that a torsion beam is about 100 pounds lighter than a control blade IRS.

interstate366, now In The Industry > Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies 01/27/2019 at 13:07

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It’s a shame, because a lot of them look so good. I’d rock an LS-swapped FD all day.

I  also take a hard pass on the Miata. I drove one. I don’t get the obsession. Granted, I’m not a fan of convertibles in general, and I don’t think any of them look all that good, with the possible exception of the RF aside from the ugly ND front. Overall I say the NA looks the least bad to me.

Chariotoflove > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/27/2019 at 16:37

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Knowing Mazda, I trusted the handling was not going away. I am thrilled to hear they’ve been dealing seriously with NVH and ride quality. That and quality interior materials were what they needed to really complete the package. I also love the evolution of Kodo. Ev eryone is bitching about he C pillar in this thing, and I see what they mean about visibility, but this car still looks better than any other hatch or small sedan.

Gerry197 > Maxima Speed 01/28/2019 at 03:23

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Judging by the initial reviews the car still has good h andling while improving compliance.

Sounds like they only gained from those changes.  

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 01/28/2019 at 09:35

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So glad it’s good. Hatch looks great in that picture.