2005 Mazda 3s

2005 Mazda 3s

Mazda is currently my favorite car manufacturer and one of my favorite cars of all time is the old 2001-2003 Mazda Protégé. My friends constantly point out the irony of me loving Mazda despite not being very fond of Ford, who own Mazda; but, Mazda is more or less Ford free in terms of their car design and manufacturing practices. In fact Ford tends to nick stuff from the Mazda parts bin for their own cars, rather than it being the other way round. For instance the Mazda developed 2.3 liter engine out of the 3/6 and the Mazda developed chassis from the 6 are in loads of Ford vehicles now.

Since the 3 was slated to replace my beloved Protégé I was very interested to see if it could deliver the same fun. At first I was a bit worried to see that the 3’s chassis was actually nicked from Ford for once, but it was taken from the European division of Ford (and the development work was split between Mazda and Volvo as well) and that makes things alright… plus it was the first car to use that platform. Other than that, the rest is all Mazda… which is definitely good news. So does the 3 have what it takes to win a place in my heart next to the Protégé?

Positives: Before I get to the driving dynamics, let me first comment about the styling of the 3. It’s fantastic (unless you get the wagon which looks like a rhino). I’m sure there will be a few people out there who will disagree (there always are), but the 3 is perfectly styled in my opinion. In keeping with Mazda’s annoying zoom zoom advertising, the 3 looks properly sporty, and at the same time it looks very upscale and refined, or very un-"entry level compact sedan" if you will. The styling will never give off the vibe that you couldn’t afford better and since it’s a Mazda rather than a BMW no one will hate you for having one. Most cars in the compact class look a bit flimsy, at least in some parts, and you’d expect a panel to fall straight off if you kicked it hard enough, but the 3 looks absolutely solid.

The eye pleasing styling continues inside as well. The gauges have a beautiful blue glow with red accents; there’s a very sporty leather wrapped three spoke steering wheel; the buttons and dials on the dashboard glow red at night to help you find them; also, the dashboard itself is made out of relatively high grade plastics and everything looks well put together. If you're not a fan of the red lighting, as some people aren't, there is a reason for it which might sway your opinion. At night, red will catch your eye more easily, and it is also the least straining color of light for your eyes. All in all though, Everything looks upscale especially when you remember this is an entry level sedan. The interior is perhaps a bit too black for my tastes (almost everything is black including the seats and side panels; no real contrast), but overall it’s a nice place to be.

I think the styling is age neutral as well. I admit the car's styling tips the scale more towards the youths; but, a teenager wouldn’t look like he/she is driving his/her parent’s car, and a parent wouldn’t look like they’re driving their kid’s car.

Now we get to the important stuff. How does the 3 drive? Well, compared to the old Protégé, it’s just not as fun… but it’s still awesome. Some of the fun is indeed lost compared to the Protégé, but it has been wisely traded for refinement. This car rides better, is quieter, is faster, and is better put together than the old Protégé… and most other cars in its class for that matter.

So forgetting about the Protégé for now, this car is properly good fun to drive. To start, the pedal response is great; both the gas and brake pedal are precise and easy to modulate. The steering is nicely weighted and provides good feedback. The ride is firm and feels very solid, which means that cornering is flat and devoid of roll. The seat is also firm, but it’s very supportive and overall rather comfortable. All of this combined means that this car delivers that confidence I always talk about, which lets you feel safe taking turns at speeds you normally wouldn’t think of, which in my opinion is what makes a car fun. Fortunately the car doesn't just feel athletic, then under steer its way into a tree when you're feeling adventurous; it really does corner at those speeds you normally wouldn't think of!

Despite the firm suspension this car doesn’t fling you out of your seat and through the sunroof if you hit a bump, though other cars like the Corolla and non-sporting Civics do go over bumps more comfortably, and it is as happy doing a motorway cruise as it is carving up canyon roads. However, I feel that if you buy this car only to do highway miles, it would be like hiring Steve Nash to bag groceries. I'm sure he could do it just fine, but it would be a complete waste of talent.

Now usually you’ll hear me say that despite the good handling abilities of a compact sedan, the engine is a bit weak and limp wristed… not the case here though. The 2.3 liter engine in this car makes it properly quick. If you get a manual, this car can hit 60 in about 7.3 seconds and that’s only a shade off of what a VW GTI can do. I don’t have an official figure for the automatic, but I promise you, it’s still quick. What’s more this engine features variable valve timing witch craft which gives you power no matter where the tachometer needle is. Also, if you find yourself going too quickly and want to slow down, the brakes feel strong and actually are strong, providing class leading stopping distances.

The transmissions themselves are worth some praise too. The manual shifts very smoothly and the clutch is light and incredibly easy to use. Unless you have no clue how to drive stick, stalling a 3 is about as difficult as stalling a team of Navy Seals from entering your house... the manual transmission really is that easy to use. Also, the “manual mode” on the automatic actually works! If you want to up-shift it will do it like most other cars with a manu-matic thingy, but if you want to downshift, this car will do it without suffering from ADD… brilliant!

Negatives: I’m really struggling to think of anything bad to say about this car, but I have found a couple of things by being really picky. First off I’m not a fan of the speedometer starting in the six o’clock position. If you’re used to normal speedometers you’ll be going 60 when you think you’re only doing 40, meaning a speeding ticket is only a matter of time. Another bad thing is uh… I guess the gas mileage could be a bit better, though it’s not bad considering the power the engine puts out… I think that about covers the negatives section…

Conclusion: I can easily say that this is the best compact car you can buy. There are essentially only good things to say about it. It drives like a sports car, it’s reasonably quick, it looks more expensive than it really is, and the only real issue is the speedometer which I think you’d get used to. A well equipped 3s is around 18k and that’s a good price considering what you’re getting, and if you can do without the 17 inch alloys and the extra horse power you can drop 1-2 grand off the price by getting a 3i.

This car is overtly sporty which is why I love it, but because of that it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. For instance if you’re a boring person who feels that driving is a chore, you’ll never appreciate the brilliance of this car. Also, if you’re old, you have a dickey back, or just plain desire comfort over all else in the world… perhaps the Corolla is a better car; however, I only say that because I think that if you cannot appreciate how good this car is, you don’t deserve to have one.

Summary:

The Good: More or less everything

The Bad: I don’t have one… yet…

Verdict: If you’ve got 18k to spend on a car… GET ONE!

Random Stats:

Engine: 2.3 liter I4, 160 hp, 150 lb-ft torque

EPA fuel estimate: 25/32

0-60: 7.3 seconds (manual)