Mazda 3

Car offers firm ride, nice steering around the corners and reliability , the one thing which irritates me is its noisy engine....it looks like a diesel especially in low speeds. Show details

Good but it gets expensive – 2010 Mazda Neo, automatic, petrol. Has been a fairly great car but starting to show its age. Have had the car 6 years now with only general maintenance, drivers seat recall & the gearbox TCM module failure being done. The car has only been used for local driving barring one trip to QLD & is not driven daily. Current kilometres: 181,000. Car has… Read more

been maintained at regular intervals. Our last inspection though revealed: - Air conditioning pump bearing is worn out (Aircon will stop working & requires a full replacement) $1400 - Engine mounts 2/3 need replacing. $450 - Rear main seal is leaking. $1500 - Gearbox mount is broken. $175 - Sensor fault in the SRS system, mechanic checked and cleared it but no idea what's causing it. - Door light & warning chime come on at random even when the car is fully closed. Had to manually turn off interior light to prevent battery drain as it turns on when it thinks the door is open. The dark blue paint is also getting badly faded & peeling even though it is garaged as much as possible. If you can find one with lower klms I'd recommend one but even with regular maintenance & low klm driven yearly since I bought this car it has quickly become a money drain. General Pros: Good on fuel, comfortable to drive, went really well on the long distance drive. Good size boot (sedan). Zippy in traffic. Cons: Lights are awful even after replacing the bulbs. Is expensive to maintain beyond general serving. TCM costs $1100 alone.

A lovely and well-finished car but with some caveats – I love my SP 25. It has loads of torque and has loads of sheer grunt. In fact you have to be careful on low speed roads as the car tends to cruise away and over the limit unless you keep an eye on the head-up display. The fit and finish, especially of the interior, is just excellent. Typical Japanese quality. My only negatives are as follows:… Read more

-The entertainment unit always turns on automatically when you start the car. You have to manually turn it off each time if you want a quite drive. There is no permanent stop to this and I think Mazda should do a software update to rectify this. -Similarly Istop comes on when you start the car and you have to turn it off if you don't want to use the feature. You cannot set it permanently to off. Again, a software update should be provided to rectify this. -The low speed ride is a bit harsh...it seems it's either full power or nothing. The dealer has offered to re-calibrate my transmission on the next service so I will see if this fixes it. -If you are on the ground cleaning the lower bumper area whatever you do DON'T lean on the lower bar to help yourself up. It seems to bring the front bumper clips apart at the front wheels. The only way to fix it is to push the bumper back into place and then lift that very same lower bumper which seems to bend things back into place. -The body panels are worryingly thin. If anyone wants to rest their backside on the car, especially on the rear quarter panels, tell them to take a flying leap and leave the car alone. Mazda has used very thin steel in an effort to keep body mass low but I think they have made it too thin. -My car is that beautiful "Soul Crystal Red" colour and it is a gorgeous colour indeed, especially with the black mag wheels BUT... if you scratch the car by accident forget about touching it up or even getting a detailer to touch it up. Mazda uses a special paint process to create this colour involving a primer, a base coat of one colour, the more candy-apple red as the next coat, a tinted clear coat and then a final clear coat. It seems to be impossible to touch up and if you do the repair will stand out like a dog's gonads. The only answer is to have the whole panel resprayed. This seems to be a common problem with metallic finishes on cars these days so next time I will buy a plain Jane colour because they are a cinch to touch up. Stone chips can be touched up if they are small. -The over-shoulder rear visibility is very poor due to the tiny windows at the rear quarter panel. You will find yourself relying on the blind spot monitor a lot. Apart from all of the above the car is wonderful to drive, handles as if it is being magnetically held onto the road and is quiet inside, save for the lovely throaty roar from the exhaust. It is, indeed, a fun little pocket rocket.

Won’t go wrong with a Mazda – I purchased the Mazda 3 2014 touring model with all the extras and I’m not disappointed at all. My previous car was a Mazda 3 2006 and had it for 11 years never broke down on me once. I think they are one of the best cars around on the road for the price  Show details

Decent car with good interior and looks, Lacks fuel efficiency – This review is from Sydney urban and you can imagine the bumper to bumper traffic here. I am currently getting upwards 9.0 L/100 KM. You can say its a sport model and hence the less fuel efficiency, but this is not really very sporty. Even on Sport mode, you need to floor the pedal to maximum to get the power that you need. With the 2.5L engine, I… Read more

thought this would be very good to reach 60KM/Hr in seconds, but that's not the case, the transmission is very slow from lower gears to higher. If planning to buy just as a second car that doesn't get driven often, it's fine. But day to day use in a city like Sydney, it's gonna cost you lots.

Pros: Good leather seats Looks good (better than the new models of Mazda 3 which has an egg shaped back) Bose sound system is good. Safety is good with lots of Airbags. Boot space is decent. Heads up display is really good and helpful. Was able to get the Android Auto installed (costed $550 from Mazda service centre in May 2023)

Cons: Road noise is getting in plenty. Poor fuel economy (>9L/100KM). Not punchier enough when starting from signals (With Sport mode, this is better but not very good for fuel). Slow transmission from lower gear to higher. With sport mode, the rpm goes to like 5000 to get enough power.

Overall, a nice car. Happy with it except for the fuel economy.

Great car but has problems with the automatic transmission due to faulty TCU – Bought a Mazda 3 2010 model. Was running great till 140000ks then the AT warning light came on and the car would stall and shudder. Took it to Mazda dealership twice they could not find the problem. I looked up Mazda forums and found all Mazda3 models from 2006-2013 have a problem with Transmission Control Module failure which cause the car to… Read more

stall shudder and gear to get stuck. Finally had to pay 1050 to replace the TCU. There should be a recall on these models as it is a serious safety issue.

Great first car – I learned to drive in one of these, and only now, a couple of years of thrashing and bad changes later, is it starting to show. Clutch, though bulletproof, is definitely showing signs of abuse according to mechanic, but thats probably my fault! However, the radio, A/C, and cruise are all perfect, and engine is fine. It's little engine is… Read more

surprisingly torquey, and has no trouble shooting you off the line. It has crazy low-end shove, but more noise definitely does not mean more power. The brakes when we bought it were horrific, but changing the pads made an incredible difference.

HOWEVER, do be aware that these are very noisy cars, especially in the high revs. The build quality and features are what you would expect from a car this old and cheap, and the ride quality and suspension could definitely use some improvement, on bouncy roads it floats all over the place, and crashes and bangs whenever a crack or pothole meets it. Many spilt coffees have worked their way into the carpets. While the clutch is pretty light and does not need a lot to chane gear, the gearstick on the other hand is far too long. 1st is in the passengers lap, and you could get them to change from 1st to 2nd to keep your hands close to you. Reverse is tricky at times, and occasionally it falls out, but this may be an age-related issue. There is no overdrive, and it really does need it. Trying to keep up on motorways at 110km/h has the thing screaming like a jet engine.

Lookswise, it definitely has aged, and the plastic inside is practically impossible to clean fully with houshold materials. The interior is black as black can be, and there are hundreds of holes and gaps where things can fall. On the upside, you can fit 5 people in there semi-comfortably, and the sound system (even on one speaker) is club-worthy, with window-rattling bass if you choose the right songs. The boot is deceptively cavernous, with plenty of room in it, perfect for eskies and dog-crates.

The handling is exceptional, with incredibly light power-steering, but the turning radius is far larger than I thought it would be for such a small car.

Being front-wheel-drive, torque steer can be an issue at times, with the smooth wheel trying to wrench it's way out of your hand, particularly in cases where you need to accelerate, i.e. car parks.

In the end, it is a fantastic car, if you are looking for a little nugget to get you places when your other car has broken down. Believe me, the only thing this car will not survive is a direct hit by an atomic weapon. You could leave it for 20 years in a barn under the sea, and it will start first try.

If i was a getaway driver, this would be the car i chose.

my best friend – it has been such a good car to me and still is! will drive it till it dies

Still worth owning – I have previously reviewed the 2018 Mazda 3 with the Skyactiv G 2.0 litre engine and 6 speed automatic. Now having done 60 00 km and it being our main car (it use to compete with the BL 2.5 SP25 manual) and the Mazda2 (the newer car) it now takes on the family duties. I drove this car to Dubbo recently and it performed well and the transmission… Read more

worked very well and it handled all that was asked of it. The luggage space accommodated our bags and other things and the car felt far freer than it ever has. The headlights are ordinary but an upgrade to LEDs would sort that out and the MZD connect without apple car play is good but where it is starting to show its age is the absence of lane keep assist and lane departure warning (something my Mazda2 Pure has). However, it has blindspot monitoring and auto dimming mirrors as well as some neat tricks such as setting the headlights to come on when you click the key fob.

The car is a practical and useful car with some great inclusions at the time. I have come to appreciate its abilities and look forward to driving it. Incidentally, it makes a great learners car as my daughter enjoys driving it when she can.

An enjoyable car to own and drive – The manual Mazda 3 with the 2.5 litre engine with 6 speed manual transmission is a lot of fun, and can also be reasonably economical. Mine is a 2022 model, silver in colour with the red leather trim. I purchased this after carefully considering the i30 N-line as an alternative (it is a very good car!), but went with the naturally aspirated Mazda… Read more

as I'd like to keep the car for a long-time, and turbo's tend to have more issues.

Strengths: - It handles like its on rails, with reasonably comfortable ride - Engine performance is strong - Fuel efficiency is good. Averaging 7.7 l / 100km in urban driving. 6-6.5 l / 100km on open road. - Brakes are excellent, with a firm pedal and progressive pedal feel. - Quiet and refined for rural travelling - Front seats are very comfortable - No sqeaks or rattles (yet) - Driver assistance technology is excellent, especially the 360 degree camera views. You can also adjust the level of nagging that it provides, which is very helpful. - The heads up display can save your license with your speed "in your face".... and it also includes navigation directions, which can reduce driver distraction. - ANCAP / EuroNCAP safety rating of 98% for adult occupants is reassuring - No mechanical issues so far (early days, with only 10k on the clock at the time of writing)

Quirks (where I've had to adapt) - The infotainment is not a touch screen, with all functions controlled by the rotary dial, or by voice control. This take a bit of getting used to, although I've now found that I can control most things by voice - having learned the commands. - Side and rear visibility is limited, forcing you to adjust the mirrors carefully and pay attention to the blind spot monitoring and rear camera / cross-traffic alert. - The "i-stop" feature to turn off the engine works well, but I dislike it, so I turn it off.

Weaknesses - The rear seat is useable, but effectively limited to two people on a longer journey, and only if they are not especially tall in the torso. (Headroom is limited). - The cylinder deactivation can be felt at lower speeds, with a mild vibration when it kicks in. At higher speeds it is seamless. - The trip computer doesn't provide average speed on a journey.

EDIT (2025). We're now past 30,000km and it is still as nice to drive as it was at the start. Fuel consumption has improved - now averaging 5.5 l / 100km on the highway/freeway, and around 7.2 l / 100km in the city.

Forget the Golf. If you just want a nice hatch minus performance – Very good value for money, very good styling. Pro's One of the best, if not the best interior design of its class. Excellent handing dynamics. Good steering feedback. 2.5 Litre is very punchy, great torque off the line. Great head lights. Infotainment is easy to use Transmission is smooth. Fuel economy is acceptable. Great body control… Read more

around corners, driver focused car. Cheap maintenance

Negatives.

- The suspension is incredibly stiff. You will feel EVERYTHING on the road. Be aware Mazda's philosophy is to make their cars driver focused, however to stay in budget they use very simple suspension items such as McPherson struts and a torsion bar therefore leading to a harsher ride.

- Knock in the front end. Common issue, strut mounts replaced.

- Wipers hitting the A pillar.

- Mazda's service schedule is not as competitive.

- Brake pedal feel is very woody.

amazing car...can't believe it's Japanese not European – Bought a new March 23 built mazda 3 for $35k driveway incl. $1k worth accessories and 2 complimentary service total 20k kms. Don't know I got a good deal or not but happy with the car very smooth, low noise & perfect handling...just like other Euro. cars!! Show details

Think carefully before buying – * Wheels are over $1300 each to buy new. * The key shell when dropped may fall apart. If you lose one side, such as an accidental dropping of the key, Mazda parts will sell you the single piece for around $168. (There’s no badge on that side, no electronics. It’s an almost flat piece of plastic worth a couple of dollars at best). As a cheaper… Read more

option, they will offer you the accessory replacement (in silver, rose gold or fake carbon) for around $80. *. The mirrors often don’t open (e.g 3 times out of 10) despite the dealer not being able to replicate the fault.

So despite the car being nice to drive, cheap to service, economical and good dealer relations, I would think seriously about buying another one.

Great example of fine Japanese car industry – Brought this zippy little get around a couple of days ago. 2012 SP20 SKYACTIVE Hatch. After my trusty Toyota Aurion finally gave out the A/C and the mechanic said a very large number, I decided it was time to upgrade. I loved my Aurion, but being a 2008 model with over 200,000KMs on it, it wasn't worth getting it fixed. My profile is that I… Read more

have a 3 y/o and a 1y/o, don't really drive very much, so needs to be safe, still need some space and good on fuel. Trying to find something within my budget and that ticked the boxes was a bit difficult at first, then I found this beauty.

While I will admit that there are cars in the same price bracket and year that are maybe more luxurious or a bit more savvy, I came back to Mazda given I owned a 1995 323 Protegé that could run off the smell of a fart, and was so reliable, it probably would've outlived me.

Mazdas of this grade may not seem like much to write home about, given they are pretty basic and simple, but they are super reliable, and cheap in servicing and repairs.

Now for some more brutal honesty PROS - Sporty exterior style makes it look like a speed demon (unfortunately it isn't) - 5 star safety rating (great if you're a paranoid parent like me) - Simple and easy to use control interface, yet still stylish, and ticked all my boxes in technology. - Reminders for servicing and tyre rotation - I-stop function for saving fuel in heavy traffic. -super good on fuel, and cheap (ish) to refuel. - Hatch design means if you're a parent like me who takes half the house with you on every outing, you've got plenty of room to fiddle and rearrange, as compared to a sedan.

CONS - Navigation system isn't live streamed, so will happily take you through the kind of traffic where you need a pillow. - Hill decent function can get annoying and hold the car from gear shifting. Starts to get a bit noisy, but you can just accelerate out of it. - struggles a little bit going up hill, but not too bad if you can build some speed up first. - while I-stop is great at saving fuel, it can get a little annoying if you're only stopping for a couple of seconds. I think you can disable it, but I haven't worked that out yet.

Overall, I would say that pros outweigh cons. I look forward to some great adventures with my little sweetie. Will certainly not disappoint any owner. Great for a first car, cheap get around, or if your car has decided to give out and you need a new one.

Fantastic first car – This car has proven itself as a long distance vehicle. Two weeks ago I drove this vehicle from Sydney to Melbourne and back. While it does not have the latest tech, it still has cruise, bluetooth and many primary safety features not yet standard on many cars in 2010. Yes a 12 year old car with a 2.5 litre 6 speed manual capable of achieving… Read more

between 6 and 8 litres per 100 kms with three adults, luggage and aircon which was more than capable in keeping up with the task and never lacking in power or torque. Yes it is noisy compared to today’s cars and the ride is harsher but not overly uncomfortable. This is not our primary car but for someone it could be a great first car. Be sure to buy one withe 2.5 L engine that is an SP25 if your budget allows.

Very Good Car to Have – I got the car for my wife and she is so excited to drive it. She likes it. Style of the car is different with Toyota but it's beautiful and economical. You get 5L/100Km in the highway if the car is in good condition, in combination with suburbs you get 8-9L/100km subject to your driving habits. The 2 liter engine is ok but don't expect it to be… Read more

so jumpy. Comparing with some other cars like Camry you hear more road noises. In general I can say it's a lovely car and fun to drive.

Reliable and top fuel economy – I have 2014 sedan. I have it for 2 years and it has been an amazing best friend that I can rely on. Thankfuly never broke down and not expensive to service. It is fairly comfortable for a small sedan 2L engine. It is also very fuel efficient. Only 40L of unleaded petrol and does minimum 600km (my best was 680km) Show details

Generally good value for money – Car purchased originally for wife - however she is in late 60's and not so confident - I am now the main driver (male age 70). The car is used regularly for trips of 6- 10kms with regular highway and distance drives 300kms per stint. For the most part a very good car some observations which may or may not affect your buying decision. Car needed… Read more

mud flaps to keep sides of car and door sills clean, have same beeping battery issue as others - beeping - eg just vacuuming interior can result in reminder- even after successive long trips. Motor very good and gearbox very, smooth shifting plus a bonus of a conventional design - smoother in traffic than dry DSG or CVT I have driven - plus the auto is torque design and not factory sealed so able to be serviced. Boot is good size and spacious but access is a little tight. Service costs (as with all modern cars) should be cheaper - majority of them are just inspections, oil and filter with wheel rotation! Brakes excellent for 85% of time - but perhaps need to be slightly beefier if car driven harder or needs very short stopping time? Included safey and driver aids match competition and work well. Visibility is good, the heads up display is quite nice - unlike BMW - the heated steering wheel is free and not a monthly subscription, only thing missing is front sensors in the Mazda package - as I have scraped the very low front bumper on a car park bump stop. If you are considering this for rougher roads it nay not be the best choice. Mazda 3 no longer has independent rear suspension (as do many FWD cars nowadays). This suspension is great on smooth suburban roads and highways due to its rigid design - BUT - I found, like so many cars I have driven over the years using this setup - on rough roads and bumpy corners the car can bounce around and move off line across the road, unless you are travelling very slowly. One last thing for me - and not a big gripe - the compression and rebound settings on the shock absorbers should be tuned more to match the GT badge - a new Kia GT I drove very briefly seemed to have better compression and rebound settings - the Mazda felt to have better build quality and particularly better paintwork, so in all the Mazda is a good all rounder offering most things for most people and one I have been happy with.

Love my zoom zoom! – I purchased this car in 2019 and would not trade it for the world! I normally have a 3 year turn around with cars but not this one. I use my car daily for travel to and from work plus the usual shopping trips etc and it is perfect, a little thirsty at times but it's normal for a 2.5L engine. I have it serviced at Maitland Mazda every 10,000km and… Read more

they are always helpful. I love the safety features in this car and the luxury feeling of the interior. I would purchase another Mazda 3. I love the fact that Mazda make their cars feel high quality for a great price.

An example of Great Quality for Money – You really cant go wrong with Mazda Brand particularly the Mazda 3 which has dominated in quality and value for money the past decade and beyond. The new models are very appealing to any car lovers eye and the motor build is second to none for this price range- hightly recommended

Love our Mazda 3 hatch – Owned from new 2017 model Maxx hatch manual 2.0……what a great car. Not a fast car, but I have tweaked it to handle as good as any hot hatch . Lowered 30mm on King springs with standard shocks in place, front camber bolts, 18 inch BP GT rims with RE003 tyres, this simple combo transforms the car with proper alignment. How good ? My friends MX5 was… Read more

slowing me down through my favourite twisties recently :) Just under 60,000kms, not one issue as of yet. 7.8 litres/100km urban driving on 95 octane. My son is a mechanic and Mazda is at the top of the reliability list in his books. In no rush to sell this car, it’s a joy to drive in general and through corners where it counts.

Pure 2.0 ltr optioned with Vision – I am normally an electric car driver and was looking for a second family vehicle. Jason at Sale Mazda in Victoria took me through the safety features. The drive experience was impressive, smooth and adaptive for highway and gravel roads The cargo space for the sedan was almost double that of the hatch and useful for pickup of relatives from the… Read more

rail station or airport. Somehow the sedan styling was sassy yet gracious. The fuel economy and CO2 emissions were just as good as the Mazda MX30 hybrid and the price was $8000 less. Keeping distance checks and paying the VicRoads low emission levy on any electric vehicle was a big put off for buying an EV. So finally the option of the 360 degree camera and driver alert options without buying a high end model of any 2ltr car sold me on a Madza3 Pure It may be my last purchase of a petrol vehicle but I am sure it will be the safest, best drive and best priced.

Beautiful Car, nice to drive, but with a few major flaws for city driving – After 9 months I thought I’d better amend my review. This car is beautiful and well put together with quality materials. The engine I seem adequate, but the auto box does not get up through the gears quick enough for my liking. Around town it rarely gets into top gear. Istop rarely works as it won’t come in unless the engine is up to temperature;… Read more

the cabin is close to normal temperature and the wheels are straight (!) On my daily drive in a hot climate the aircon is always on, so istop basically doesn’t work.

I use the car daily for very short journeys. I live 3 or 4 mins from many of the places I go. And this is the problem. If the car does journeys of less than 5 mins regularly an alarm (beep) goes off telling you to start the engine and run for 5 mins. This is a pain and I have to do it often. It also contributes to the relatively poor fuel economy around town.

On the subject of beeps, this car has one for every occasion. If you don’t want to go mad turn whatever you can off and set all the sensors to low sensitivity. This will just about make it drivable.

Another problem with the car is the satnav which has the worst maps I have come across. I only use the guidance occasionally, but it has failed to get me where I want to go every time. Problems such as not being able to find the exact address on a street (or even near!); navigating to a dead end on a dirt road or getting us to a petrol station that hasn’t been there for 25 years. Voice guidance is garbled and pronunciations strange. (Towards pronounced “toads” and terrace pronounced TeeCeeEee!). Voice recognition is also very hit and miss.

Buy this car for a long run traveller but not for around town! I have spoken Mazda Australia and they are aware of the shortcomings, but I’m not hopeful of a software update soon. Such a pity because with a few tweaks this could be a brilliant car.