Autoweek: Mazda3 HB gets the thumbs up

[Geo]

Saw this in this week's autoweek, find it rather interesting:http://autoweek.com/search/sea...ord=1There were some surprising comparison to the Matrix XRS, one of them being that the MZ3 is faster than our VVTL-i brethern in 0-60 times (Hooray for Torque!) and other little things are mentioned, cool stuff.I know this has been brought up before in a previous thread, but given the chance, I'd take one of these in a second ... Ford or not (And the fact that it is built IN Japan ... hooray for quality!)

[noginsk]

I probably would have held out for the 3, if not for one critical fact:The 3 with the 2.3 engine gets rather poor mileage. Plus, if I had a more powerful engine, I would want to rev it more, getting even worse mileage. The other reasons which kept me wer that it can't haul as much stuff as you can in the vibe. Plus, depending on when you buy it, you can get the vibe for about 3k below the 3. Future incentives may change that though.But oh, if I could get the 5door Mazda 3 with the 2.0 engine, I would have been sold instantly. Maybe in a year or two they will offer it...

[ebslopp]

I almost bought the Mazda 3 when I was looking for a new car. I went with the Vibe though because I felt I was getting more bang for my buck. We'll see which one holds their resale better. They're both very nice cars.

[Fformula88]

The Mazda 3 looks like a really nice car in either version. They could have gone a little further with the sporty styling. The car looks good in pictures, which is not something all cars can accomplish. But in person the styling it leaves me a little dissapointed. That said it is still a really nice car. Zoom-Zoom!

[Caretaker]

I think the 3 is a wonderful car IF you want a 2 seater. I still do not understand why manufacturers build cars with 4 doors when there is no possibly way of fitting a normal sized human being back there. While I don't know how much Ford is in the 3, it still would weigh heavily on my mind, as I prepare to junk my 626 after only 8 years on the road. Lesson learned: I'd stick with the Vibe over the 3.

[SGT]

Let's see. The 3 has .5 litres more engine, gets an as tested MPG rating of 21 according to the magazine and yet is only .17 seconds faster 0-60 compared to a stock XRS engine. Doesn't sound all that great to me. I like the way the 3 looks, but I think it's because the Mazda stylists appear to have copied the Vibe. I think I will keep my Vibe.

[AKLGT]

really? well, then i'll keep my vibe gt w/ my engine mods and my 30 mpg fuel economy! for less $. but the 3 still looks pretty good! i like the sedan over the hatchback tho.

[noginsk]

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »i like the sedan over the hatchback tho.Me too. I can't put my finger on it, but the sedan has a little something that the hatchback doesn't

[joatmon]

the EPA numbers for the mazda 3 at http://www.fueleconomy.gov are much more comparable to Vibe than what the magazine said

[Geo]

I also believe that with just bolt on modofications you can bring the Duratech 2.3L to over 200WHP, as some others have done. Interesting to say the least. As far as seeing it in person, I saw a lava orange one on the interstate last week and ... I couldn't take my eyes off of it, I was just absolutly floored! :DAs far as gas mileage goes ... around town I get mid to low 20s, and mid to high 20s on interstate - so I don't think I would be giving up as much as far as mileage goes

[goodvibe]

That's low mileage. Have you got an auto? Bolt ons won't get 40hp on a 160hp motor. Injen only claims 6hp gain for their intake on the 2.3. That's half of the increase they claim for a Vibe GT. An exhaust might get another 5 hp but probably less, and add a header for a few more if you like. You can't get to 200 hp on the 2.3 with just bolt ons. You've now got about the same hp as a stock 04 GT and well under a stock 2003 that have well over 190 with just a CAI according to Injen. I think the 3's a cool car and I actually prefer smaller dimensions for driving fun. It's just to small for my needs. I've owned an RX-7 and a 626 and loved them both. I've also subscribed to Autoweek on and off since the late 70s when it was still in newspaper form and anti-establishmet. I'm only slightly biased here.

[Geo]

According to the injen Dyno charts, it gains 9HP, 6ft/lb torque(http://www.mazda3forums.com/viewtopic.p ... sc&start=0)As far as other bolt ons, going with Japanese spec pistons, you see an increase in 11 HP (but then you have to mess with compression ratios, all that fun stuff ... but for the sake of argument) Magnaflow's exhaust boasts a 14HP gain for the MZ3 (Dyno charts to be posted), so that's 34HP right there, 6 away from 40 gain. Then there's headers, timing, fuel thingies blah blah blah ... all for a NA engine. whee! (Yea, cheaper to go with a Turbo in the long run as far as cost/benefit goes, but some people just love NA I guess . I believe this is roughly the same engine that is used in the Focus, and some good numbers have been shown from them as well...anyways) Theoretically, it would be possible to get over 200HP with I/H/E, ECU, pulleys, grounding kits, etc. I'm sure someone will give it a go and see how it goes.On a side note, yep, I drive an automatic - but also with a lead foot. Low 20s is with 100% city driving as well. Seriously considering a manual for my next car...

[goodvibe]

I never said you couldn't get to 200 hp, I said you couldn't do it with bolt ons. Anything that opens the motor, is not a bolt-on. Dynos vary and Injen claims 6hp. I dought they're rounding down. It's unlikely you could go from 160hp to 174hp by completely removing the exhaust and cat. Some of these gains your talking about may be possible with more extensive mods but we're talking bolt-ons. It's also not always straight addition. A unichip gains on a Vibe GT are higher without a CAI. Part of good Cai design is getting the A/f ratio correct in the high HP ranges. An A/f thingey gains are less here though it may gain even more at other non optimized rpm. One more thing. You can't directly compare the gains of mods to that motor in a Focus. It's only rated at 149hp in a Focus and has more room for gajns. It already has flow and tune improvements made from the factory for the Mazda 3. I guess we'll agree to disagree.

[Geo]

Sounds good

[Psychobroker]

Quote »ENGINEFront-transverse 2.3-liter/137.9-cid dohc I4Horsepower: 160 @ 6500 rpmTorque (lb-ft): 150 @ 4500 rpmCompression ratio: 9.7:1Fuel requirement: 87 octane87 vs 91+ will almost make any mileage argument a wash.

[goodvibe]

Oops, thats right.

[Psychobroker]

Well, I started to read it, but began to see double after the 3rd paragraph (I read contracts, insurance applications, and policies for a living, so any extra lengthy reading isn't considered leisure to me lol).Does this mean I can use 87?

[Yoda]

Great article, GEO - that 3 looks really nice - makes you wonder if Toyota / GM are planning to put another engine on the next Vibe in the next few years. The Scion xC (2.4l) should do the trick. Nav and Leather are also on the Vibe, but the 3's interior looks pretty good in the pictures - I haven't seen the real thing, and I'm not sure I trust AW's braking or slalom numbers - too random...I personally like the styling on the 3 and the mazdaspeed folks usually have their act together, but I'm not sure what would make someone choose this over a Vibe GT or a base vibe with a supercharger. Seems like it's designed to appeal to older people - I don't see any edgy themes, just a nice car...BTW - I like your animated icon - I assume that the guy just doesn't know the door says pull, but where's it from?