So I've had the Mazda 3 for over 150 miles and almost a week, now. This has been nearly exclusively city driving. The car is "Mazda 3i Touring 4 Door," a 2.0 version with a 4 speed automatic gearbox. It's white with cloth seats and a relatively pale interior (I don't pretend to know what Mazda calls the interior - I'm not an automotive journalist ;) ). The car does have power windows and locks, and AC.



As should be obvious from my journal, this is from the perspective of someone accustomed to a modified MX-5, set up for CSP in autocross, who autocrosses the car regularly, tracks it occasionally, and just generally drives hard. My "wants" from my car are very high - much higher than the general population - so many of my complaints won't be relevant for others.



Complaint number one: Front wheel drive. I know, it's a small sedan, get over it. It's still FWD, and it still sucks to have the front wheels trying to do everything. When it manages to try to accelerate through a corner, it ends up understeering.



Complaint number two: The transmission. It's automatic, yes, but that's not the real complaint from me here. The car has a 2.0 that actually manages to have some kick at high RPM. Though it won't be enough to call the car a "sports car" or a "sport sedan," it gives the car some life and some of that sportiness Mazda's "Zoom Zoom" implies. But the transmission ruins it. The four gears, the way they're setup, just don't allow me to use the engine to get that pep. If it had a lower first and another gear I could actually make good use of that engine, and the car would feel a lot better.



I have to say, though, I'm impressed with the turn-in on this car. It's more responsive and nimble than I expected, especially with the soft suspension and the amount of body roll. Direction changes happen easily and quickly. I'm also pleased with the car's response to correction attempts. It does understeer, as to be expected of a FWD sedan, but a minor change easily gets a bit of rotation out of the back of the car, correcting the understeer. Though I can't really accelerate through corners *cough* no power *cough* understeer *cough*, if I can enter the corner with some speed, the car will quite happily maintain it.



This specific car does not have ABS. Yes, a 2008 year model car without ABS. No, I don't know what Mazda was thinking. The first time I braked hard in the car I was shocked at how long it took to stop and how lumbering it felt. Then again, that's coming from my MX-5, which on OEM tires stops from 60 in 112 feet, and I'm accustomed to slaming on the brakes with R-compounds on. Not exactly a fair judgment. As I've grown accustomed to the car, I appreciate the good brake feel and the effective braking. Yes, it's not an MX-5 on slicks, but the brakes do a great job slowing the car, and it's easy to stop in a relatively short distance without locking up the wheels.



There are steering wheel controls on the car. The steering wheel and controls have a very different feel than the ones on my MX-5, but the same basic buttons are in the same basic places. I find my left thumb does have to reach a bit more to change radio stations... I prefer the wheel in the MX-5, but this one isn't bad.



I'm not great with interior / comfort reviews. I tend to only notice something if it bothers me, and I don't remember any particular annoyances with this car. If you have any questions or particular concerns about things I haven't mentioned, ask. I just may not have thought of whatever it was.