Seen the Mazda 3, whaddya think?

[Critter]

Well I got to the motor show, and thoroughly enjoyed it, best for some years IMO.

Having seen Mazda's displays of the SP23 Mazda 3-style, well for me, I'm very happy with my SP20 to be honest..

For mine, the Mazda 3 is a little "busy" looking, lots of shapes, the stereo will be hard to go up-market with, the interior not as clean as the current car.

So I'm really happy with the one I've got....

I HAD thought the 3 would be my next car, go have a look. Now, mebbe not.

[Rupewrecht]

did they have both models there (hatch + sedan)?

[Aaron]

Yup both there - I have a stack of M3 pics (and not many others as I thought the show sucked)....

Will put them up tonight ;)

A.

[mrpayner]

Interestingly I heard that the Porsche stand was no where to be seen at Sydney.. Apparently due to "spirilling costs" porsche backed out of the show.. geez.. if the likes of Daewoo can be seen at a motor show surely Porsche can too.. :roll:

AP

[Aaron]

It costs Porsche about $500K to do the Motorshow in Sydney and another $500K to do Melbourne. Like jaguar I guess the problem for them is that it takes selling a lot of cars to recoup the $1M a year the shows cost.

Daewoo was there sure, but considering they're a mass market sellign they can amortise the cost over a great number of sh!taweful units.

There is a rumor that Ferrari and Lamborghini do not pay for their sites, unlike Porsche.....

[Rupewrecht]

yeah porsche only do ever 2 years now it seems - and last year was the Cayenne, and nothing significantly new this year

i look forward to pics :)

[bRaDiNhO]

BUT Porsche had a tuner representing them. There was a Twin turbo Cayenne, TT Boxster, and 911. All three cars there, maybe costs as an aftermarket parts supplier eg the Continental tyres, MOMO etc stands are much cheaper. Either way, anyone compared Daewoo sales to Porsche sales, taking into account prices and advertising expenditure - Porsche make a ****eload more than Daewoo so should have been there.

Show was awesome, much better than i remember. Unfortunately was at Birmingham show last year which craps all over Sydney and Melbourne, but yea, better than 2 years ago. Toyota was crap, Mazda 3 was A++. Power too low for a hot hatch now that everyone has a hatch with 130kw+, but presentation is tops. Very nice car in and out in the metal, better than pics which i wasnt thrilled with. And thank you Maserati - the Quattroporte was the highlight of the show, next to the blue Kia with bonnet scoop, bodykit and gold wheels in an attempt to make it look like a WRX. :roll: Keep trying Kia.

And new Avalon?! *cough* :lol:

[preeman80]

Hmm.. Mazda 3.. very dissapointed! :(

I was thinking of getting the Mazda 3 as my next car.. (replacement for my 2003 sp20 hatch) but now... I don't think. I am happy to keep my car and do mods to it instead.. so time to open the wallet on this baby.. (and hope to find something in there :wink: )

[Andrew_SP20]

I went yesterday arvo and spotted the 'SP23' on the revolving stand. I must say i was very intrigued at first but as soon as i saw the power stats i sighed in dissappointment. The thought of a few more cubes had my mind racing but to gain only an extra 17kW from an extra 0.3L is very average indeed!!! Note that the spec sheet said regular unleaded tho... maybe there lies the problem! Either way i'll be sticking to my '02 SP20 and spending the extra dosh on a turbo kit once my warranty is up!

That's my 2.3 cents...

[preeman80]

Yea, That is what I am looking at doing as well, but waiting for my warranty to be over is not an option, Turbo would have to be in first. (7 Years warranty) :roll: Can't wait that long for this turbo.

[Sen-Dog]

Anybody have specs on the Mazda 3?
I've been a bit out of it lately :lol:

[KittyKatSmack]

I like the 115kw on the sp23 before you even start to play with it!!!!!

Imagine flashing the Mazda 3 ecu with the Mazda 6 specs?

zoom zoom

:D

[bRaDiNhO]

Just remember that all cars need to be freshened up as the years go by. A 20kw-odd upgrade a year and a half down the track is feasible and easy. Launching a car with maxxed power at launch doesnt provide much room for upgrades.

[Cosmo Dude]

That is correct but If I wait for the upgrade then there will be another one upgrade just around the corner and so-on untill you're waiting for the next model and it then starts again.
When do you bite the bullet and buy the new car?

Rod

P.S. Finance permitting I hope to order an SP23 in Feburary/March.

[andrewgrazier]

Mazda should get that ****in V6 engine from the ALFA GTA thing
what is that 160Kw or somthing?? and its small enough to fit in that car so mazda should copy it n put it in the mazda 3 and make it how the first astinas were
PERFORMANCE CARS

[bRaDiNhO]

Yea Alfa would love that. "Japcrap" that handles better, is lighter, good looking, faster and half the price than their hero car! :lol: But i'll dream wid u anyway.

Rod i aint knocking the 3, i supporting it! Buy it! I think it would be a great everyday car. You've got a couple of toyz on the side, so u can still get that turbo rush any time u want!