Owner Review: Something different and enjoyable - My 2012 Mazda 3 2.0

Reason why I bought this car

After 12 years using a little Perodua Kelisa as my ride, it's time for me to upgrade into a bigger, powerful & comfortable car for my family. I'm not considering MPV as the available models in the market that can be reached are not interesting & so boring to enjoy driving.

I'm looking for a second hand sedan car that in my budget due to over price new car in our beloved country(even basic spec brand new small car A-segment you have to pay almost RM30k not including bank interest), fun to drive, stable at high speed with 2.0 litre engine as I have no issue to pay RM379.80 to the government for road tax.

This car I will mainly use for balik kampung, weekend driving & some time to travel for outstation. I'm not selling my Kelisa as the car rarely gives me misery by digging my pocket. Kelisa is still used by my wife to send my child to school every day & for short distance driving.

Car selection process

• I had a budget of: less than RM 40k
• Models that I have considered include: Toyota Corolla Altis, Honda Civic FD, Proton Inspira

The reason why I choose this car

Personally in my opinion, from my first driving in 1999 until today, I realized that the car was really fun to drive in the C-segment. Because, all manufactures normally offer their best such as new technology, new innovation & features that make their product different from other competitors. As someone who is familiar with the Toyota brand, I'm looking forward to find something different from other Japanese car makers.

At first I'm considering Altis 2.0V, but the fact that we have to admit is three Corolla generations after millennium are not up-to-date in style that make a young driver look like 'stole or borrowing' his dad's car despites Toyota having a good reputation on reliability. I'm not considering Civic FD as the car was very loved by BBNU, twitter kid & instafamous who are desperately intense to collect as many likes, comments & shares as they can by making videos creating improper behavior. Many of these kids usually feel good on their own, cocky & love to show-off with their 2nd hand FD as they thought Honda is 'kayangan' brand and I don't want to be same level as them.

The Inspira I have to put it out from the list because considering review from a group of it's owner, it may cause headache due to some of the issue trending after you own the car. After observing & study this model for a quiet of time, I found not much complaint from it's user, as the complaint mainly due to obsolete wear. Many of them, a bunch of praise expressed. So I think, why not go for Mazda 3? Yet, it still hand Japan.

User experience

• I have already done 8,000 km
• My average fuel consumption is 16.8 km/L

I am lucky to have bought this car. The previous owner & the first was a senior citizen, a Chinese uncle that aged in the middle 60s. Really care a lot about the car. The car was purely factory stock. It was fully serviced at Mazda Service Center since it's brand new registered and even premium body coating. This car is often parked at condo parking rather than drive. When I drove home this car, the odometer was clocked approximately 68k only.

Verification with the Mazda SC proving it is truly correct & not touched. I have already done 8000+km. My average fuel consumption is 16.8km/L. Mazda really offers something different, that is why they said Mazda is targeting a niche market for their car. I like it's sporty handling, not much body roll can be felt during cornering. At high speed at first I thought the speedometer displayed cheating when it showed 140km/h as the body was very stable like driving at 60km/h before I realized it was true.

The car even feels slow when overtaking at Plus highway speed lane and left behind middle lane users one by one. Through a long journey, the semi-bucket seat ergonomically supports the back bone. With Mazda's driving dimension set-up for this model, I still do not feel tired after 1 hour of driving. Fuel consumption to me is quite good. I like Mazda's Kodo design philosophy as the identical styling is uniquely different compared to other brands. Still today, it looks expensive, sporty & timeless. What makes this model special is it is rarely seen on our road. Bermaz has sold less than 10,000 units nationwide from 2009 until 2013(if not mistaken).

Majority of this car was purchased by it's first owner in Selangor's big city, KL, & Putrajaya. In terms of service cost it still makes sense if the car is sent to SC, the price you pay is almost similar to other fellow Japanese brands. The spare parts are still alternatively reached as there are so many chop shops here. There are also a number of Mazda individual specialist workshops in Klang Valley, so no issue on spare parts if you want to get it out from SC. Overall, I think this Mazda 3 is the car I always want to drive.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• "Japan's Lotus Ride & Handling" (almost similar handling feels with Proton Preve)
• Modern 2.0 VVT-i gasoline direct injection engine
• Fuel consumption is good.
• Both front seat semi-bucket
• Exterior & Interior nice styling
• Affordable service,spare parts cost. Spare part stock reachable
• Many advanced features such as Bi-Xenon lights with auto leveling, Monochromatic rear view mirror, auto climate dual-zone air cond, ABS+EBD, MID, auto rain sensor wiper and many more for a 2nd hand car priced at RM37k.
• Spare part original from Japan, affordable price. No copy-cat from China.

Cons

• Weird both side left/right up-down arrangement paddle shift at steering wheel
• Touch screen Navigation head unit with no reverse camera
• You have to open the glove box to attach the thumb drive and find the hidden USB wire first.
• Rear seat is quite narrow for adult passengers.
• Too much button on dashboard/steering wheel
• Annoying servo motor sound when turn steering wheel

Ratings

Total Score: 4 Performance: 5 Quality & Features: 5 Space: 4 Ride Comfort: 5 Fuel Economy: 4 Price & Cost: 4

Summary

Overall, I am satisfied with the car's performance. I care not about the general opinion that Mazda cars' resale value was the worst compared to other famous Japan's car brands. For me, I am not going to trade-in with the latest model. I don't want to put myself in debt because of a car.

I realize for a long time owning a car is a huge liability and losing a lot of money is something that needs to be avoided. Personally I use a car on purpose, not a lifestyle. What I am thinking is after 12 years with Kelisa, why not buy a car that will give total satisfaction, something that I like & enjoyed to feel how it's driven as this Mazda 3 is expected to use for another 5 to 6 years before next upgrading.

Some interesting events

My father was a loyal Toyota customer and also UMWT staff. Even my first drive was a 1983 Toyota Corolla GL. He then upgraded to 1995 Toyota Corolla SEG, 2006 Toyota Corolla Altis and now 2014 Toyota Camry. He did not agree with me & even condemned me when I told him I will buy a Mazda 3 for my next car. When balik kampung, I let him inaugurated the car. He then smiles when he comes back after testing the car alone. He said the car feels solid, the engine was good & smooth and I like it. He even considered exchanging his Camry with my Mazda 3 any time(surely after PKP).

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