Overview & Reviews

Front-seat side airbags and full-length side curtain airbags are now standard on all 's' trim levels.

• Athletic handling, refined and zippy engines, sharp styling, top-notch build and materials quality, sharp styling, hatchback utility, luxury features and ambiance at a budget price.

• So-so fuel economy with 2.3-liter engine, top safety equipment is optional on lower trim levels, tight rear legroom.

User Reviews:

Showing 171 through 180 of 201.00

• 

  So Far I Like - 2008 Mazda Mazda3
  By NorCal Driver - August 14 - 11:46 am

  Was looking for a stylish car with good gas mileage for my budget. Mazda3 so far is meeting my expectations. Have only driven about 500 miles on it. It has quick acceleration and looks good on inside and out. Love the orange lighting on dash and six disc changer also aux jack is a plus. Glove box is huge and trunk is good size for car. I am getting around 25-28 miles to the gallon, thats with mixed freeway city driving. Engine is a little noisy and first minute of starting up it idles a little rough. I have not noticed much road noise. Takes corners like a champ. Speakers are average, will be replacing with some components soon. If you have extra 5k go with the Grand Touring.

• 

  Nice small car - 2008 Mazda Mazda3
  By arizonadragger - August 11 - 12:17 am

  I bought my 3 for the looks and mpgs. But wasnt thrilled by the mpgs after tracking them for 2 years (24mpg avg). I do a lot of city driving, but expected a little better, hwy wasnt that impressive either, 28-30 most the time. I would blame the 4 speed auto, just not enough gears to go through in the mountains. The cruise control is horrible, set it at 60 and it goes past 65 when it switches gears to accel. Accels down hills in cruise control. Wanted to use a family car but the 3 star rear side crash rating is too scary. Solo city driving, its a very nice car. But I had to sell because it was a terrible roadtrip car that just isnt safe enough.

• 

  Better than expected - 2008 Mazda Mazda3
  By Bob - August 9 - 6:50 am

  Having driven mini-vans for 20+ years, I wanted something more economical (MPG) but still had some room to haul things. I also wanted to stay with Japanese. The M3 wasnt on my radar screen until pretty late in the game. Im embarrassed to say this but the heated seats sealed the deal for me. The price was VERY attractive, too. Now that Ive had the car for a few months and have put 6,000 miles on it, Im quite enamored with it. Great amenities. Its fun too drive -- too fun maybe. I often have a hard time going easy for the better MPG. I miss the space/convenience of a mini-van but life is all about tradeoffs. Bottom line: no regrets, at least so far.

• 

  Great Car for the right driver - 2008 Mazda Mazda3
  By Tom - June 1 - 10:40 pm

  Overall, excellent choice and Im very happy. I decided between this and the 2008 Toyota Corolla...my last car was a 1996 Toyota Corolla, which did the job, and got great mileage; was ready to move on though, and the Mazda3 had always caught my eye. Fun to drive, handles great, easy on the eyes; My 3 is blue with a beige interior. If you want a car to get you from point A to B that will never fail, with great mileage, get a corolla. The Mazda3 mileage isnt great (26 comb). I was getting 32 combined in my corolla. But...if you want a more all around package, go with the 3; no problems with it at all, and have gotten a lot of compliments on it; definitely feels a lot more expensive it is.

• 

  Awesome peppy car - 2008 Mazda Mazda3
  By Nancy - May 28 - 3:43 pm

  I love driving this car. Its small enough to get around and find parking in NYC, but when the seats are down I was able to fit 2 mountain bikes in the bike with the front wheels off. No problems yet handling in raining conditions, havent tried driving in snow yet. Fuel economy could be better, but at least it takes regular vs premium.

• 

  Mazda 3 high milage reliablity - 2008 Mazda Mazda3
  By ksmike - May 20 - 12:37 am

  I have a 2.0 liter, 5 speed manual that I bought new in 2008, which I use for commuting to work in a rural area. 175000 miles now and still get 34-38 mpg (depends on the tires and season). The only part replaced was a new power steering pump was replaced as a recall. Other than that, changed tires every 40,000 miles (you have to have frequent tire rotations due to positive camber), oil changes every 5000 miles, coolant flush. I have not even changed sparkplugs, needed an alignment, or even needed to have the brake pads replaced.

• 

  Easy choice - 2008 Mazda Mazda3
  By Mike - May 16 - 4:40 pm

  The Mazda3 is hands down the best car to buy out of all the compacts if youre looking for value and maybe a little respect on the road. I test drove every car in this class trying to find a car that wouldnt bust my bank and was still fun to drive. Nothing compared to the Mazda 3 when it comes to the fun to drive factor and the amount of options for the price. If you like driving a manual transmission make sure you test drive this car. Nothing else compares when it comes to 5 speed manuals at this price. Ive been nothing but impressed with my Mazda 3 so far. Mazda has done a great job of reinventing themselves.

• 

  Great First Car - 2008 Mazda Mazda3
  By jax - May 5 - 6:20 am

  This is my first car and it has met and superseded all my expectations. As all others I love the handling and the acceleration is great. It looks great, a lot better than the new 2010 (smiley face and ugly tail lights). I have driven 27,000 miles in one year and it runs great with no problems. Get a car bra to protect the paint if you drive on highways often, otherwise it will surely get chipped. The tires are a bit skittish in wet conditions although was fine in snow and I live New England.

• 

  You Wont Be Disappointed... Zoom-Zoom! - 2008 Mazda Mazda3
  By dan_clear - May 4 - 1:00 am

  Love this car... there is an s-turn near my house and this car eats it up. Looked at the Civic, Matrix, VWs, Nissans etc. but I chose this car because it is a blast to drive. Build quality is great and there are features that you would expect to find on more expensive cars. Leather seats were a deal breaker and rarely found as an option on smaller cars. Also, I am 62" and there is plenty of room for me in this car. For just a shade over 20k you cant go wrong!

• 

  So far, so good - 2008 Mazda Mazda3
  By mary_228 - April 28 - 1:20 am

  I"m writing my review after the thrill of new car ownership has faded. Im happy with the car in general, but there have been a few problems. The brakes are still extremely squeaky even after 7500 miles. The dealer changed the front brake pads but this had no effect. Secondly, there is still a noticeable catalytic converter smell if you go to the back of the vehicle after turning it off in the garage. The dealer claims there is a break in period for this. How long, I wonder?? There is no area for a purse if you choose to use the driver side cup holder. Finally, the car handles badly in snow. The small incline to my garage is impossible to manage with even the smallest amount of snow.