Mazda 3 Sport GT - First Impressions

I took delivery of my new Mazda 3 on Thursday, and bid a fond farewell to my faithful Subaru Legacy (much to the delight of Joyce's daughter, Heather). Mixed emotions to be sure, but at least I didn't have to leave the old girl on a dealer lot while I drove away.

As is often the case with a new vehicle, excitement is balanced with a certain period of adjustment. The Mazda is a class below the Subaru size-wise, and that became immediately apparent. The cabin space is more compressed (though not claustrophobically so) and the main cargo area isn't large enough to fit a guitar without dropping one of the rear seats back. You gain some of that space back in height by the ability to stack cargo. There's obviously also some compromise in rear leg room in a smaller car. On the plus side, the shorter length fits more comfortably in the garage.

The other major adjustment is shifting (pardon the pun) from a manual to automatic transmission. The '3' comes equipped with a 5 speed "Sport Mode" automatic which, in real terms, provides the ability to control the shift points of the transmission. The concept sounds great in principle, but I was underwhelmed with it when I drove the 6-7km home from the dealership. It wasn't until last night that I realized the shift points on the Mazda were one gear below those on the Subaru. At that point, everything clicked. It's still like some weird hybrid of manual and automatic but, man, is it fun! The HP and torque are essentially the same as the Legacy, but the car is much lighter. That results in a whole lot of zippedty-do-dah.

One of the deciding factors in choosing the Mazda over a Subaru Impreza was the feature set. Buying a Mazda is like ordering cable TV - every group of options has another set that's a prerequisite. In my case, I really wanted Bluetooth, GPS and a premium sound system because I didn't want to deal with after-market upgrades (though I'm sure it would have been much less expensive that way). Of course those options only come with the highest options package, so you end up with a fully tricked out vehicle, which is both a blessing and a curse. Lots of features means lots of controls (including those mounted on the steering wheel), and you have to be able to see them all in the dark, right? At night, this thing lights up like the Griswald's on Christmas Eve. It's simultaneously impressive, and garish. And speaking of night driving, not only are the headlights auto leveling, they're really freakin' bright! I swear they'd restore sight to a blind man.

I'm pretty impressed with the tech capabilities so far. The on-board GPS is nice, if a little small, and the sound system has good clarity and wallop. Bluetooth setup is pretty straightforward, and voice recognition is a welcome touch. I had little difficulty pairing my iPhone or Joyce's LG mobile, and I actually had Slacker Radio streaming from my iPhone through the Mazda's sound system this afternoon. Cool! I haven't activated the six month free subscription to Sirius radio yet, but I'm looking forward to that, too.

The GT-E also comes with automatic keyless entry and start. For the uninitiated, like me, this means that your car "keys" remain in your pocket (or purse as the case may be). Pardon me, but that's just fookin' weird. The keyless entry is actually pretty cool, as is the way the power driver's seat auto adjusts on entry, but the push button start is just plain foreign. There's something about inserting the key and turning on the ignition that's intrinsically part of the driving experience. And shutting down the car and walking away all with the key in my pocket still feels odd, not necessarily in a good way.

It's only been 48 hours, but I'm really excited by this little car so far. And "little" truly is the operative word, especially compared to what I'm used to. The Mazda 3 is a great little runabout, and the 2.5L engine will handle highway driving with aplomb. But as an only vehicle it's a little on the small side, even for a "single'" couple like us. We're already starting to think about replacing Joyce's 2005 Kia Spectra with a small SUV in a couple of years. It would be a perfect complement to the '3'.