Hello everyone! I am a proud owner of one of the kind of rare cars in my state of Washington:

The Mazda3 Turbo Premium Plus.



Back in 2022, I was trading in my 2019 Audi A3 when the lease was about to end. I was considering other alternatives as my replacement daily driver to take me to university and back home: Kia K5, Subaru Outback, Honda Civic and the ‘22 Audi A3. But all the features that Mazda offered plus the crash test ratings made me choose the Mazda3 Turbo. And not to mention, AWD!


Original Photo from the Dealership. (Only 6 miles on the clock when I first got it)

Fun fact, my family owned cars with black paint jobs. A 2013 Audi A6, 2014 Hyundai Elantra, and a 2019 Lexus UX250h. Out of these 3 cars, I would say the black paint job on the Mazda looks the nicest.

I was glad I got the Mazda because my insurance rates were pretty high when I had an Audi at very young age. (I drove the Audi in high school up until halfway around senior year) My rates dropped when I got the Mazda.


My old Audi A3


Things I loved so far about the Mazda

1) The Tech: Mazda once again had a lot of excellent tech for the price. 360 Camera, HUD, Radar Cruise Control, Traffic Jam Assist you name it. None of the features my Audi had. Although I love the performance and sound my Audi had, my Audi was pretty barebones. No radar cruise control, no 360 Camera (Not even offered on the 2024 still to this day), and very minimal safety tech.

The neat thing in my Mazda is when it plays a musical beep when the blind spot monitor is activated. Never had that on my Audi. And the waves animation on the Mazda’s Driver’s Assistance screen was neat

2) More Power: I don’t really consider power all that important, but the Mazda packed a punch with more horsepower than my Audi. My Audi had around the 220 range. My Mazda had 227 hp (250 with premium octane) which was pretty impressive. And the spoiler was pretty cool I’d admit.

3) The Price: Because I traded in my Audi at the Mazda dealer, the MSRP reduced for the Mazda3 to around $32K. My Audi started around $37K to $38K (different, because I was leasing the A3) And the Mazda offered way more than the Audi for the price.

4) Interior: Holy! That interior is nice!



The materials were a lot nicer than my Audi IMO and the seats were more comfortable. My Audi had pretty hard leather seats while the Mazda felt kind of like a sofa. Slightly more comfortable seats than in my mom’s Lexus.

5) The Sound System: My Audi did sound pretty hollow and shallow with its stock sound system. Mazda had a much better sound system hands down. The songs I listen to on pretty high volume almost feel like an iMax movie hall IMHO,

And not to mention, Daily Audio put Mazda in A-Tier in their sound systems ranking!: https://youtu.be/Flx6qLp9TgI?si=jZPPQJwpJFryfjUk

Things I didn’t like

1) Fuel Economy: The fuel efficiency is laughable. I average 24.3 MPG. Yes, it is not a Prius or Corolla, but the Turbo model could do better. And I am already a proud customer at the gas station. I give kudos however to Mazda for not putting auto-start stop in my Mazda (Mazda later put it on the CX-50 models and newer). I hated the auto-start stop that was in my Audi.

2) LKA (Lane Keep Assist): The LKA is the biggest gripe with my car. On the highway, it has the most violent LKAs. The LKA in my mom’s Lexus was a bit more calmer… should I say?

3) The gloss black panel on the center: Gloss black panels shouldn’t be in any car IMHO period. The gloss black panels scratch up overtime. More than my 2nd Generation iPod Touch with a chrome back over years of use.

4) Space in the back: The space was a bit smaller in my Mazda than in my Audi, although it was comfortable back there. Wish Mazda gave us more room in the back. The hatchback, probably a different story.

Infotainment System

I love the infotainment system. And not to mention the Audi I had, had a rotary **** too for the MMI. My Mazda finally brought that to the rest of the Mazda lineup. Call me crazy (as a young person), but I would personally use the rotary **** over a touchscreen. It is a lot safer to use the rotary **** and keep your eyes on the road.

I personally don’t like touchscreens in general. I think touchscreens are good in CarPlay mode. I drove a Tesla and the touch controls were annoying and not intuitive. I had to go several menus to just get a heated steering wheel (On my Mazda, it is just one button!) and the sliding vibrations of my fingers on the screen is just cumbersome.

Reliability

The Mazda was very reliable although there was just one issue. The vibration oscillations underneath while driving. I did get it checked out by Mazda and they were happy to help.

The Mazda’s reliability was on par with the Toyota and Lexus vehicles my family owned. It was a lot more reliable than my dad’s 2013 Audi A6 and my mom’s first car: An early 2000s VW New Beetle.

Cost of Maintenance

Not much to be honest. I usually get my car serviced at the dealer and from what I seen, the cost is pretty low.

I am not sure what the maintenance for the electric system for a 360 Camera, front camera and front and rear parking sensors will be like.

Horrors of Seattle Roads

While driving in Seattle, my car when through the most upsetting experiences:


In November of 2022, a pebble hit the windshield of my Mazda on the highway. It then expanded the crack of my windshield. My insurance company told me that if I asked them to cover this, they would raise my premiums. Ended up having to get a new OEM windshield installed by Safelite. F**k you Progessive.


In February of 2023, I ended up scrapping my forged black rim while pulling over for an emergency vehicle on a narrow road with some sidewalk barriers. Not a good start to my day.

Final Thoughts

I get the review was pretty short, but it has only reached 10K miles so far so nothing much to report. I do think the Mazda3 Turbo is an excellent car if you don’t want to send a lot of money for an entry luxury car or luxury car. You get a hella lot of car for your money.

For buying the Mazda3 Turbo, the 2024 model is a gray area for me. The prices went up and now the ‘24 model is a bit overpriced. I like that Mazda added the 10-inch display and added more safety features, but the high price is a bit problematic.

The 2021-2023 models are still bang for your buck.

Feel free to ask me anything if you have any thoughts!